Story/novel- Let Me Walk In Your Shoes

Hi hi! I have decided to write a story... hope you readers enjoy ^^ the title is Let Me Walk in Your Shoes and I will write a brief summary of the whole thing in my next post. 

Chapter 1

I am not at home. Not in my room. I am nowhere near being in the bed that I am used to waking up in. I have woken up in someone else’s bed, in someone else’s room. In someone else’s body. This is the first thing I realize the moment I open my eyes and observe the surrounding. Unfamiliar pictures on the walls stare back at me. It is all like a dream, yet I can feel that the body I am in is very tired and worn out. This person probably had a rough night, I decide. And I am having a rough morning.

I have shifted into another person’s body, yet again without having intended to.

I get up and look at myself in a mirror hanging on the wardrobe sliding door to check who I have shifted into. This person looks familiar, and I search my memory to remember having studied her yesterday in Coco Bar.

I watched her take a sip out of her cup as she sat there at a table next to the back wall. Alison Decker, my best friend since I first moved to California in grade school, snapped me out of my gaze. It was a Friday in the middle of spring and the café was busy like any other afternoon of a school day. Alison and I had taken our usual spot in our favorite hangout place.

“What are you looking at, or should I say who are you looking at?” She asked, lifting up her medium glass of Coco Special (iced latte with whipped cream) to her lips as she searched the direction I was staring at with her light brown eyes. She had finished flipping through the daily copy of GirlGame magazine and had started to study my distant gaze. There were at least six choices of subjects I could have been looking at and as soon as she realized that, she gave up searching. “I don’t suppose you’re worried about your powers again?” Her voice had a slight edge of concern mixed with a whole heap of curiosity.

“Nah,” I shrugged, taking a sip of my own large glass of Coco Special. It was clear that Alison knew I was lying, but she does not say anything. We were both tired. It had been a stressful; yet exciting week for us second year seniors as the preparations for our semi-prom has started taking place. Semi-prom was eagerly suggested by a group of representatives from our year level and it had been approved by the principal to take place in less than a fortnight from now. Both me and Alison have been dress-hunting in local malls since the news was announced a couple of weeks ago. At least shopping for ‘the perfect dress’ have been keeping me in this normal world.

The person I had been interested in for the afternoon stood up after emptying her glass and opened her wallet to pay. Her expression turned into a frown and I could see that she was holding onto what looked like a photograph. It was too small for me to see what or who the photo was of. She dumped the photo back into her wallet and picked out some change and left them on the table before making her way out the shop. The table where she sat at was on the other side of our usual spot near the door so as she walked past, I quickly looked down at my drink. Alison seemed to have noticed.

“Is she new here?” She whispered as soon as the lady was out of hearing range. I gave her a nod. Alison is the only one who is in on my secret, I can tell her anything and everything with all my trust. I haven’t seen this person around before so I was sure that she was new in town. Either for a short visit or for a long term living.

I am the one who secretly keeps an eye on each of the 1958 individuals in town, knowing almost every one of them, or at least knowing their faces. I know about most of their backgrounds and whether they are a short term or long term citizen. The small town consists of very few people and it is rare to have a visitor or a new person in town so as soon as a new face shows up, I will know that they are not a local. People in this town are like neighbors whether they live close or at either end of town because there is only one grade school, one high school, one college, one library, one church and one town hall. Every Saturday afternoon the adults would meet up at the town hall with their prams and babies, sipping on tea while chatting about recent gossip. The large ceiling fans would be on during hot summer days while the heaters would be on during cold winter days. While this event is taking place, young people who are not yet considered adults stay inside their homes or are out having parties with friends. Sundays are church days and at least a fifth of the town would be crammed in the church. On school days, students go off to school or college and the adults would not be seen on the streets as they would be staying under roofs of their workplaces or homes. 

People are friendly in this town, or at least to the people they know well. They would smile and nod and give respect to those they do not know well when walking past each other. To me, everyday life of a high school student is boring so I spend my time trying to control my powers while learning about each and every individual in town.

It looks like today is a day where I learn about this new lady in town... As the lady herself.