Cheating Death

Ava's POV "Sometimes you have to know your worth, plain and simple. Regardless of what anyone thinks of you or says about you, I want you to know that you are special, Ava." Sighing, I was starting to think mama had lost her mind. She was always trying to push it onto me that I was this super special person in life. Granted, she was usually right when it came to most things, but I was in fact no one special. I'm as plain and generic as they come. I have a petite build and features with dark brown wavy hair that falls loosely midway down my back. The most outstanding feature I have is my gray eyes, which look almost silver when the light hits them a certain way. I don't know exactly where I got them because mama's eyes were a beautiful deep green and I never met my dad. I was so tired of always hearing how special I was. "Mama,we both know I'm nothing special," I whispered. I hoped she wouldn't hear me because sometimes it was easier not to cause an argument with her. A quick smack to the back of the head let me know that she most definitely heard what I said. We sat in silence as she finished braiding my hair. The cool breeze is blowing leaves all around us. The crisp scent of fall was in the air with trees showing magnificent shades of orange and red. Small hints of yellow playfully appeared throughout, causing the scenery to really pop. Autumn was my favorite season. Something about the beauty it brought, even though everything was slowly dying, has always captivated me. My mom was the only one I have ever seen share this kind of attraction to the season itself. Sometimes she would sit on the wrap-around porch just staring out into the surrounding scenery almost with a longing look in her deep green eyes. It almost seemed as if she was waiting for something but she never would say. Quickly she turns when she catches me staring. "What are you going to do for your birthday in a few weeks? Any exciting plans?" She asked, trying to pry into my social life that I have successfully kept her out of my entire high school career. "Probably just going to hang out with some friends or go see a movie. Nothing too interesting." I tried to play it cool, not wanting her to know that I most definitely had plans that I had no intention of sharing with her. The less she knew, the better. She stared at me contemplating her next move to try to get information out of me when the school bus pulled up, saving me from her piercing gaze. I swear that woman could see all the way to your soul when she looked at you like that. "Well, I love you. Have a good day." she replied, turning to stare back out into the openness like she was expecting a long lost friend to show up. The look she had given me was haunting and a shiver ran down my spine before I climbed the steps on the bus to take my seat next to my best friend since elementary school, Lily. I plopped down beside her but she didn't notice me at first as she was glued to her phone with a mischievous smile playing on her lips. The bus pulled away and she finally realized I was there. Looking at me quizzically but shaking her head, she returned to her phone. There was no doubt in my mind she was toying with her flavor of the week, as I called them, seeing as she constantly ran through boyfriends as if they were indispensable. The bus rolls to a stop as the big wrought iron gates of the school come into view. I nudged her with my elbow to let her know that we had made it to our temporary prison for the day, as we call it. She looked up with a grin and I instantly got this feeling in the pit of my stomach that whatever crazy idea she had planned I didn't want to be a part of. Before I can open my mouth to ask her why she was staring at me like that, the bell rings and she waves and runs off to her first class. I slowly walk to my first period, absolutely dreading the conversation we are about to have when I feel like I'm being watched. I scan the room but I never see anyone other than my shadow playing in the morning light shining through the windows. A creepy feeling washes over me and I shudder almost like I'm cold, but I'm content. With one last look over my shoulder, I opened the door and walked into my class ready to start my day, but I couldn't help feeling like something bad was about to happen. Who is even staring at me like that? I was popular to an extent, but I don't remember making enemies. My brain seems to have shifted into overdrive as I contemplate who it could have been and why I would all of a sudden feel that way. The teacher enters the room and pulls me from my thoughts. "Open your textbooks to page 147. Today we will start our studies about the different beliefs each culture has."