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    In the Mist of Time
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<div class="page" id="section7"><div id="box1"><p id="box1_0" class="para-Normal-Local-1"><span class="char-Normal-Local-119">TWO</span><span class="char-Normal-Local-120"></span></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="../Images/rosechapter_qx02.png" width="60" height="54" alt="rosechapter.jpg"/><br/></div>
<p id="box1_4" class="para-Normal-Local-1"><span class="char-Normal-Local-121"></span></p>
<p id="box1_5" class="para-Normal-Local-8"><span class="char-Normal-Local-121"></span></p>
<p id="box1_6" class="para-Normal-Local-12"><span class="char-Normal-Local-109">Liam</span><span class="char-Normal-Local-121"></span></p>
<p id="box1_11" class="para-Normal-Local-14"><span class="char-Normal-Local-122">&nbsp;7 YEARS PRIOR TO THE CURRENT DAY ... 
            </span></p>
</div>
<div id="box2"><p class="figure" style="text-align: justify;"><br/></p>
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<div id="box3"><p id="box3_0" class="para-Normal-Local-7"><span class="char-Normal-Local-75">THE DAY STARTED,</span><span class="char-Normal-Local-106">&nbsp;out like every other first day of school. My mother wakes me up at the crack of dawn to help my father with some chores.</span></p>

<p id="box3_137" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">After slogging bucket loads of water to and fro, watering the plants, I head
 inside to find my mother and sisters busy in the kitchen. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_272" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">“Go upstairs and wash up quickly. You are going to miss the bus,” my mother orders, scowling sweetly as she sets down a jug of milk on the
 breakfast table. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_428" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">I nod and rush to the bathroom. After washing up, I go to my room and find my
 freshly pressed clothes on my bed. My clothes were not brand new and slightly
 faded around the edges, but this didn’t bother me much because they were always neat and clean. Looking presentable
 was something that my mother prided herself on. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_748" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">After I pull on my red sweater and blue jeans, I slick my hair back and gather
 my school books. I shove the books into my brown backpack and look at myself in
 the little mirror on my wall. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_937" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">“Liam, you are going to be late,” my mother yells. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_988" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">Slamming my door shut behind me, I raced downstairs. At the breakfast table, my
 father is reading the morning newspaper while sipping on his coffee, my mother
 is faffing around the kitchen preparing our school lunch. My bowl of porridge
 is steamy and delicious. I gobble down spoonfuls and when my bowl is empty, I
 get up and grab my bag ready to head out. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_1345" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">Before I am even two steps away, my mother says, “Where do you think you are going?”</span></p>
<p id="box3_1430" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">I turn around and look at her confused. She points to her cheek and then I
 realize what she means. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_1529" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">“But mom,” I begin to whine. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_1558" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">“Nah uh. I don’t want to hear it. Come over here and give your mom a kiss.” she says, not budging. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_1657" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">I sigh and accept defeat. After giving her a kiss on the cheek, I bolt out the
 door. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_1742" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">“Wait for me,” my sister yells, but I spot the bright yellow school bus coming around the
 corner and ignore her because I want to beat the bus to the stop. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_1898" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">I gather all of my energy and run as fast as I can down the dusty path to the
 stop. My heart is racing and my adrenaline is pumping. Beads of sweat begin to
 form on my forehead as I come to a screeching halt at the bus stop with two
 seconds to spare. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_2149" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">This is pretty decent by my standards. My sister and I used to race to the bus
 stop all the time when we were younger, but now that she is a high school
 senior, she claims that it’s too silly. I think that she just got tired of losing to me. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_2391" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">The bus stops in front of me and the doors fling open. I adjust my bag, wipe
 away the droplets of sweat on my forehead with the back of my sleeve, and walk
 onto the bus. My first day as a middle schooler has officially begun. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_2617" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">I see one of my oldest and best friends, Tommy. Rushing toward him, I take my
 seat. By this time, my sister finally catches up and gets on the bus. As she
 passes me, she hits the back of my head gently and I fake a yelp. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_2838" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">The bus doors close and off to school we go. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_2883" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">“Hey, Liam. How was your summer break?” Tommy asks me. I grimace slightly. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_2958" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">“Oh, you know. I just worked with my dad. How about you?” I say. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_3023" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">My parents chose to send us to the best school in town, despite the fact that we
 could barely afford it. This means that my vacations were never as exciting as
 my friends. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_3195" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">“Well, for my break we went to visit my grandparents in Florida,” Tommy says as his eyes light up. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_3294" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">I could not help but be slightly envious of my friends when they told me about
 all of their exciting adventures all over the world. While I had never left
 this small town or even been to the next state. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_3497" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">We get to school and make our way to the classroom just as the school bell
 rings. I navigate my way through the desks in Miss Honey’s classroom and try to find a seat. The rest of the class comes shuffling in and
 takes their seats. Tommy is sitting behind me and my other friend, Shane, is
 seated in front of me, but there is a vacant seat to my right. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_3850" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">Miss Honey breezes into the room and says, “Good morning class.” In unison we all say, “Good morning, Miss Honey.”</span></p>
<p id="box3_3965" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">Then there is a soft knock on the door. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_4005" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">Miss Honey opens the classroom door and ushers in the most beautiful girl that I
 have ever seen. Instantly, my jaw drops as I watch her walk in clutching two
 books close to her chest. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_4189" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">“Class, please welcome our new student, Beatrice. Her family just moved here from
 Uruguay and I hope that you will all make her feel welcome,” Miss Honey announces. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_4354" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">Beatrice smiles and looks a little awkward before Miss Honey tells her to find a
 seat. The beautiful girl scans the room. We make eye contact for all but a
 moment before she quickly looks away. Her cheeks turn rosy and she starts
 walking toward me. Her clothes are obviously brand new and designer. She is
 well groomed, which means that she comes from money. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_4713" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">The girl takes her seat right beside me. She is close to me. Close enough that I
 can smell her rosy sweet perfume. I take a deep breath and only realize that I
 am staring at her when she looks up at me and smiles. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_4927" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">Tommy kicks my chair and whispers, “Dude, act cool.”</span></p>
<p id="box3_4980" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">I clear my throat, then sit up straight and turn my head to Miss Honey, who is
 standing at the front of the class and going over our reading list for the
 term. For the rest of the lesson, I try my best to concentrate and not look to
 my right. There was no way I could let her catch me staring again. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_5280" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">As soon as the recess bell sounds, I bolt out of class to the far end of the
 cafeteria where my friends and I chill. I didn’t want to risk bumping into her. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_5437" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">Tommy and Shane catch up to me after a few minutes and take their usual seats.
 After a few moments of nervously sipping on my juice box I casually say, “So what do you guys think of the new girl?”</span></p>
<p id="box3_5634" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">Shane shrugs and takes a bite of his sandwich while Tommy looks directly at me
 and asks, “Why? What do you think about her?”</span></p>
<p id="box3_5759" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">His question catches me a little off guard so I casually say, “I guess she is okay. For a girl.”</span></p>
<p id="box3_5856" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">Tommy’s eyes light up and Shane puts his sandwich down. They look at each other and
 then turn to me and start singing, “Liam has a crush, Liam has a crush.”</span></p>
<p id="box3_6013" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">At that exact moment, I spot her walking into the cafeteria. Panic fills my body
 as I see her walking in my direction. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_6132" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">“I do not. Girls are dumb,” I blurt out loud defensively. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_6190" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">Beatrice stops right in her tracks. She looks at me and then I see something
 that makes my heart hurt. A look of sadness crosses over her beautiful features
 and I feel instant regret. All of me wants to go over and apologize, but I can’t move. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_6434" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">She turns around and I watch as she walks away and goes to sit with a group of
 giggly girls at another table. With her exotic features, she sticks out of the
 group like a sore thumb. She was different from any other girl I had ever met
 before and I liked it. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_6693" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">I watch as she pushes away the sadness that I had caused only a few minutes
 earlier and makes friends with the girls at her table. They are all extremely
 intrigued by her. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_6865" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-96">Why wouldn</span><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">’</span><span class="char-Normal-Local-96">t they be?</span></p>
<p id="box3_6887" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">My mother would be so disappointed in me if she had seen what I just did.
 Sighing, I get up from the lunch table and tell my friends some lame excuse
 about me having some extra homework which is why I need to go to class early. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_7115" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">They buy it and leave, wanting to be alone for a bit. I go to the classroom and
 Miss Honey is there. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_7216" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">“Liam, is everything okay?” she asks in a concerned voice. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_7275" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">With my gaze downcast, I nod my head and reply, “Yes, Miss Honey. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_7341" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">Would it be okay if I did some reading in here until the break is over?” “Of course you can. If you need to talk about what is bothering you, 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_7483" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-12">I am here,” she says and goes back to writing something down in her notebook. 
            </span></p>
<p id="box3_7561" class="para-Normal-Local-13"><span class="char-Normal-Local-98">The rest of my break is spent at my desk thinking about Bia. That look on her
 face is something that I will never forget. I silently promise myself that no
 matter what, I would never be the reason that she looks like that again.</span><span class="char-Normal-Local-12"></span></p>
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