Disclaimer: I do not own Terra Nova, or any of it's characters. No copyright infringement is intended.
Closing her locker door, Maddy Shannon sighed in relief - another school day over. Another day of bullies and snide remarks behind her. As much as she loved academics and learning, the day always seemed to be tarnished by the people that seemed to get so much pleasure out of her suffering.
She was suddenly slammed into the cold metal of the locker, books and journals falling to the floor beneath her. Maddy didn't need to look to see who they were – their cruel words and laughter seemed to ring through her ears, taunting her even as she walked through the empty corridor after picking up her belongings. Finally reaching the heavy doors which would lead her into the smog-filled, pollution-ridden atmosphere outside, Maddy braced herself, pulling on her rebreather. It took her a while to activate the filter properly, after the whole incident a couple of months ago. She closed her eyes, the images forming themselves in her mind.
Walking briskly down the street away from the school, books in hand, rebreather firmly in place, Maddy anxiously looked over her shoulder to see if the bullies had followed her. She did this every few seconds, before she mentally told herself to calm down and stop being so paranoid. Relaxing a little, Maddy pushed her dark hair out of her face. As she turned a corner, a group of girls were waiting for her. Maddy knew that if she could see their mouths they would be twisted into smirks.
The leader shoved her to the ground, causing her rebreather to become looser than what was considered safe. Looking up at them bleakly, the girls stared down at her with sardonic eyes, before pulling her rebreather off her face and throwing it to the ground. Even the one gulp of toxic air set her throat and lungs aflame. It was as if knives had lodged themselves into her insides, making every movement cause scrutinising agony. Maddy lay there, curled up into a ball, as if protecting herself from the rest of the World. She honestly thought she was going to die. Then, images of what her life could be flashed before her, reuniting with her Dad, going to Terra Nova, falling in love, maybe... she had so much to achieve, so much to discover. She couldn't give up now.
Scrambling around before any further damage could be done; Maddy picked up her rebreather, brushing off the dust that had clung to it and desperately putting it back on her face. All she could hear was laughs – cold, piercing, mocking. As soon as she breathed in, Maddy could tell that something was wrong with her rebreather, but carried on regardless. She had vowed never to tell her Mother about the bullying, and she wasn't about to break that promise to herself.
Stepping outside, she could vaguely feel the stuffy air surrounding her, before she took off in the direction of her home. The streets were full and people pushed past, not giving her a second glance. No-one ever did, Maddy thought sadly. Even her own family were too stressed at the thought of her father in prison to notice her. Her Mum didn't even know about the bullying, not that she'd ever attempted to tell her. The only time that Elisabeth ever really talked to her eldest daughter was when she was talking about looking after Zoe. Make Zoe a snack, Maddy. Read Zoe a story. Pick Zoe up from day-care. Tuck Zoe into bed.
It seemed as though the extent of Maddy's life was books and worrying about whether Zoe was dressed properly, or had her hair brushed, or got to bed on time. Although she loved her sister, Maddy felt like she was alive for the sole purpose of looking after Zoe.
As she walked down the street, Maddy immediately felt guilty about her selfish thoughts, and quickened her pace. Turning the corner to the high rise that the family lived in, Maddy began to become breathless and wheezy. 'Surely this shouldn't happen with a rebreather on?' she thought. Opening the doors to the building, she ripped off her rebreather and coughed violently. Looking down at her hands, she instantly regretted it when she saw specks of scarlet liquid covering her palms. Blood.
Eyes widening, Maddy did the best that she could to climb into the elevator and press the floor number, ignoring the horrified stares people threw her way. She leaned her forehead against the cold metal wall as her body shook with coughs, blood accumulating in her mouth and hands. The coppery taste was like poison, chilling her to the bone and making her coughs even harsher. Oxygen seemed to refuse to enter her body, forcing Maddy to draw in breaths as if she was drowning.
The moment the doors opened, Maddy staggered down the hall as fast as she could, clutching at her chest for dear life. The coughing grew worse, now making it hard to walk. After what seemed like a lifetime, Maddy got to her apartment, weakly knocking on the door before collapsing to the floor, finally allowing herself to fall into unconsciousness.
White – that was all she could see as Maddy was dragged out of her subconscious. It smelled clean, too clean to be her home. As her eyes opened slowly, she gradually managed to collect her bearings. The room was foreign to her, unnatural and unfamiliar. The only reassurance was her mother sitting in a chair next to the bed, looking out of the window into the bleak grey atmosphere. Zoe was curled up in her arms, fast asleep. They looked so peaceful, and Maddy tried to make as little noise as possible in order to keep them content.
Call it Mother's instinct, but as soon as Maddy shifted in her hospital bed, Elisabeth's head snapped round so fast that Maddy was surprised that she didn't get whiplash.
"Maddy?" her mother asked tentatively, as if afraid that breaking the silence would make her daughter disappear. She stared at her intensely, disbelieving that the girl so pale and weak in the hospital bed before her had survived such an ordeal that, by all logic, should have killed her.
"Mom?" Maddy replied carefully, unsure as to whether her Mother would be understanding or upset. Elisabeth was soon up on her feet, placing Zoe down on the chair, who wriggled around, missing her Mother's warmth. Before Maddy could comprehend what was happening, her Mother was sitting on the edge of the bed and had her encircled her in her arms, stroking her hair.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again."
Maddy let out a sigh of relief and relaxed into the embrace, tears forming in her eyes.
"Mom, I'm so sorry –"
"Shhh," Elisabeth soothed softly, "There's plenty of time to talk about that later. Just let it out."
Maddy didn't know whether it was the feel of her Mother's hands rubbing circles on her back, or if it was the fact that she was so tired of keeping everything bottled inside. Soon enough, tears were streaming down her face as she sobbed quietly on her Mother's shoulder. She cried for her brother, sister, Mom, Dad. But most of all, she cried for herself, praying that they would find a way out of this world barely hanging on to its last breath, praying that one day, she wouldn't feel so trapped – that she could finally be free.
A/N: I'm so, so sorry that I haven't updated sooner! School started back up and my teachers convieniently 'forgot' the definition of free time. I've had this in my head for a while now, ever since I saw the pshyciatric evaluations. This is based on Elisabeth's, so check them out if you get the chance.
Oh, and thank you so much for those who favourited, reviewed, alerted or just read my last story - you honestly made my week! Honestly, I was on the verge of tears, sad, I know.
itslittleme