ODDILY (4 page)

Maxim turned several pages to another entry.

MAR. 17: Today, across the front of my locker door, someone wrote, “Troll” with a green marker.

What Maxim read was bothersome, cruelty beyond his understanding. He turned the pages to an entry from the previous month.

FEB. 14: I found a Valentine card in my locker signed by Paul, and was ecstatic! It turned out to be a joke and my tears keep coming. At least Paul wasn’t the one who did it.

Maxim couldn’t continue and closed the book. He mulled over what he had read as a strange emotion seeped through him. This peculiar, uncomfortable sadness was out of the ordinary for him while he thought about the girl. He had a desire to help her, but it was unsafe for him to get involved in anyone’s life without jeopardizing his own existence. Could he do nothing when someone’s problematic life literally fell into his lap? If only his father would come home to advise him.

Maxim retraced his steps back to the gate, and decided to leave the backpack on the path a few feet from the view of passerby’s. He unlatched the gate and left it ajar, so the girl would have easy access. That was the least he could do for her.

* * * * * *

There was a sense of relief when Oddily found the gate open after returning with a foot stool. She was doubtful, but still managed to tiptoe through the opening to search for her backpack. The thought of her journal falling into the hands of anyone other than herself made her body tremble in convulsions. The same fear gave her courage to do what she must.

She stopped for a moment and took a deep breath to steady her nerves before heading down the path, and when she did, she cried out, “My backpack!”

She limped forward and picked the bundle up, hugging her possession as though she reunited with a dear, long lost friend. She quickly checked her bag, grateful to see her beloved journal along with the camera.

“
Starla and her friends weren’t kidding,” Oddily
spoke softly. “I did enter these grounds.”

High above, Maxim sat in the bough of a gnarled tree and waited for Oddily to hobble back towards the gate. Feeling satisfied with the outcome, he had to cover his mouth with his jacket sleeve to stifle the laughter. The wild mop of hair bobbing on her head appeared to be too large for her thin body, and the sight of her struck a chord of amusement.

How does a girl like her survive in the world?
The new thought sobered him. He shuddered to think of the sorrow he had read in her journal, and the pain of fear he caused her only a short time ago.

Suddenly he shook his head, chiding himself for getting involved as much as he had, and jumped down out of the tree. Nexa was right. It was forbidden to interfere with the lives of people outside the confines of their hidden world.

Maxim!
He stopped short by the sound of his sister's frantic voice.
Did you take my game glasses? They were on the cart next to the girl. Oh no, do you think she took them?

Settle down Nexa. I rummaged through her backpack, and I didn’t see them. Maybe you left them somewhere else.

No, she has them. I know she does! What are we going to do? We have to get them back!

You need to calm down. I’ll retrieve them before she figures out how to activate them.

Max, they are already activated! I left them on pause when Tinley came in with the girl.

How long before it activates again?

It's set for ten minutes.

What setting are they on?

They’re paused on the Land of the Giants!

Maxim knew his sister was referring to the imperfect virtual reality game he designed for her when he was only eight years old, and it had many flaws.
I’ll get them back sis. I promise!

What if she tries them on, or shows them to someone else!? This advanced technology can’t be exposed without the risk of others discovering who we are. We’re doomed. I know we are!

Stop it! I’ll go and get them back right now.

Be careful to keep yourself hidden.

Maxim had the same thoughts resembling his sister's doomsday attitude but pulled himself together. He placed the hood of his sweatshirt up over his head and sprinted down the dirt path, past the gate. He doubted the game would affect the girl too adversely, but that was of no big concern to him at this point. What would happen if the virtual game fell into the wrong hands was frighteningly crucial. It could change the course of technological discovery before it’s ready, and he couldn’t allow that to happen. It was the one fear his father drummed into him and his sister's head since birth. He had to ensure the continued safety of their private lives.

Ten minutes went by.
Nexa, you're not going to believe this, but I lost her
.

Are you serious?!?
He detected a new wave of panic in his sister's voice.

I don’t know how she disappeared so quickly, unless she hitched a ride.

What are we going to do? We can’t lose those glasses!

Listen to me. She goes to Forest Ridge High. I know this from rummaging around in her backpack. We’ll have to wait until tomorrow, and then I’ll follow her home after school.

* * * * * *

Oddily sat by the side of the road, hidden from view while she leaned against a giant tree. She was too tired and stupefied to drag the footstool all the way back home. Her body ached severely now, and she needed to calm down a bit and pull herself together. While she rested, she caught sight of a guy whiz by and began to watch with fascination while this tall hooded figure sprinted up and down the road like a lean, graceful gazelle. He seemed bewildered by not knowing which way to go, and he yelled profanities at himself the whole time. Oddily had never heard cuss words sound so beautifully regal and elegant. Then like magic, he left, vanishing into the thin air, as if he were a figment of her imagination.

6

When Oddily reached the road dipping down into the familiar meadow, she knew she was almost home. Thankfully, Starla’s Mini Cooper wasn’t in front of the house yet, which was an immense relief. She often prayed for her to be late from cheerleading practice, or to hang out at a friend’s house. If she arrived home before Starla, she had a better chance to be free from the mean girl's incessant badgering.

Oddily flinched from a sharp twinge in her thigh, but why she felt so sore remained a mystery. Starla’s fan club was right. She had gone beyond the line of safety because her backpack showed up on the other side of the gate. Her reasoning mind told her something must have happened, but what?

After entering the backdoor, she slipped into her room, and went to the mirror to survey the damage. She viewed her same unattractive face, wearing a torn dress and sweater that had long ago lost its shape. Besides being full of dirt, she had black and blue marks as well as some dried blood from scratches. Oddily stared at the goose egg on her forehead and winced in pain when she touched the lump. How could she not remember what happened to her? She shuddered with confusion, incredulity, and fear for her sanity.

She stepped away in revulsion to her reflection and lowered herself to her bed, hiding her face in the pillow. Not more than five minutes went by before the front door opened and slammed shut. Music started to blast from Starla’s bedroom with random conversation and lots of laughs. Then her heart stopped when she heard Starla’s demanding voice, “Oddily, where are you?”

Oddily rose from the bed and with a slow pace walked down the hallway to Starla’s room. The two girls were still with her. Her best friend, Kendall had stretched out on the bed with Starla, and the other sat on the floor glancing through a teen magazine.

“
Where is my camera?” Oddily hated the whine in Starla’s voice.

“
I found it with my backpack. I’ll be right back!” Oddily turned and limped back down the hallway all the while grimacing with pain. She retrieved the camera from the bottom of her bag and rushed back to Starla’s bedroom, but didn’t enter. Instead, she tossed the disposable camera onto the bed. Starla eyed the number of pictures taken and smirked.

“
You didn’t use the camera!” she yelled at Oddily, who remained silent while she stood at the door jam.

Oddily sensed the hatred radiating out from behind Starla’s dark blue eyes.

“
You know what this means, don’t you.” Starla threatened her when she didn’t get a response.

Oddily shrugged with a bewildered expression, wincing at the discomfort her movement caused across her sore shoulders.

Starla had a different look on her face—one that was both teasing and watchful. “You can leave now, Oddily.”

Geeez thanks boss
, she wanted to say, but Oddily’s comment would only come back to haunt her later. Keeping her mouth shut was the only safe way to deal with Starla, so she edged away from the doorway and returned to her own room.

7

Another torturous school day was underway for Oddily. She sat in history class with her dreamy eyes focused on the blinking device she had found in her sweater pocket. Whatever the thing was, it didn’t belong to her, but she found it fascinating. She decided to use it as a distraction so she wouldn’t have to make eye contact with Paul, who sat in the seat next to her.

She had to admit the sleek looking glasses appeared a bit abnormal if they truly were spectacles. With aqua blue frames splattered with strands of silver and sea green lenses, she imagined the device belonging to a beautiful mermaid…if mermaids wore such a thing.

Oddily bit her tongue and squirmed in her seat, appearing as a cat catching a mouse. Out of the corner of her eye, she could tell Paul was flirting with Starla—and her foster sister seemed pleased. Had he developed a crush on her? What a silly question—what guy wouldn’t?

Was that why Paul kept looking at her? Oddily wasn’t sure what to think while she slipped on the device, except wonder if Kip knew about their playful interaction.

Unaware, Oddily didn’t know that Paul’s attention was immediately drawn to her. He started to laugh, supposing her intention was to humor the class. He was wrong. In fact, other than hearing raves of laughter drifting off from some faraway place, Oddily no longer believed herself to be in the classroom. Her face had frozen with a silly expression as a bright rainbow of blurred pastel colors began to take form, making it clear to her disbelieving senses that the peculiar object had transported her to an incredible new place.

Her new surroundings put her in a momentary stupor. Stretching out before her was a gigantic bedroom, obviously designed for someone of humongous stature. There was no proper way to describe the room except that it had silver walls, plush zebra print carpet, black and white poke-a-dot curtains, and a fluffy pink bedspread. That wasn’t even mentioning the colorful portrait of a teenage girl hanging over the ebony, marble fireplace.

Oddily was amazed at how deep her shoes sank into the plush pile of carpet, and this depth made it difficult for her to walk around the room. She blinked hard, looking from one curious thing to another as she moved across the floor. She felt a little creepy viewing the size of everything, especially when her attention came to rest on the giant, white paneled door. Some internal instinct warned her to be more frightened than she was, but her mind had gone numb. Maybe she was in shock.

“
What is this place?” That became the only sensible comment popping out of her mouth before the bedroom door swung open.

She gasped and bit her lip for fear she would scream. On the threshold, there appeared the most enormous teen she had ever seen. She feared it would be the last thing she viewed if she didn’t get out of there. The girl’s twinkling brown eyes stared down at her with agitation, and then screeched, “Bobbitt!”

A younger girl maybe eight years old came bouncing into the room wearing a lavender leotard with a tutu, and after taking one look at her said, “Hi Nexa!”

Oddily’s throat tightened while she tried to gather up enough courage to tell her that her name wasn’t Nexa, but she couldn’t. She cleared her throat and tried again with no luck.

“
Did you just try to speak?” The youngster hunkered down on one knee to give her a poke on her stomach.

Oddily fell backwards from the strength of the jab as her terrified instincts kicked in, telling her to keep still—not even to move a muscle.

“
Come on, gather up your doll and get out of here,” the teen giant complained to the younger one, “and shut the door behind you.”

To take advantage of the brief moment when she wasn’t being gawked at, Oddily glanced around the room, hopelessly looking for an escape until the oversized kid came back to eyeing her again with renewed interest.

Cringing from the girl’s outstretched arm, Oddily pressed her back into the carpet while the tutu clad giant caught her up by the waist. In this undignified way, the kid crossed the stylish bedroom and stepped out through the oversized door. She was held in the girl's chubby fist and couldn’t help but kick helplessly at the air with her thin legs. Her heart pounded faster than ever, and her eyes blinked hard from the stinging tears.