The House on Maple Street

It was a perfect lift-off, I thought. I didn’t even have to turn into a bird!

“How’s everything up there?!?” My friend, Max, shouted up the stairs to me. If it wasn’t for him we’d probably be in a test lab right now, and to think just because we’re different than everybody else!

“Oops, too late,” I rolled my eyes.

“Three, two, one….” “Nova!!!!!!!” Leila called up the stairs to me.

“What Leila?!?” I yelled in an irritated voice.

“You didn’t answer Max, so I assumed that something was wrong…..”

“Well nothing’s wrong!!”

“Oh, ok.” She sounded hurt.

“Hey Nova, you don’t have to be so mean, she was just asking!!” Max sympathized with Leila as always. Everybody knew he liked her, even Leila knew.

“I’m gonna fly down there, okay?” Nova called downstairs.

“Ok, but not a hummingbird this time, okay? Leila is scared of them!” came the answer.

“Of course she is,” I whispered angrily under my breath. I turned into a hummingbird just to bug them and flew downstairs.

“Woof! Woof!” Charlie, our dog, barked.

“Hi Charlie, how are you, boy?” I chirped.

“Hi Nova, I’m fine” he barked. “Sorry, I didn’t recognize you.”

“That’s ok, Charlie, I probably wouldn’t recognize myself either.”

“Oh ok, thanks! They’re in here, follow me!”

“Ok.”

I flew into the dining room. The windows were draped with red, blue, green, pink and yellow towels.

“Peep peep!!” I chirped.

“AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!” Leila screamed at the top of her lungs.

“Nova,” Max sighed.

I morphed into myself. “What??” I asked innocently.

“Nova, you said you wouldn’t turn into a hummingbird!!!!” he said angrily.

“Sorrryy!!” I groaned.

Beep!!! Beep!!

“Oops! Sorry, I thought I turned my phone off, it’s probably from my dad or something.” I apologized.

>hey kiddo r u alright? >yah daddy i’m fine >k always remember I luv u i know luv u so much >luv u too >c u l8r daddy <3 luv u

“Well,” I slipped my phone back into my pocket “Now that that’s over with, why don’t we get on with our business?” I asked cheerily.

“Well ok, miss little texter!” Max and Leila both started cracking up.

“What?!?!” I asked, my good mood ruined.

“You should’ve seen yourself!”

“What?!?” I wailed.

“First of all, you looked like you were about to cry. Second of all, your fingers moved like sixty words per second.” Max and Leila burst out laughing again.

“Well, who cares!!!” I yelled and morphed into a collie. Suddenly the house started rumbling and shaking. I yelped.

“Charlie!” Charlie ran in. “Do you feel that or am I going mad?” I yipped.

“No Nova, I can feel that plain as day!” he barked.

“Nova!” Max and Leila shouted in unison. “Nova, where are you?!?” Max screamed over the racket.

I barked but one of the disadvantages of being an animal is that humans can’t understand you. I morphed into myself.

“Guys, I’m over here!!” I shouted.

They rushed into the dining room where I was standing on the table. “Nova, what are you doing up there?!?!?” Leila screamed.

“Sheesh Leila, it’s not like I’m on top of the Empire State Building, it’s just a table!!!!” I yelled.

“Whatever!!!” she yelled back.

The house started shaking and rumbling harder, and that’s when I got scared. “Max make it stop!” I screamed at the top of my lungs; it was the first time I had suspected that Max was doing all this. He put his arms down and suddenly the house went still and he started cracking up.

“You guys should have seen your faces, you were so freaked out!!!” He laughed.

“Max….” I started to yell, but then the house started shaking and rumbling again. “Max, cut that out!” I growled.

“But I’m not doing anything!” he wailed defensively. “See?!?!” he snapped and danced around and lowered his arms but the rumbling and shaking did not stop.

Leila started oozing into a multicolored puddle on the floor, and then she started sliding across the floor like that goo you get in those machines at the grocery store. That’s when I knew something was wrong. Leila oozed into the corner and started turning into another element that has no name in my mind. Then the house jerked and everything went still. I looked outside through what was left of I think a window or maybe it was just a hole in the wall. I turned around and glared at Max. He gave a look that said I didn’t mean to I was just having some fun. Then he glanced at Leila and she had finally recovered and was rocking back and forth clutching her knees with her face behind them. I walked over and crouched beside her.

“Leila, it’s over.” I said gently in her ear. She lifted up her head and her blonde hair covered her face, but I could still see her ice cold blue eyes as she said in a low possessed voice.

“No Nova, you are over.”