Learning to Be Human (FREE READ)

They say that those close to death tend to see things that cannot be explained. I wanted to witness a miracle, but I knew that it couldn't have possibly come to me within 3 years right? Before I get into all that... Hi, my name is Katie. I'm your average American girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. I have pale white skin and lever onto the heavier side of things. I am 5'5" and weigh about 185lbs. But people say I don't look my weight and all I ever tell them is: I'm a solidified concrete bag. Now, they usually laugh in disbelief, but really! I am 185lbs! My weight always fluctuated throughout my years. One part of the year I could be 136lbs and then at the end I could be 175lbs and vice versa. Trust me, I got the stretch marks to prove it. Anyways... oh yeah! Did I mention that I grew up in the foster care system? Yeah, my parents left me at the doorstep of a church, not even in a basket at that. Ahahah! But as I grew up, no one seemed to want to adopt me. Growing older didn't help at all either! It's rare that anyone wanted to adopt teenagers or young adults. I eventually grew out of the foster system and was kicked out. I was afraid, I didn't know how to be an adult. There are no instructions on how you should be within your age. Unless, you referred to society's standards and that my friend is a double-edged sword of hypocrisy. So where was I going with this? Oh... right. I'm 20 years old and started off handing out newspapers to the public. Despite them being free, the public always turned away and declined them. I sat down one day and read through a few articles. They were all boring! A lot of the articles were also one-sided, which I particularly disliked. Hate is a strong word, let's use dislike. I eventually became a journalist and started posting the other side of things onto my blog on the internet. Things started off slow, but then I was a hit locally! My articles spread like wildfire, and I decided to read the comments. Rule #1 about the internet: Don't read the comments. There were a few that appreciated my work, and then there were the dis-likers who critiqued every paragraph down to the punctuation. They should really be English majors, ya know? But it wasn't my misspellings that triggered them, it was the usual right vs left debate. When they saw my profile picture they made fun of my weight and ridiculed me for simply being human. But! It's 2023, we can't let the keyboard warriors win. I continued to write articles about others until one night I sat in my dark, cramped room in Los Angeles. I thought, instead of writing about others, why don't I write about myself? I mean... I barely had any time left anyway. "Ms.Loza, we ran some tests, and you do not qualify for blood donation," the phlebotomist accompanied a doctor. "Why not?" I asked, visibly confused. "Because you have leukemia, it is too far to treat, and you have an estimated time of 3 years to live," the doctor said. Those words stung, they stung so badly. But I couldn't help but smile, I've had such a rough life that I didn't mind going so early. A part of me wished that I hadn't been told, so it wouldn't be on my mind 24/7. So how was an orphaned adult diagnosed with leukemia supposed to carry on living without any regrets? I walked out with my hopes and dreams shattered yet again. I knew what to expect. The lonely-cramped one-bedroom apartment that was way over price-gouged for rent, the empty fridge with barely anything to eat, and possibly a mail, with a debt-till-I-die bill from the hospital. If karma was real, I really hope she doesn't overlook me like Santa did all these years. I really need a miracle, and I have less than 3 years to witness it. As I unlocked the door to my apartment 1825 I squeezed through the half-opened door. I gotta move those donation boxes. That was what I always told myself, but failed to do so. Every. Freaking. Time! I opened the fridge hoping that there would be something I could munch on. A carrot! Score! I closed it and reopened it out of habit. Nope, nothing is magically gonna appear. I headed over to my kitchenette. It's not a kitchen, just an area with a small stove, microwave and a sink with the size that belonged in a bathroom. I carefully peeled the carrot with my trusty knife. I only had two different knives, one serrated and one for cutting the other stuff. Anything else was just fancy and taking up space. Space that I do not have! I sat down on my bed and flipped my laptop open. This was where the magic began. My freelancing income. My domain to the world. The personality that I couldn't be on these streets. But then I felt my optimism begin to fade, because I stared at the blinking vertical line on Microsoft Word. "Biography of Katie Loza" That was where I stopped at. I couldn't bring myself to type anything. Maybe it was just writer's block, or that the news of having leukemia was a shock. But, tonight I just wanted to sleep. I flopped onto my bed and grasped onto the sheets. Is it too much to ask for a friend? Someone to be with me until I die? I closed my eyes, crying yet another night. I was tired of being alone. I really didn't understand the things that had happened to me. I sobbed until I fell into deep sleep. The next morning, I woke up to the usual high-traffic angry honks and shouts. Here in LA it was normal. Everyone thought the same, they thought they all gotta rush at the same time with no consequences. The result? At least 10 auto collisions are reported daily. It sucked more for those on motorbikes. Which would be me! I kicked the stand to my little moped and straddled my helmet. Safety first! No really, safety or DIE! I turned the ignition and revved the gas handle. I was on my way to the beach. Or whatever that cold, polluted body of water was called. It was December 24, 2023. Everyone was in the warmth of their family homes. Me? I wanted to spend Christmas Eve alone at the beach. Something about the waves soothed me every time I felt lonely. It was a temporary therapy fix you could say. I sat there throughout the day, there were a few dog walkers who strolled by. But no one bothered me, not even the homeless man in his tent a few yards from me. "Hey Mr.Seagull," I looked over to the bird staring at me, "I don't have any bread today, but you're welcomed to sit with me." The seagull tilted its head and then flew away! You too huh? I scratched the back of my head and then faced the waves once again. The Pacific Ocean is so vast, and I know that some parts of it were extremely beautiful. But why? Why are our waters so damn dark? I lifted and dusted myself before walking over to the shore. I picked up a pebble and threw it as far as I could. The waves crashed so closely to the shore that the rock skipped past the wave's breaking point. I picked up another and threw it. I picked up another, threw it! As I repeated this motion I felt tears begin to build up. I wanted to scream, but I kept throwing! Every rock that left my grasp a tear fell. Why me? Why me?! My arm began to get sore. I threw the last one with a grunt and allowed my tears to combine with the water. It's been like this, year after year. The ocean always listened, but it never spoke back to me. I used the back of my palm to wipe away my tears. I looked up at the sky. It was gray and ready for winter frost. Now, it doesn't normally snow within LA, but nothing has been normal since a few years ago. Some cold states didn't have snow, and then hot states had snow? It didn't make sense. Then what happened was definitely not making sense. I narrowed my eyes because I saw a small tear in the sky. I blinked and saw what looked to be space forming inside of it. I saw blue sparks shoot out and before I could blink the tear opened into a huge circumference! It really was space, sorta like what you see in movies made by Hollywood. Wait, am I on a set right now? I looked around and there was no one to be seen. I looked back and rubbed my watery eyes. I must still be dreaming there is no way this is re- My thoughts were interrupted as a spaceship came through! It was a small beige UFO but not the ones you see in kid's cartoons, but more related to the ones in Star Wars? Okay, it wasn't exactly like it, but there was no other way to describe it. I saw the ship cloak, and it was rapidly falling in altitude. My eyes followed it, I could see it cloaking! The camouflage moved through the air, and it looked like it was crashing near Parker Mesa Overlook. I was near Malibu beach and witnessed its impact. It crashed! I instinctively ducked and felt a horrible rumble of the ground. I shielded my ears with my hands and covered my face with my shirt. The aftershock closed in, and the sand was picked out from the ground. I dug my chin into the sand hoping that it would stop. And then it did. As the sand settled and the waters receded to its normal flow, I opened my eyes. I quickly brushed off the sand from my eyes and clothing. I got up and felt it to be surprisingly easy! Wait a second... I know it wasn't a nuke, but shouldn't the aftershocks and radiation take part in any of this? I should not be unscathed right now! But I was not complaining. I looked over to where the ship was projected to crash. Everything seemed fine? There were no fires, no explosions, no signs of impact. Okay, now I must be really crazy. Did what I just witness be a stress-induced illusion? Yeah must be. I looked around and miraculously there was no one in sight, I attempted to see if the homeless man was even home. By the way, do not try this at home kids, you do not want to be caught sitting or near a homeless person's territory in LA. He was not home. Weird. I walked over to my moped. With the aftershock towards the water, there should be signs of a tidal wave. But there's none! Weird. Yes, very peculiar. Like Rafiki from The Lion King once said. Yeah, I am definitely Simba when he saw his father made of clouds. There was no way that just happened. I chuckled nervously and got on my moped. I accelerated a little bit faster than usual, still not coming to terms with what had just happened. Maybe I need to sleep more. Yeah that's it! I need a whole day's rest! I laughed manically and drove back to my little apartment. Before I parked, I just remembered I had to get groceries! I can't sleep and not eat! I revved off and headed towards the nearest Vallarta Supermarket! Aguas fresca, aguas fresca, one and only sandia aguas frescas! I hummed to myself. I know I am broke, but watermelon flavored aguas frescas is a NEED! I made it and went inside.