A Species All Her Own | Teen Ink

A Species All Her Own

March 7, 2013
By Laugh-it-Out PLATINUM, Brooklyn, New York, New York
Laugh-it-Out PLATINUM, Brooklyn, New York, New York
38 articles 0 photos 445 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light" --Dylan Thomas


July 2, 1999

“I think that there is something wrong with my brain,” she said. The leather chair pulled taut at her sweaty skin, and her shorts rode up her thighs; the midsummers heat was finally kicking in.
“What do you think is wrong?” Asked the therapist. The therapist was a nice women, not to expensive, with an ironed pants suit that looked hot for the weather, but she moved with ease.
“I don’t think like the others. I think different things,” she said. The therapist smiled, such a young thing, she thought.
“Well, all people think differently because we are all different. No two minds think alike,” Said the therapist. Her point was simple, and she hoped the girl would understand.
“I know that,” she protested, “ I just mean that my friends worry about their weight when they are super skinny, their hair when its raining, their mascara smudging when they swim, so they don't! They spend most of their time thinking thoughts, that ought not to be thought about.”
“Well, what do you think about?” Asked the therapist. This by far wasn’t her craziest session, for she once had a patient insist to sit on the floor, but it was going somewhere.
“I think about trees and birds and flowers, and I think about people, real people! Not manikins or dolls or models or anything like that. I dream. I daydream. I really NEVER stop dreaming!” By now the girl was half risen from the chair, eyes spread wide and palms clenched in passionate fists. The therapist adjusted herself in her own chair, and motioned for the girl to sit.
“Sweetie, everyone dreams at one point or another, and girls are always worrying. The best thing to do is to walk away, leave it alone. If it makes you feel better, de-face Teen Vogue or some other magazine. I’m sorry, but from the looks of it, you’re fine.” The girl groaned. This is the problem with shrinks, she thought, they are so damn calm. She took what her mom called “safety breaths”, to calm her fire, gathered her thoughts and began again.
“I notice things,” she said.
“Like what?” The therapist said.
“I can tell how long a car has been in the same parking spot, by seeing if the part underneath is dry. I roll my window down on a rainy day, and stick my hands out the window, and scream as the cold hits my skin. Then I stick my head out the window and scream, because I feel alive. I walk across bridges, even though they scare me. I know that my house is slanted, and which boards squeak, and which don’t. I read people’s faces, creating lives for them in my mind. I still play with my dolls, creating worlds away from this one, and i’m 13. I do things for the thrill, for the excitement and power. I compete with everyone, because I believe that God made me too be Katniss’s messenger. I don’t worry about my hair, or my clothes, or my nail polish or mascara or my bikini tan line. I just don’t care. But somehow, that makes me different. Not normal”. The therapist stared at the girl. Could so much really be going through her mind? The therapist cleared her throat, smoothed down her pants and tugged at her shirt, suddenly aware of the judgment that was coursing through the girls mind. The girl was right. The therapist was wearing an immaculate pantsuit, 4 inch heels, and had her makeup done by her daughter: the makeup artist. She had driven to work, though she could have taken the subway (for fear of sweating), and here the therapist was: telling this girl to be normal.
“Well, what is normal?” Asked the therapist.
“Boring” Said the girl.
“Not all people are boring,” said the therapist.
“Not all people,” agreed the girl, “but most.” It was then that the therapist realized, the girl could not be strayed. The girl was one with herself. A new being in this cloned generation. The therapist knew she had to preserve her. Girls like these were hard to come by.
“Looks like the time is up. You can come see me again if you like, but really, I think you're fine. You don’t need anything to change.” The girl thanked the therapist, then turned on her heal, leaving the office for the first and last time. Not waiting for a sticker from the ladies behind the counter. She walked outside into the sauna they called summer. Body already sweating in the blistering sun. She began the dreaded walk to the bus, and on the way she stared at the heat waves pouring off the park in the distance. She knew she was different, but it made her special.

December 3rd, 1999

The therapist welcomed the patient, and suddenly smoothed down her shirt. The therapist had on a pair of worn down jeans, converse, her hair tucked into a messy bun. Her shirt was washed, dried and cleaned, but not ironed. Her nails free of polish and her face free of makeup. She looked out the window at the snow swirling flurries that danced outside. She noted the dry spot underneath her car, marking the hours she’d spent there. And when she finally looked back at the patient, she was ready to begin, all over again.


The author's comments:
We are all different, but what makes us different? What makes me special? And not the person next to me? Why do some people care and others don't? Why? Why? Why!!!!???

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This article has 6 comments.


on Aug. 15 2014 at 4:27 pm
Laugh-it-Out PLATINUM, Brooklyn, New York, New York
38 articles 0 photos 445 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light" --Dylan Thomas

Aww thanks Mckay :) Ugh I really need to start edititng things even though i wrote this over a year ago haha. I haven't written in a while and idek when you commented on this because it says 7:01 pm today but its only 4:30 sooo. Anywho i hope you are still writing and maybe i will start writing again Keep rockin 

Mckay ELITE said...
on Aug. 23 2013 at 7:01 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do."
—Apple’s “Think Different” commercial, 1997
“Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn't understood.”
― Weihui Zhou

I think, as I've said for quite a while now, you're one of the most talented prose writers on Teenink. Not to kiss your b*tt or whatnot. Anywho, let's begin with the negatives first. Typos here and there. Nothing a little editing couldn't fix. This is gonna be nit-picky (if that's how you spell it): I would have personally prefered this following sentence to read as such "This by fay wasn't her craziest session: she once had...". I dunno I feel like sometimes the word "for" somewhat messes up the flow. That's merely my opinion. A weird one I know. Good things now. Your prose is simple and easy to follow. But not to the extent of simple cr*p. I love the alternation of sentence patterns. It creates a more difficult-iness to read it. Whereas, it's not all too Hemingway-ish. I would've prefered the characters to have names. But I think the nameless-ness worked out here just fine. I'm a fan of the theme and the lesson—not to sound patronizing—at the end. For me, the therapist was the strongest of the characters. I'm not sure why. But she just was. I love how you described her. And gave us some insight into her life. The overall style of this story stands out as well. It's like a diary entry or crime investigation story, without the crime. Well done, Liv. 

on Apr. 8 2013 at 6:37 pm
Amaranthinium GOLD, Dade City, Florida
10 articles 0 photos 49 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not let numbers tell you what to do. You are blood and earth, not theory and chalk." -Welcome to Night Vale

I really love the story here! I think a lot of teens, especially those of us who decide to spend our time writing stories and stuff, feel different like this, so it's relatable. And I really really like the ending with the therapist :D It's a good way to show the change, and you it by showing rather than telling - yay! :) Your writing is also paced pretty well. Your story is short but to the point, which is awesome, and you do a good job balancing vocab so it's not too simple or pretentious. The main thing I'd critique is your grammar. Your punctuation is off in a lot of places; tags to your dialogue, if the dialogue ends with a comma, should not be capitalized. Some of your sentences are kind of choppy and even incomplete, ie "She walked outside into the sauna they called summer. Body already sweating..." should be one sentence, with a comma between summer and body. If by any chance you did that on purpose because you were experimenting with a different style of writing, that's awesome because unique writing is cool, but you'll probably want to work on it more. Maybe focus on developing your basic writing skills before you start experimenting. If that's not the case, then disregard what I just said, and make sure to brush up on your grammar rules. :P Also, you made a lot of little mistakes, like "heal" instead of "heel," "too" instead of "to," an "i'm" that isn't capitalized, etc. Just be sure to proofread a lot before you publish something so you can avoid that. Okay, now that I'm done criticizing you haha, your story is really good, and I'm glad I could read it :D 

on Apr. 4 2013 at 8:29 pm
Laugh-it-Out PLATINUM, Brooklyn, New York, New York
38 articles 0 photos 445 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light" --Dylan Thomas

I wouldn't say that! Ur writings awesoem toooo I mean I did comment on it didn't I? Anyway thanks

on Apr. 4 2013 at 8:25 pm
LexusMarie PLATINUM, Las Cruces, New Mexico
27 articles 0 photos 423 comments

Favorite Quote:
The more control you have over yourself, the less control others have over you.

When I grow up, teach me how to be an amazing writer just like you, please, pleeeease? Ha! This is so.. what's the word I am looking for? Faultless! This is faultless and whole. The characters are lovely and I love how you wrote this in an omniscient point of view. I like knowing what all the characters are thinking and how they feel. The ending is simple and still was able to sum up the whole story in such a sweet conclusive way! Your writing skills are so much better than I can even dream for mine to be. You are tremendous! Xx!

holly1999 GOLD said...
on Mar. 30 2013 at 6:40 am
holly1999 GOLD, Middlesbrough, Other
12 articles 8 photos 114 comments

Favorite Quote:
'There was no need to clarify my finger snap, the implication was clear in the snap itself' - Magnus Bane

Wow, I really like this. The description and imagery is great, and the characters are relatable. The story flows really well and the idea is brilliant, I especially love the ending. Very well written.