The Abnormals: Book One

by Isabelle Sorrells

  “Alex… can I ask you a question?” Mark asked as he pulled a box down.

  “Shoot,” said Alex as he sat another box on top of the one Mark put down. He stood back up and wrapped his hands on another box.

  “Why aren’t you in any of the family photos?” asked Mark, watching as Alex slid the box off the shelf.

  “I’m usually the one taking them,” he said, bending over to pick up another box. “My family never wanted me in the pictures anyway. Thanks for helping me remove the boxes.” Alex changed the subject quickly.

  Mark said nothing as Alex lifted the ladder over his head and carried it outside. Alex stood the ladder up and climbed. When he reached the top, he looked into the gutter. It was full of leaves, water, worms, and mud. It was so full of grime, he was baffled at how it could have gotten like this in a week from when he last cleaned it out.

  When he had finally finished clearing out all of the grime from the gutter, Alex boosted himself up onto the roof with his feet resting on the top step of the ladder. Everyone had already finished their first chore and had moved onto their second one. Mark was doing the bathrooms, David was on the porch sweeping, Brooke was in his sister’s room, and Nicole was doing the recycling. Nicole noticed Alex on the roof and waved at him before heading back to the house with the bins.

  Alex grabbed the toolbox that rested at his feet and looked around at the loose tiles of the roof. He sat the toolbox at the top of the roof and grabbed a hammer and nail before hammering another nail into a nearly missing tile. The incessant pounding of the hammer echoed throughout the streets.

  Alex had finished four loose patches and was about to start the fifth. He reached to the toolbox to get another nail, accidentally knocked it over, and sent it toppling onto the ladder. Alex lunged for the tool-box, attempting to grab it before it fell, but he was unable to reach it in time. Both the ladder and the toolbox crashed to the ground. The loud crash rang through the air. Alex peeked over the edge to make sure it didn’t fall on anything and saw David and Nicole standing next to it while Mark and Brooke were running to see what all the commotion was.

  “Sorry!” Alex called down. “Could you bring that back up?”

  After all of the chores were finished, Alex and the others sat on the porch steps and ate their very late lunch.

  “That only took all morning!” said David.

  “Thanks. That probably would have taken me late into the night to finish,” said Alex gratefully.

  “No problem, as long as you help us with our chores!” David said.

  “Okay,” Alex replied seriously. “Just come get me next time you need to do them.”

  “Wait, I was just being sarcastic. You aren’t kidding, are you?” David stared at Alex for an answer. When he didn’t get one, he slowly cracked a smile. “Well then…”

  David was cut off when Brooke smacked him on the back of the head. “He was just kidding. He doesn’t need help with his chores. Thanks anyway.”

  There was nothing but silence as they chewed on their sandwiches.

  “Do you think we could stay overnight?” asked Nicole. ”A sleepover maybe? Would your parents mind?”

  Alex said nothing and stared out into the street. He started thinking; his parents wouldn’t be home for a number of days, so as long as they didn’t make a mess of things, he should be fine, right? He had never had a sleepover before and it would be nice to be able to spend more time with his new friends as long as his parents never found out.

  “If that’s what you want to do,” Alex said. “I’m fine with that. Like I said, my family’s out on a camping trip. We just can’t make a mess of things.”

  “We just have to go home and get some stuff,” said David.

  “Why don’t you go do that,” Alex said.

  Everyone stood up and walked down the steps, with Mark and the others going different directions while Alex watched them. When they were long out of sight, Alex continued to stare at the sidewalk, his head swimming with worried thoughts. Alex had never had people his age at his house before. The whole thing made him uncomfortable. What if he messed up? What if they got annoyed with him?

  Alex shook his thoughts away and jogged up the steps and into his house in search of something to make them for dinner. While he was scavenging around in the pantry, he heard the screen door swing open. Alex leaned through the doorway to the kitchen and found Mark standing in the doorway setting a backpack down on the floor.

  “Hey, Mark,” Alex greeted him.

  “Hey. What are you doing?” asked Mark, looking at the open refrigerator and pantry.

  “I’m looking for our dinner. But I can’t find anything,” Alex replied, walking back over to the refrigerator.

  “Dinner is three hours away. We’ll worry about that when the time comes.” Mark smiled.

  David was the next one to arrive, then Brooke and Nicole arrived together only minutes after him.

  “Hey Alex, you have a TV, right?” asked Brooke.

  “Yeah, it’s in the living room, but I don’t use it,” Alex said.

  “Oh, well, I brought a few movies we can watch,” said Brooke. “But after dinner of course.”

  “About that…” Alex started.

  “We’ll worry about dinner later,” Mark cut Alex off.

  “So, what do you guys want to do before sundown?” Nicole asked.

  “I know just the place,” said David.

  They all walked side by side until they could see the red, blue, and yellow of the park through the trees. They took off racing toward the swings. Alex jumped the last few steps and clasped onto the chains mid-flight. He pulled himself up and over the seat and plopped down onto the blue rubber. The others followed close behind. Alex swung high into the air, while it took the others a few minutes to catch up to his height.

  “Whoever goes the highest wins!” shouted David. Once the others met Alex’s height, he dared them to go higher. Alex swung until he was going higher than anyone had ever gone, for fear that they would go too high and fall, or the swing would go all the way on the other side of the pole. The other’s eyes widened as they watched. Suddenly the swing was upside down straight in the air, high above the pole. The others barely had any time to react as they watched the scene play out before them. Alex’s hands dropped from the chains and he started to fall, tumbling toward the bar beneath him.

  ELEVEN

  Alex fell toward the bar for a few more seconds before flipping over and landing feet first onto the metal bar, swiftly and quickly regaining balance. Alex whooped before looking down at the others, who had all jumped off by now and were staring at him, mouths agape a few feet away from the set. Alex looked at them, puzzled.

  “Have you never done this before?” Alex asked. They shook their heads in unison. All of them were speechless.

  That’s weird. Alex always thought kids did this all the time. He was surprised they didn’t do it too. When Alex was little and lived in Portland, he would sneak out with his sister to the closest park they could find, even if it was miles away, and a bunch of kids there taught them how to do it. That was when his relationship with his sister was still good.

  “Here! I’ll show you!” Alex said. He was young when he first learned, so they should be fine. Alex crouched down into a squatting position and grabbed one of the chains below him. He swung his legs over and slid down the chain onto the ground. Alex walked them through the steps on how to do it, and in no time they were all surprised at their new accomplishment.

  They couldn’t balance as well as Alex could, but it was a work in progress. They were at least able to get up onto the bar without falling, whooping and laughing all the while. They just had to sit on the bar before they lost balance and fell. After a few tries for practice, they all jumped up for the seventh time. Suddenly David tottered and started to fall backwards. He couldn’t even open his mouth to scr
eam.

  Alex dashed toward David, running perfectly balanced and weightlessly on the bar. Alex reached over at the last moment and grabbed David by the collar of his shirt. He jerked David up and brought him down onto the ground to let him have flat ground to recover on.

  “That… was… AWESOME!” David cried, grabbing onto Alex’s sleeve as he tottered from left to right, laughing hysterically. “Just a quick question. Why is everything spinning?”

  “Okay. I think that’s enough for today,” Alex said, grabbing onto David’s shoulders to steady him.

  “David! Are you all right?” Brooke exclaimed as she clambered down the chains.

  David continued to laugh.

  “He’ll be fine. Let’s just head back now. I am starving,” said Nicole.

  The others walked far ahead, not waiting for Alex, who was weighed down by David’s arm slung over his shoulder and his feet dragging against the pavement.

  “Could you at least try to walk?” Alex complained.

  In response, David groaned and launched himself forward onto the ground. Once he hit the ground, he groaned again and didn’t move. Alex sighed.

  “You weren’t even hurt! I caught you before anything could happen!” Alex explained.

  David groaned again. Alex sighed again before picking David up off the ground and hoisting him onto his back. Alex noticed that the others had disappeared. Alex walked forward, having David constantly groaning in his ear and shoving his hands in his face.

  When Alex had stopped walking to tend to David, Mark and the others took off running toward the house to get things ready. When Alex finally got to the house, the door was open and he trudged into the entryway. He could see the pantry half open at the end of the hallway, but he couldn’t see the rest of the kitchen. The sound of pans clanging together rang through the air, and the smell of cheese wafted into his nostrils. Suddenly something jerked on his back and he tumbled forward, dropping David. Alex bent over and rubbed the back of his neck as David ran into the kitchen with his hands in the air, shouting, “I smell cheese! Whaddya make?”

  Alex walked into the kitchen after David to find Mark and Nicole at the stove and Brooke buried inside the fridge. David ran over and put his arm around Mark and Nicole, peering over their shoulders.

  “Oh, yeah! Homemade mac’n’cheese! My favorite!” David laughed.

  “You were fine the whole time?” Alex asked.

  “What can I say?” David shrugged. “I’m a good actor. Thanks for the piggyback ride by the way.”

  “No problem,” Alex sighed as he leaned against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. “What are you making anyway?”

  “Dinner. Now sit down. It’s done,” Mark said, pointing a wooden spoon covered in cheese toward the table.

  After they finished eating dinner, they walked into the living room where they put out some sleeping bags for the night. They watched many scary movies hand-picked by David and Nicole. After about the fifth one, they all looked outside to see everything was pitch black and they could hear the chirping of crickets throughout the air.

  “What time is it”? Mark asked.

  Alex stood up and walked over to the kitchen to look at the clock on the stove.

  “11:42!” Alex called as he walked back from the kitchen and sat down on the floor.

  “It’s getting late and tomorrow we go back to school. We should go to bed,” Mark yawned.

  “Alex, are you going to sleep in your room?” asked David.

  “Nah, I’ll sleep down here with you guys,” Alex replied.

  “Where’s your sleeping bag then?” asked Mark.

  “I don’t need one. I’ll just use the couch.” Alex jumped onto the couch and put his arms behind his head. His eyes traveled down to a section on the floor where the moonlight seeped in from the window.

  Hours later, Alex’s gaze remained fixed on the moonlit floor, staring off into space. These people were the closest he had ever had to friends. When he was in other towns, very rarely he would get eager and make friends right off the spot, not caring to know who they were. That was a huge mistake. They always ended up being jerks in the end. Alex could only hope that this friendship of theirs would last for as long as it could. Alex walked out on the porch and sat on the steps, leaning his head against the railing.

  Alex’s eyes slowly opened as a slight breeze ruffled his hair and he rubbed the grogginess out of them as he struggled to remember where he was. He was still sitting on the steps; the sun shone down on his face, warming him in the morning light. Dew covered the ground and fog hovered in the air. A woman with her hair tied in a tight ponytail and a blue runner’s outfit jogged past his house. Her long locks of brown hair swayed as she bounced with each step. She turned her head slightly as she caught sight of him and sent him a small wave of her hand.

  Alex continued to rub his eyes with one hand while returning her wave with a lazy one of his own. He stood up and pulled open the screen door to his house. His friends were still sleeping soundly on the living room floor. He quickly bounded up the steps into his room and changed his clothes. When he finished getting himself ready for the day, he hurried into the kitchen to make breakfast for his companions.

  “Mark? Hey, Mark. Are you awake?” Alex shook Mark’s shoulder lightly.

  “Hrn? Wah you want hmm?” Mark grumbled groggily as he swatted Alex’s hand away.

  “We have school today. I made breakfast. Can you help me wake the others?” Alex asked as he shook Mark awake. Mark’s eyes popped open and he shot up into a sitting position. He turned toward Alex, who was crouching next to him.

  “What time is it?” Mark asked worriedly.

  “Not time for school, I can tell you that,” Alex replied. “Don’t worry, we won’t be late. Breakfast is waiting in the kitchen. It’s not as amazing as what you put together last night but I think it will do.”

  Alex stood up and patted Mark’s shoulder before standing up and disappearing into the kitchen. Mark watched as Alex went and sighed as he slowly stood up. He scratched his head and fixed the twisted fabric of his shirt as he walked to David’s side. David was sprawled across his sleeping bag, facing the ground. Drool dripped from the corner of his open mouth and onto the cloth bag beneath him. Not bothering to be as gentle as Alex, Mark kicked David in the side. With a snort, David lurched upward and faced Mark with an annoyed look on his face.

  “What the heck was that for?” David growled.

  “Breakfast in the kitchen. Wake the girls first,” Mark explained briefly. “I call waking Brooke. You get Nicole.”

  “Seriously?” David whined. “Why me?”

  “Because I think she likes you better.”

  David sighed and tiptoed over to Nicole. She was lying on her side with her arm tucked under her head, facing the wall. David reluctantly reached out for her shoulder, but before he could touch her a hand shot up suddenly and grabbed his wrist. David shrieked and jerked his wrist away, but the firm hand held strong. The body in front of him rolled over and he found himself staring into two eyes burning with anger.

  “What do you want?” Nicole demanded. Her voice was rough with tiredness and reminded David strangely of a bear.

  “Good morning?” David said in a quivering voice. “Breakfast is in the kitchen. Might want to hurry before we run out of time. We have school today.”

  “Oh! Breakfast!” Suddenly grizzly bear Nicole disappeared and was replaced with a cheery and bright teenage girl. Nicole released her hold on David and jumped up, hurrying into the kitchen. David let out a breath of relief and leaned back, rubbing his wrist. He hated having to wake Nicole up. She was a bomb just waiting to go off in the morning!

  Once they were all awake, they made their way into the kitchen together. The round table had four plates stacked with pancakes drizzled with maple syrup and coated in a thin layer of powdered sugar
. Knives and forks were set out beside the plates and glasses. Alex stood by the sink, washing out a baking pan.

  “Whoa! That looks good!” David shouted as he plopped himself down in a seat, his friends following soon after.

  “Maybe, it’s a bit bitter. I may have put a bit too much baking flour in it,” Alex called over his shoulder, grimacing a bit.

  “Still, you did a good job with the appearances!” Nicole exclaimed.

  “Don’t let that fool you. Besides making pancakes, I can’t cook or bake anything even if my life depended on it, unless you’d like burnt metal spaghetti with a touch of melted plastic spatula for dinner,” Alex said as he laughed.

  “I could teach you to cook a few things if you’d like. I tend to make food for my family a lot,” Mark offered.

  “By how good that mac’n’cheese and roasted cauliflower tasted, I would be honored.” Alex turned around and leaned against the sink as he wiped the pan dry.

  “If’s goof!” David mumbled as he shoveled another large piece of pancake in his mouth.

  “I’m glad you like it.” Alex smiled broadly at the compliment, proud that his friends approved of his pancakes. It felt good to have friends, people who liked him for who he was and gave him compliments, things he didn’t hear very often.

  Once he finished drying the pan he picked up a plate of pancakes and ate with his friends, grimacing a bit at the indeed slightly bitter pancakes, but as he laughed with his friends he thanked God they were together, and prayed none of this would ever change.

  Twelve

  A few weeks later Alex trudged up the steps of his house with a smile on his face. He had spent the day with his friends at the mall and he lost track of time, not coming back until it was late into the night. Alex walked in to find the lights on and his parents sitting at the kitchen table. The house was quiet aside from their hushed conversation. He looked around but could find no sign of Jessica. Her coat and shoes were gone from their usual place by the door, but Alex wasn’t too worried. He was more concerned about getting upstairs without his parents noticing.