Alice in Wonderland

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I pull down my sleeve to cover my hands, wishing I could go back to bed. The lady begins to pack up her things, leaving some papers in a pile on the table which I assume are for Mrs. Sharpe. I haven't seen her in awhile but I assume it has to do with one of her kids being sick. I don't remember his name, but I know he's one of the younger ones because I saw him this morning. It wasn't as scary as I thought, he waved softly, immediately coughing intensely and complaining to his mother. It made me feel ready to meet everyone, until I remember not all of their kids are that young and innocent.

"It was nice to meet you, Lily. I'll see you in school next week. I'll be in room B-105, but I'll check in a few times the first couple of weeks." She waves goodbye and retreats into the living room where Mrs. Sharpe is watching after the sick child. I consider getting up and going to my room, but it's kind of nice being able to walk around without the possibility of someone appearing.

I know I eventually have to meet everyone, Mrs. Sharpe expects me to have dinner with everyone tonight, but I really don't know if I can handle it. I've only met two of her kids -technically three since Tyler came back home the one morning- and both were too young to bother me.

Last night, I was trying to figure out the TV when one of the younger boys barged in my room. He stared at me for a minute and then stuttered a 'sorry' and left. I can handle the kids, but the ones who are bigger and stronger than me are the ones who scare me. I haven't even seen Mr. Sharpe in a couple weeks, and I would probably be scared if I saw him randomly again.

I sigh and stand up, pushing in my chair by habit. Mrs. Sharpe was most definitely right, I should have been doing this all along. The world wouldn't be so scary if I had.

The woman is still talking to Mrs. Sharpe so I turn down the closest hall and begin to wander, deciding not to open doors that are closed. One door that's open leads to stairs, so I decide not to venture down them. I continue until I reach glass doors that lead to a very large yard, equipped with a pool, a swing set and lots of toys. I think about stepping outside to admire the freshly manicured lawn, but since the sun is already hurting my eyes, I decide not to.

I return to the living room, the woman from the school now gone and stand in the doorway. Mrs. Sharpe smiles at me and gestures for me to sit on one of the couches. "Nathan has a stomach bug." She explains, pulling a blanket higher up on the now sleeping child. "How'd it go?"

I shrug, playing with my sleeves again, "She said I'm right where I need to be, basically advanced if it weren't for my situation."

She nods as if she knows all this and I suspect the woman told her, but I'm sure it's an excuse to get me to talk. I had a doctor's appointment two days ago and it went basically how I expected. They checked all my vitals to make sure my body was reacting to the change in environment like it should. The doctor suspects I'll be getting sick often because my immune system has never had a chance to build itself or come in contact with many germs or diseases. Luckily I was up to date on my vaccines, so I only had to get two, although I never remember visiting a doctor when I was younger. My mother is a nurse, so there was never a reason for it.

The doctor explained that I should be wearing a surgical mask every time I leave the house until my body begins to get used to the outside world. I also have to wear sunglasses, but that I don't mind as much since they look normal. If I walk outside wearing a mask, people are going to think I already have a disease.

Everything else the doctor said was unimportant, although Mrs. Sharpe hung onto her every word. I have to take vitamins daily, although, I always have thanks to my mother. I also saw a therapist, which was basically a waste of time because as soon as she realized I wasn't talking, she just asked me yes or no questions the whole time.