The Shrink Program

Chapter 16

The world blurred sharply as Vain stumbled forward, the jolting sensation rocking me so severely that I had to clutch desperately at Vain's shirt to keep from falling.

My vision was filled with the sight of his giant hand slamming against the glass in front of me to catch himself, causing the glass to rattle deafeningly.

White knuckled hands still gripping Vain's shirt for balance, I twisted around in an attempt to see just who had bludgeoned my friend.

Behind us stood a boy wearing our school uniform, but using a cap to cover his face. He held a cricket bat clenched between two hands and was on the verge of raising it up again.

"Wait here!" I hissed to Vain, not sparing him a look as I climbed to my feet and readied my jump boots.

"Don't Maddison!" Vain exclaimed in alarmed, quickly realising my intention but I was already leaping across the space between his shoulder and the jerk who thought it was cool to attack from behind.

As much as I wanted to hurt this guy, I decided to use my brain. For once.

Only stumbling slightly as I landed on the brim of his cap, I spared a single moment to grimace before swinging myself off the edge, using the grip gloves to cling to the rim.

I might not be able to kick your ass at the moment buddy, but I can sure as hell find out who you really are.

That's right, the ass kickery is only postponed.

I saw the kid's giant brown eyes widen in surprise, meeting my own just as I recognised his face.

Ah crap, it's them.

Suddenly there was a hand around me, and I was yanked away from my hold on the hat.

I bit my lip in panic, my heart stopping as I waited for the pain of having my body squeezed by a giant angry hand.

Despite the firmness of the fingers and the whiplash I got as the hand jerked back, there was no crushing pain. Blinking down at the pale white skin surrounding me, I realised that it was Vain.

There came a sharp click, and suddenly we were moving. Vain stumbled backwards out the door, slamming it shut in the attacker's face. The movements going on around me were too big, seeming more like the actions of the entire world around me rather than just that of individual people.

Stumbling slightly, Vain ran out into the courtyard, heading towards the east wing on the other side. The fast motions set my head spinning, but the fact that we were being herded was still clear in my dazed mind.

This guy wasn't alone.

"Vain!" I cried, clinging to the hand that still held me. "Don't run away! It's a trap!"

Vain paused, searching around, and I noticed that there was blood coming from his mouth. I choked in terror, heart in throat. Vain glanced down at me at the alarmed sound.

Reading my panicked expression, Vain just shook his head dismissively, wiping the wound with his other hand. "It's nothing, just cut my lip."

"I'm going to kill him." I hissed in pure outrage, but Vain wasn't distracted from the more important issue here.

"What do you mean it's a trap?" He asked, slowing down to a walk...
Just as two more students came out of the east wing corridor.

"That's what I mean." I half snarled, frustrated at being reduced to nothing more than a passenger on this escape attempt. "If Cricket-bat guy was planning to ambush us alone, he wouldn't have attacked us in a place where we could run away so easily."

Behold, the wisdom of experience.

Vain turned to look back, only to find the guy that had first attacked us now stood only a few feet behind us, holding his bat threateningly.

Well.

That's not good.

Before we could even begin coming up with some sort of escape plan, another three students walked into the courtyard, surrounding us in the middle.

"Maddison, what's going on?" Vain whispered as he put me back on his shoulder. "Who are these people."

Climbing unsteadily out of his hand, I looked around at the six students who surrounded us, four boys and two girls.

"They are the ones from that night." I hissed, pulling out my toothpick. "The ones who framed me."