Prologue

My name is Alisa Jaiden Wallace. I know my story may seem boring to some people but I feel that it has a purpose in some weird way.

I am 15 years old and I live in a small town called Sparrowpoint with my weird family. My mom is the famous horror writer Noemi Wallace. And yes she brings work home with her. Our house is covered with strange painting and occult symbols.

My mother dresses in dark clothes and layers of necklaces and bracelets. She has long curly black hair and pale skin so the little kids in the neighborhood call her the Vampire lady. No, she’s just my mom. She’s kooky, artsy, and sympathetic which is why I love her. Mom always knows what to say when you’re feeling down. She’s really laid back with rules and structure but my dad takes up for that weakness.

My dad’s name is Todd Wallace he’s a “meteorologist” which as you know is the fancy word for weatherman. He has bright blue eyes and short brown hair that he keeps gelled and combed to the side. He always dresses like he’s going to be interviewed.

“You never know.” He repeats a lot, “You should always look your best Alisa.” He has a warm personality most of the time but when you mess up it changes in a second. But I have rarely seen that side of Dad.

Mom and dad do not seem like an ideal couple. They met in college at a fraternity party. Mom was dating a History major named Kyle who just so happened to be Dad’s frat brother. Kyle dumped her hard and Dad comforted her in her time of need. She fell for him quickly. “If it wasn’t for that asshole, Kyle, I would have never met the love of my life.” Mom always reminisces. Soon after that incident mom sold her first book which humorously enough was about a guy named Kyle being possessed by a demon. They got married and Dad landed his 1^st weather job, which started bringing in the dough. Then they had Owen.

Owen is 17 years old and a junior in high school. He has Dad’s eyes and his hair color but it’s curly like Moms. Owen and I were very close until Owen started high school. He started calling me an emo and putting me down a lot a few months after making the football team.  The boy I knew disappeared into parties, girls, and popularity. He made 1^st string quarterback in 10^th grade, which is almost unheard of. Dad and Owen’s coach, Coach Broden, were best friends in high school and since Dads a local celebrity people try to ignore the fact Owen didn’t earn it.

After Owen, they had me, and then Nina.

Nina is quiet and sweet at the age of 13. With everyone else’s personalities she looks like the normal one in the family. You can generally find her on the window seat of her 2^nd story room reading or looking out at the view of downtown Sparrowpoint. She inherited Mom’s thinking ability and like mom often stares off into space. One thing she didn’t get from Mom or Dad was a love of ballet. When she isn’t reading or daydreaming, she is probably prancing around somewhere.

I have an individuality of my own. I have mom’s hair and dad’s eyes but I’m outgoing, imaginative, compassionate, spontaneous, and creative. I like to wear bright colors and lots of accessories so that my style speaks before I do.

I like to tell random stories, sing made up songs in public places, crack jokes at inappropriate times, and smile when people attempt to pick on me. I want people to call me weird because you know what? That means I stick out and that means they will remember me years from now.

Chapter 1

I woke up from the warm summer rays on my face. I sat up and looked around. My room used to be a storage shed with a small loft. I don’t have a problem with it though cause it’s like having my on house. My bed is a small twin on the loft and I have a reading at the foot of it with a little bookcase. My best friend Heather calls it my Blue’s Clues thinking chair.

There is a ladder going up the loft and underneath the loft is a TV area where my friends and I have movie marathons together. Across from there is my desk with all my computer stuff.

I finally drug myself out of bed and down the ladder. I went out the door of the shed, walked across the yard, and went in the backdoor of the house to the kitchen. It was a bright red room and all the appliances were black. My mom was cooking breakfast wearing a black dress and a purple bandana.

“Good morning dear. Have a nice sleep?” she asked flipping over a pancake.

“Yeah, I guess.” I replied as I continued walking. I went into the hall that looked like someone had forgotten to take down Halloween decorations. It was dark purple and creepy paintings hung on the walls. To a normal person it would be like a walking through a horror movie, but to me it was home.

I passed the dining room and the living room, which was decked in gold. Mom had gone for an Egyptian feel with it. Finally I arrived at a small room. The reason why I sleep in the shed is because this would be my room if I didn’t.

It was Nina’s when she was a baby but as she got older she became involved in ballet and wouldn’t have much room to practice. Mom cleared out the shed and turned it into a room but Nina didn’t like it because she was still in her “afraid of monsters” stage. So, I stepped up and took the shed and gave Nina my room. Mom put up shelves and a coat bar and this room became a closet. The room also had an even smaller bathroom so it became my “dressing room” so to speak.

I took my shower then put on a pink t-shirt and jeans before walking to the dining room where breakfast was waiting. The dining room was the only normal room in the house. It was green with a big table. There was even a bowl of fake fruit in the center of it.

Dad sat at one end of the table reading the paper and muttering about some political matter. To his left was Nina, who was multitasking between a piece of bacon and a New York Times best seller.

To Dads right was Mom of course, who was daintily eating pancakes and syrup while staring out the window. God only knows what twisted story idea she was getting from looking at a blue butterfly hovering the window.

At the other end of the table was Owen who was busily woofing down anything edible in sight. I sat next to Nina and was quick to get a few pancakes before they became extinct from Owen’s hunger.

Dad put down his paper.

“Everybody excited for school to start back?” he asked. Complete silence followed except Owen’s smacking.

“I know you must be Alisa. 9^th grade! You’re moving up there with your brother! You must be thrilled!”

“Yeah. I’m so ecstatic about it I think I want to punch Owen.” I said flatly. Owen glared at me.

“You can’t hit the star quarterback. That’d be a crime!” Dad chuckled, “By the way what are you up to today Owen?”

“Going down to Matt’s to help clean his basement.” Owen said with his mouth full. His lack of manners never surprised me.

"That a boy! Always willing to lend a hand!” Dad said enthused. What dad didn’t know was Matt was planning on having a huge back to school party in his basement with alcohol, drugs, sex, and stupidity expected.

“What about you Alisa?” he asked me.

“I was planning on going to see Ji at the restaurant and winging it from there.” I said. Ji was my best guy friend. His real name is Jianyu Shi, which means “universe building lion” in Chinese. His last name Xu is pronounced Shoe. He is a popular target at school because of his last name and his heritage.

Ji’s family owns a restaurant named China Sunset on Main Street. Ji is forced to work there 99% of the time though he’d rather be out doing “normal kid stuff” as he says.

“Ah, the Xu’s. Haven’t been up that way lately. Tell them I said hello, ok kiddo?”

“Sure thing Dad.” I said in a sarcastic voice. Mrs. Xu had the biggest crush on Dad. If I even mention dad’s name around her she gets giddy and girlish.

“And Nina, what are you up to today?” he asked. Startled by her name being spoken, she looked up completely lost in the conversation.

“Huh?”

“I asked what you were doing today.” Dad explained.

“Oh… Well Casey said I could go with her to the aquarium in Hardingville today… so yeah.” She said burying herself back into the book.

“That sounds nice dear.” Mom suddenly said coming back from the twilight world.

As you can tell meal times in the Wallace house are very awkward. Wanting to end this awkwardness, I hurried up and finished my food. Then I went back to my closet to put on a pair of neon green flip-flops. Without saying goodbye I went out the front door, grabbed my bike, and I was off to see Ji.