• Alive
    My name is Neomi. Neomi Everdans, aka Nemo by my younger twin sister, Nilla. I am 14, 5”4, and 120 pounds. You ask why you should care. Well I was kidnapped, raped, and murdered in my own neighborhood, but no one even knows yet. This is my story:
    It all started this weekend. It was Friday after school, the beginning of my three day weekend. I sat under a tree. An oak tree I think, with my little sister Nilla by my side. She was sprawled out looking at the cloud formations in the sky. Every now and then she would look down at the street to see if she could spot our dad’s beat up, red, pick-up truck. Disappointed, she looked at the watch on her cell phone, and then back to the clouds again.
    It had been forty five minutes since school had ended. Dad was late as usual. My face stayed buried in my book until I heard the bump of my dad’s flat tire. I looked up, and there stood “Old Faithful”, (what I named his pick-up truck because it still hasn’t broken down). Standing up and stretching my arms I threw my shoulder bag over my head, and walked to the truck.
    Nilla put her hand through the rolled down window, and opened the door. That was one of Old Faithful’s wonderful features. That it couldn’t open or unlock from the outside, not including the leaky roof when it rained. Nilla hoped in the backseat and I took the front of our little, six-seater. The car pulled off only to screech to a stop in front of our house.
    I raced to the front door. Opening it I ran my backpack to my room, and headed to the kitchen. I grabbed for the cookies on the top shelf when my step-mom walked in. She was tall. Well at least taller than me. She walked precisely one foot following the other to the front. Her ankles always rolled in her stilettos. She flipped her long, elegant, dark-brown hair, and sat next to me on the rotating stools. “I need you to run this over to Mr. Edgar down the street.” Her femalely soft, but strong voice flowed out of her mouth. I nodded with acknowledgement. Her perfectly manicured hands placed the box in front of me. She unruffled her work skirt and jacket as she stood up. I watched as she strutted to the front door, closing it behind her.
    I spun my head around to look at dad. Without a single word he knew what I would say. “Yes, yes Neomi. I know she is a little spoiled, but she’ll change I promise. You shouldn’t even be worried about my personal life.” He said putting his hand on my head, and gently pushing it forward. “Now go do what she told you to do.” I rolled my eyes, smiling. I grabbed the package, and headed out the door while putting on my roller skates.
    It was getting dark as I skated down the road. I watched as the sun went down, how it graced the sky with its beautiful colors. I stopped in front of Mr. Edgar’s house. His house was big. It was one of those custom made houses. I walked past the tall statues of dolphins and up to his front door. I knocked on his door with his brass doorknocker, and rang the bell. I flipped my hair behind my ear, and messed it up a little trying to look sporty.
    Mr. Edgar has a son named Ellie. He was tall, jet black hair, and the most beautiful brown eyes. He was majorly into sports, and so was I but he never seems to notice me at school only when I came to his house. He almost always answered the door. Mr. Edgar pulled the door open. I ran my fingers through my hair to straighten it. Apparently Ellie wasn’t home.
    “My step-mom wanted you to have this.” I said handing the package over. “Um, yea, um she said you had something for me.” I added lowering my head as I saw Ellie glance over to me from the staircase. My cheeks where warm, I could feel them as I blushed. Mr. Edgar looked over his shoulder, and looked back smiling. “Aw, crushes are so cute.” I looked up alarmed.” Don’t worry, I won’t tell.” He said placing his finger over his mouth as if to keep a secret. I smiled, “Thanks, well I got to start getting home.”
    “You need a ride?”
    “No thanks. Bye” He closed the door as he saw me off. I skated down back towards my house, when a white SUV passed me. I pulled my phone out, and called my dad to tell him I was on the way home. I was about one more block from home when the SUV passed me again. I watched as it skidded to a stop. I turned around, and skated with all my heart in the other direction. They ran after me. I kicked and screamed at my takers but nothing helped I was hauled into the SUV. I was blindfolded as the door closed behind me, sealing my fate.
    After that I slid in and out of cautiousness only to a wake as they each took their turns and slit my throat. I finally opened my eyes to find myself looking down at my cold, limp body. I was a ghost or something of the sort, but I was solid. I was just not visible to the human eye, or any eyes. I walked down the streets not knowing what to do. Should I visit the place I once called home? Or should I just wonder around? I walked to my house, what was my house. I opened the front door. Nilla was sitting on the couch laughing with my dad. We loved our dad’s jokes. We had heard them a billion times before, but it didn’t matter because his facial expressions always made us laugh.
    I made my way to my room. The hallway looked longer than usual, maybe because I wanted this to last. Maybe I wanted to stay here forever. The door was warm from where I had held it moments ago. My backpack lay, sprawled on the floor and next to it my fat cat. I would miss her the way she would curl up next to my head while I slept as if she could protect me. Even though she couldn’t, it made me feel safe. I would miss her most, along with my sister, my dad, and even my step-mom. I would miss the people I ran across in my lifetime, the smells, and the sights.
    As I turned and closed my door, a teenage boy stood behind me. He was an angel. He wasn’t like the angels you hear about. You know like the ones in the bible with the beautiful wings and stuff. They had their long, elegant hair, and with the perfect pretty face. He wasn’t like that. He had no wings, a pimple on his cheek, and he was dressed in casual clothes. So I guess it was true you where made in God’s image. That he will receive you just as you are.
    “My name is Gale.” He held his hand out.
    “Neomi or Nemo”, I replied shaking it.
    “You ready to leave?”
    I took one final look around and nodded. He wrapped his arms around me and we started heading for the sky. He was warm, which made me feel safe in his arms. It felt like I was gliding for hours but we were going at the speed of light, no past the speed of light. The scientist that I read about in history and science class would have loved this. I was surrounded by coldness, unlike anything you’ve ever felt. Gale’s warmth some how just kept getting warmer and warmer as it got colder.
    When we finally arrived the temperature was warm it was the perfect weather always, everyday. When it rained, it was warm rain, juicy, fat, wet droplets that would form huge puddles. Where you can jump and splash around. Everyone would go outside and run around. No one would get hurt. The next day we would see rainbows, and run around in the grasslands. We would travel in cars. Just like on earth, but only if you wanted.
    I loved the car rides on earth and in heaven. I liked it the most at nights. Gale would drive me, because it reminded me of my dad driving. I liked how the street lights looked like stars, and how everything was peaceful, and calm. Gale and I had become the best of friends. More like a brother. He showed me how to fly. I even had wings like angels. Gale told me the reason he didn’t have wings when I saw him is because he didn’t want to scare me. We could choose if we wanted or didn’t want wings. Everything was beautiful. So serene, it was different from how it was on earth. There was no pollution. Everybody was friendly and understanding, and it wasn’t fake compassion. Like the people you see on TV with those creepy, happy smiles trying to tell you everything will be ok when it won’t.
    Time passed quicker here. It has only been a week on earth but it seemed like a month up here. It passed so quickly, I guess it’s true, time flies when you’re having fun. I loved the scents; they were so much stronger without all the conflicting pollution. The flowers could be smelt a mile away. The light breeze would carry scents of fruits, herbs, and flowers, like jasmine, and scents of dewdrops. Dewdrops, yes dewdrops things on earth that seemed to have no smell had the sweetest smells.
    Gale and I would take long hikes in the forest. It smelled the best there. The sights were awesome, waterfalls everywhere. We would read books to each other, and draw. Gale loved to draw. He told me about his family. Then we would swim in the river, and he would teach me how to fish, but whatever we did I would find myself staring down from the clouds in space, at my family, Ellie, and Mr. Edgar. It made me feel a little happy, and filled my void of emptiness, love, and warmth. I often thought if I would watch them I could protect them from the world, but that was life. You couldn’t protect people you love from everything, because the world will just find them again, and again.
    I learned that as I watched through the clouds that it wasn’t that they choose me to die. It’s that those killers who destroyed my family actually choose me to live. As I watch new people die, as I greet them, and help them find their way that they have been chosen to live too.
    My name is Neomi. Neomi Everdans, aka Nemo by my younger twin sister, Nilla. I am 14, 5”4, and 120 pounds. You ask why you should care. You should care because I was kidnapped, raped, and murdered in my own neighborhood but no one knows yet. My name is Neomi Everdans and I am alive.