An Ordinary Life

"I don't know whose side I'm takin

But I'm not taking things too well,"

"If Only She Knew" by Michelle Branch

Kimberly Mitchell was sitting in her normal home on a normal street in the normal state of Alabama. Everyone on Kimberly's street was normal and you would assume that Kimberly Mitchell and her mother Victoria Mitchell were normal as well. Of course, your assumption would be dead wrong. Kim and her mother were witches and that is the reason they are alone. Kim had a father, of course, but she had never met him. Oliver Mitchell was a muggle and until Kimberly's birth, he would have laughed at the thought that witches and wizards existed, let alone that his wife was one. When Kimberly was born, Victoria told Oliver and he left. From then on, Kimberly and Victoria were alone, but Kimberly liked it like that.

"Kim! Come down here, please! I need to talk to you!" Kimberly's mother yelled from downstairs. Kimberly looked up from her notebook that she was writing in and inwardly groaned because she knew that her mother wanted her to meet one of her new friends. Kimberly hated meeting her mother's new friends. They always asked her how old she was, and what grade she was in. The answers to these questions are usually somewhat long and complicated and adults frequently don't care to listen. Kimberly mostly hated the questions about school. Of course, adults inevitably will ask children about school and the children will go on about how much fun it is even if they hate school and it is the most horrible place imaginable, but not for Kimberly. She was a witch so she went to a wizarding school and that was always hard to cover up when she was talking to muggles.

"Kim, hurry up! What is taking you so long?" Kimberly's mother yelled again. Kimberly closed her notebook, stood up, and brushed her hair. Perhaps a description is needed currently. Kimberly had chestnut hair that was about shoulder length and had green eyes. She liked all kinds of sports, muggle and wizard. She liked soccer, basketball, and most of all, Quidditch. Kimberly rushed down the stairs expecting to see another wealthy lady or homeless woman of whom Victoria Mitchell made friends with, but Kimberly saw a tall man dressed in a very nice suit and was sitting on the sofa with her mother. Kimberly instantly felt complete and utter hatred for this man. Kimberly's mother obviously didn't see the look of total malevolence on Kimberly's face as she walked up to Kimberly and stood her in front of this man.

"Kimberly, I would like you to meet James Lim. Jim, I would like you to meet my daughter Kimberly," said Kim's mother. Kimberly tried really hard not to laugh at the thought of the man's man being Jim Lim, but she decided that she wasn't going to risk laughing with her mother around. Kimberly, although she didn't like this man in the slightest, was going to be polite and shake his hand. Mr. Lim seemed to have the same feelings of hatred for Kimberly glared at her as he shook her hand roughly. Totally oblivious to the incompatibility of Kimberly and Mr. Lim, Kimberly's mother happily said, "I'm so glad that you two are getting along and are so compatible! I'm so happy!"

"Sure, whatever," Kimberly mumbled. She looked up at her mother with a small look of hope that he was just a boyfriend and that was all. "Mother, but he is just your boyfriend, right?"

"Well, we have been seeing each other for quite a long time" her mother said, but Kimberly cut in.

"And you never told me?"

"Well, I thought I'd wait until it got serious . . . "

"So, is it serious now?" Kimberly asked, sighing. Her mother wrapped her arm around Mr. Lim's arm and she smiled as she said the most horrifying words to ever reach Kimberly's ears.

"We are going to get married July tenth. Then we are moving back to where Jimmy is from," Kimberly's mother said smiling and was yet again completely oblivious to the expression on Kimberly's face which was absolute horror. Kimberly's expression was nothing compared to what was going on inside her head.

"How?" Kimberly said. It was all she could say. She wanted to say something like, "How could you marry someone that I didn't even know?" or "How could you make a decision to move without even considering me?" but nothing came out except "How?"

"How?" Kimberly said as she searched for words.

"What do you mean by, 'How?'" Mr. Lim asked glaring at her with his evil beady eyes. Kimberly glared back at him. Kimberly's mother was still not noticing anything at all. At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Kimberly headed toward the door, but Mr. Lim stopped her and he answered the door. As Mr. Lim opened the door, Kimberly clearly saw that standing outside, knocking on the door, was Matt.

Matt was Kimberly's best friend and he lived right next door. He had light brown hair, lots of freckles, and was never seen without his camera. Kimberly had known him since she moved to Alabama when she was seven and they had been best friends ever since. Mr. Lim had no such feelings of friendship for Matt and was quick to slam the door in his face.

"Who was it, dear?" Kimberly's mother asked from the other side of the room. Mr. Lim just smiled as he said, "No one at all . . . " Kimberly saw Matt standing outside the window signaling that he had something to tell her and pointed up to her room's only window. Kimberly rolled her eyes and walked over to her mother.

"I'm going upstairs. Good night," Kimberly said as she kissed her mother on the cheek and quickly dashed upstairs. She grabbed the rope ladder, opened her window, and let the ladder fall down to Matt. He quickly climbed up the ladder and rested his arms on the window pane.

"Couldn't you just have called me?" Kimberly asked with a slight groan. Matt looked taken back.

"What's wrong with you, Kim?" Matt asked because Kim looked really mad and frustrated. Kimberly didn't answer directly. Instead she just asked another question.

"What did you want to tell me?"

"Oh yeah, my dad is taking me to the movies tomorrow to see When Zombies Attack and I know that you wanted to see that. What do you say? Want to come with me?" Matt said smiling. Kimberly's face light up, forgetting all about moving and her mother marring a man that she detested.

"Great! I would love to go!" Kimberly said cheerfully. Of course with how luck runs out, Kimberly's mother yelled something at Kimberly from downstairs, but Kimberly couldn't hear her because the door was closed so she walked over and opened the door.

"What?" Kimberly yelled down.

"Tomorrow we are going to look at houses where Jimmy lives!" Kimberly's mother yelled. Kimberly groaned and looked at Matt as she said, "Looks like I'll have to say no to your offer... I wish I could come..."

Matt tried to smile, but he couldn't. Kim was holding something back and it was bothering her. He wished she would just tell him. At least if she told him, he could do something about it. He decided that she might tell him later.

"So, are you up for skateboarding the park Monday?" Matt asked hopefully. Kimberly looked down at her feet.

"I don't know, with my mom's new schedule and everything. She seems to plan a lot of stuff without asking me now..."

"Oh, well, call me when you get back tomorrow, ok?"

"Sure. Oh, why don't you invite Catherine?" Kimberly asked Matt. He grimaced. Catherine was his girlfriend and Kimberly knew that he probably already asked Catherine and she refused so he asked her as a last resort.

"She doesn't like horror movies... Oh, look at the time... I got to go! Bye, Kim!" Matt said as he nearly fell off the window pane as he looked at his watch.

"Bye. See you later," Kim said as her thoughts were brought back to Mr. Lim and all the problems that he brought along with him. She wanted him to leave, but how would she get him to do that.