Another's Pain - Prologue

Another's Pain - Prologue

April 23rd, 1999
"10 years from now, the future is going to be different. Everything will be quicker, there might be floating cars, teleporters, or even jetpacks to get people around. Food won't take as long to cook, and travel will only take half the time it does now. Everything will be digital, watches will have a bunch of different types of things integrated into them, like phones, musical devices, and any other type of technology you could think of." A stuttering silence.
"Well? What else, Alice?"
"Umm.." A nervous 5th grader stood up from her desk, shaking from head to toe. She couldn't think of anything else that might happen in the future. "I.. I don't know, Ma'am."
"Haha, Alice doesn't know the answer! For once in her life, Teacher's Pet can't answer!"
"Now, now children! That's rude, and I'd like to see any of you come up with the same thing Alice did! In fact, I want everybody to write a page of things they think will change in the future - but it all has to be different from what Alice just said. No copying or repeating!"
"Thanks a lot Alice." "Yeah, Alice. Good job!" The children muttered, glaring towards the poor girl.
Alice sighed, and sunk back into her chair, wishing she could just melt away into the floor and out of the classroom. "Sorry.." Despite Alice's best efforts, her voice never caught the attention of the other students and they continued to mutter, and whisper, and send those stabbing glares her way. She just couldn't understand it - Why were the other kids so mean? Especially to her? For goodness sake, they were all nine to ten years old; kids shouldn't hate so early. Pulling the blue notebook from out of her desk, Alice quietly turned the pages until she got to a blank paper, grabbed her pencil and started to write.
In 10 years from now, people will be a lot nicer. There won't be any more stress for parents, and there won't be anymore bullying for kids. Nothing will be the same in future.. Everything will be different. I won't be the same, the kid's down the street won't be the same, and you won't be the same. There won't be such a thing as sameness, since everything will be different. No two things will be the same, especially not people. Things in the future will be unique; people, places, things.. Especially people.
Alice tapped her pencil against the paper, as she looked around the room and studied each and every classmate. They were all the same.. She was the only different one; Alice felt she was special since she was so different compared to the other children. This filled her with a sense of pride, which she quickly got rid of, because it was rude to brag. After hastily scribbling down another paragraph about future changes in her, classmates, friends.. Basically, the world. Placing the pencil on the desk, Alice closed the notebook, hopped off her chair and brought her notes towards the teacher, who was sitting at her desk correcting some papers. "I'm finished, Ma'am." Alice placed the book on the teacher's desk, and took a step back to walk away.
"Thank you, Alice." The teacher didn't even look from her papers. She just continued to work.
Sighing lightly to herself, Alice walked back to her desk while attempting to avert the gazes of the other students, most of who were rolling their eyes. "Of course Alice is finished first." They murmured to each other.
One day.. you'll all change.. You'll be completely different people you are now... Alice thought, as she plopped into her desk. She eyed the students with a slight bit of anger, and chuckled inwardly. Then you'll realize it's not the greatest thing to be different..