Scars From the Past #Wattys2015

Chapter 11 ~ Movie Night & Midnight Hunts

!This chapter contains inappropiate language so if you're not old enough, please skip this!

Chapter 11: Movie night & midnight hunts

-Tyler-

"Patrick Rothfuss once said: 'Perhaps the greatest faculty our minds possess is the ability to cope with pain. Classic thinking teaches us of the four doors of the mind, which everyone moves through according to their needs.'," Mr. Wilson quotes. "Does anyone know what the first door represents?"

I can barely hear what he's talking about because all I can do is stare at the girl sitting right next to me. Her blonde curls frame her face and the sunlight makes her blue eyes shine like stars. But of course her attention is fully dedicated to our professor who's now walking through the classroom, looking for a victim to pick on. A deadly silence is filling the room and most students are looking away awkwardly or trying to look busy by scribbling things into their notebooks.

"Sleep, sir," Amy's voice suddenly resounds. "When we sleep, we retreat from the world and all its pain. We lose track of time which gives us distance from the things that have hurt us. Often times when a person is injured or wounded, they fall unconscious. Similarly, when someone hears traumatic news or witnesses gruesome events, they may swoon or even faint. That is the mind's way of protecting itself from pain; by stepping through the first door."

"Very well, Miss Monroe, I'm impressed," Mr. Wilson praises, a pleased smile painted on his face. "Do you mind going on?"

"The second door is the door of forgetting. Some wounds are too deep to heal. Furthermore, I'd even say some memories are so painful, that there is simply no healing to be done. Therefore the saying 'Time heals all wounds' is invalid. Time heals most wounds, the remaining ones are simply hidden behind this door, locked away," she continues, her eyes never leaving our professor as he's moving up and down in front of her and is now spinning his hand in small circles, motioning for her to keep talking.

How does she know all this?

"The third door then is madness. There are times when the mind is tormented with such painful events or memories, it hides itself in insanity. Most people believe that this state may not seem, let's say..beneficial but actually, it is. At times, one's reality is nothing but pain and torture, and to escape that pain, the mind must leave reality behind, maybe even create a whole new one for the individual in order to survive."

"And finally, there is...," she starts but for some reason hesitates to finish her sentence, dropping her gaze to stare at her hands instead.

"Go on, Miss Monroe."

"Death."

As soon as that word leaves her lips, I can hear some students whispering around us. By now, the tension in the room is within one's reach and somehow my nerves are on edge.

"Death is the final resort. Nothing, and no one, can hurt us after we're dead."

"Excellent! Thank you, Miss Monroe."

Amy silently blows out a breath and I put my hand over hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. Only then, she lifts her head and looks at me, offering me a small smile which I return. Seconds later, our professor dismisses us for the day.

As Amy, Ashley and I grab our books and stuff them back into our bags, I don't miss the weird looks Amy receives from some of our classmates but she doesn't seem to notice.

"Hey, I was wondering, do any of you guys have plans for tonight?" Amy suddenly asks, looking at us expectantly. "Not yet. Why, do you have something in mind?"