Desi Mcleighn, district 6. {FINISHED}

Desmia McLeighn, District 6.

Ripples on my still surface. Like a pond. Am I a pond now?
Desi has the same red hair that runs in our little family and makes everyone stop and stare. She looks like her head's on fire. It compliments her porcelain skin perfectly, making her look like some ancient fire spirit or something. She usually not only braids it but twists the braid into a bun hanging over her neck. She has good reason though, as if she stood up with her hair down it would hang to her ankles. It could be called straight, but it ripples a bit so everyone just describes it as wavy. It's thick and takes forever to brush, so she just leaves it up unless she's in the shower or something, that way it won't get knotted. It's also constantly wet, as it doesn't have time to dry in the day before she washes it again. The fact that it's always wet does worry me though, as I think it contributes to her being sick all the time.

Desi's not very tall, even standing, and comes to an even 4'7". We don't think she's going to get any taller, which freaks me out, as I tower over her at 6'6". She doesn't mind though so it's cool. Why does it freak me out that I tower over her? Oh! I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Desi's hulk of a twin brother Dylan. More about me later. Besides being short, Desi's proportianately thin, looking like a little kid a lot of times. Her arms and legs are like twigs, and her slim waist is about as big around as my forearm. That's a little scary yes, but she's not thin like that because she has an eating disorder or anything, she's just never been any bigger than a size 000.

Desi has a surprisingly young face, and people are always shocked to hear how old she is. "What? She can't be more than eleven!" just another weird thing about my little sister. I think these mistakes were mostly because of her size, but the childlike innocence that lingered in her eyes up until a few months ago couldn't have hurt. Her face really isn't all that mature though, her cheeks still have a babyish roundness, her eyes look too big, and her mouth is always slightly open as if drinking in her surroundings. But if she was trying to impress anyone she could look gorgeous, with a classic full mouth, angular elven features, and a small button nose, just slightly turned up at the tip. Our mom always told her that her eyes were perfect, big, dark grey, and deep, framed by dark feathery lashes. But my sister isn't trying to impress anyone. Ever.

Desi's not all that into fashion, only ever accessorizing with her notepad, a fuzzy purple pen I got her for our ninth birthday, and of course her wheelchair. Those I'll explain in a minute. As for how Desi dresses, it's easier to just get her clothes in the kid's section, and she doesn't mind in the slightest. She tends to just wear lots of T-shirts, generally white, green, or blue, and plain jeans. As for shoes she just wears a pair of ratty old sneakers. She also has thick-framed silver glasses, which she can't see a thing without.

Desi has cerebral palsy, so she can't walk or speak, though her legs look perfectly functional and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her throat. Cerebral palsy screws up connections with your nerves, in Desi's case the ones between her brain and her legs and all the ones having to do with her vocal cords, as well as making it so she doesn't grow very fast. She's never walked or talked and most likely never will. Besides that she has a weak constitution and gets sick easy. Somebody close to her has a slight cough and she'll get pneumonia.



Huh. Perceptions are funny things.
Ha. Desi's pretty headstrong, never giving up on what she wants. She doesn't like to argue though so if I suggest doing something and she hasn't already said she doesn't want to then that's what we'll do. But I always remember what she doesn't like so she doesn't end up having a bad time. Desi won't insult people and just lets any insults roll off her shoulders, although I generally end up beating whoever insulted her to a pulp.

Have you ever talked to somebody and thought, "Oh wow they're really really smart, I feel like an idiot just being in the same room."? That's how I always feel around Desi. Her I.Q.'s about 187, a certifiable genius. She doesn't often show it though, and most people take for granted "Oh she must be stupid she can't talk." big mistake. (People also tend to think she's stupid because the two of us are twins and I'm not exactly the brightest, with an I.Q. of 113.) But she just grins and ignores them while she continues to get her A's and help me keep up my straight C+ average so I don't get left back and have to let her face a new year by herself.

Desi really hates owing people, which is why she puts up with me being stupid and just helps me out, because I've been helping her out since we were born. But she won't let anyone else help her out, and prefers to be independent, although I'm always in the background.

Desi's always just put up with people, as much as I don't know how she does it. Insults have been hurled her way for years, but she just shakes her head and reaches back to tap the back of my hand warningly when she knows I'm about to teach somebody a lesson. Desi is one of those rare people who is truly just nice. No hidden motives, just nice.


Well... No offense, but they don't want to talk to you Dyl.
Desi was born seventeen years ago on the twelfth of May, coming into the world not wailing but looking around interested. I preceded her by about ten minutes, at what my mother always teasingly complains was a whopping thirteen pounds. She always says Desi just slid out after me, at only six and a half pounds. The doctor told our mother, "Well they're both okay..." which she immediately knew meant bad news. Desi's diagnoses freaked both of our parents out, but she was a happy baby, if seeming too small next to me. Desi watched the world with the same interested eyes all through her childhood.

"Desi I don't know how you put up with those people." I raised my eyebrows. Because they don't matter. Don't start anything with people that aren't worth it Dyl. He sighs. "Desi I don't know if I can stop myself starting something, they're getting on my nerves." I laugh silentely and sit back. Well they don't get on mine, and I'm the one being insulted. Just drop it Dyl, you don't need to be so protective. he sits next to me. "Yes I do."

We realized just how smart Desi was when our mom dug out a puzzle one day when she was bored. It was supposedly extremely difficult, but Desi immediatelt started helping to put it together, and while my mom sat back and watched, the whole thing was done in twenty minutes. Desi was four. After that Desi started acting much smarter. Once, when we were six, she built a helicopter, actually able to fly, out of pipe-cleaners and a rubber band.

Desi has never made many friends. She's nice, but her friends were always just my friends who put up with her. That's the way she always liked it. She's just one of those people...

Especially after the fire.

Six months ago, our house went up in flames, killing both of our parents. We were at school when it happened. Desi's felt guilty ever since, like she could've done something. We've been isolating ourselves, for the most part. We live with our aunt Lydia now... It's not normal.

"Dyl, it won't ever be normal."