Everyone in my family (almost) is special. My brother Rhaegar is magical, my brother Robb is a prodigy, my dad is a fireman, my ... um ... my Rhaella is a vampire, and my grandad used to be made out of cloth and cotton. I'm special too. I can read minds! I just close my eyes real tight and suddenly all the colors and thoughts and words in your head come chug chugging into mine like a train made out of ideas and lollipops!
Not just people minds either. I can talk to animals too! Their thoughts are just as clear and crystal as people thoughts. I like horses the best. Daddy bought me a crystal ball for my room, even though I'm too small to use it. That annoyed Mama, but when she says something, he just kisses her quiet.
Mom says that mind reading isn't an occult state, but I said uh-huh it is, because Rhaella reads minds. She said that's vampire, not psychic. I got sick of trying to explain the world to my silly mother, so we played tag instead. She's pretty cool when she's not trying to tell me I'm wrong.
Just last week, actually, she took me to have lunch at the bistro! It was so fancy, and she didn't even yell at me for trying to go inside in a bathing suit (though she did ask me nicely to change back into little girl clothes).
There was a pretty redhead woman talking to a blue man at a different table. "Ken," she said. "Ken, why do you insist on doing this? I'm sitting here."
"I can't hear you through my ugly turban, Sansa," the blue man said.
"Oh, sweet merciful Llama, I need to call your father!" Mom said. "Sansa's in an ugly dress. I ... that might mean something."
Turns out she's my aunt, this redheaded lady. She's SO pretty. Rhaegar has red hair. I wonder if he'd have been pretty as a lady. I squeezed my eyes shut real tight and changed him into one in my head. He was only okay. Don't tell him though.
Daddy got to the restaurant and said some really mean things to Sansa. He asked her if she was having calves! And then she hugged him and asked if he was going to set himself on fire anytime soon. Boy, they are different from me and my brothers!
We forgot to check the paper to see if she did end up having some babies or some cows or whatever. Daddy said we'd invite her over on my teen birthday and ask her then.
We saw Rhaella going into work as we left. She is a chef at the bistro and a very good cook! She is probably the most interesting person in the world, but when I try to go into her head, it is always so strange and different.
At home, she's normal as normal can be. She takes care of us.
But there is a secret Rhaella. I tell Daddy this and he says all of us have a secret side. That's true. I know because I've been in your heads. But not secret like Rhaella.
This is what happened. Sometimes my brain powers are weak by the time I fall asleep.
I often send one of my favorite stray horses to keep an eye on Daddy if he's working late at the fire station.
That was also the night of Rhaegar's prom. I was so excited for him and Nadine looked so pretty.
I was dreaming about Daddy, keeping the city safe. And also fixing an alarm bell. They're really the same thing when you boil it down.
And then suddenly, I could see Rhaella! She was in her chef outfit and she was communing with a big stone head.
Suddenly I could see the blood pumping through all these people in town!
She was thinking while she fed on this blonde man outside the diner ... "You look like my maker, but you're not are you? He's gone from me." Suddenly I felt really sad, like crying in a corner with your hair in your hands sad and I saw flashes of a wedding at night.
I woke up with metallic plasma taste in my mouth and had to run outside and barf.
Mom would just say it was a nightmare, so I didn't tell anyone. But yeesh, being a vampire is scary! I'm not scared of Rhaella, though. Because she loves us. That was in her mind too. She was rock climbing the next morning and I wanted to go out and tell her that I'm sorry Jeramy is dead, but I thought maybe that wouldn't help much.
Sometimes I think telling people I know what makes them tick tock would be more bad than good, so I keep to myself a lot. It can be lonely, but at least I'm at the top of my class.
One person who doesn't mind so much is my Granddad. He seems so happy that I can remember Grandma Arya through him! "You're my favorite little girl," he says.
"I'm the only one you know," I remind him, and he just ruffles my hair.
He always wants to play rock, paper, scissors, but you know, it's pretty unfair for me to play him, being psychic and all. I try to let him win sometimes, but it's hard to go against my instincts.
I didn't tell him about my Rhaella dream, because I don't want him to worry. I did tell Summer, though. I don't know if she understands me like the horses do, but she does check on Rhaella sometimes.
When I went to school this morning, Rhaella was in Rhaegar's room studying his alchemy book. I got one last flash of thought from her, something like, "you can't bring him back, silly."
It's sad, isn't it? I think he died a very long time ago. When I'm a grown up, I'm going to find the perfect man for Rhaella, and I'm going to make sure he doesn't up and die on her.
