Strange in Skin Read Free Page B

and business at the antique store had suddenly picked up. It had seemed so
long ago, just a dull ache now.
    On a Friday after a busy day at the store, Sammie decided to walk with me back to my house. She
was a part-time hire who sometimes came in to do inventory when things got too hectic. She had
bright green eyes and red, frizzy hair that was usually pulled back into a messy ponytail. It seemed as
though she never stopped talking. She was a few years younger than me and only lived a couple
houses down the street.
    Days like these I forced myself to walk, even if it was getting chilly. Walking let me clear my head
from the day, unwind, and I knew there were only a few precious days left for walking before winter
really set in full swing. However, with Sammie by my side, it was difficult for my head to clear
properly with her jabbing away in my ear.
“And then I didn’t know what to say, you know?” Sammie paused to look at me, to make sure I was
listening, which I only partially was.
     
“So what are you going to do?” I asked, trying to pretend as if I cared. I truly just wanted to be by
myself right now and not try to keep up with Sammie’s drama.
    She sighed as if this were so terrible. Two men. She had two men chasing after her. Dreadful. “I
just don’t know. I’ve been with Tim for three years. Three years is a long time. But then, on the other
hand, Dave is so cute. And he’s different from Tim, too, you know?”
    No, I didn’t know. I didn’t even know what it was like to have one guy chasing after me. Guys
weren’t exactly drawn to someone like me. My background was intimating, first of all, and then there
was my appearance. I rarely stopped to look in the mirror before I left in the morning.
    “I sure hope I can figure this out soon before I lose them both. That’s what they say, you know. You
have two men and then suddenly both of them go and you’re left all alone. I couldn’t imagine what that
would be like.”
    I gave her a hard stare. She was talking to me about being alone. I had never really felt alone living
with my family, but recently something had changed in that regard. There was this strange sense of
loneliness wearing on my every move. That’s probably the reason for my being in such a sour mood
lately, I supposed. And then there was this weather, this dark gloom creeping in all around me,
suffocating me, and then the clouds lurked overhead, adding to my misery. I threw my hood up, put my
head down and picked up my steps so that I was almost jogging down the street and away from her.
“See you later, Anna!” I heard Sammie call out from behind me. I was sure by the tone of her voice
that she was frantically waving her arm up and down at me.
    Once I saw my brightly lit house directly in front of me, I slowed my pace. Sammie was long gone.
The curtains were tied back in the living room, and I could see Matthew propped up in front of the TV
and my mother walking around the room, her lips moving slowly. More than likely she was singing.
    I stepped in a puddle of mud as I reached the door of the mailbox. I moaned, my frustration
growing. I felt the cold, murky water seeping in through my shoe and drenching my sock. Just great , I
thought. I grabbed the mail and rushed up the sidewalk to the front door.
    “Anna!” Matthew greeted me.
“Hey,” I said, bending over to take off the wet shoe.
“What now?” my mother asked, stopping her pacing to watch what I was doing.
I grunted in annoyance. “Oh, I stepped in a mud puddle getting the mail.”
    She continued to watch me struggle to get my foot out of it. “Here, I’ll take the mail,” she offered,
stretching out her hand.
I quickly hopped into the kitchen on one foot and tossed the mail onto the counter. I went to turn to
go toward the stairs to go to my room to change out of my clothes, when my eyes caught sight of my
name on a small off-white envelope.
    Ms Anna James, 305 Walker Lane. Then I glanced at the return address. Seneca