- Taylor's POV -
I don’t know what possessed me to take a late night walk, but I did anyway. The day had gone by slowly and I felt melancholy. The only solution was to take some time in nature. It did seem to help, most of the time.
Tension levels had been high at dinner again. Mom and Dad had had a shouting match--well, more like Dad had shouted at Mom--with my siblings and I cowering in the background. I had herded them to bed while Mom ran off crying. It made me sick to think of how common these occurrences were.
The sun had already set when I left. By the time I looked up, the night had fallen even darker with a thick blanket of rainclouds. I grumbled under my breath and turned around on the sidewalk.
The rain came slowly, giving me enough time to run a little in the sprinkle. Then it really began to pour. The drops showered on me like a waterfall.
I almost laughed as I ran. There was something crazy and magical about running in the rain that I had never discovered before. If I imagine hard enough, I thought, maybe it’ll wash away the stress and anger I feel. I felt the worries slowly melt off of my body, and for the first time in a long time I physically relaxed. I loosened my shoulders. I wiggled my fingers. It felt good.
Eventually, I succumbed to the hysteria, giggling maniacally as I dashed. I stopped and flung my hands out wide, letting the water flow over my face. I probably looked like a homeless person, just standing in the rain, but I didn’t care. Nothing else mattered at that moment.
It didn’t last long.
Then, suddenly, I heard a deafening clap of thunder--my vision was drawn to a streak of light that zigzagged its way over to a tree near me. I felt the hair on my arms stand up on end and spots danced before my eyes. My jaw dropped.
Seemingly in slow motion, I watched as small bolts of electricity branched off and flowed out from the main bolt at the tree. My eyes followed them as they traveled through the ground, dangerous tiny filaments of heat; I was frozen in place; I couldn’t move. They found their way up my legs.
Each bolt wound its way around my body and made its way to my brain. I felt everything; my hair stood on end and I screamed. The pain seemed to last for an eternity before relief finally came and I blacked out.
***************
I blinked slowly as I came to. My head throbbed mercilessly. What happened? I thought. It hurt to think. My body ached. A metallic taste hung in my mouth.
I realized I was seeing the world sideways, and propped myself up on my hand. Brushing gravel off the side of my face, I winced and tried to think about why I was lying on the sidewalk in my neighborhood. What’s the last thing I remember? I thought. I took a walk, and then it started to rain and then… I groaned. Taylor, you idiot. The lightning!
Almost in a daze, I felt around my body. Everything seemed intact. I had all my limbs. How did I live through that? Am I alive? How did I survive?!i
The sidewalk was partially dry, from what I could see. It was still dark, but I could see the sun slowly peeking through the trees to the east. I glanced at my watch. The display read 5:13 am. I had been on the sidewalk for the most of the night.
I pushed myself up, ignoring the searing pain in my head. I was only a block away from my house. Scattered thoughts ran through my head. How did I survive that?—the lightning—did Mom come look for me?—did anyone see that?—it hit the tree—
Standing, I looked over at the tree the lightning had struck. It was split down the middle in a jagged line. Burn marks charred the crack. There was no sign of the small bolts that had branched off the main lightning strike. I shook my head, still trying to wrap my mind around what had happened. Maybe walking back home will clear my mind, I thought.
Still, when I arrived home and snuck in the back door, I couldn’t believe I had been indivirtedly struck by lightning. I kept picturing those little zigzags of electricity crawl up my legs and arms. My head throbbed again.
I was exhausted, but I would have only had time for a quick nap before school. I opted to skip it and do some research instead. I’m gonna regret not taking that nap later on. Plopping down in my swivel chair, I opened a new tab in my browser. I searched for things like “lightning survivor cases," “probability of being struck by lightning,” “indirect lightning strikes,” and “side effects of being hit by lightning.” The last search brought up unreal results of people with so-called psychic abilities caused by lightning affecting their brain. My eyes sped across the screen as I read of a man who could bend spoons with his mind, a teenage girl who was magnetic, and a small boy who ate only rock dust—all as a result of being struck by lightning.
Panic slowly overtook me. What if something like that happened to me? I worried. What if I can read minds or…only want to eat rocks now? I didn’t feel any cravings for gravel, but I still freaked out. The worst thought I had was How is anyone going to believe me? And who will I tell?
I definitely wasn’t going to tell Dad. That would be ridiculous. He’d probably do one of two things: laugh at me or ignore me. The twins would think I was making up a story.
But Mom… Well, Mom would probably believe me. Maybe. I looked up into my mirror and investigated the dark circles under my eyes. I probably shouldn’t tell her, though. She’d just worry. And probably send me to the doctor. The strange thing was, I felt fine. I looked a little worse for wear, but beside the gradually dwindling headache, my body was in working condition.
I looked at the clock. 6:05 am. On an ordinary day, I’d be getting up right now. I sighed and leaned back in my chair, hanging my head over the back. I guess it’s not an ordinary day.
After changing my clothes, I took some medicine for the rest of my headache and applied some makeup. Then I pulled my hair into pigtails and inspected my look. The makeup covered the darkness under my eyes and I definitely didn’t look like I’d been struck by lightning and then spent the night on the concrete outside.
To complete the look, I pasted the most genuine smile on my face I could manage. Actually, if I smile, it will look odd, I realized. It looks out of place. Guess I don’t smile that much. I wiped the grin off. That was better.
I didn’t feel like talking, just in case. I jogged to the kitchen as if I was late. Mom was sitting at the bar, watching the toaster for her toast. Her eyes were red and puffy, as if she’d been crying.
“Oh, good morning, Taylor,” she said. She smiled weakly. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to say goodnight last night. I tried to stay up for you to come home, but I was too tired and kept dozing so I decided to go to bed.”
I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “It’s okay, Mom. I understand.” So no one worried about me, I thought. That’s both depressing and a relief.
“Hey, I gotta get to work,” I said hurriedly. Better go just in case she suspects something. I grabbed a bag of pop tarts and a water bottle and headed toward the door.
“What about your lunch?” Mom called after me.
“I’m gonna buy lunch today,” I answered over my shoulder. “I haven’t treated myself in a while.”
“Okay, darling. Love you!”
“Love you too, Mom.”
I escaped out the front door.
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