Melody Sees the World

Hi. My name is Melody Cane, and I’m really smart. I like apple cider in the fall, warm cookies in the winter, chocolate in the spring, and lemonade in the summer. My favorite subjects are math, and art because in my mind they go together, and I want to travel all around the world some day and go to cascamorras in spain, and the Snow and ice festival in China, and Holi in India. But of course the only thing anyone ever pays attention to is, “My name is Melody Cane, and I’m really smart,” or at least that’s all my professors care about, and it sometimes feels like it’s all my parents care about, but I know they care about me more than just my hyperactive brain, right? Ok, back track, I may have gone a little too fast, I do that sometimes. My name is Melody Cane and I am hyper observant, I have a photographic memory, and grapheme-color synesthesia. That just means I remember basically everything and I see noise and numbers as having a color too. I also have a whole bunch of other weirdly named conditions that allow me to understand things most people don’t, like I said I’m smart. Some people say I’m a prodigy, the next einstein, which is cool, I guess, but the problem is a lot of the time they forget that I’m just a girl, a 13 year old girl who yes is very smart, but is also somehow just as stupid as every other 13 year old girl on the planet. So here it is, the story of the stupidest smart girl on the face of the earth.

I don’t really mind school, if anything it’s less work than being at home. It’s almost the only time I get to see my friends. I don’t really need to pay attention in class but if I don’t pretend I am learning in class the teachers will move me up to the next grade level and I do not want to do that. The point is most of the time my head is somewhere else. Like today during english all I could think about was what would happen if opposite day could happen. I mean consider this, if opposite day was real we’d all be dead, and all the dead people would be alive, so like that took a while to comprehend. Of course opposite day couldn’t ever happen because that would be a paradox which got me thinking about paradoxes which took a while to think about. By the time english was over I had about five hypothetical questions to ask my friends but I knew I wouldn’t have enough time and I couldn’t go out with them after school. My schedule during the weekdays is basically probation, school, home, homework, extra homework, meetings with my foreign language teacher, lessons with my piano teacher, and reading time. I decided my best bet was to write them down and wait for the weekend. On the weekends I have extra classes and papers but atleast I get two hours to be with friends each day. My parents micromanage my life to the point that I question whether or not it’s even my life anymore. “The Schedule” is probably the scariest thing in my house. I don’t even like to go into the schedule room. “The Schedule” is a giant bulletin board in my office which controls my entire life. Yes I just said that, a bulletin board controls my life, it’s great, I’m fine. “The Schedule” Is very daunting and I don’t like looking at it. It makes me nauseous, the way each of the magnets crowd around each other. The strict, bold titles of activities. The bulletin board of superhuman expectations. Today is  a friday which is my least favorite day. Most people love friday because they get to be with friends and don’t have much homework, but for me friday is the worst day. I have to meet with college professors, and doctors while they ask me questions about everything, everything except who I am as a person.They take X-rays, do scans, ask me to answer problems and questions, lie detector tests, like I would want people to think I’m a genius. If anything I would like to make people think I’m not. And after all the scientists are finished with their scans and questions and other tedious procedures the worst part begins. They talk about my future. Which college, where, what will I do when I grow up? What will be the most beneficial use of my amazing brain? During this period of time I usually can’t get a word in edgewise. I think they’ve decided they want me to be a scientist, and solve problems like world hunger, and don’t get me wrong I would love to solve world hunger, but I hate science. It’s my least favorite class. I’d rather be anything other than a scientist. It's not that I’m bad at science. I’m good at science and I understand science and everything, but it’s so boring. Every subject is like blah blah rocks blah blah evolution blah blah chemicals blah blah blah blah blah. Either way  none of that matters because in the end it will be what's best for me, right?  Well sorry to disagree but I don’t think that living the rest of my life as a mindless drone scientist is going to be very good for my mental health.I’d much rather do something with math or art. You see I have this thing called synesthesia which means I envision numbers and sounds as being specific colors.  Add that to my list of positive mental conditions. Math is fun because it’s abstract, and direct, and it makes you think. Most of the subjects in my school don’t make me think so math class is very refreshing. I love art because I love to draw. I come up with characters during the rest of my classes and draw them in art. I can see their hair, their eyes, their clothes, and I think it’s really cool to be able to show people what’s going on in my head . The thing is right now I’m not in math or art, I’m in english. I don’t love english class, but today I was hoping it would last forever. I was not in the mood for my meeting, but class did end.  While all my friends swept off to each other's houses ready to enjoy their weekend, I was bracing myself for the longest, most irritating hours of my life. As I hopped on the bus I saw my little sister and waved to her. My little sister is the most friendly person I know. She waved back at me excitedly gesturing for me to sit next to her. My sister is the only reasonable person in my family. Her dark black hair, and sweet green eyes are like a flower sprouting from the snow, or a (Rose from concrete) -Tupac. She has freckles all over her face, and olive skin which is fitting because her name is Olivia. I smiled and plopped down on the bus seat which was warm from the sun. Olivia’s smile was wider than usual and she bounced up and down on her seat.

“ What is it?” I asked, tiredly. I figured whatever she was so excited about was just going to make me more jealous of her. She ignored my dismissive tone and continued excitedly,

“Guess what!”

“What?” I asked

“Guess!” She prodded

“I don’t want to guess.” I exclaimed shortly

My sister sighed, “Fine, Mom and Dad, are taking off.”

“What do you mean?” I asked

She elaborated, “I mean they’re gone, they canceled everything and took off for California for a big meeting and didn't’ have time to set up a babysitter or anything.”

“No way!” I exclaimed in disbelief. “Why would they just leave?”

“Because,” My sister continued in an annoyed tone, “ they had a last minute business trip.” I couldn’t believe it. My parents never left my sister and I alone. They needed to keep me on track, and even though they paid much less attention to my sister she was still only 11 years old so they usually tried to get someone to babysit us.

“No way.” I replied in disbelief

“Yes way.” She said nonchalantly

“So you're not playing me here. It’s real nobody's coming to our house to look after us. Parents are gone.” I asked

“See it for yourself.” She ushered. I pulled out my phone and read the three paragraph text from my mother. Everything was canceled. We had the whole house to ourselves. I felt like I could fly. I hadn't had an off day since christmas and even then I had chores and assignments and plenty of things to do. I was floating in my chair when I reached the heavy sentence that explained I was not to leave the house and that she could track me by my phone and would know if any of the doors opened while we were at the house. I was to make specifically, grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for my sister and I and that I was to continue my day to day activities as if my parents were still there. My hopes fell as I showed my sister the text and pointed to the sentences. She snickered, as though something was funny. I turned to her questioningly.

“What’s so funny?” I asked

“Sometimes I forget how uneducated you are in the ways of teenage life.” She exclaimed.

“What is it.” I asked shortly

“There are simple solutions to these problems. Leave your phone at home, climb out the window , you can just finish your work when you get home and, problems solved.” She explained seamlessly.

“And somehow I’m the genius.” I exclaimed. Olivia giggled, “No,” I said “ I mean I’m being completely serious, how do you know all that stuff.”

“ Well”, she sighed, “Mom and dad don’t really pay too much attention to me anyway.” I sighed. I felt bad for my sister sometimes. She’s a really talented musician, she plays violin, piano, drums, guitar, ukulele, sings, and she knows how to use musical software,  which confuses even me. She’s even cranked out a couple of really good original songs. But our parents never notice, or care. They’ve never considered, art or music anything but a waste of time. I squeezed my sister hoping she knew that I understood her. The thing is you would think my sister and I come from two completely different families because we’re treated so differently by our parents. Olivia is ignored half the time and I’m micromanaged all of the time, but we’re the only people who understand what it’s like to have to deal with or parents which makes us invaluable to each other. The bus finally pulled over at our stop so we peeled ourselves the bus seats and stomped off the bus. I felt the warm sun bounce off my skin and knew today would be a good day. My sister and I skipped home, jumping in the rain puddles that were usually of limits, cartwheeling down the sidewalk which was ordinarily irresponsible behavior, and hopping up the stairs like a frog which was deemed unsafe and unlawful in the Cane house. I flung open the door to find an empty dwelling inside, quiet, and far less daunting when without it’s main inhabitants. My sister and I set our phones next to each other on the table when I asked,

“Wait, what if they call and we aren’t here to answer?”

“Oh right!” Olivia gasped, I’ll bring mine and say yours ran out of juice and we can’t find the charger, and I’ll turn mine on airplane mode so they can’t track us.”

“Ok.” I agreed, satisfied. We stomped up the stairs to Olivia's room. She pulled the screen of the window off and it slid down like butter.

“And open sesame.” She joked, as she flung open the window which was just large enough to crawl through. A waft of fresh air filled the house and whipped my sister and I’s hair back out of our faces. She turned around.

“Ok, where do you want to go?” She inquired

“I don’t know.” I exclaimed thoughtfully. “I don’t exactly get out much.”

“ Well” my sister explained, today there's a party down by pine, a concert at the Dog Heaven, and you can always go and silly string the park, or break into the school after dark. Oh and you know what’s really fun, climbing on top of the church down by the orchard on willow street.”  As she scrolled through these options I realized just how little I had experienced in my 13 years. I turned to my sister and said,

“Everything.”  She raised her eyebrows, but soon nodded after considering this idea. She began to list off the itinerary for the night, but I was too excited to actually listen to what she was saying. For at least one night, I would be a normal kid. Just a girl sneaking out, making plans with her friends. Wait of course friends, I had to call my friends. What about my sister's friends? This was the one night without our parents for her too.

“Wait.” I stopped her. “Don’t you wanna hang out with your friends?” She smiled at thoughtfully.

“It’s ok.” She assured me. I hang out with my friends at least twice a week.

“How?” I asked innocently.

“Like this.” my sister informed me, pointing toward the open window. “That’s not what you’re wearing is it?” she asked.

“I dunno.” I mumbled quietly. My sister pulled me by the arm towards my room.

“Alright follow me.” she directed. We waltzed into my bedroom where she riddled through my closet and drawers until she found an acceptable outfit which I then quickly changed into eager to make it out the window. Once we were both finally dressed and ready with our extra money we had tucked away from birthdays and christmas gifts we secretly returned, we squeezed out the window. Olivia was a pro, but I needed some work. She twisted like a pretzel and slid herself through the aperture. When I tried to follow her movements I banged my head on the window pane and knocked over Olivia’s lamp on my way out. She winced as it fell to the floor, and let out a sigh of relief when she could see it wasn’t broken.

“Sorry.” I apologized as I slipped out onto the roof.

“It’s ok.” She exclaimed

We climbed down the house and ran off through the street. It was still light out but it was also the beginning of fall so it would get dark soon. I used my sister’s phone to call my friends who would meet us at the concert. First we went to the party, which was fun, but got boring fairly early on. After we left the party we went to get some coffee and pizza from Palermo’s. Once we were done with the pizza we bought some silly string from the dollar store across the street. We also bought some glow sticks for later on during the concert, and ran towards the park. We got in a giant silly string battle, and by the end of it my hair looked pink. We were about to leave when I made us go back to pick up the silly string because I felt guilty. Our hands smelled like chemicals and our clothes were muddy from rolling around in the grass trying to escape each other's sprays of silly string but we didn’t think to go home to change clothes. We walked straight to the Dog Heaven. For all of you who don't know, Dog Heaven is a club/restaurant specifically reserved for kids over 12 and under 21. It’s really called the Flip bar but most people call it dog heaven because there are almost always a couple of strays waiting outside the building ready to raid the garbage cans for leftover scraps. I met up with my friends and answered their questions about why I was out. We had about a dozen milkshakes and I danced until my feet hurt too much to stand. By the time we were ready to go home it was 10:00. Most of my friends were already late for curfew, but my sister and I were just getting started. We popped into the 24 hour drugstore and bought some popcorn, skittles, and quite a few other treats. We sprinted over to the library just in time to rent The Great Dictator, needless to say my sister and I are huge movie buffs. With our bags full of nighttime essentials we climbed back up the side of the house. We watched that movie until the very end, eating popcorn, and pop tarts, and popsicles and basically every pop-food there is. Olivia had fallen asleep, but how could I after that night. I climbed out the window once again, this time even more careful not to make any noise. I laid on the roof watching the stars in the night sky. I felt like I could reach out and touch them, like there was just this little barrier, thin and light keeping me away from them. I lifted my hands to the sky and found the north star. The moonlight made the roofs of the rest of my tiny suburban neighborhood look beautiful and adventurous. The night air filled my lungs and blew away everything else. The tree branches rattled in the air and I could smell the autumn leaves. I fell asleep on the roof that night, and decided when my parents came home I would tell them what I wanted. I would make sure they know how I feel and how Olivia feels. I would use my genius mind to form a debate even they can’t argue with, and I would finally gain a little control over my life. I would be a kid again, a real 13 year old kid, and no one, not even my parents were going to take that away from me.