Walking in the Footsteps of a Stranger by Alexis Doberstein (easy to read books for adults list .txt) 📕

Have you ever felt like you’re being watched? Or like everybody knows something that you don’t? I’ve felt that way my whole life. Like there’s some big secret that’s being kept from me. My parents are always pretending to be busy whenever I ask. I can’t get any answers from anyone. My grandmother says I know when the time is right. But the thing that I don’t get is, is that I’m already 17 years old. I’m practically an adult and I’m getting left out of everything like I use to be when I was a kid. My grandpa died when I was 10. That was a hard year for me. My grandpa was the only reason why I ever kept going in this life of secrets. He gave me the strength and the courage to carry on. And it’s gotten me this far. But now I’m almost an adult and this are getting more confused by the second. And no one is helping me. I feel like I’m walking this earth alone. But every where I go I feel like I’m being watched. And it always is like this every time I leave the house. And something is telling me that it has something to do with the secret that’s being kept from me. I have a way of feeling other things around me. Like emotions. Especially in animals. I love animals. I’m starting to believe that animals are the only ones who ever understand me anymore. I tried explaining this stuff to my parents and all they did was look at each other and then go back to whatever they were doing. That’s about the only response I get out of them for these kinds of things. I told my grandma about this and she thought it was wonderful. And that I’d be able to help the animals.

I still go to school and everything like a normal kid. But the classes are so boring for me. My friends Porsche and Sapphire understand how I feel about the way my parents are. But they don’t understand about my gift to communicate with animals and their emotions. I think they thought I was joking. But that day right after school I came home and was about to go upstairs to my room when mom called me back into the kitchen. I walk into the kitchen and mom and dad are both there now. I ask, “Am I in trouble?” Mom replies, “No honey. Why would you think that? Your father and I have decided it’s time to tell you the secret that we’ve been hiding from you since you were a baby.” I look at them and reply, “Oh. Okay.” I sit down at the kitchen table ready for an explanation. Mom looks at dad and dad just nods. So mom takes a deep breath and then turns to me. She says “Sweetie this might sound crazy, but I want you to hear us out before you say or do anything. Okay?” I nod my head. So mom looks at dad. Dad pulls up a chair and sits down. Then says, “You know how special you are, but there is a whole other side of you that you don’t know about yet because we’ve kept it from you as long as we could. We never dreamed that we’d have to tell you until you were all grown up and on your own. But now we’re out of time. Athena you are a witch. Your mom is a witch and I’m a human. Your mom and I met after her family’s kingdom was destroyed in Magicks. Magicks is a different place in a different time and a different dimension. You see you are our daughter, but I’m not your real father. Your father was killed trying to protect you, your mother, and the people of the kingdom. When your father was killed all hope was lost for the kingdom. But then you came along. You are the last hope for Magicks. You are the rightful ruler. And one day the people of Magicks will see the light once again. But now comes the bad part. And I really don’t know how to explain it. So I’ll let your mother explain.” Mom pulls up a chair and smiles at me and says, “What your father is telling you is the truth. We are not from this world Athena. That is why we don’t fit in here. That is why you have special powers. You have the power to control emotions. But yet you have so much more that you don’t know about. The bad news is that we once again will have to fight for our kingdom. The ruler there now is evil. His name is Artamis. He is the one that defeated us in the first battle. But now that we have you our future is going to be brighter and better then ever. You’ll need training of course. That will come from me and your grandmother because all the teaching masters at Magicks are under Artamis’s control. And we must not let him know that you exist yet. And that you are un-trained.” I look at both of them and start laughing. And they look at each other and then look at me. I finally was able to stop laughing and say, “Okay. That was fun, but really what did you want to talk to me about?” Mom speaks up and says, “Sweetie that was it. We told you nothing but the truth. If you think about it after awhile it will start making sense, and the pieces of the puzzle will fit together and show you your answer.” I look at them like they’re crazy people. Mom was about to say something when I put up my hand to silence her. I look at them and say, “You expect me to believe all this garbage so you don’t have to tell me what’s really going on? That’s pathetic. You guys couldn’t come up with something better? Or was this a last minute thing? It’s ridiculous and you don’t trust me. Is that why you have people following me? I know that every time I leave this house I’m being watched. And that’s because you guys don’t trust me do you?” Mom looks at me and asks, “You’re being watched?” I nod my head. And then reply, “Like you don’t know about it? Don’t play innocent with me. You guys are really starting to make me mad.” It hurt me inside to think that my parents would go to this extreme just to keep something from me, and something that’s this crazy. I look at my parents in disgust and I walk out. I ran outside and down the block to Porsche’s house. I feel that same feeling again. Like someone is watching me. I keep ringing the door bell until finally Porsche answered the door. I hurry inside. Porsche was in her Pj’s still and it didn’t make any sense to me. Because Porsche never wears her Pj’s on during the day. But I was more focused on what my parents told me. She led me upstairs and I asked, “Hey where’s your mom? I thought she doesn’t work during the day. And how is that report on Spain coming?” We reached her room and I walk in after her. I look around at all her posters in her room just mesmerized by how many she has. I was just about to ask her when she got the new one that was above her bed, when I hear the click of a lock on the bedroom door.

Publication Date: 11-10-2011

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