This was a non-furry short story I wrote back in my senior year of high school for a writing contest. I ended up winning a young writer's award as well as getting it published.

I never understood how I won, so if you guys like it, let me know! I'd like the criticism.

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TransLucy
Written by (Lucanus)

The Sun’s soft light shone through the curtains out of Lucy’s bedroom window. Lucy yawned as the small twinkling of light woke her. She cracked open her eyes to slits, attempted a stretch, and a wayward glance in the direction of her clock. It read 7:45. Wait a second…7:45, Lucy thought with alarm, eyes gaping wide in terror, I’m going to be late for the bus! She clumsily scrambled out of bed, tripping several times over stacks of Sports Illustrated and assorted equipment, making a hasty retreat for the bathroom. She stopped when she saw her own reflection. Her skin was pale as snow, and she appeared to be wearing the same tattered hiking gear as the day before! Now that I think about it, how did I get home last night? Lucy couldn’t, for the life of her, think of what happened yesterday. Oh well, she thought, it’s not all that important, and shrugged off her image. She combed her wildly curly brown hair, splashed cold water on her face, and brushed her teeth methodically before snatching her backpack, and heading to the kitchen for breakfast, noticing, along the way, her parents cuddled up on the couch in the living room. I wonder what made them stay up so late?
It was a gorgeous October morning. The Sun shined victoriously in the pale blue sky, with newly planted saplings of her duplex were swaying in the cool breeze, birds chirping from the telephone poles overhead, and mangy-looking squirrels were scattering every-which way when Lucy stepped outside. She took a big gulp of air, exhaling it out in pleasure. Nothing made her day more than a morning quite like this. She decided to venture the thicket of trees, across from her house, to get to the bus faster. The tall, deciduous trees gave the forest a spooky atmosphere, with their huge shadows covering the forest floor. Small scrub bushes and monumental boulders scattered the grove. These mammoth stones begged for Lucy to climb them, which she often did in her free time, but today were ignored as she rushed through. She saw the bus by the time she was out, it had taken her a good twenty minutes to cross the grove, and she ran to the back of the line in which students waited. She let out a sigh of relief. No one seemed to notice her as she approached, not even the bus driver, who, after the student in front of her boarded, nearly closed the bus door. She stumbled inward, taking an empty seat in the front.
Her school day was of no particular importance. She had difficulties treading the hall, meandering into an empty seat, and sitting in silence, which was the fashion she was accustomed to. Lucy never really had friends, her life had always been too fast paced, whether it was moving every year or the constant activities she scheduled herself in, she never had the free time to make friends. So, it was normal when nobody talked to her today. In fact, they didn’t even go so far as to look at her. This treated Lucy fine, she did, after all, look very pale, and was still wearing her hiking gear from the previous day. By the end of the day, she was grateful to get on the bus once again. The weather, meanwhile, had turned worse, the cool breeze beginning to turn frigid, and harsh. Lucy began to think this may well be the onset of some upcoming storm. It was about four o’ clock when she passed through the grove again, but noticed, this time, that a short red rope was hanging from one of the larger cliff hangings over to her right. It was just dangling there. Did I leave that there yesterday? Lucy deliberated, no, lots of people climb these cliffs, it musta been one of them. She wandered the forest for a few more minutes before heading home.
She worked on her science project that night, gluing construction paper onto a poster board, and occasionally glancing at the television, which was turned to a news channel, in front of her. Of their many stories, she kept hearing one common reoccurrence, “Young parents in Fort Wayne have reported their missing child this morning, claiming that she may have been kidnapped…or worse. If you have any information regarding a missing child, please feel free to call news channel 5…” the reporter then went on to talk about a new school policy that enforces the importance of parents at their children’s bus stop. It made Lucy shiver in fright. Times like this, she often wished her parents didn’t work so late every day.
The next day was Thursday, and Lucy only wished for the weekend, the two days of the week in which her parents and she could finally be together. This time, she made sure to wake up early enough to dress out of her hiking gear, and into some more suitable clothes, a long-sleeved t-shirt, and jeans. When she went to brush her teeth, she was shocked at what she saw in the mirror: it was a figure of which she has never laid eyes upon. Yet, it was unfamiliarly strange. It was her, but it was paler than before, if that was possible. Her skin had become the color of skim milk, being very white, and nearly translucent. Her hair had gained an unusual sheen, a brilliant shine, despite the unlit bathroom she was in. Her cheeks were the only part of her that had any color, which were only a bit rosy. She considered her features carefully. She had a slender nose, thin lips, and almond-shaped eyes. They were normally green, but in her given situation, they appeared to be glazed over. She touched her forehead with her hands, she felt normal, at least temperature’s sake. Am I coming down with something? I mean, I feel fine…right? She drank the recommended dose of flu medicine anyway, better to be safe than sorry. She decided that because she still felt alright, she’d go to school. She couldn’t afford to miss anymore work. She dressed in extra heavy clothing, not only to hide her pale complexion, but to keep warm, by wearing a sweatshirt, jacket, and gloves. In the kitchen she found a tiny sticky note stuck to a twenty dollar bill on the table. Scribbled on the note with tear-stained blotches:

Dear Lucy,
If you’re reading this then I know you’re still alive. I don’t know where you’ve gone or why, but just know that I love you. I don’t know what kind of trouble you may be in or why you’ve even run away, but I understand that you did, your father, and I have always had trouble keeping the same jobs, and I know that’s been hard on you, but please realize its been all for you. If you need money, here’s a $20 bill. Just remember we love you so much, I know you’ll come back to us when you feel more comfortable.

Love,
Mom

Lucy deliberated the note carefully while riding the bus to school. Once again, the bus driver had nearly shut the door on her; however, Lucy was just too distracted to notice this time. It was immediately after entering the school that Lucy noticed something strange. Her locker, once decorated on the outside with flowery print, was ripped off, and discarded in the trashcan down the hall. The lock on the locker must have been changed, too, as her usual combination did not work now. And although the students did not normally converse to her, she noticed that they were particularly ignorant today. In homeroom, she attempted to ask the young boy that sits by her whether or not he got the answer to a homework problem she had been working on. He did not even face her. In first period the teacher did not pass her a paper, he merely skipped her desk. And even when she raised her hand to request one, he simply did not call on her. Did I do something wrong…? In second period, she attempted a raised hand once again, only to have been denied for over ten minutes. When her arm finally got tired of being raised she just stood up, yelling, “What do all you guys have out against me!?” She was met by no blank stare, no evil glares, nor quirky remarks. In fact, the teacher never stuttered in his lecture to the class. It was as if they didn’t notice her. What is with these people? She waved her arms about, in the teacher’s face, in the front of the class, “What the hell is going on here!?” she screamed, “Why don’t you notice me!” Storming out of the room, she attempted to flip over a desk, in blind frustration, only for her hands to slip right through it. She lurched forward, staring blankly at her covered hands. She promptly tore off the gloves she had been wearing, revealing nothing beneath them. It appeared that her long sleeves ended abruptly at the cuff. She ripped up her sleeves, observing nothing…an invisible arm. What’s happened to me? “Does anyone see me?” Lucy screamed, “Why don’t you see me!”
Lucy ran home that day; after receiving no attention from either student or staff at school, she started thinking it was as if they couldn’t see her, after all, she couldn’t see her own limbs beneath the clothes she wore. It was a full ten miles back home. No cars honked at her, no pedestrian offered to help the poor emotion-ridden invisible girl. By the end of the run, Lucy was gasping for breath, with silent tears streaming down her unseen cheeks. She stopped when she came upon the grove. Wind whipped the trees, and grasses, the powerful gusts being fueled by the storm overhead. Great, dark billowing clouds in the sky drove waves of showering rain below. The muddy ground left no footprints as Lucy staggered into the forest. It all started to feel like a dream to her; the environment so surreal, and her actions so scripted, she felt as though she’s done this all before. Voices echoed from deep within the wood, some familiar, others, not so. It compelled her onward. Her feet ached, and she felt unbearably tired, as if she had suddenly felt all her life’s weariness in one second. With each step an individual battle, she slowly made her way inside. Part of her wished she could turn back now, to go back to the way her life had been before. The other part of her wanted to see this through to the end. Her heels kicked back progressively more with each step, her stride becoming more like she was wading through deep water than actually walking in the forest. Each step more difficult than the last, she felt the great urge to leave the Earth entirely.
And she did. With each challenging step, her soles touched less, and less of the ground until they had hovered a couple inches from it. She no longer walked through the forest, she levitated through it abysmally.
The voices came from a large group deep within. Lucy spotted them after floating around aimlessly. It was at least fifty people, all wearing heavy raincoats, wielding flashlights or first aid kits. A search party. They were huddled around a pair in the middle: an estrange-looking young woman, and a tall, stately man holding a loudspeaker. Lucy recognized the pair as her parents. “I’d like to start by thanking you all for coming,” her father spoke through the amplifier, “I’m sure with this many people we are sure to find her.” Her mother gasped, tightly clutching her husband’s arm for support. He spoke again, “Now we all know what she looks like, yes? She was last seen in this area, so let’s all try, and find her!” He was met by a few pats on the back, and whispered condolences as the group dispersed. Lucy couldn’t believe her ears. Why were they looking for her when she was right in front of them? The group dispersed, leaving her parents standing alone, Lucy hovering mutely in front of them. She attempted to place a hand on her mother’s shoulder, but it passed right through. Lucy held her nonexistent-sides for comfort.
Some time later, her name was suddenly barked, “I’ve found Lucy!” by a member of the search party in the distance. Her ears suddenly perked up in astonishment. Both her parents faced each other, and kept a long gaze before heading towards the growing clamor, still holding one another. Lucy followed them.
There was already a crowd when they got to the vast rock formation. It had been the same rock formation Lucy spotted the red rope hanging off of. Her parents pushed through the throng fervently, while Lucy drifted through them. Each had a different reaction when they discovered the body. Her father merely shook his head somberly. Her mother instantly burst into tears. Lucy just stared. She was plainly seeing herself. Not quite an identical likeness, nevertheless, herself. Her body was wearing the tattered hiking gear she remembered so well. Her limbs were limp; her skin, pale, and clammy. An upsetting gash lodged her face in two. However, the blood had long since washed away in the heavy rain. Her posture was almost peaceful, calm even. Her hands were folded delicately behind her head, her body on its right side. Eyes shut, and lips pursed, it almost looked like she was sleeping. A squat young man, donned in uniform, pushed through the pair, examining her body carefully. He lifted her shirt cautiously, and inserted something into her side. “Liver temperature at twenty degrees Fahrenheit,” he spoke firmly, “I’d say she’s been dead for a little over two days.” He stood, and faced the parents, “I’m sorry for your loss.” Lucy’s mother sobbed uncontrollably, digging her face in her husband’s shirt. He shook his head once again. The rain continued to pour, and nothing except the pitter-patter of drops on the rocks, and her mother’s sobbing could be heard for awhile. Lucy was utterly shaken. She was looking at herself, a reflection, lying dead on these rocks. Her mind flooded with emotions: guilt, fear, anger, denial, anxiety. How is this possible? She questioned over, and over. How…? She began to wish that someone could see her right now, anyone. Lucy’s mother continued to cry, her knees giving out on her, she slid onto the swamped land. Her father stood, idle.
Every sensation Lucy experienced was nothing compared to the love for her mother, and desire to console her. She only wished to be allowed to hug her mother, to tell her that she is alive…somewhat. She slowly leaned forward, being positioned behind her sobbing mother’s figure, with arms wide open in an attempt to grasp her. Her feet still did not touch the ground so she tried leaning as far forward she could to just hold her mother…but she suddenly started falling forward. Being too far to be able to lean back, she progressively fell further down. Lucy was terrified, and shrieked in horror, “Nooo!” Lucy drifted more, and more towards her mother, passing through her, and straight into the Earth. She never got to see her mother’s head tilt up, and her soft spoken words, “Lucy, dear, is that you?”
The pitch blackness of the Earth’s interior embraced the dejected ghost-girl with open arms. Her limbs, spread ample, felt no wind as her conscience continued to plummet into darkness. In here, she felt at home, her mind slowly wandering between her thoughts, and feelings. She began to ponder how she got to this strange place, and in doing so, triggered her brain’s most pinnacle, and feral of contractions. Her life flashed in scenes before her eyes. Some good, some bad, but all cherished memories from her past life. Her first bashful day of school, the first time she learned to ride a bicycle, her first love, her first move…and second and third. They burst into her vision, blinding her with faces, and images. Tears no longer followed her cheeks, eyes close silently, and a wide grin breaks her face. She no longer felt desolation in death, rather, a peace, and calm in the most primitive of fears: death. She was ready. Her spirit faded gradually into the shadows of the void, leaving no trace behind. The girl, known simply as Lucy, finally ceased to exist on the slow turning blue-green planet.