Pyschotic Heart (ON HOLD)

Chapter 1 : Don't ruin my perfection.

Perfect, my presentation will be absolutely perfect. 

Because you must always be perfect, right?

Mrs. Schnaider, a young psychology teacher, looked around the classroom with searching eyes.

"Alright," she said as she smiled, happy with her choice. "April, come up front, you're next."

The so called April, stood from her seat and walked to the front of the classroom, she stopped by Mrs. Schanider desk to hand her her written report with all the research she had done.

She pasted several pictures of tortured animals and poisons throughout the whiteboard. It was a good visual aid. The very tall, pretty girl stood in front, facing her classmates.

April swallowed her saliva in order to moisten her dry throat. She gently placed a strand of her long silky brown hair behind her ear to uncover her perfectly  pretty, angel face.

Finally, she coughed to clear her throat and took a deep breath as she started:

"Good morning, I did my research on a victim of the 'ZAR' disorder." She looked at her teacher, looking for her approving face.

"My research is titled: 'Ten-year-old poisons his own father.'"

Mrs. Schanider left a homework in which students were supposed to research on  strange criminal cases in which the criminals were affected with psychological disorders, as an introductory activity to the following chapters which were all about psychological disorders.

April went on, "This incident was reported on May 14, 2000. Young Michael Stevens, aged 10, was discovered as the culprit of causing his own father's death arguing to have confused one of his father's medicine bottles, with one that contained a liquid mixture of a highly poisonous substance known as Tetrodoxin; a poison contained in Japanese fishes called Puffer fishes.”

She showed pictures of the fish. And she took the opportunity to check out people's face expressions as she paused. Everybody was paying attention. It seemed that her topic, after all, was a good choice.

"The boy's mother, Michelle Ramirez, aged 34 by then, argued that it was an accident, however, and according to the police, there was no logical reason for a kid his age to possess such a substance. After psychological investigation, it was concluded that the murder was no accident: Michael was diagnosed as schizophrenic, which is a disease in which its victims, not necesarily, but can  tend to behave harmfully towards themselves or others because of the 'voices´ that are heard in their heads."

"At the age of 12, Stevens finally admitted his intentional crime and the use of this substances adding that he couldn´t control the impulse of his actions due tho the persuasion of the ´voices´ ."

April passed the original article throughout the class. Everyone impatiently waited for the paper to be passed to their hands just to read and confrim what April had just stated.

"My personal opinion on this article, is that like Michael, other little kids around the world are getting themselves into subjects and matters that are dangerous,"

"Even though little Michael just killed one person, he did cruelly end lives of many animals."

She sighed and took a breath, ready for her previously practiced and prepared monologue.

 "My conclusion on the subject, is that sometimes the police and other authorities do not pay attention to what kids are capable of due to their so called 'innocence.' However it is a fact that children are even easier to influence than most adults since they are just learning about what surrounds them, and parents should be careful about what that is since their small, easy influential minds can be wrongly and sickly thought to do wrong. Due to their parent's lack of care, or simply ignorance on psychological health, they do not acknowledge how mortal their own children can come to be. I blame it on the parent's, this behavior, and the condition itself, could've been prevented."

The whole class clapped with satisfied smiles and nods. Her topic was undeniably interesting and shocking. Mrs. Schnaider complimented her as she wrote an "A+" on April's paper.

"That was a very nice and interesting topic choice. I am in absolute agreement with your concern about parents and their not so careful caring towards their children. They tend to think physical health is the only type of health in their children, but pscychological health could be mortal not only to themselves but to others."

April smiled in appreciation and walked back to her seat. She felt happy.

"How was I? Be honest Jen!" She asked in a whispering tone to her friend as she sat next to her.

"Great Hun. You did great." Her blonde friend answered back. Although April was pretty confident of her words, she wanted, as any girl does, her best friend's reassurance. 

"You even sounded smart." Jen teased as she playfully patted April's head.

"I'm glad everybody liked it." April sighed relieved, feeling happy.

"I didn't." Said an assuring, but unsatisfied masculine voice.

Both Jen and April looked around; none of them could have possibly said that, it was a male voice, and not one that April had heard before.

They found the voice owner... A boy sitting right behind them, whose green eyes were set on April.

"Excuse me?" She spoke, almost pale. How come a boy she never ever had a word with dared to criticise her presentation, which had taken her a month to research and prepare on?!

"It sucked. Your presentation was fake." His words freely came out of his pink lips.

Who is he? Is he really talking to us?- Was all April could think of.

Both girls were shocked by his appearance out of nowhere. Finally Jen was able to recover from it.

"Don't pay attention to him." She said trying to cheer her friend up after she saw her surprised, hurt face, staring at him astonished and speechless.

"He's a freak..." Jen added and rolled her eyes. But he seemed pretty sure of himself, and went on:

"It was all so commercial, fake. As if you knew what you were talking about." April opened her dark brown eyes widely not believing what was going on. Never in her high school life had anybody answered back to her, specially to insult something she had worked so much for.

He rolled his eyes, without covering his annoyance at all,  and stood up just at the same second the bell rang.

Speechless and absolutely hurt, April watched the dark haired figure walk away.

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Author's Note:

Any thoughts so far? I'd love to know!

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