Year of no Stars 2

Home- Chapter 1

//Year of no Stars 2//

Home ~ Chapiter 1

    Five more days is all I have left. Or maybe it’s six. I don’t remember. They could be lying again. September 23rd, a man, who dressed like Marcus did, told me I was going home. He said that I was cured, whatever that meant. I hadn’t felt less sick or more pure than I did when I got here, but he insisted I was okay. I remember being confused. I didn’t go home.

    Nearly a month later, it happened again. And then again, and again, and again. I’m convinced they’re trying to tease me with the idea of family.

    Five days. Yes, definitely five days. I stare at the wall. White, like every other damn wall in this entire place. Although, there is this blue wall by the entry way and its covered in pictures that young kids did. It’s really pretty. However, the whiteness reminds me of when I first arrived in this horrifying world. The lights, the walls, the people are still so clear to me, nearly a year and a half later. In all honesty, that moment of realization that I wasn’t going back is probably my most vivid memory. I’m not sure why I’ve held on to it while I’ve been here. Perhaps I’m scared that I’ll never leave. That they will always be liars.

    I hear the door to my room creak open and I look to see who’s here. Her plump figure and kind smile are too familiar. A part of me wants to run up and hug her, to tell her how much I missed her and how awful it has been. But she left me. I haven’t seen her in about a year. I wait for her to speak.

   “Hey, Laura,” she says. Her voice is just as high pitched as I remember it.

    Anger. That’s what I’m feeling. Betrayal. The emotions boil in my stomach and I bite my tongue to keep them from coming up.

    She sighs quietly enough that she probably thinks I didn’t hear her, and she sits down at the edge of my bed. It’s made of wood and has a brightly patterned quilt on top with matching pillows. A stuffed brown dog rests on it. Noah gave it to me.

    “You know, it’s been quite the year.”

    I look away from her and stare at that stuffed dog. I named him George, which is dumb, I know, but it’s cute too. “That’s an understatement,” I reply with a huff. It’s more than obvious that I’m not happy with her. In all honesty though, I’d love nothing more than to fall into her arms and pretend like none of this ever happened. “Why are you here, Tasia? And why now?”

    “I know it’s hard to understand right now-”

    I cut her off. “I understand damn well after a year in this place. Why did you never come to visit?”

    She runs a hand through her hair nervously. “To be honest, Taylor didn’t want me to. He thought it would make the situation worse and told me I wasn’t allowed to. There wasn’t anything I could do, Laura. I swear I tried. I couldn’t imagine what being here all alone felt like.”

    My fists meet the metal door with a loud thud. It echoes around the small room but I smash them against it again. “Let me out!” I scream. “You can’t keep me in here! Tasia won’t let you! Marcus won’t let you!”

    There’s silence after every bang and every word. I don’t get a single answer. “Get me out of here!” My throat burns. There’s a small, rectangular slit at the top of the door and I have to reach my neck a little bit in order to see out of it. There’s no one outside the door, and all I can see are paintings up on the off white walls. Why isn’t there anyone?

    I turn around and press my back against the door. A square, empty room stares back at me. I felt incredible small. The silence is nearly unbearable. Anything would be better than this nothingness. “How long do plan to keep me in here?” I ask in a more calm and collective tone. As I was expecting, I receive no answer.