Big Fish
It had been approximately three months since I left home. During that time, I made a few friends at my new school. Ainsley was one of them. She didn't know I was homeless, but I don't think she was a very judgmental person.
I was fishing in the park when I ran into her one day.
"Hey, Kara, I didn't know you fished!" She exclaimed (Yes, I lied about my name to her too).
"Yeah, my dad taught me when I was younger," I responded.
"Hmph, I wish my parents were as cool as yours, I need to meet the sometime."
"Yeah, that probably won't happen."
"Why?"
"Let's just say..they don't take kindly to new people." That wasn't exactly a lie, my parents had always disapproved of my friends, they stated my "condition" would creep them out and they'd say bad rumors abut me.
"Oh, that's too bad," Ainsley reached in her duffel bag and pulled out some store-bought sausages. "Ashlea and I were gonna have a picnic here, do you want to join us?"
I shrugged. Why not? Free food. "Sure," I answered.
"Great," She smiled. "I'm gonna go find Ashlea."
"Okay," I responded. I gazed at the sausages. "Do you want me to cook those for you?"
"Wow, that's so nice of you, please do!" She handed me to packet and went to find Ashlea.
I put the hot dogs on the grill and started to cook them. As they started to go into their prime, I thought about the people I met at school. There was Ainsley, of course. I also met a bookish girl named Cassandra as well. Then there was Ainsley's friend Ashlea. I didn't know her that well, but she seemed to like me. She would always strike up conversations with me about TV Shows, books, and movies when I sat with her and Ainsley at lunch.
It wasn't long before Ainsley found Ashlea. She was arguing with her Mom about something trivial.
The three of us sat down for a picnic, and started eating.
"Wow, Kara! There are good!" Ashlea said with her mouth full. "Where did you learn to cook?"
"Er..it was just sort of something I was born with." I responded.
"Dang, I wish I was you," Ainsley said as she passed out water bottles and potato chips. "Your life seems so perfect,"
Trust me, it isn't.
"So, Kara, some jerk started a rumor that you lived in a tent or something." Ashlea said as she rolled her eyes. "Some people.."
I nervously laughed as I sipped my water. I expected such rumors to fly around. My living space was not hidden that well, most people just assumed was camping, but I did get some strange looks every once in a while.
"Ashlea, who are you asking to cotillion?" Ainsley said as her eyes lit up.
"I think..Aaron, He's a nice guy and such." Ashlea blushed.
I sighed internally. I could care less about someone else's love life. Why does everyone want such an inside scoop?
"Kara, who are you asking?" Ashlea asked excitedly.
My face went pale. "Umm..I don't think I'm gonna ask anyone, I'm not really into the whole dating thing."
"Oh come on Kara, you're so pretty!" Ainsley complimented as she patted my shoulder. "You'll get any guy to say yes!"
I smiled. "Thanks, but..I already have a boyfriend..ish." I turned pale. That wasn't a lie.
"EEEE!" Ashlea clutched her glasses happily. "Whats his name?!"
"You don't know him, he doesn't go to our school." That wasn't a lie, but it was a good truth.
"Aw, how long have you been together?" Ainsley asked.
"Since..seventh grade I think?" I was back on the lying track again.
"Aww..we need to meet him sometime!" Ashlea squealed.
We spent the rest of the afternoon gossiping about students, talking about homework, etc. It was a fun day. As I was walking home, I noticed a rock with crystals sticking out of it. I immediately smashed the rock open and collected the crystals.
My camp had improved dramatically since the start. I had bought one of those camp-showers that runs on clean groundwater, it was relatively easy to install. Now, I didn't have to take a walk to the spa or the gym anymore just to get clean.
I also had a little garden of my own going. I went to the farmer's market once-a-week to buy and sell, food was no struggle for me anymore.
I also had a lemon tree, it protected me from the figures, which was good enough for me. I still had no money for any good clothes, but I did go to one of those homeless shelters where they pass them off for free. It was mostly outer-wear, but there were some nice shirts and shorts that came with it.
I had a perfect routine for each day. I would wake up, get out of my tent and breathe in the fresh air. I loved hearing the river behind my camp trickle as it fell over the rocks.
I would then go and tend to my garden and eat some food out of the cooler, and maybe take a shower if I had time.
School would start by then. I'm pretty sure everyone knows how long school is.
After school, I would either go hunting for gems or fish. I'd recently discovered that fish goes for a lot of money at the farmer's market. It's remarkable on how so many people are too lazy to fish themselves. It's not rocket science. Get a pole, hook, put some bait on the hook, and then drop it in the water and wait for a tug.
I remember a long line forming when it was discovered that I sold fish. After it thinned out, the elderly man who was tending the stall next to me told me to expect a crowd like that everyday.
"Most people prefer fish that are naturally caught and raised." He had said.
"What do you mean by 'naturally'?" I asked.
"Well, you see, most of the fish in the grocery stores are huge right?"
"Yeah, I think," Now that I thought about it, he was right. The fish sold in grocery stores WERE huge. A bass born in a pond would practically be the size of a large textbook by the time it hit store shelves. "If they are so big, why don't people buy them? It would give them more food."
The elderly man shook his head. "No, the only reason that they're big is because the factories who raise 'em give 'em antibiotics so that they grow quicker. Think of it as steroids for fish."
"What?" I was shocked. I knew some farms used medicine to get their animals to grow faster, but I didn't expect everyone to do it.
"Basically the medicine causes the fish to gain weight and even get bloated in size. It disgusts some folks' they think it's unhealthy and unnatural."
I nodded. "I don't blame them." I responded.
"Me neither, right now, we live in a society where people are obsessed with being healthy, so naturally a lot of people prefer fish that are naturally grown and caught."
After fishing, I would do homework and go to bed. This daily routine was really starting to get enjoyable.
"Kara..?" I suddenly heard a voice behind me.
I knew who it was, I let go of my watering can and it fell down to the ground with a thud. Sweat dribbled down my forehead.
No..not now... I couldn't be discovered this early.
"Ainsley..it's not what it looks like."
"Kara..you're..homeless?"
I gulped. Dear God, how am I going to get out of this.
"Kara, tell me what's going on, NOW!"
"Ainsley..I.."
"Kara..what happened to you, why are you living like-"
"MY NAME'S NOT KARA!" I screamed and covered my mouth. I stared at her in silence and watched her stared back, a dark figure loomed behind her, smiling at me.
"You think you could've forgotten me, or her?!" It taunted.
I gasped and lost consciousness.
My tea's gone cold
I'm wondering why I got out of bed at all
The morning rain clouds up my window and I can't see at all
And even if I could it'd all be grey
But your picture on my wall
It reminds me that it's not so bad
It's not so bad
