When the Blood Runs Thick

Stephanie; Aiden

I shove my backpack into my locker, my Calculus with Biological Emphasis II textbook and notebook in hand. Calculus with Biological Emphasis II is a very advanced class, most people take this class a few years into college. So, let's just say that I'm a wee bit advanced for someone my age. There are about five or six other people in my class, all of them, except me, being seniors. I'm a junior.

So, school is one of my least favorite places, and I don't dislike many places or people. I mean, I adore learning and school itself, it's just the people in the school that I don't like being around. Let's just say they're not the fondest of me.

I see a group of girls who I know hate me. The leader of the group is Stephanie Fuller, who is the most impolite, insensitive person to have ever lived. She reminds me on a witch because of the wart on her lip and her majorly hooked nose. They pass by and knock my stuff out of my hands, my books hitting the floor with a loud bang! Some people glance over. A few of them snicker, while the others give me a sympathetic look. I know some of them want to help, but are afraid that Stephanie will go after them instead. Now, you're probably thinking about why an adult isn't helping. Well, that's because Hyate High is a large school with a student body of nearly nine hundred. Meaning, the teachers don't always see everything that goes on in the hallways. Plus, this specific hallway is meant for just student lockers, not classrooms.

"Oops. Sorry," Stephanie says sarcastically. Her posse behind her bursts into laughter. Their laughs are like nails being scrapped down a chalkboard.

I shyly kneel down, avoiding the girls' gazes and grab my textbook off the floor. A sudden force on my back shoves me forward, slamming my head into the ground. Pain shoots through my head, making my ears ring and my vision temporarily blur. A roar of laughter spreads throughout the hallway. Tears fill my eyes, threatening to spill over like waterfalls. I try to get up again, but Stephanie kicks me down.

It's times like this that I wish the teachers were in this hallway more often. Or that the people watching would at least try and stop Stephanie. Better yet, get a teacher. That's not going to happen though. And it probably never will.

"Stay down, freak," Stephanie says. "No one wants you here. Can't you tell? So, why don't you do us all a favor and kill yourself." Stephanie gives me one last hard kick in the stomach and walks off with her posse.

What Stephanie doesn't realize is that I've thought about ending my pathetic life so many times, and even attempted. No one but Joan knows this. And the only reason she knows is because she wouldn't leave me alone until I told her, and trust me, she can get annoying real fast. What with her major peppiness and enthusiastic voice, always smiling.

I gather up my books again and before I can stand, a sudden ripping feeling stretches across my neck. The pain's unbearable and causes me to drop to the floor again. My textbook hits the floor before I do, landing with a small thud. I gingerly hold my neck, my fingers slipping over the scar Dad gave me. My ears start to ring again and my head starts to spin, everything appearing to change. I shake my head. No... Not now... My fear and panic takes over as I watch everyone in the halls turn into mist and blow away. The lockers and floor warp, my surroundings changing. I'm back at home, rewatching my family's deaths. It keeps playing over and over and over and over again. Tears stream down my cheeks as I scream for it to stop, for all of this to stop. My heart pounds against my chest like the bass in a song. My breaths shorten and become raspy, making it difficult to breathe. I squeeze my eyes shut but I can still see and hear and feel everything that's happening around me. A sudden hand on my shoulder makes me jump and I scream, my eyes flying open.

"Annie... Annie, are you alright? Please calm down," someone says. Their voice is soft, gentle.

The first thing I notice is that my surroundings are back to normal, which I appreciate greatly. I glance up, looking through my thick, dark hair, and see Mr. Pearlberg, the junior English teacher, looking down at me. He's the one holding my shoulder. I also notice Miss White, the school's principal, standing next to him, looking at me with concerned eyes. They're the ones that usually help me out when things like this happen at school. I notice that behind them the hallways are barren, absolutely deserted.

"What time is it?" I ask with a soft spoken voice.

"What?" Mr. Pearlberg asks with a look of confusion. "It's, uh, 8:35. Why?"

That means classes have started... I'm missing class! I can't miss class! I can't! I quickly scoop up my books and sprint to my Calculus with Biological Emphasis II class. Lockers pass me in a blur of white and gray as I move my legs faster and faster, speeding down the hallways like a bullet. I round a corner, nearly falling, and open the first door on the left. The whole class looks over at me like deer in headlights. They know what happened to me in the hall. Everyone always seems to know, but no one ever wants to intervene. Why they don't help me, I don't know. It's probably because they don't like me, which isn't surprising. I shuffle over to my desk and sit down as nonchalantly as I can, trying to control my breathing. Mrs. Lyncaster lets out a deep sigh and turns back to the board, barely acknowledging my tardiness.

My eyes wander around the room, finding everyone and everything--counting how many people there are, all the books on the shelves, papers and binders on the floor, and everything else. This is one of my many habits that probably makes people think I'm insane. Which, again, I'm not. As I look around the room, if I meet someone's gaze, they give me the death glare, silently saying, "What the hell are you looking at, freak?" I quickly move on from the people who do that. I notice the usual empty desk next to me is now occupied by a boy with hair as dark as the night sky. I don't recognize him. Is he new? He must be because I never forget anyone or anything, which can have major downsides. But there is one thing about him that is very strange: He has violet eyes. I've heard it's possible to be born with violet eyes, but also that it is very rare.

The boy turns his head and meets my gaze. His eyes are more vibrant than I thought they were. They're the colour of newly blossomed Irises. They're beautiful to say the least.

"Do you need something?" he asks in a softened voice.

I jolt, surprised he said something to me. "Huh? N-No. I, uh, just... You, uh, have pretty eyes." I immediately feel like an imbecile for saying that. Good job, idiot! Now he's going to think you're a freak!

"Um. Thanks, I guess. Yours are nice, too."

My cheeks feel like they're on fire as my heart races. A compliment? I wasn't expecting that. But I guess the other kids in school haven't showed him how to properly rip my feelings apart yet, and I hope they never do. It would be nice to have at least one person in this school be nice to me.

"So, what's your name?" the boy asks.

"Aiden, Annie. Be quiet," Mrs. Lyncaster says, obviously agitated.

I slump back in my seat, glancing at the clock. Five more minutes of this boring, yet surprisingly easy class. So, to pass the time, I pull out a pencil and start drawing in my sketchbook. I start adding more detail to a drawing that I've already started of a bluejay in mid-flight, appearing to fly off the paper. In the background are black, ominous storm clouds; one of the clouds has a bolt of lightning that flashes across the page.

The bell rings, startling me. I quickly scoop up my stuff and start to walk out of the room.

"Annie?" someone says. I turn around, expecting it to be some kid that's going to mock me, but instead I see that it's Aiden. "That's your name, right?"

I nod. "Y-Yeah. Why?"

"Well, I'm new to town and, uh, I was thinking maybe you could show me around. But only if you'd like."

My heart skips a beat, my cheeks growing hot and most likely turning rosey red. "Um, sure. M-Meet me by the flag outside after school?"