The Giver

Regina stood alone in the classroom as she read her book called The Sight. She seemed out of place in the classroom against all the chattering cliques; detached and isolated from the rest.

But this was normal, to her and to her classmates. They went on in their separate worlds; neither acknowledging the other's presence at all. Some immature boys mocked her now for reading and her act of silence.

She merely flicked her eyes toward them for a moment, then, went back to reading. Disappointed that they hadn't annoyed her in the least, they drifted off to find better prey.

This was the usual day for Regina Riles. She didn't mind the fact that she wasn't surrounded by people. In fact, she enjoyed the calming tranquility. If being popular meant acting the way Sylvia and her gang did, then being popular wasn't worth having. Plus it gave her more room for more important things, like getting good grades so she could become a pilot. She didn't need a crowd; she had a family at home.

"46, Springfield 46 riders are dismissed," the PA said. Grabbing her backpack and pulling up her hood, Regina went out into the rain toward her bus.

As she climbed aboard, Susan Po, the bus driver, smiled at her. "Hello Regina. My, I hope this weather clears up so we can actually enjoy our spring.

"Hi, Susan; yeah, me too," Regina responded with a polite smile as she trudged along the aisle to her seat. She plopped down and began reading again. If she thought she was going to get to read without interruptions, she was surely mistaken. As soon as Ked Noelson sat down in his own seat, and there was an 'audience' watching, he began to tease her.

"Hey Regina. Helllloooo? Regina!" Regina ignored him and continued reading. "Hey how come you read all the time?" Still no reply, Regina only turned the page in her book. "How come God won't look in on getting you a social life?"

"Because He's too busy looking in on finding you a brain." She said coolly, her face expressing all innocence.

"Oh! Major diss!" the older kids sniggered. Ked, who was the first off, finally got off the bus at his stop. Regina, done with another book in record time, opened her journal and began to write.

Dear Journal, Nothing much going on here now, Ked launched another fruitless attempt at trying to break me. I can't believe we're going to have another new student tomorrow. I mean, this is going to be the what, the fifth new student this year? *Sigh* I am so tired. I didn't get much sleep last night. I keep on having weird nightmares. Maybe I should tell Elizabeth? Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. I have a new counselor. Her name is Elizabeth Baker, and she's really kind to me. She lets me bring up the topic of discussion and doesn't interrupt or correct me, which is great. I mean, very few people listen to me. Mom and Dad are worried about me. They think I'm way too mature and should get out and meet people. Am I too mature journal? All the kids in my class talk about each other behind my backs and think there's nothing to do in life except party, go the mall, and obsess over boys/girls. Who needs that? Uh oh, I'm starting to sound like a snob aren't I? Sorry. I just get so sick of them sometimes. 'Course, they probably get sick of me too. But I wonder; will anything ever change?

-Yours Regina

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The next day, Mrs. Fields, the teacher, introduced the new girl. "Class, this is Emily Parker. She's from, oh, why don't you tell them Emily?" Emily didn't seem too comfortable about this, but talked anyway to save herself the humiliation.

Smart girl. Regina thought.

"I came from Los Angelos, California," she started, "but after an unfortunate, harmful, and serious earthquake, our whole house was destroyed. My family decided to move here to Ohio where there are no earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornados. It was also because of my father's new job. Before last Monday, we stayed with some relatives until we got back on our feet. I now live in a house that I'm quite sure won't fall apart." Emily looked around the classroom, as if trying to memorize them before the class disappeared.

"Very good, now pick a seat anywhere in the room and just try to follow along." Emily nodded and glanced around the room once more. She spotted the only seat available; the seat next to Regina. Regina sighed and moved her extra belongings from the extra desk.

"Hi," Emily said.

"Hi," Regina replied, without much emotion. "Welcome to Mayfield Junior High."

Emily smiled and stuck out her hand. Regina stared at the outstretched hand, then to the owner, then back again. Finally, she accepted and they shook hands.

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Two weeks later, Regina's father came in to her room while she was doing her homework. He said there was someone wanting to speak to her. Thinking it was probably someone having trouble with homework, Regina answered the phone.

"Hello?" she said in an apathetic tone.

"Regina?" It was Emily, the new girl.

"Oh! Hi Emily! Why are you calling?" Regina didn't know why her voice automatically took to a happier note. Politeness, she supposed.

"Am I calling at a bad time? You don't sound too excited to talk to anybody." "No, I'm just tired." It was true; she had spent the whole night slaving over a history paper in Social Studies.

"Oh, okay," Emily paused. "I guess you don't want to come over then, huh?"

Regina gave a start. She had a sudden thought that maybe she was just hearing things. No one had invited her over to their house a pretty long time. "What did you say?"

"Can you come over to my house and, uh, I don't know, hang? Er- whatever you call it here. I don't know."

"Yeah, we're at the age where its and in-between. We don't want to say play because that sounds childish. And 'hang' sounds like its disco age of something."

Emily laughed. "So...can you come over or not? We're practically neighbors anyway. I live just around the block!" Regina looked at the clock, 5:30 p.m. She'd finished the rest of her homework in Study Hall that day so...

"Hold on okay?" she replied. An excited cheer from the other end told Regina that was fine. 'What am I doing?' She asked herself. 'What's the point? She's just going to get abducted and transformed into a snot-nosed brat by Aisha and Tori's group, not to mention Sylvia. Why should I even bother?'

'Because no one has even noticed your existence for anything except teasing in three years,' her brain responded. Automatically, her feet walked on their own accord to her mother's office. "Uh Mom?" she asked hesitantly, "Can I go to Emily's house? She's this new girl and she lives really close and-"

"Yes honey, you don't have to make it sound like your asking to go to China and get a tattoo," Her mother smiled at her. "I'm glad you're finally starting to make some friends."

If only you knew what it's like for kids like me Mom, she thought, I am only picked because I can be used. Then, when she's bored with me, Emily'll toss me aside and wear makeup and flirt like a retard at way older boys.'

"Thanks Mom."

That day was the start of a long and hard friendship. Regina was very guarded and cautious. Emily was animate and vibrant. Yet these differences were thrown aside as they realized that they shared the same need: a true friendship. Emily liked Regina, and wanted to help her get out of her shell. Regina felt herself beginning to think that maybe she had at least one friend in the world.

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Emily stared out across the playground. She realized this would be her last year at Mayfield. I want to go to Central High, where it's coed and there are more activities. But Regina wants to go to Notre Dame where, in her opinion, there's less distraction. Am I a distraction? I mean, we have lots of fun together, just talking about whatever's on our minds. But sometimes it's almost like Regina doesn't trust me. I can understand that; she's been hurt so many times it's amazing I've been able to get this close. I just wish she'd believe we're really friends. I also wish we could go to the same high school. It'd be harder for us to talk and get together. I'd have to watch myself since she and I won't go to the same school and she might not understand what I'd be talking about. Is it wrong to doubt our friendship in this situation?

Emily looked up as Regina approached the picnic bench. Regina noted that Emily didn't look too good, almost a little wan. Oh well, she blew it off thinking it was just a virus going around and Emily was the unlucky catcher.

"So, how's your day so far?" she asked, sitting down on the bench.

"Nothing much, how about you?"

Before Regina could talk further, the PA system echoed across the playground; "Emily Parker! Emily Parker, you need to come to the office please." Wondering what she could have done wrong, Emily trudged to the office.

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Later that night, Emily called Regina as soon as she could. "Regina!" she said and Regina was surprised to find that Emily's voice had a little fear in it.

"What is it Emily? Not that I'm not happy to hear your voice, but do you realize what time it is?"

Emily waved that aside, too scared to hold it in any longer. "Regina, I just got back from the hospital."

"What?" Regina was shocked. Why had Emily been at the hospital?

"Regina, I have a serious problem. It''s."

"Spit it out alrea-"

"Leukemia."

What followed after that was a series of unbearable events. Regina could believe that no matter how many treatments Emily went through, she was not getting any better. It pained her to see her friend, her only friend, go through all of this.

Emily tried to put up strong fronts, but she knew that Regina knew that she was scared beyond all reason. She was dying, she knew it; everyone did.

Then one day at school, Regina was called down to the office to find that Mr. Parker was there to take her to the hospital. Emily had gone against the rules of staying in bed and had dared to walk around. When weakness overcame her, Emily had collapsed. In her condition, it could take her life.

When Regina got there, Emily was back in bed being reprimanded by her mother. Regina just stood there in the doorway, glaring at Emily. Emily did not look up, only stared at the too-white bed sheet in the way-too-white room. Finally, when Mrs. Parker was out of things to say, she gave her daughter a long hug and walked out.

For a few minutes there was complete silence. Regina was glaring, Emily staring. Then, Regina burst out, "Why did you do that? Didn't you understand what that could have done to you?! Don't you know what that could have done to me?! Do you even care?!!"

Emily, done memorizing the bed sheet, finally looked up. "Yes," she replied, giving a sad smile, "yes I do know what that. But that is not why I did it. I'm dying Regina, you and I both know that, But." Her voice trembled for a moment, "I have much shorter a time to live than what you and my family expects. I heard the doctor's talking when they thought I was asleep. I only have about three months to live." Regina felt her whole world come crashing down in that instant. "I might not live even till then," Emily went on, "It's just an estimate."

"No." Regina said so softly, Emily almost didn't hear. Her eyes had gone glassy, like someone about to faint. She wasn't going to though, because Regina Riles was NOT the type of person to faint. She grasped her hand on the chair as a supporter and tried to take it all in. Emily, her best friend in the entire world, was going to die. Sooner than she thought; sooner than they all thought. "Emily," she whispered, more to herself than her friend, "Why do you have to be the one to suffer?"

Emily watched Regina for a moment. This was shattering their lives. Then, she took a deep breath after analyzing what she was about to say. "I must take on this heavy burden," she said slowly, "Because if I don't, it'll just be somebody else. I don't want to be selfish and place that on someone less fortunate than I." She closed her eyes, realizing that this might be the final time she'd see Reggie, and she wanted the moment to last forever. "You are my best friend Regina; you've been there for me through all of this. My old friends haven't even bothered to write me, much less ask what's going on with the..problem. I just want you to know-" she stopped as her voice grew shaky. She clutched the sheets for some childish desperation for support. She needed to know something rational was still there to hang onto. She didn't wipe the lone tear away this time. "I just want to say that-that you're the best-the very best thing that's ever happened to me. I'm afraid Reg', that's a fact I won't hide from you, but I'm not going to go down begging for mercy. I'm going to go down strong, like Jesus. He silently accepted his fate, he didn't have to, he could have just denied once that he wasn't the Messiah, and he wouldn't have had to die. But he did it so no one would feel unloved anymore. That's what I am sort of doing. If it this didn't happen to me, it wouldn't have happened to someone else." Her strength gone, Emily collapsed on the bed. Her breathing came in slow ragged breaths. "Do you understand now Regina? Do you understand why I don't want to live my last few months chained to a bed, a prison?"

Regina sighed and looked out the window, watching old patients, visitors, and nurses going in and out of the building. "You," she began, "Are the strongest person I have ever met. No one have I ever met in my entire life has gone through a traumatic event like this, and go through it so gracefully. Before you came, I was so pitifully cautious as to whom I conversed with. No one talked to me unless they wanted to use me.

But, then you come along and want to be my friend. And I was thinking you'd just ditch me later for some of the popular cliques and forget me, so I tried hard not to get close. Obviously it didn't work-"

Emily smiled faintly at this.

"And the thing that startled and scared me most was that I enjoyed being around you. You restored what I lost in others: trust. You've given me so much back that other stole from me. And I just want you to know, that no matter how bad this gets, I'll always be here to support you." Regina looked away from the window to find Emily crying.

'Emily, you have no idea how much you've returned to me with just a simple smile, a kind comment. You've been the light in my darkness and believed in me when I gave up on myself and others. You've accomplished what my councilor didn't, and I owe you everything. And now, the cruel fates have decided it's your turn. You are a candle in the wind; trying so desperately to stay aflame against the harsh storm. When that God thought of what He wanted His Son to be like, He must have thought of you, because I know that no matter how bad this gets, your going to keep giving to the people around you, the nurses, your Mom and Dad, the younger patients, everyone you can help. You're going to keep on giving and giving until you're out of stuff to give, because you're the type of person that can give anyone hope.'

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Regina Riles walked down the halls of Notre Dame. She came up to her locker and placed her books back in her locker. Since she was in her second year, this routine fashion came automatically. Her eyes fell on a specific picture in the door of her locker, a very special one. It held the memories of the happy times, and the sad ones. She stared at it for a while, remembering that day the picture had been taken. It was of her and a very special person, Emily. It had been 2 years since she left. Emily had just known it was time to go. Regina had been called to the office one day to be rushed to the hospital because Emily was dying. By the time she got there, it was too late. Emily was gone, an angel in heaven. When she had been told she'd gone into a long stage of denial, even though she had known this would happen someday.

After countless sessions with her ever so patient councilor, Elizabeth leaned over to Regina one day and asked, "What would Emily think if she saw you right now?" It was then that Regina recognized that Emily would never be gone. Emily had been apart of her, but just because she was gone physically, didn't mean she was gone completely. "Hey, Regina! Are you coming or what!?" Melissa called. "Come on! You know how Tori and Susan don't like to wait!"

"Coming, hold on." Regina shut the locker, grabbed her purse, and walked toward Melissa. Emily had taught her a lot while she was alive, and even when she was 'gone'. Regina would never forget the person who had given her the best gift of all: friendship. She new that nothing could ever bring Emily back, and that all she had to do was look at the photo of the time of changes to realize her own strength. Confidently, Regina walked down the hallway to go to the mall with her friends.

The End

Well? Good, bad??? Let me know! I originally did this for a homework assignment WAY back, but I decided to expand it now, 2 years later! This is the first installment of the Innocence Trials, a series of stories that I collect human experience. Please review, and until next time,

AngelEyes