Disclaimer: Guess who owns nothing? It's me. I own Addison but everyone else belongs to someone else. *CRIES*
Yeah so unfortunately it's got just about the same plot-line as any other MCL fic, and for that I'm sorry. (I REALLY AM) But give it a chance okay? I needed to get this down somewhere.
Sometimes we are afraid of monsters, but sometimes it is in the sight of monsters that we truly come out of hiding.
–Unknown
I awoke sobbing and panting, sweat dripping down my face.
That damn nightmare was starting to do a serious number on me. Pretty soon I'd die of a heart attack or something. I glanced at the clock and was greeted with the soft green light of the numbers.
Four thirty in the fucking morning. First day of school. What fun.
No way was I going back to sleep with that dream still lingering though. Well, the memory I guess.
Instead I headed for the shower. Not because I felt particularly grimy, though that was a factor as well, but because I needed to do some serious thinking. And let's be honest, I can't be the only person that does their deep thinking in the shower.
I turned up the temperature to what I liked to call nerve damage and waited for it to get blistering enough. I went to the closet to grab a towel (Auntie had left me with a stack of fluffy animal ones), today's depicting a rather irritated looking frog in a shower cap.
I hopped gingerly into the spray of boiling water and was instantly soothed by it, the worries over my dream fading away. However I was only reminded of my memory when the hot water hit a bruise or a cut, making it sting of throb, especially the newly sewn one on my side. I'd let out a pained hiss every now and then, it was way too hot.
But I didn't end up turning the water down.
I reminded myself a little of my fluffy towel companion, the frog. Not because I was fluffy or towel-like, wearing a shower cap or particularly cross looking. I remembered doing I biology experiment where we took frogs and put them in water and slowly started boiling it. The frog didn't notice. It just stayed swimming in the scalding water until it started to slow down, then stopped moving altogether. The frog had been unaware of the imminent danger, and hadn't felt the water get too hot until it was too late. It had just waited and swam until it died.
There I was, standing in hot water, waiting for the danger to finally come and get me. My happy little swim in this new town couldn't last forever, the bad memories would find me again. But I wouldn't notice until it was too late. He'd kill me for certain this time.
Forget thinking in the shower, I'd turned it up a notch to full out philosophical ponderings in the shower. With that in mind I washed and rinsed my hair, scrubbed my body with the vanilla soap Auntie had bought me and stepped out into the bathroom of steam I'd created. It was almost like walking in a cloud.
My skin had turned a dusty pink all over after standing under the blazing water. I looked like I'd stood out in the sun for an hour. Or in my case, with skin as fair as mine, about ten minutes. I cleared some of the condensation off of the mirror and looked at myself.
It's too early in the morning. Why did I even bother checking?
The dark circles under my eyes were a dead giveaway that I'd only slept on and off for about three hours. There were multiple bruises on my face as well, I silently begged Auntie to have remembered to get me concealer, mine was too thin.
I put a finger to the largest of my bruises, a fading purple blue one on my cheekbone. I poked it like an idiot and the sharp pain was only the tiniest of reminders of what the injury felt like when I'd received it.
Auntie and I had gone shopping yesterday evening for some more clothes. Most of the ones I'd owned had been left behind and I wouldn't get them for another few weeks. I was alright with it though, I kind of liked shopping.
I'd already picked out the outfit I wanted to wear, something fairly casual because I didn't want to be noticed too much on my first day. Not like many people would notice me anyways. The outfit consisted of a black, lose fitting top with the words "Find me Backstage" written in silver across it. Auntie had insisted I get it because "I've heard you sing darling, you can wear that to your first concert." I truly loved the woman. I paired it with some jeans and combat boots.
I had absolutely no idea how to spend two and a half hours in the apartment. There was nothing to do really except play games on the corny little DS I'd inherited from my older brother. I noticed the package on the table. Whatever it was it was wrapped in bright red (my favourite colour) wrapping paper with a large flamboyant bow on top.
It must be a gift from Auntie.
Eagerly I tore it open. Inside was a red laptop, some new fancy model I guessed. Technology was not my forte. There was a note stuck to the keyboard.
I've already set it up for you! I figured you'd need something to do around the apartment, (We'll go furniture shopping soon!) consider it yours! I'm assuming you'll also need it for school work correct? Enjoy darling!
XOXOXO –Auntie
I grinned and immediately turned it on. The screen lit up the dark room. Needless to say, I pulled out my iPod and started filling up my iTunes with music thanks to more money from Auntie. That woman and her cashola never ceased to amaze me.
When I glanced at the clock next, it was six thirty, and I was 700 songs richer. It was still dark outside, the days were getting shorter and all I could see outside was whatever the streetlamp bathed in the orange-yellow glow.
I sighed. First day of school was bound to be hell.
No, no. Hell with cliques and jocks. I hate cliques and jocks.
Oh well, according to Auntie the school had wi-fi so if I took my shiny new laptop I could hide behind it all day and not have to speak to anyone. Sounded like a sweet deal.
I shovelled some coffee grounds into the top of the machine and flicked it on. Lord knows I'd need something strong to deal with all this. I put toast in the toaster and got out the jam, strawberry, my favourite. I took care of myself, as I always had.
I waited, my hands gripping the counter tightly. Already I could feel the throbbing on my waist that the doctor had predicted. I tentatively lifted up my shirt. I could see the beginnings of the wound, it looked angrily sewn together, like a zipper might appear once it's been done up. Then of course there were Doctor Mathison's clean, perfect stitches on top, just to make sure.
My mind went back to our conversation.
"Well, I don't want to remove those stitches now, you've already lost a lot of blood. We'll deal with it when I see you in two weeks, how does that sound?"
"Sounds great."
I remembered getting up to leave, practically flying out the door because I just wanted to get out of that place more than anything, and he'd stopped me with three words.
"You were brave."
"What?"
"It must have taken a lot of courage, taking all of this for so long, and then of course the sewing. It was brave."
I ran from that hospital room muttering a thank you. Nothing anyone said had made me feel any better. Brave? Brave? Maybe if I had been brave I would have fought harder. Hell, I would have killed that man given the chance.
I'd had the chance, and I'd taken a knife to the side instead.
He'd come up to me, leering. His face shining with excitement. He'd raised the knife above his head as though he were about to throw a javelin and I watched helplessly as it rained down towards me skin. Closer, faster until-
My toast popped. I jumped and I felt my side burn. I needed to be more careful. The doc had warned if I strained myself a little too hard the stress of recent events would catch up with me and my body would have a meltdown. Yeah, whatever that meant.
The walk to school was only about ten minutes. I'd decided to go early, have a look around for a bit. If the building wasn't open yet, well, Auntie said the garden was pretty.
The apartment was really the only building near to me. There were two halves to Sweet Amoris and the other side of the city was crammed with houses and the occasional park. I liked my half, it only consisted of the school, a clothing shop, a dollar shop, the apartment, the jewellery store, the bank and a cute little info kiosk called the "forums" or something like that.
As I walked, I focused mainly on my breath, which came in hot, heavy clouds. It was pretty cold for September. Normally the first week of school we were graced with nice weather as if mother nature was promoting optimism. Apparently this year she knew it was pointless, we were all doomed.
At least I was.
The school came into view, it was quite tall for the high school of a town this damn size. I looked up and could've sworn I saw someone with bright red hair standing up there, looking down at me.
However that was when a bunch of wet, brightly coloured leaves rained down on me, the wind blew my cinnamon hair in a haphazard tangle around my head, and when I looked up again whoever it was had vanished and I looked like I'd just crawled out of the forest after living there all my life.
I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to restore some tameness to it and picked a few leaves out. Great. Brilliant start so far.
When I tried the front door I was pleased to find it was open and I wandered in. An old woman nearly ran me over before stopping and smiling sweetly at me.
"You must be Calder, am I right" Her voice, if possible, was even sweeter than her smile. It was actually a little scary how picturebook grandmother she was. I was certain she was about to dig through a carpet bag to offer me some hard candy or something.
"That's me." I replied cautiously, like I was afraid if I said the wrong thing she'd cry. She was way too cute to cry.
"What a charming name for a young lady!" She beamed at me.
"Oh, thank you." I returned her smile.
"Nathaniel's in the room just down the hall, I'm sure he could help you get all your papers sorted." She pointed at the student council room.
"Thanks." I smiled again and walked quickly down the hall. I knocked lightly and when I didn't receive an answer, pushed open the door. There was a photocopier spewing out brightly coloured flyers. The type you might find plastered on the walls of your school announcing pep rallies or bake sales. How positively nauseating.
A blond turned away from the bold colours and surveyed my slightly dishevelled appearance. "Uh, hi. Are you new here?" He flashed me a grin that would make most girls drop dead.
Well, I wasn't most girls. Couldn't deny it though, he was pretty easy on the eyes.
"Yeah. Is it that obvious?" Oh Lord I hadn't been here five minutes and I was flirting with a hot guy in the student council room. Wow Addie, scandal.
"No, you'll fit right in. Do you have your registration forms and the twenty-five dollars? You look like the type to join clubs, am I right? We've got so many different programs that you could be a part of!" Oh no he was that type.
I pulled the forms and the money out of my bag and walked over to him. "I'm... not really a joiner." I admitted, putting on the best sarcastic smile I could. He passed me back a few sheets to help me find my way around.
Not really a joiner? HA. I wasn't a joiner. I was horrid at sports, for one thing, and being in a group music thing like a band or a choir only brought out the snarky sarcastic side of me that most people deemed "rude" or "bitchy".
This Nathaniel boy was clearly getting that picture, because he suddenly looked really disappointed in me. "Oh, well that's too bad. If you change your mind you know where to find me for signups!"
Uh huh. Right.
I had turned back to the door to leave when he spoke again.
"So why did you leave your last school?"
Here I'd been hoping to avoid that question forever and some boy asks it on the first day of school.
"There were family complications." His eyes flicked to the cut on my forehead the doc sewed up a week ago. I could see him running through the possibilities. "I moved in with my Aunt, I er... I like small towns better than the city."
That seemed to do the trick. Mr. Happy bounced right back.
"Then you're in the right place!" He smiled kindly. "Enjoy your first day, don't hesitate to come to me with questions."
"For sure." I muttered and escaped as fast as I could.
As I closed the door behind me, I was knocked over by a blur of red. The blur and I went tumbling to the floor and I felt my side ache. Uh oh.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" A voice snapped and the red blur in question scrambled off of me.
I ignored it and put a hand to my shirt. It was slightly damp with fresh blood. Luckily it was black. But it was new. That caused me to snap back into reality. I glared up at the red haired boy who'd bowled me over.
"Me? I was stepping out of a fucking doorway! You're the one that appeared out of nowhere and knocked me over!"
"Whatever." He growled. "Just stay out of my way." With that he stalked off about a metre to his locker. Number 205.
I looked down at my assigned locker. 204. I groaned, but refused to let it get the better of me.
Not meeting eye contact I opened my new locker next to cuddly-as-a-cactus and muttered a few obscenities.
"You're new, right?"
"Goddamn why is it so obvious to people?"
He smirked. "You do look a little lost behind that facade."
"I do not." I hissed, my side was starting to hurt a lot, but I knew it wasn't bad. I'd probably lost a stitch or two. The doc had told me not to worry too much about that. He had however told me not to stress or worry.
"So that makes you Addison Richards?"
I stopped. "How do you know that? Not even perky boy knew my name and I'm assuming he knows just about everything about everyone."
"Well perky boy as you so rightfully put it, doesn't look through other people's files." Commence stressing and worrying.
My stomach dropped. He'd read my file? So he knew?
"Woah there, Kiddo. Don't look so frightened. I didn't get to read anywhere past your name, age and measurements." He winked. "But with the look on your face I'm beginning to sense I'm missing out on your back story. Next time perky steps out of the office I'll check up on you. Sound good?"
"D-don't." I mumbled but he was already sauntering away. The only logical sentence I could form was, "They wouldn't put my measurements in my file!"
He called back without even turning to look at me. "They needed them for your gym uniform. You have gym second period by the way. It's Co-Ed, so I'll see you there."
Don't forget to review if you like it or if there's something I could improve on! Feel free to give me any suggestions