Epitome

When people die, some say that part of their souls stay here on Earth.

That the soul carries on. That you can still sense the dead. That they are reborn as different people. I would never have believed that if I didn't just wake up in a different body. In a different life. I'm now 16 years old. I am someone else, but for some reason I still remember my last life. What am I going to do?

My name now, as I have heard it being called, is Gemma. I am a lot taller than I used to be. My hair is a dark chestnut color. My eyes: a piercing blue. That is a change. They never used to be that color. My hair wasn't ever this dark, either.

I had different parents in my other life. Different Friends. Different thoughts.
I guess it isn't normal for people to still have their memories, because I don't think people wake up in a new life only to believe that they used to be someone else. I just don't think that that happens. I believe something is tying me there. To Earth. Of course, I already know what it is. Nobody has to tell me.
Because the first thing I did when I woke up this morning, before my confusion, was scream out a name; a specific person's name. Gina.
It's strange to not know anything about myself. Am I rebellious? Smart? What kind of friends do I have? But that's irrelevant. Because right now, all I am worried about is finding out what has happened to me that has brought me into this body.
Gina is my main concern. I figure that if I find her, I find out everything. It's a shot in the dark, I know. But it's the only hope I have.
I am standing in this hallway, but it feels more like a giant corridor. I just walked out of my room and I am already feeling out of place. I walk around until I find a door that feels like it might lead me outside, but instead I walk into a giant living area.
"Hey, sweetie! I made breakfast this morning! Your favorite." A woman says. She is standing in front of a metallic stove with a spatula in hand. She has flaming red curls (clearly fake) and the same piercing blue eyes I have. She must be my mother.
Without a word I sit down at the long wooden table in the middle of the room. My new mom hands me a plate full of eggs and ham. I have this sensation all of the sudden that settles in my stomach;It's a feeling of disgust. I don't think I liked eggs and ham in my other life, but I eat them now anyway. And I LOVE them.
I ask for seconds, and it's the first time I've heard my voice since I woke up screaming. It's strange to me, because this new voice isn't half bad. Maybe I can sing.
When I finish my mom hands me my backpack and shoves me out the door. There's a man outside grabbing the paper. He waves to me and approaches me, and my natural instinct is to grab a weapon or hide. I don't know him. He approaches me and hugs me. "How's my favorite girl?" He smiles warmly at me. I am guessing that this is my father. He has my brown hair and blue eyes, too. I smile at him. Well I do my best to smile. It was probably a really weird cringe, judging by his expression, but I mustered up what I could. I mean, I WAS having a mid-teen crisis.
"Great." I say to him. He smiles back at me and tossed me some Keys.
"Did you almost forget your keys, toots?" He asks me. Toots? Weird nickname for your kid. I fake another smile. "Oh almost forgot them." I laugh, and I know it's tense. He looks at me strangely again, and I look in the garage trying to figure out which car was mine.
My dad looks at me oddly. "Are you ok, toots?" I glance at him quickly.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I click the unlock button on my keys and here the beep of my car.
"Ok, well have a good day."
"Bye....dad." I yell as I head toward the beeping. Six cars are lined up in a row in the garage. Who needs six cars, and why am I all the way down on the end? I look at mine car. Well, I should say truck. It's a custom baby blue Ford Raptor with a short bed with a hard top. I'm in heaven. I open up the car door to se genuine black leather. It has CDs in the glovebox, gum on the dashboard, and a velvet wheel cover. Could my life be more perfect?
I get in and I guess the Gemma side of me kicks in because she just kind of starts driving towards school. I guess I have good muscle memory. It isn't until I get to school that I even noticed what I am wearing, and I have to say I look pretty cute. I am wearing a lacy flower print shirt with a pretty pink embroidered skirt and black flats. It is summer, so I guess I am dressed appropriately. My backpack is also floral, which is super cute. Well, in my opinion. Not that I should have an opinion. This is so confusing, and it is definitely not how my teenage years were in my other life.
A little bit of Gemma's memories come back to me. I think I haven't been able to remember much of it because my mind is in overdrive. It must be a side affect of remembering your past life.
I start walking to my locker, and people are waving to me as I pass. I just kind of try to wave and smile, but it doesn't come naturally. Two girls scream my name from behind me, so I turn. they run to me and I get this agitated feeling. One of them grabs my hand and I resist the urge to twist her arm and shove her body up against a locker. I just let her hold it and watch her jump up and down.
"Gemma! You would not believe what Ashton did last night at the party! By the way, why weren't you there?" She looks at me, pouting a little bit.
"I had some family stuff to do. So what did Ashton do?" I ask her surprised at my voice and it's genuine interest.
"She totally got wasted and three guys threw her in the river." She laughs. The girl next to her laughs, too. I look at the clock.
"I really need to get to class." I say. I start walking towards my locker and they follow me. I try my best to ignore them.
I am remembering things now. The blonde's name is Sarah, and the brunette is Tes. They are my friend, Which I already assumed. As my memories come back I start mentally conflicting with myself. It is hard. I can't quite figure out what is happening. Like, my interests aren't at all my interests. Part of me loves basketball, and the other loathes it. It is almost annoying.
I walk into my first class, which is choir. Which suites me. It makes a lot of sense. Every time I see someone I know, or I walk into a familiar room, more memories flood into my mind. I feel like two different people in one head. Do you know what that's like? I really want to find Gina, though. That's something I agree with myself on. It would make me happy.
My choir teacher smiles at me as I walk into the room. I smiled back at her, because I remember her. I love Mrs. White. I'm apparently singing a beautiful Italian piece for choir festival, which Mrs. White asks me to practice. I sing remarkably well. It's like the notes just kind of flow form me. That is different from my last life. Well, I was good...just not this good.
I sit at a table with girls I recognize. I've known them all since I was in grade school.
After lunch, I'm walking down a hallway when a group of boys call my name. and I turn to them, and get a good look. They are all very attractive, but one stands out against the rest. "Gemma, what are you doing after school?" He asks. At first, I was caught off guard. Why would he care? And then I remember that he is my brother.
I smiled at him. "I have practice, but we could definitely go do something." I say. One of his friends, Jason, nudges me. "We are going to go ice skating. It's going to be amazing." I smiled at him. One of them gave me a small wave and smiled shyly at me. I remember everything I had forgotten from this life when my eyes connect with his.
His name is Riley. He has had blue eyes and blonde hair, and I am deeply and madly in love with him. He is a senior and I'm a junior, but we like each other quite a bit. With all of these exciting events I almost forget about my mission to find Gina.
Tes comes behind me her brave waves rolling behind her as she runs towards me. "We have a new kid at our school. She is super pretty, and she's kind of shy. She has blonde hair and brown eyes. That's all I know." She's beaming at me with that smile of hers. I look at all of the boys. "I have to go, I am part of the welcoming committee. But I would love to ice skating with you guys!" I walk away towards the main office to meet the new girl. It has my stomach reeling for some reason.