ODDILY — Linda Pohring

There are three things the shy, awkward Oddily knows for sure. She would rather be anyone other than herself… She wants to fit in at school… And strange things are happening to her. For Oddily, she tries to keep an open mind… But what she discovers is too unbelievable to think about… Too magical to consider, And to dangerous to ignore. ODDILY BECOMES TRAPPED in an adventure like no other. EXCERPT: The surprise attack came right after lunch. Oddily was waiting for the huge crush of kids to leave the cafeteria when she spotted Kip at the side door, chomping on a toothpick. “Come here,” he waggled his finger at her. “Me?” Oddily pointed to herself. Kip nodded, but when Oddily remained in her seat, he marched over to her table and snatched her backpack from off of her shoulder. “Give it back!” Oddily chased after him through the rear door and around the corner. She found Kip standing in front of the trash bin, and his hands were empty. “Where's my backpack?” Oddily glared at him. Kip nodded at the dumpster as his smile took on the likeness of a sneer. “Will you please give it back to me?” “Yeah, right!” he started to bark, but calmed himself. “Get it yourself.” Before Oddily could think, Kip grabbed hold of her waist and threw her, head first into discarded trash; soggy, smelly food, and paper waste. “Ewww!” Oddily shrieked. While listening to Kip's horsy chuckle, the strangest thing happened. All of a sudden he sounded startled and unnerved. “Hey man, back off!” Kip's agitated voice and heavy footsteps began to fade until her surroundings became eerily quiet. Oddily grabbed her backpack from the trash and was about to climb out of the dumpster when she overheard someone say, “Hello?” She froze for a long moment and waited, holding her breath. The magical sound of the voice wasn't familiar to her, except maybe in her dreams. “Do you need some help?” She overheard the comforting tone again. Oddily slowly raised her head above the edge of the garbage bin and looked into the most exquisite face she had ever seen. Vibrant sky blue eyes stared at her while the boy's mouth remained unresponsive to any smile. Inch by inch, Oddily lowered herself back down into the trash. The stranger's brooding eyes grew wide with surprise. “Does this mean you want to be left alone?” he tried not to express amusement, but he couldn't fully contain himself. A strangled laugh caught in his throat. Oddily raised her head again, enough to peek over the rim and couldn't help but stare at his now parted lips. She got a glimpse of his perfect, white teeth while he smirked at her. Oddily's gaze moved up to the hood of his sweatshirt, catching a hint of blonde hair, and then back to his pale blue eyes. He reached over and removed a piece of lettuce from her hair, and the befuddled redhead gave him a goofy grin in return. He took note of how her smile began far down in her eyes and flowed outward to her face as if a shadow coming into sunshine. She was enchanting. “Will you please help me out of here?” Oddily stood up and stretched out her arms to him. Her innocent, trusting gesture caught him off guard, and he staggered a little while helping her from the dumpster. The closeness of her body sent a wave of sensation through him like none he had ever experienced. There was an unfamiliar physical connection with her he couldn't define, nor wanted to accept.