All disclaimers apply.
Leave My Heart Out of This
Skye Walker tapped away at her computer. Over time, her computer had become her best friend. Now, she sat in front of it chatting with a new friend on the Internet. Downstairs, she could hear the garage door go up and back down again. She imagined that one of her parents was home. She got up from her seat and looked out over the edge of the rail in the loft-area. Instead of her mother or father, her older brother was climbing the stairs. Her body tensed and she walked back stiffly to her seat and sat back down at her computer.
"Hey," her brother, Billy, greeted. Skye nodded back. She never looked at him; not anymore. It was always at the computer screen. Billy disappeared into his room. Skye was able to relax for a moment. She tensed the next when he emerged again. He walked over and placed his hands on the back of her chair. "Whatcha doing?" he asked.
"Nothing," Skye replied. "Go away, please." He placed a hand on her shoulder and she pushed it away. "Please, Billy, go away."
"You don't like hanging around with your big brother anymore?" he asked, pathetically.
Skye looked him in the eye for the first time in two months. "I said go away, and I meant it," she hissed.
Billy walked away in surrender. "What time is Mom getting home?"
Skye sighed. "Probably around six-thirty."
Billy nodded and headed down the stairs.
Skye had shut herself in her room. She always did that when her parents weren't home, but her brother was. She could faintly hear the garage door go up a second time. She waited on her bed to see who would open her bedroom door.
The door squeaked slightly as it opened. "Hey, kid," said Skye's father, Barry.
"Hi, Dad."
"Your mother's home, too. Dinner should be ready soon, okay?"
Skye nodded, and her father shut the door. A half an hour or so later, Skye could hear her mother calling for her. "Coming, Mom!" she called back. She turned off her CD player, closed the book she'd been reading, and put down her History notebook. She walked down the stairs, across the living room, and into the dining room. "Smells good," she told her mom.
"Thanks, honey."
Skye smiled. "Sure."
"Billy won't be home for dinner tonight," her mother told her father.
"Really, where's he going?"
"Something at school," her mother sighed.
"What is it, Wendy?"
"Nothing, he's just going to be gone next summer. I guess it's all just happening too fast for me."
Barry smiled. "Me too," he said. He reached out and squeezed his wife's shoulder. Wendy placed a hand over his.
Skye smiled. Her parents were so sweet to each other. "Come on," Wendy said. "Let's get dinner started."
A few hours later, Skye's parents headed out for a movie. She waved them out the door, smiling. She was happy to have the house to herself for a while. She quickly ran up the stairs and shut herself in her room. She opened the door to her closet and began looking through her clothes. She had a school trip coming up that weekend. She wanted to start getting an idea of what she was taking.
After she'd looked through her closet the second time, she grabbed the remote for her stereo. She turned it on her favorite radio station and blasted it loud enough for the neighbors to hear. Soon, she was singing loudly and digging through the bottom of her closet for a pair of sandals. She didn't hear her bedroom door open, or the garage door downstairs.
A hand reached down to touch her shoulder and she screamed. She fell into her closet and held out a defensive hand.
"Whoa!" Billy exclaimed. "Chill out, S. it's just me."
"Why didn't you knock?" Skye asked.
"You couldn't have heard me if I had." Skye had to smile a little. She knew he was right. "Can I at least help you up?" he asked, offering his hand.
She ignored it and stood up on her own. She walked over to her radio and turned it down. "Okay, I'm fine, you can leave now," she told him. He stood there for a moment, and then walked over to her.
"You know," he said running a hand along her cheek, "Mom and Dad won't be home for another couple of hours..."
Skye pulled away from him. "What are you talking about?" Billy grabbed her wrist and threw her onto her bed. He set his knee on her stomach so that she couldn't get up. Skye gasped for breath as he put all his weight on her. "No," she pleaded. "No, Billy, not again," she cried.
Skye had again shut herself in her room. This time, the door was locked. She had her comforter pulled around her body. Her radio was playing softly and the lights were out. She heard a light knock on her door. "Skye, are you okay?" her father asked. When there was no answer, he tried again. "Skye? Honey?"
Skye rolled over and looked at the door. Her father was standing on the other side. He wouldn't want to come in if he had known what had happened there that night. He would never want to look at her again.
"I'm fine, Daddy," she said finally. "Good night."
"Good night, honey. I'll see you in the morning." With that, he walked away from the door. She heard him knock on Billy's door. He asked if there was anything wrong. She heard Billy lie through his teeth and tell their father that he had no idea what was the matter. Her anger blocked the rest of their words. She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep.
Skye woke up the next morning to her mother knocking at the locked door. "Skye, you better get up this minute! I won't come back again." Skye dragged herself out of bed and unlocked the door. Her mother stood there, arms crossed. "Well, it's about time. You'd better hurry if you want to get to school on time."
"Right," Skye said, under her breath.
"What?" her mother asked.
"Nothing, Mom, nothing," she said, disappearing into her room.
By Thursday of that week, Skye's friends had begun to notice the change in her. "You'd better snap out of it by this weekend," they said.
She'd just rolled her eyes. "You guys have no idea," she responded.
She sat quietly on the charter bus waiting for her teacher, Mr. Kellogg, to finish attendance. She had both of the seats to herself. Her best friends, Maya and Erica, were across the aisle. As the bus pulled away from the school, Skye pulled her CD player out of her backpack. She put her back against the window, put her feet up on the other seat, and closed her eyes.
She opened an eye when she felt someone tap her foot. She saw Maya leaning across the aisle. She took the headphones off. "Yeah?" she asked.
"Are you okay?" Maya whispered.
Skye rolled her eyes, scoffed, and put her headphones back on. She leaned her head against the window. Suddenly, she felt her feet fall to the floor of the bus. Skye opened her eyes in surprise. Maya was now sitting where her feet had been.
"What was that for?" Skye hissed.
"What is the matter with you?" Maya asked.
Skye sighed in frustration. "Nothing! Why can't you all just leave me alone! That's all I hear from my parents and now you're all starting in on me."
Maya was confused. "It's just that..."
"No, Maya. Go sit in your seat and leave me alone. If I want to talk about it, I'll tell you."
Maya gave up and moved back. Skye nodded and pulled her headphones back over her ears. Finally, some peace.
Skye threw her suitcase on the bed in the hotel room. She looked around, taking stock of the room. Maya came in after her and threw her things on the other bed.
"Cool, huh?" Maya asked.
"Yeah," Skye said. She was back to her old self. "Who's across the hall from us?"
"Erica and Jenn," Maya answered.
"Great. What time do we have to be in the room tonight?" she asked.
Maya glanced at her watch. "Actually, we have to be in here in about a half an hour. No use in even leaving."
"Yeah," Skye said, flopping down on the bed.
Maya sat on her own bed. "Skye?" she asked slowly.
Skye laid on her side. "Yup?"
Maya chewed on her lip, deciding whether or not she really wanted to say what was on her mind. She took a deep breath. "You know, what, nevermind."
Skye shrugged. "Okay."
Skye rolled over and looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was almost three o'clock in the morning. Her eyes weren't even heavy. She closed them again, trying to force sleep upon herself. She laid completely still for a half an hour. Still, no sleep. She sat up quickly. What was the point? She hadn't been able to sleep since...
She shook the images and the feelings out of her head. She wasn't going to let it get to her. It hadn't the first time, or the second. Why should it now?
She swung her legs over the side of the bed. She looked down at the floor, deciding what she wanted to do. She couldn't go walking around. There were parents all over the place that would ask all sorts of questions.
She ran her feet over the carpet. Finally, she stood and went into the bathroom. She left the door open a crack. She ran some cold water in the sink. She put her hands in and let the cold water spill over them. She then made a cup with them and splashed the liquid on her face.
She stood with her hands resting on the sink and looked at her face in the mirror. It was as if she was looking at a complete stranger. Her features seemed foreign. She closed her eyes again and shook those thoughts out of her head.
She quickly opened one of the cabinet doors looking for anything that might help her get a few minutes of sleep at least. She needed some sleep, desperately. She looked up and down but didn't find anything. She whimpered in frustration. She let the cabinet doors close and went back to her bed. She looked up at the dark ceiling. She closed her eyes and was soon sleeping.
Skye lay trembling in her bed, while her brother pulled his t-shirt back over his head. She faced the wall with her eyes closed. There were small sobs escaping from her throat.
"Oh, would you stop it already?" Billy yelled. "My god, you are such a baby."
Skye tried desperately to ignore him. She pulled herself into a little ball and squeezed her eyes shut tighter. Suddenly, there was a strong hand on her shoulder. It turned her over. She looked up into the dark. She could barely make out her brother's figure.
"If you EVER tell anyone about this..." he said, not finishing his sentence. He turned his head quickly when he heard the garage door go up. "Just remember what I said," he whispered, fiercely.
After he'd left her room, she jumped up and locked the door behind him. She swore to herself that she wouldn't tell anyone what had just happened. NO ONE.
Skye opened her eyes to see the unfamiliar sights of the hotel room. She heard a knock on the door. She rubbed her eyes and stood to get the door. She opened it slowly and looked out into the hall.
One of the chaperones was standing out in the hall. She smiled brightly. "Just wanted to make sure that you two are up! Breakfast is at 7:30. Don't forget!"
Skye smiled and shut the door again. She drug her feet and fell back onto the bed. She heard Maya move on her side of the room. Suddenly, there was a loud thump. Skye perked up immediately to see what had happened.
Maya peered over the mattress. She was so embarrassed. "I haven't fallen out of bed since I was a kid!" she exclaimed. "Skye, you can not tell anyone what just happened!"
A sudden flood of anger engulfed Skye. "What do you mean I can't tell anyone?" she screamed. "I am so tired of people telling me what I can and can't say!"
Maya was shocked. "It's okay. I didn't mean..."
"You meant it! They always mean it! I am so tired of keeping secrets!" she yelled.
Maya looked at her friend. She was still on the floor, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. She didn't dare say a word. She didn't want her friend to totally crack. When Skye had calmed down, Maya got up off the floor. She watched as Skye, tears trickling down her face, sat back on the bed and covered her face.
"What secrets?" Maya asked, softly.
Skye just sobbed. "What the hell is wrong with me, My?"
Maya put an arm around her friend. Skye tensed up and Maya quickly dropped her arm. "What's wrong?"
"Please, don't touch me," Skye said, scooting away from Maya.
"Okay, I won't touch you, but please tell me what is going on!" Maya pleaded. When she got no response, she stood in front of her friend. "I'm not leaving until you tell me."
Skye looked up at her with cold eyes. No one was getting her secret out of her. There was a knock at the door. Maya sighed and went to answer it. There was again, a parent standing outside. "Is everything okay?" the mother asked.
Maya shrugged. "Yeah, fine."
The mother peered over Maya's shoulder into the room. She saw Skye sitting on the bed, still crying. "Is she okay?"
"I'm fine!" Skye screamed. "Why don't you people leave me the hell alone?" She jumped up off of the bed and slammed the door to the bathroom behind her.
Maya looked sadly at the bathroom door and back at the mother. She didn't look pleased. "I won't be spoken to that way. I'm going to find Mr. Kellogg. I'll have him deal with you two girls."
Maya became worried. "No! Please!" she called down the hall. "Don't go get..." But it was too late. The mother was already in the elevator. Maya closed the door to their room and knocked on the bathroom door. "Thanks a lot, Skye! She went to get Kellogg!"
There was no response from inside. Suddenly, the sound of breaking glass seemed to echo. Maya pounded again. "Skye!" she screamed. "Skye!"
"Maya?" a male voice called from outside the door. She went and threw it open quickly.
"She's in the bathroom. The door's locked and it sounds like she just broke the mirror," Maya said, almost too fast to understand.
"What's the matter?" Kellogg asked as he raced to their phone.
"I don't know! She wouldn't tell me."
Kellogg nodded and waited for someone to pick the phone up on the other end. "Listen," he said, "this is an emergency. We have a girl that's locked herself in the bathroom. We need a bathroom key to room 215 right away." He hung up and looked at Maya, who was visibly worried. "It's going to be okay, I promise."
When housekeeping got up to the room and opened the door, Skye was sitting against the tub with shards of glass from the mirror all around her. She was sobbing where she sat. "I'm sorry," she cried. "I'm sorry."
Mr. Kellogg inched toward her. He didn't think that she had tried to cut herself. "Skye," he said. "Don't move."
"I'm sorry," she repeated. "I didn't know what to do. I didn't know..."
Mr. Kellogg reached out for her hand. "Skye, take my hand. Come with me." She wouldn't even look at him. "Skye!" he said firmly. "Take my hand, now." She held out her own hand. He took her arm and stood her up. She didn't have shoes on, and he didn't want to her to hurt herself on the glass. "Listen," he said. "I'm going to get you over all this glass, okay? Just relax, all right?" He looked around the bathroom for a second, looking for something that she could step on. He spotted the towel rack on the wall. He reached for three towels and spread them over the glass. "Now, I want you to jump over these if you can. If not, step on them very lightly, okay?" he asked. Skye still looked as if she was in some other world. He took hold of her chin and made her look at him. "Okay?"
Maya watched as Skye stepped on the towels. She cringed each time she put her foot down. When Skye was safely out of the bathroom, Maya hugged her.
Skye squirmed away from her quickly. "I told you not to touch me!" she cried. She ran to the corner of the room and sunk against the wall. She watched the two people in her room as they exchanged glances.
Mr. Kellogg was the first one to start toward her. He kneeled down in front of her.
"What were you trying to do in there, Skye?"
"Nothing," she answered.
"You know I have to tell your parents. Come on, talk to me," he said in his most comforting voice.
"I told you," she said. "Nothing."
He sighed. He started to stand and put a hand on Skye's shoulder. She, suddenly, was back in defense mode. She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward her to punch him in the stomach. He let out a cry and doubled over.
When he'd regained himself, he said, "I hope you're ready to go home, Miss Walker."
Skye looked at him indifferently.
Skye sat on the couch in the living room. Her parents had just gotten done lecturing her on how to behave on school trips. Skye just sat there rolling her eyes. Her parents couldn't see that that wasn't the real problem. Her friends knew that there was something wrong. Why couldn't her parents see it? Did they just not want to believe it? She knew that she'd find a way to make them believe it. She wanted help, needed it, but couldn't bear to tell what had happened. She just wanted someone who would listen to her.
Her parents still stood in front of her, their arms folded. "Are you done?" she asked.
Wendy looked at Barry in disbelief. Barry looked back, but he was still cool. "Yes," he said. "Go up to your room and we'll call you for dinner."
"Thank you," Skye said. She pushed herself off the couch and headed up the stairs. She could hear Billy on the computer in the loft. She stalked past him and closed the door to her room. She picked up the remote to her stereo and turned it up. She kicked her inflatable chair out into the middle of her bedroom and laid on top of it, looking at the ceiling. She closed her eyes and listened to the music.
Before long, her father poked his head into her room. "Come on, kid. Dinner's ready."
Skye lifted her head. "I'm not hungry," she insisted and let her neck go limp again.
Barry narrowed his eyes. "At least come down and have something to drink."
Skye lifted her head and raised her eyebrows. "Beer? Wine? Vodka?" she asked.
Her father shook his head. "Stay up here," he said. "Just don't come down for anything later."
Skye shrugged. "Whatever," she answered.
The next day, when Skye was back at school, the kids wanted to know why. "What happened?" they asked.
"I was sick," she'd answer. It wasn't completely a lie. As the day went on, she noticed people had started to make up stories for her. She started to agree with them and then would embellish. By the end of the day, she had been in a horrible accident at the hotel and she was so traumatized that they'd had to send her home.
Skye unlocked the front door to her house and dropped her backpack on the floor. She didn't even bother to move it. She shut the door behind her and headed to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a can of pop. She popped it open and took a long swig. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and started for the stairs. She hopped over her backpack and started up the stairs. Her brother wasn't home. She knew that right away.
She pulled the chair out from under the computer desk and pressed the power button on the PC. It had been days since she'd talked with any of her Internet friends. She waited for her logon screen to come up. It seemed to take a lot longer than she remembered. The blue screen suddenly popped up out of nowhere. She typed in her member name and password and tapped the enter key. She waited as it connected. She turned around and turned on the CD player that was on the table behind her.
She bobbed her head to the beat as she clicked around in her e-mail. Downstairs, the garage door went up. She tensed and listened for footsteps. She thought she heard the garage door open and close, but she wasn't sure. She didn't dare say a word. She just kept typing.
She heard a loud thud from downstairs. Then, she heard Billy curse. She sat up straight and stared at the screen. She couldn't see what she was looking at anymore. Her fingers just kept moving; she didn't know what they were writing.
She closed her eyes as she heard feet on the stairs. She took deep, slow breaths. She opened her eyes again when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked away and batted the hand off of her. "Don't," she insisted.
He leaned next to her ear. "Why?" he whispered.
She shied away. "I said no, Billy." He ran his hand down her arm. She moved away from it. "Stop," she said. He moved to the other side of her and put his other hand on her shoulder. She was pinned in the chair. He was too strong for her to fight. She could feel his breath on her neck. She could smell the awful cologne that he wore.
She could feel the anger rise inside her as he touched her again and began to kiss her neck. Then, she heard it. The garage door was going up again. It had saved her. Billy immediately took his hands off of her and started to go into his room. Instead of letting him, Skye jumped on him and began pounding him with her fists. She let all the rage and the adrenaline rush that he caused flood out from her hands.
He lifted his own hands in defense, but was amazed at how strong his little sister was. She would grab them and fling them to the floor. He finally grabbed a hold of one of her wrists. "Stop it," he hissed.
She took her other hand and scratched his face with her nails. "You!" she yelled back. She heard the sound of feet running up the stairs, but didn't care. Her fists just kept hammering into him.
As Barry came to the top of the stairs, he could hear something going on in the loft, but couldn't tell what. He was more than surprised to see his children physically fighting. And what was more surprising was that Skye seemed to be winning.
"Dad!" Billy yelped. "Get her off of me!"
Barry quickly moved and took hold of his daughter. Literally having to drag her off of Billy. "What is going on, here?" he asked.
Skye was panting and her hands were red. "Ask him," she hissed and stalked off to her room.
Barry turned to Billy who was still on the floor. "What is she talking about?"
Billy shrugged. "I was just talking to her and she turned on me. I don't know what happened."
"Why didn't you get her off of you?"
"I was just trying to keep her away from my face. You'd be surprised how strong she really is." Billy propped himself up and then stood up. He looked toward his sister's room, wiping the blood from the gash on his face and from his busted lip.
Skye made her way out of her room and down the stairs. No one was home. They'd gone to the hospital. She couldn't help but smirk that she'd been able to get Billy down. It had felt so wonderful just to beat the crap out of him. It was an awesome release. She got to the bottom of the stairs and thrust her arms in the air. She took a deep breath and screamed as loud as she could. It felt awesome.
Her parents and brother came home later that night. The cut on his face had needed stitches. Skye had shut herself in her room again. She heard someone pounding on the door, then it flew open. She lifted her head up off of her pillow.
"Yes?" she asked groggily. The light switch was turned on. She squinted. Both of her parents were standing just inside her room. "Are you going to say anything, or can I go back to sleep?"
"Sit up," her mother commanded.
Skye rolled her eyes but did as she was told. "Yes?" she asked again.
Barry stood with his arms crossed. He was obviously not pleased. "What is going on?" he asked, trying to keep himself under control.
Skye sighed heavily. "I told you to ask him," she answered. "He could tell you better than I could. At least, I hope," her voice began to get louder, "because I sure as hell can't!" She calmed herself. "Now could you please leave me alone?"
Barry began to speak again, but Wendy touched his arm. He looked at her. She shook her head and began to lead him out of Skye's bedroom. She turned the light back off and shut the door. Barry looked at her in amazement. "What are you doing?" he cried.
"Bar, she needs more help than we can give her. She's not going to talk to us. That should be clear."
"But..." Barry began.
Wendy smiled. "I know she's your little girl, but we just can't help her."
A week later, Skye was sitting in the backseat of her parent's Explorer. Her bags were in the back. She sat looking out the window with her arms crossed.
Wendy was sitting in the passenger seat. "You love the outdoors," she said. "This place should be fun."
"Fun," Skye replied, sarcastically. "I'm sure it will be, Mommy." She rolled her eyes. "Can we at least have the radio on?" she asked. Barry looked at her in the rear view mirror. He flipped it on, but all that would come in was static. "Wonderful," she breathed. She looked back out the window. She watched all the scenery pass by her.
Soon, the Explorer turned onto a gravel drive. Skye saw what looked like a summer camp. There were kids walking around with books in their arms and studying at the picnic tables that were scattered throughout what she could see of the campus.
Wendy looked back at her, smiling. "We're here, honey."
"Great," Skye replied. She looked out the window on the other side of the car and saw a man and a woman coming toward them. Both were smiling. Skye rolled her eyes. "What a welcoming committee," she thought.
Barry stepped out of the car and went to the back to get Skye's things. "You getting out?" he asked.
"Only as a last resort," she replied.
Barry shook his head. "Out, now."
Skye scoffed, but did as she was instructed. She walked around the car and leaned against it.
Her father placed her bags on the ground next to her. He held his hand out to Peter. "Barry Walker," he said.
"Mr. Walker, I'm Peter Scarbrow and this is Sophie Becker."
"Pleasure," Sophie said holding her own hand out to Barry and Wendy.
"This is Skye," Wendy offered.
"Skye," Peter said. "Welcome to Horizon."
"Thanks," she replied, sarcastically.
"Well," Peter said, "Sophie will take you around campus and show you everything. Your parents and I are going to go to my office and do some paperwork. Okay?" he asked her.
Skye rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
When they were out of earshot, Skye began to talk. "I don't understand why I'm here."
Sophie was confused. "You don't?"
"I'm not the one that did anything wrong," Skye continued.
"Really?"
"It's all their fault, they just don't want to admit it."
Sophie stopped her. "What are you talking about, Skye?"
Skye sighed. "Nothing, forget it."
"No, come on. Tell me."
"Nevermind," she said and began to walk again. "Just forget it."
Peter opened the door for Skye's parents. "Please," he said, "have a seat."
"Thank you," Barry said. "Mr. Scarbrow..."
"Please, call me Peter."
"Peter," he continued. "Do you really think that Skye will get better here?"
Peter leaned back in his chair. "Sir," he began. "I won't lie to you. Our success rate is very good, but we don't make promises that we can't keep. Now, keep in mind that I'm not saying that she won't get the help she needs here, either."
"I'm not sure that I understand what you're saying, Peter," Wendy said.
Peter sighed. "I guess what I'm really saying is that it could go either way. There are no guarantees."
Sophie and Skye met back up with Peter and Skye's parents back at the car. Peter spoke first, "Skye, are you going to say goodbye?"
Skye looked up from the ground. "Later," she said, monotonously.
Wendy and Barry both told their daughter goodbye and hugged her before they left. Skye stood stiff.
"Well," Peter said, turning to Skye. "I suppose it's time for you to meet the Cliffhangers. They are your group. Ready?"
"Sure," Skye responded.
Sophie walked with them to Markasian Hall where the kids were lounging after their classes. "Cliffhangers!" Peter barked. About seven kids' heads snapped up. "This is Skye. She's part of your group. Make her feel welcome."
"Sure, Peter," Kat said with her usual smile. "I'm Kat. Why don't you come over here and we'll introduce ourselves to you."
Skye shrugged. She sat on the couch next to two boys.
"I'll start," Juliette chirped in. "I'm Juliette Waybourne."
"Shelby Merrick."
"Scott Barringer."
"Daisy Lipenowski."
"Auggie Ciceros."
"Ezra Friedkin."
Skye looked around at the rest of the group. She sighed, "Skye Walker."
Shelby stifled a laugh. Skye shot her a look. "Do your parents hate you or something?" she asked.
Skye smirked. "They thought it had a certain Force behind it," she replied.
Juliette grinned but didn't comment. "Have you seen our dorm yet?" Skye shook her head. "Come on," Jules said. "I'll show you."
Skye shrugged and stood up with her. "My things are still with Peter."
"That's okay," Juliette said. "He'll get them back to you." Juliette and Skye headed to the Cliffhanger girls' dorm.
Skye followed Juliette into one of the cabins. "Your bed is down there. Number five, I think. Actually, unless Sophie or Peter has a problem with it, you could take any of the empty beds."
Skye walked to bed number five. "This'll work," she said. She fell onto the bed and turned her head away from Juliette.
"Can I ask you something?" Juliette asked, quietly.
Skye sighed, but looked at her anyway. "Sure, go ahead."
"Mind telling me why you're here?"
"Yes," Skye answered.
"That's okay," Juliette said. "We all find out eventually anyway. Even Shelby finally told us her story."
"Good for her," Skye replied. She turned and faced Juliette. "Mind if I ask you a question?"
Juliette smiled. "Sure."
Skye became serious. "How bad is it here?"
Jules shook her head. "It's really not that bad once you get settled in. And with any luck, you'll be out of here before senior year." Juliette studied Skye for a moment. "Are you okay?"
"Is anyone here okay?" Skye retorted.
Skye was thrust into the Horizon routine very quickly. That night, she sat in a circle with the rest of the Cliffhangers and Peter and Sophie. It was something that they called "group".
"Okay," Peter began. "Tonight we're only saying one sentence. You know what to do. When you've said your sentence call on someone else. Got it?" The Cliffhangers all nodded. They'd obviously done it more than once. "Start with 'I want to'. Scott, you're first."
Scott thought for a moment. "I want to play. E.Z."
"I want to feel," Ezra said. He glanced around the circle and stopped at Juliette. "Jules."
Juliette smiled. "I want to fly." Shelby rolled her eyes. "Skye."
Skye looked around the circle and at her counselors. "I want to forget."
Peter and Sophie sat in Peter's office later that night. "What do you think she wants to forget?" Sophie asked.
Peter leaned back in his chair. "I don't know. She'll tell us when she's ready, I suppose."
"Think she'll fit in with the Cliffhangers?" Sophie asked, worried.
Peter smiled. "You worry too much. Relax, she'll do fine." Sophie grinned and leaned back into the couch. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Come on in!" Peter called. The door opened slowly and revealed Skye. She smiled awkwardly.
"Can I talk to Sophie for a second?" she asked.
"You can talk to both of us," Peter insisted.
Skye looked at the ground. "I'd really rather talk to her, alone."
Sophie motioned Peter out of the room with her head. Peter stood up and left. He put a reassuring hand on Skye's shoulder as he walked out.
"What's up, Skye?" Sophie asked. She patted the spot next to her on the couch.
Skye sat timidly next to Sophie. Her attitude was completely changed since her parents dropped her off. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself.
Sophie studied her for a second. "Skye, what is it?"
Skye looked up at Sophie, tears brimming her eyes. She shook her head. "I can't. I'm sorry." She jumped up off of the couch and ran out of the office.
Peter was standing outside the building when Skye burst out the door. "Skye!" he called. She turned back then kept on running. Peter began to chase after her. "Skye!" he yelled again.
"Peter!" Sophie called. She'd just come out of the building and saw him running after her. She shook her head. "She'll tell us when she's ready."
Peter stopped running and hung his head. He looked in the direction that she had been running. His eyes lingered for a while before returning to Sophie. "Okay," he sighed.
Skye ran as far away from the administration building as she could, away from everyone. She stopped and fell on the ground, panting and exhausted. She rested her head on the wet grass. The tears that had been building in the office spilled over. She made a fist and started pounding it into the ground. She cursed her secret, her family, and herself. She cried in the grass for a half an hour before she decided to go back to the dorm.
When she opened the door, everyone was asleep. Everyone except Shelby. Skye crept past them and slid into her bed.
"I'm your buddy for the first week," Shelby told her. "I don't like it any better than you, but we'll have to deal with it."
"Fine," Skye said. "Good night."
"Good night."
Shelby woke Skye up the next morning. "Get up," she commanded. "I'm not going to be late for breakfast."
Skye opened one eye and closed it again. "Buzz off, Shelby," she groaned.
"I told you, I'm your buddy, I can't buzz off. I have to show you the ropes around here. If you're cooperative it will go a lot smoother."
Skye groaned again, but sat up. "Can I get dressed by myself?" she asked, sarcastically.
Shelby took a step back, "Be my guest."
Skye grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweater. She ran a brush through her hair a couple of times and then stepped out. Shelby was sitting on her bed, arms crossed in front of her. "Are you ready, yet?" she asked.
"Lead the way."
Shelby grabbed a tray and placed it on top of the counter, waiting for a classmate to put her plate on it. Skye followed her example. Shelby waited for Skye as she filled a glass of orange juice. "We sit over here," Shelby said. She led Skye toward the Cliffhanger table. The rest of the group was already eating.
"Hey, Skye," Juliette greeted.
"Hi," Skye said, no emotion in her voice.
"So, Skye," Daisy started. "Tell us your tale of self-destruction. I'm sure we've heard it before."
"Butt out," Skye replied.
"Ooh," Daisy quipped. "Sounds like she's taking after you, Shel."
Shelby smiled at her friend. "She'd only be so lucky."
Skye rolled her eyes.
"So, Skye," Ezra started. "You looking for a boyfriend? There are many fine young men here, you know."
"Who?" Skye asked. "You?"
"Hey, I could be your Luke," Ezra joked. "Then again, the girls seem to go for Scott too. Maybe he's the one that can channel The Force." He smiled.
"He seems more like Vader than Skywalker," Auggie said.
"Ooh, Skye Walker, are you deserting to the Dark Side?" Daisy asked, grinning.
"So original, really. I've never heard any of those things before," Skye said, looking down at her plate.
Shelby smiled, evilly, waiting for the right moment to pounce on the new kid, too. Then, Skye looked up at her, their eyes met and Shelby saw something extremely familiar in them.
Shelby caught up again with Skye later that day. She was reading at one of the tables in Markasian Hall. Shelby sat down across from her. "The wall doesn't help," she said.
Skye looked up. "What are you talking about?"
"I know what you're going through. Shutting people out isn't the answer. It only makes it worse."
"You don't know anything about me. No one does," Skye replied, closing her book and standing up.
"I do know about you. You're hurting, you're angry. You know how I know that?" Shelby asked. Skye sat down again. "Because that was me too. Who was it? Your father? A teacher?"
"You don't know anything," Skye hissed. She stood up from the table and walked away.
Skye paced outside Peter's office that night. She just couldn't build up the courage to open the door and ask to see Sophie again. Instead, she sat outside against the wall. She ran her hand through her hair. She bounced her feet, anything to take her mind off of what she needed to do. She sat there, though. She could hear Peter talking and moving inside. She just didn't want to have to go in there.
Soon, Skye realized that the office was quiet. Peter wasn't talking or moving around. She took a deep breath and stood up. Another deep breath to look in the window. It took several to knock on the door.
"Come in!" Peter called. He looked up at the door. No one opened it. "Hello?" he asked, getting up from his desk. He opened the door and no one was there. He looked to the right first, trying to see if someone was there. Then he looked to the left, where he saw Skye sitting under his window. He knelt down. "Skye, do you need to talk to me?" Skye nodded, but didn't say anything. "Do you want to talk in the office?" Skye shook her head. Peter sat down beside her. "What's going on, Skye?"
"I haven't told anyone. I've been too scared."
"Told anyone what?" Peter asked.
"That..." Skye's voice trailed off.
"What?"
"That..." she tried again. She wanted the words to come out. She wanted the whole thing to come out. She didn't want to carry it with her anymore. She wanted someone else to know. She needed someone else to help her. She sighed and shook her head. "I still just can't..." she said. She jumped up off the ground and ran out of the building.
Peter stood, but let her go, shaking his head.
Skye got into the dorm late that night and Shelby was sitting up, reading. "Hey," she said.
"Hi," Skye replied.
"Want to talk?" Skye shook her head. "It's easier once you get it out in the open."
"Somehow, I doubt that."
Shelby put her book down. "Would it help if I told you about me?" she asked. Skye shrugged. She sat at the foot of Shelby's bed. "It was my stepfather," she started. "He abused me. Well, you know what I mean." Skye nodded. "I hated him so much. I just had to get out of my house. I ran away a lot. I became desperate for money so I had to start turning tricks. That's when they found me and put me here." She leaned toward Skye, "Now you."
Skye studied her for a moment, not sure whether she could trust Shelby or not. She sighed and decided to tell anyway. At least someone would know. "My brother, Billy. He would, um, come into my room when my parents weren't home." She closed her eyes. "He'd been doing it for about six months. I finally just had enough and beat him up one night. My parents didn't know what to think. He wouldn't tell them, and I didn't tell them. I've never told anyone." Tears started to flow from her eyes. "My parents didn't see what he was doing to me. They weren't paying attention, or they didn't care." She stopped. "Please, don't tell Peter or Sophie. Please, Shelby."
"I won't," she said, sincerity in her voice. "I promise." She reached her arms out to Skye. They hugged for a long time. "I know what you're going through, okay?"
Almost an hour later, Shelby and Skye finally went to bed. Skye tossed and turned, but couldn't quite go to sleep. It felt a little better to finally have it off her chest and know that she wasn't alone. She turned over and looked at the ceiling. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. Finally, she was asleep.
She started to dream. She dreamt about home, and her family. More specifically, Billy. Those horrible nights came back to her in her dreams. "No," she mumbled. "No." Tears began to fall from her closed eyes. "No," she sobbed. Suddenly, she gasped and sat up. She looked around, and wiped the tears from her face. She was back at Horizon; back in her dorm, in her bed.
She looked around. She hadn't woken anyone up. She threw the blankets off of herself and got up. She crept into the bathroom, careful not to wake anyone. She turned the light on and stood in front of the mirror. She turned the faucet on and splashed water on her face.
She heard the floor creak outside the door. The door creaked open, and Juliette was standing in the light. "Sorry," she whispered.
"That's okay," Skye said. She splashed her face again and turned off the water. She looked in the mirror. She still felt like she didn't recognize herself. She shook her head and started to regret telling Shelby anything. "It was a mistake," she whispered.
"What was?" Juliette asked.
Skye looked over at her. "Nothing," she said. "Nothing." She watched as Juliette left and shut the door behind her. She looked back into the mirror at someone she didn't know. Suddenly, she couldn't stand that person in the mirror. She never wanted to see that person again. She reached up to the top of it and began to pull. She pulled with all of her strength until it came crashing down onto the floor. She did that with all four of the mirrors. By the time the third one had come down, the whole dorm was standing in the doorway.
"Go get someone to call, Peter, quick," Shelby commanded. "Go!" She took a step in the bathroom, careful not to step on any of the glass that was all over the floor. Skye was sitting in the corner, surrounded by glass.
Peter and Sophie arrived about fifteen minutes later. They ushered the Cliffhanger girls out of the bathroom. They let Shelby stay. They shut the door and tried to make their way around the shards of glass that were everywhere.
"Skye," Peter started. "Why did you do this?"
Skye didn't look at anyone. Her eyes went from the wall to the floor to the ceiling, never staying there for more than a few seconds.
"Skye," Peter repeated. "Why did you break these mirrors? Did someone here upset you?" he glanced at Shelby, hoping for something from her. Shelby just shrugged.
Skye took a deep breath and looked at Sophie, not Peter or Shelby. "It's the only way I feel safe," she said and began to cry.
Against her will, a few tears fell onto Shelby's cheeks.
Sophie covered her mouth to stop her own emotions from getting away from her. She couldn't stand watching this girl suffering like that. She turned her back for a moment.
"You have to help me," Skye pleaded with Sophie. "Please, you have to help me."
"Skye, we're going to do everything we can to help you, but we have to know what's going on. Please, will you tell us?"
Skye looked at Peter for the first time and started to tell him what had happened.
THE END
Leave My Heart Out of This
Skye Walker tapped away at her computer. Over time, her computer had become her best friend. Now, she sat in front of it chatting with a new friend on the Internet. Downstairs, she could hear the garage door go up and back down again. She imagined that one of her parents was home. She got up from her seat and looked out over the edge of the rail in the loft-area. Instead of her mother or father, her older brother was climbing the stairs. Her body tensed and she walked back stiffly to her seat and sat back down at her computer.
"Hey," her brother, Billy, greeted. Skye nodded back. She never looked at him; not anymore. It was always at the computer screen. Billy disappeared into his room. Skye was able to relax for a moment. She tensed the next when he emerged again. He walked over and placed his hands on the back of her chair. "Whatcha doing?" he asked.
"Nothing," Skye replied. "Go away, please." He placed a hand on her shoulder and she pushed it away. "Please, Billy, go away."
"You don't like hanging around with your big brother anymore?" he asked, pathetically.
Skye looked him in the eye for the first time in two months. "I said go away, and I meant it," she hissed.
Billy walked away in surrender. "What time is Mom getting home?"
Skye sighed. "Probably around six-thirty."
Billy nodded and headed down the stairs.
Skye had shut herself in her room. She always did that when her parents weren't home, but her brother was. She could faintly hear the garage door go up a second time. She waited on her bed to see who would open her bedroom door.
The door squeaked slightly as it opened. "Hey, kid," said Skye's father, Barry.
"Hi, Dad."
"Your mother's home, too. Dinner should be ready soon, okay?"
Skye nodded, and her father shut the door. A half an hour or so later, Skye could hear her mother calling for her. "Coming, Mom!" she called back. She turned off her CD player, closed the book she'd been reading, and put down her History notebook. She walked down the stairs, across the living room, and into the dining room. "Smells good," she told her mom.
"Thanks, honey."
Skye smiled. "Sure."
"Billy won't be home for dinner tonight," her mother told her father.
"Really, where's he going?"
"Something at school," her mother sighed.
"What is it, Wendy?"
"Nothing, he's just going to be gone next summer. I guess it's all just happening too fast for me."
Barry smiled. "Me too," he said. He reached out and squeezed his wife's shoulder. Wendy placed a hand over his.
Skye smiled. Her parents were so sweet to each other. "Come on," Wendy said. "Let's get dinner started."
A few hours later, Skye's parents headed out for a movie. She waved them out the door, smiling. She was happy to have the house to herself for a while. She quickly ran up the stairs and shut herself in her room. She opened the door to her closet and began looking through her clothes. She had a school trip coming up that weekend. She wanted to start getting an idea of what she was taking.
After she'd looked through her closet the second time, she grabbed the remote for her stereo. She turned it on her favorite radio station and blasted it loud enough for the neighbors to hear. Soon, she was singing loudly and digging through the bottom of her closet for a pair of sandals. She didn't hear her bedroom door open, or the garage door downstairs.
A hand reached down to touch her shoulder and she screamed. She fell into her closet and held out a defensive hand.
"Whoa!" Billy exclaimed. "Chill out, S. it's just me."
"Why didn't you knock?" Skye asked.
"You couldn't have heard me if I had." Skye had to smile a little. She knew he was right. "Can I at least help you up?" he asked, offering his hand.
She ignored it and stood up on her own. She walked over to her radio and turned it down. "Okay, I'm fine, you can leave now," she told him. He stood there for a moment, and then walked over to her.
"You know," he said running a hand along her cheek, "Mom and Dad won't be home for another couple of hours..."
Skye pulled away from him. "What are you talking about?" Billy grabbed her wrist and threw her onto her bed. He set his knee on her stomach so that she couldn't get up. Skye gasped for breath as he put all his weight on her. "No," she pleaded. "No, Billy, not again," she cried.
Skye had again shut herself in her room. This time, the door was locked. She had her comforter pulled around her body. Her radio was playing softly and the lights were out. She heard a light knock on her door. "Skye, are you okay?" her father asked. When there was no answer, he tried again. "Skye? Honey?"
Skye rolled over and looked at the door. Her father was standing on the other side. He wouldn't want to come in if he had known what had happened there that night. He would never want to look at her again.
"I'm fine, Daddy," she said finally. "Good night."
"Good night, honey. I'll see you in the morning." With that, he walked away from the door. She heard him knock on Billy's door. He asked if there was anything wrong. She heard Billy lie through his teeth and tell their father that he had no idea what was the matter. Her anger blocked the rest of their words. She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep.
Skye woke up the next morning to her mother knocking at the locked door. "Skye, you better get up this minute! I won't come back again." Skye dragged herself out of bed and unlocked the door. Her mother stood there, arms crossed. "Well, it's about time. You'd better hurry if you want to get to school on time."
"Right," Skye said, under her breath.
"What?" her mother asked.
"Nothing, Mom, nothing," she said, disappearing into her room.
By Thursday of that week, Skye's friends had begun to notice the change in her. "You'd better snap out of it by this weekend," they said.
She'd just rolled her eyes. "You guys have no idea," she responded.
She sat quietly on the charter bus waiting for her teacher, Mr. Kellogg, to finish attendance. She had both of the seats to herself. Her best friends, Maya and Erica, were across the aisle. As the bus pulled away from the school, Skye pulled her CD player out of her backpack. She put her back against the window, put her feet up on the other seat, and closed her eyes.
She opened an eye when she felt someone tap her foot. She saw Maya leaning across the aisle. She took the headphones off. "Yeah?" she asked.
"Are you okay?" Maya whispered.
Skye rolled her eyes, scoffed, and put her headphones back on. She leaned her head against the window. Suddenly, she felt her feet fall to the floor of the bus. Skye opened her eyes in surprise. Maya was now sitting where her feet had been.
"What was that for?" Skye hissed.
"What is the matter with you?" Maya asked.
Skye sighed in frustration. "Nothing! Why can't you all just leave me alone! That's all I hear from my parents and now you're all starting in on me."
Maya was confused. "It's just that..."
"No, Maya. Go sit in your seat and leave me alone. If I want to talk about it, I'll tell you."
Maya gave up and moved back. Skye nodded and pulled her headphones back over her ears. Finally, some peace.
Skye threw her suitcase on the bed in the hotel room. She looked around, taking stock of the room. Maya came in after her and threw her things on the other bed.
"Cool, huh?" Maya asked.
"Yeah," Skye said. She was back to her old self. "Who's across the hall from us?"
"Erica and Jenn," Maya answered.
"Great. What time do we have to be in the room tonight?" she asked.
Maya glanced at her watch. "Actually, we have to be in here in about a half an hour. No use in even leaving."
"Yeah," Skye said, flopping down on the bed.
Maya sat on her own bed. "Skye?" she asked slowly.
Skye laid on her side. "Yup?"
Maya chewed on her lip, deciding whether or not she really wanted to say what was on her mind. She took a deep breath. "You know, what, nevermind."
Skye shrugged. "Okay."
Skye rolled over and looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was almost three o'clock in the morning. Her eyes weren't even heavy. She closed them again, trying to force sleep upon herself. She laid completely still for a half an hour. Still, no sleep. She sat up quickly. What was the point? She hadn't been able to sleep since...
She shook the images and the feelings out of her head. She wasn't going to let it get to her. It hadn't the first time, or the second. Why should it now?
She swung her legs over the side of the bed. She looked down at the floor, deciding what she wanted to do. She couldn't go walking around. There were parents all over the place that would ask all sorts of questions.
She ran her feet over the carpet. Finally, she stood and went into the bathroom. She left the door open a crack. She ran some cold water in the sink. She put her hands in and let the cold water spill over them. She then made a cup with them and splashed the liquid on her face.
She stood with her hands resting on the sink and looked at her face in the mirror. It was as if she was looking at a complete stranger. Her features seemed foreign. She closed her eyes again and shook those thoughts out of her head.
She quickly opened one of the cabinet doors looking for anything that might help her get a few minutes of sleep at least. She needed some sleep, desperately. She looked up and down but didn't find anything. She whimpered in frustration. She let the cabinet doors close and went back to her bed. She looked up at the dark ceiling. She closed her eyes and was soon sleeping.
Skye lay trembling in her bed, while her brother pulled his t-shirt back over his head. She faced the wall with her eyes closed. There were small sobs escaping from her throat.
"Oh, would you stop it already?" Billy yelled. "My god, you are such a baby."
Skye tried desperately to ignore him. She pulled herself into a little ball and squeezed her eyes shut tighter. Suddenly, there was a strong hand on her shoulder. It turned her over. She looked up into the dark. She could barely make out her brother's figure.
"If you EVER tell anyone about this..." he said, not finishing his sentence. He turned his head quickly when he heard the garage door go up. "Just remember what I said," he whispered, fiercely.
After he'd left her room, she jumped up and locked the door behind him. She swore to herself that she wouldn't tell anyone what had just happened. NO ONE.
Skye opened her eyes to see the unfamiliar sights of the hotel room. She heard a knock on the door. She rubbed her eyes and stood to get the door. She opened it slowly and looked out into the hall.
One of the chaperones was standing out in the hall. She smiled brightly. "Just wanted to make sure that you two are up! Breakfast is at 7:30. Don't forget!"
Skye smiled and shut the door again. She drug her feet and fell back onto the bed. She heard Maya move on her side of the room. Suddenly, there was a loud thump. Skye perked up immediately to see what had happened.
Maya peered over the mattress. She was so embarrassed. "I haven't fallen out of bed since I was a kid!" she exclaimed. "Skye, you can not tell anyone what just happened!"
A sudden flood of anger engulfed Skye. "What do you mean I can't tell anyone?" she screamed. "I am so tired of people telling me what I can and can't say!"
Maya was shocked. "It's okay. I didn't mean..."
"You meant it! They always mean it! I am so tired of keeping secrets!" she yelled.
Maya looked at her friend. She was still on the floor, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. She didn't dare say a word. She didn't want her friend to totally crack. When Skye had calmed down, Maya got up off the floor. She watched as Skye, tears trickling down her face, sat back on the bed and covered her face.
"What secrets?" Maya asked, softly.
Skye just sobbed. "What the hell is wrong with me, My?"
Maya put an arm around her friend. Skye tensed up and Maya quickly dropped her arm. "What's wrong?"
"Please, don't touch me," Skye said, scooting away from Maya.
"Okay, I won't touch you, but please tell me what is going on!" Maya pleaded. When she got no response, she stood in front of her friend. "I'm not leaving until you tell me."
Skye looked up at her with cold eyes. No one was getting her secret out of her. There was a knock at the door. Maya sighed and went to answer it. There was again, a parent standing outside. "Is everything okay?" the mother asked.
Maya shrugged. "Yeah, fine."
The mother peered over Maya's shoulder into the room. She saw Skye sitting on the bed, still crying. "Is she okay?"
"I'm fine!" Skye screamed. "Why don't you people leave me the hell alone?" She jumped up off of the bed and slammed the door to the bathroom behind her.
Maya looked sadly at the bathroom door and back at the mother. She didn't look pleased. "I won't be spoken to that way. I'm going to find Mr. Kellogg. I'll have him deal with you two girls."
Maya became worried. "No! Please!" she called down the hall. "Don't go get..." But it was too late. The mother was already in the elevator. Maya closed the door to their room and knocked on the bathroom door. "Thanks a lot, Skye! She went to get Kellogg!"
There was no response from inside. Suddenly, the sound of breaking glass seemed to echo. Maya pounded again. "Skye!" she screamed. "Skye!"
"Maya?" a male voice called from outside the door. She went and threw it open quickly.
"She's in the bathroom. The door's locked and it sounds like she just broke the mirror," Maya said, almost too fast to understand.
"What's the matter?" Kellogg asked as he raced to their phone.
"I don't know! She wouldn't tell me."
Kellogg nodded and waited for someone to pick the phone up on the other end. "Listen," he said, "this is an emergency. We have a girl that's locked herself in the bathroom. We need a bathroom key to room 215 right away." He hung up and looked at Maya, who was visibly worried. "It's going to be okay, I promise."
When housekeeping got up to the room and opened the door, Skye was sitting against the tub with shards of glass from the mirror all around her. She was sobbing where she sat. "I'm sorry," she cried. "I'm sorry."
Mr. Kellogg inched toward her. He didn't think that she had tried to cut herself. "Skye," he said. "Don't move."
"I'm sorry," she repeated. "I didn't know what to do. I didn't know..."
Mr. Kellogg reached out for her hand. "Skye, take my hand. Come with me." She wouldn't even look at him. "Skye!" he said firmly. "Take my hand, now." She held out her own hand. He took her arm and stood her up. She didn't have shoes on, and he didn't want to her to hurt herself on the glass. "Listen," he said. "I'm going to get you over all this glass, okay? Just relax, all right?" He looked around the bathroom for a second, looking for something that she could step on. He spotted the towel rack on the wall. He reached for three towels and spread them over the glass. "Now, I want you to jump over these if you can. If not, step on them very lightly, okay?" he asked. Skye still looked as if she was in some other world. He took hold of her chin and made her look at him. "Okay?"
Maya watched as Skye stepped on the towels. She cringed each time she put her foot down. When Skye was safely out of the bathroom, Maya hugged her.
Skye squirmed away from her quickly. "I told you not to touch me!" she cried. She ran to the corner of the room and sunk against the wall. She watched the two people in her room as they exchanged glances.
Mr. Kellogg was the first one to start toward her. He kneeled down in front of her.
"What were you trying to do in there, Skye?"
"Nothing," she answered.
"You know I have to tell your parents. Come on, talk to me," he said in his most comforting voice.
"I told you," she said. "Nothing."
He sighed. He started to stand and put a hand on Skye's shoulder. She, suddenly, was back in defense mode. She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward her to punch him in the stomach. He let out a cry and doubled over.
When he'd regained himself, he said, "I hope you're ready to go home, Miss Walker."
Skye looked at him indifferently.
Skye sat on the couch in the living room. Her parents had just gotten done lecturing her on how to behave on school trips. Skye just sat there rolling her eyes. Her parents couldn't see that that wasn't the real problem. Her friends knew that there was something wrong. Why couldn't her parents see it? Did they just not want to believe it? She knew that she'd find a way to make them believe it. She wanted help, needed it, but couldn't bear to tell what had happened. She just wanted someone who would listen to her.
Her parents still stood in front of her, their arms folded. "Are you done?" she asked.
Wendy looked at Barry in disbelief. Barry looked back, but he was still cool. "Yes," he said. "Go up to your room and we'll call you for dinner."
"Thank you," Skye said. She pushed herself off the couch and headed up the stairs. She could hear Billy on the computer in the loft. She stalked past him and closed the door to her room. She picked up the remote to her stereo and turned it up. She kicked her inflatable chair out into the middle of her bedroom and laid on top of it, looking at the ceiling. She closed her eyes and listened to the music.
Before long, her father poked his head into her room. "Come on, kid. Dinner's ready."
Skye lifted her head. "I'm not hungry," she insisted and let her neck go limp again.
Barry narrowed his eyes. "At least come down and have something to drink."
Skye lifted her head and raised her eyebrows. "Beer? Wine? Vodka?" she asked.
Her father shook his head. "Stay up here," he said. "Just don't come down for anything later."
Skye shrugged. "Whatever," she answered.
The next day, when Skye was back at school, the kids wanted to know why. "What happened?" they asked.
"I was sick," she'd answer. It wasn't completely a lie. As the day went on, she noticed people had started to make up stories for her. She started to agree with them and then would embellish. By the end of the day, she had been in a horrible accident at the hotel and she was so traumatized that they'd had to send her home.
Skye unlocked the front door to her house and dropped her backpack on the floor. She didn't even bother to move it. She shut the door behind her and headed to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a can of pop. She popped it open and took a long swig. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and started for the stairs. She hopped over her backpack and started up the stairs. Her brother wasn't home. She knew that right away.
She pulled the chair out from under the computer desk and pressed the power button on the PC. It had been days since she'd talked with any of her Internet friends. She waited for her logon screen to come up. It seemed to take a lot longer than she remembered. The blue screen suddenly popped up out of nowhere. She typed in her member name and password and tapped the enter key. She waited as it connected. She turned around and turned on the CD player that was on the table behind her.
She bobbed her head to the beat as she clicked around in her e-mail. Downstairs, the garage door went up. She tensed and listened for footsteps. She thought she heard the garage door open and close, but she wasn't sure. She didn't dare say a word. She just kept typing.
She heard a loud thud from downstairs. Then, she heard Billy curse. She sat up straight and stared at the screen. She couldn't see what she was looking at anymore. Her fingers just kept moving; she didn't know what they were writing.
She closed her eyes as she heard feet on the stairs. She took deep, slow breaths. She opened her eyes again when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked away and batted the hand off of her. "Don't," she insisted.
He leaned next to her ear. "Why?" he whispered.
She shied away. "I said no, Billy." He ran his hand down her arm. She moved away from it. "Stop," she said. He moved to the other side of her and put his other hand on her shoulder. She was pinned in the chair. He was too strong for her to fight. She could feel his breath on her neck. She could smell the awful cologne that he wore.
She could feel the anger rise inside her as he touched her again and began to kiss her neck. Then, she heard it. The garage door was going up again. It had saved her. Billy immediately took his hands off of her and started to go into his room. Instead of letting him, Skye jumped on him and began pounding him with her fists. She let all the rage and the adrenaline rush that he caused flood out from her hands.
He lifted his own hands in defense, but was amazed at how strong his little sister was. She would grab them and fling them to the floor. He finally grabbed a hold of one of her wrists. "Stop it," he hissed.
She took her other hand and scratched his face with her nails. "You!" she yelled back. She heard the sound of feet running up the stairs, but didn't care. Her fists just kept hammering into him.
As Barry came to the top of the stairs, he could hear something going on in the loft, but couldn't tell what. He was more than surprised to see his children physically fighting. And what was more surprising was that Skye seemed to be winning.
"Dad!" Billy yelped. "Get her off of me!"
Barry quickly moved and took hold of his daughter. Literally having to drag her off of Billy. "What is going on, here?" he asked.
Skye was panting and her hands were red. "Ask him," she hissed and stalked off to her room.
Barry turned to Billy who was still on the floor. "What is she talking about?"
Billy shrugged. "I was just talking to her and she turned on me. I don't know what happened."
"Why didn't you get her off of you?"
"I was just trying to keep her away from my face. You'd be surprised how strong she really is." Billy propped himself up and then stood up. He looked toward his sister's room, wiping the blood from the gash on his face and from his busted lip.
Skye made her way out of her room and down the stairs. No one was home. They'd gone to the hospital. She couldn't help but smirk that she'd been able to get Billy down. It had felt so wonderful just to beat the crap out of him. It was an awesome release. She got to the bottom of the stairs and thrust her arms in the air. She took a deep breath and screamed as loud as she could. It felt awesome.
Her parents and brother came home later that night. The cut on his face had needed stitches. Skye had shut herself in her room again. She heard someone pounding on the door, then it flew open. She lifted her head up off of her pillow.
"Yes?" she asked groggily. The light switch was turned on. She squinted. Both of her parents were standing just inside her room. "Are you going to say anything, or can I go back to sleep?"
"Sit up," her mother commanded.
Skye rolled her eyes but did as she was told. "Yes?" she asked again.
Barry stood with his arms crossed. He was obviously not pleased. "What is going on?" he asked, trying to keep himself under control.
Skye sighed heavily. "I told you to ask him," she answered. "He could tell you better than I could. At least, I hope," her voice began to get louder, "because I sure as hell can't!" She calmed herself. "Now could you please leave me alone?"
Barry began to speak again, but Wendy touched his arm. He looked at her. She shook her head and began to lead him out of Skye's bedroom. She turned the light back off and shut the door. Barry looked at her in amazement. "What are you doing?" he cried.
"Bar, she needs more help than we can give her. She's not going to talk to us. That should be clear."
"But..." Barry began.
Wendy smiled. "I know she's your little girl, but we just can't help her."
A week later, Skye was sitting in the backseat of her parent's Explorer. Her bags were in the back. She sat looking out the window with her arms crossed.
Wendy was sitting in the passenger seat. "You love the outdoors," she said. "This place should be fun."
"Fun," Skye replied, sarcastically. "I'm sure it will be, Mommy." She rolled her eyes. "Can we at least have the radio on?" she asked. Barry looked at her in the rear view mirror. He flipped it on, but all that would come in was static. "Wonderful," she breathed. She looked back out the window. She watched all the scenery pass by her.
Soon, the Explorer turned onto a gravel drive. Skye saw what looked like a summer camp. There were kids walking around with books in their arms and studying at the picnic tables that were scattered throughout what she could see of the campus.
Wendy looked back at her, smiling. "We're here, honey."
"Great," Skye replied. She looked out the window on the other side of the car and saw a man and a woman coming toward them. Both were smiling. Skye rolled her eyes. "What a welcoming committee," she thought.
Barry stepped out of the car and went to the back to get Skye's things. "You getting out?" he asked.
"Only as a last resort," she replied.
Barry shook his head. "Out, now."
Skye scoffed, but did as she was instructed. She walked around the car and leaned against it.
Her father placed her bags on the ground next to her. He held his hand out to Peter. "Barry Walker," he said.
"Mr. Walker, I'm Peter Scarbrow and this is Sophie Becker."
"Pleasure," Sophie said holding her own hand out to Barry and Wendy.
"This is Skye," Wendy offered.
"Skye," Peter said. "Welcome to Horizon."
"Thanks," she replied, sarcastically.
"Well," Peter said, "Sophie will take you around campus and show you everything. Your parents and I are going to go to my office and do some paperwork. Okay?" he asked her.
Skye rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
When they were out of earshot, Skye began to talk. "I don't understand why I'm here."
Sophie was confused. "You don't?"
"I'm not the one that did anything wrong," Skye continued.
"Really?"
"It's all their fault, they just don't want to admit it."
Sophie stopped her. "What are you talking about, Skye?"
Skye sighed. "Nothing, forget it."
"No, come on. Tell me."
"Nevermind," she said and began to walk again. "Just forget it."
Peter opened the door for Skye's parents. "Please," he said, "have a seat."
"Thank you," Barry said. "Mr. Scarbrow..."
"Please, call me Peter."
"Peter," he continued. "Do you really think that Skye will get better here?"
Peter leaned back in his chair. "Sir," he began. "I won't lie to you. Our success rate is very good, but we don't make promises that we can't keep. Now, keep in mind that I'm not saying that she won't get the help she needs here, either."
"I'm not sure that I understand what you're saying, Peter," Wendy said.
Peter sighed. "I guess what I'm really saying is that it could go either way. There are no guarantees."
Sophie and Skye met back up with Peter and Skye's parents back at the car. Peter spoke first, "Skye, are you going to say goodbye?"
Skye looked up from the ground. "Later," she said, monotonously.
Wendy and Barry both told their daughter goodbye and hugged her before they left. Skye stood stiff.
"Well," Peter said, turning to Skye. "I suppose it's time for you to meet the Cliffhangers. They are your group. Ready?"
"Sure," Skye responded.
Sophie walked with them to Markasian Hall where the kids were lounging after their classes. "Cliffhangers!" Peter barked. About seven kids' heads snapped up. "This is Skye. She's part of your group. Make her feel welcome."
"Sure, Peter," Kat said with her usual smile. "I'm Kat. Why don't you come over here and we'll introduce ourselves to you."
Skye shrugged. She sat on the couch next to two boys.
"I'll start," Juliette chirped in. "I'm Juliette Waybourne."
"Shelby Merrick."
"Scott Barringer."
"Daisy Lipenowski."
"Auggie Ciceros."
"Ezra Friedkin."
Skye looked around at the rest of the group. She sighed, "Skye Walker."
Shelby stifled a laugh. Skye shot her a look. "Do your parents hate you or something?" she asked.
Skye smirked. "They thought it had a certain Force behind it," she replied.
Juliette grinned but didn't comment. "Have you seen our dorm yet?" Skye shook her head. "Come on," Jules said. "I'll show you."
Skye shrugged and stood up with her. "My things are still with Peter."
"That's okay," Juliette said. "He'll get them back to you." Juliette and Skye headed to the Cliffhanger girls' dorm.
Skye followed Juliette into one of the cabins. "Your bed is down there. Number five, I think. Actually, unless Sophie or Peter has a problem with it, you could take any of the empty beds."
Skye walked to bed number five. "This'll work," she said. She fell onto the bed and turned her head away from Juliette.
"Can I ask you something?" Juliette asked, quietly.
Skye sighed, but looked at her anyway. "Sure, go ahead."
"Mind telling me why you're here?"
"Yes," Skye answered.
"That's okay," Juliette said. "We all find out eventually anyway. Even Shelby finally told us her story."
"Good for her," Skye replied. She turned and faced Juliette. "Mind if I ask you a question?"
Juliette smiled. "Sure."
Skye became serious. "How bad is it here?"
Jules shook her head. "It's really not that bad once you get settled in. And with any luck, you'll be out of here before senior year." Juliette studied Skye for a moment. "Are you okay?"
"Is anyone here okay?" Skye retorted.
Skye was thrust into the Horizon routine very quickly. That night, she sat in a circle with the rest of the Cliffhangers and Peter and Sophie. It was something that they called "group".
"Okay," Peter began. "Tonight we're only saying one sentence. You know what to do. When you've said your sentence call on someone else. Got it?" The Cliffhangers all nodded. They'd obviously done it more than once. "Start with 'I want to'. Scott, you're first."
Scott thought for a moment. "I want to play. E.Z."
"I want to feel," Ezra said. He glanced around the circle and stopped at Juliette. "Jules."
Juliette smiled. "I want to fly." Shelby rolled her eyes. "Skye."
Skye looked around the circle and at her counselors. "I want to forget."
Peter and Sophie sat in Peter's office later that night. "What do you think she wants to forget?" Sophie asked.
Peter leaned back in his chair. "I don't know. She'll tell us when she's ready, I suppose."
"Think she'll fit in with the Cliffhangers?" Sophie asked, worried.
Peter smiled. "You worry too much. Relax, she'll do fine." Sophie grinned and leaned back into the couch. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Come on in!" Peter called. The door opened slowly and revealed Skye. She smiled awkwardly.
"Can I talk to Sophie for a second?" she asked.
"You can talk to both of us," Peter insisted.
Skye looked at the ground. "I'd really rather talk to her, alone."
Sophie motioned Peter out of the room with her head. Peter stood up and left. He put a reassuring hand on Skye's shoulder as he walked out.
"What's up, Skye?" Sophie asked. She patted the spot next to her on the couch.
Skye sat timidly next to Sophie. Her attitude was completely changed since her parents dropped her off. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself.
Sophie studied her for a second. "Skye, what is it?"
Skye looked up at Sophie, tears brimming her eyes. She shook her head. "I can't. I'm sorry." She jumped up off of the couch and ran out of the office.
Peter was standing outside the building when Skye burst out the door. "Skye!" he called. She turned back then kept on running. Peter began to chase after her. "Skye!" he yelled again.
"Peter!" Sophie called. She'd just come out of the building and saw him running after her. She shook her head. "She'll tell us when she's ready."
Peter stopped running and hung his head. He looked in the direction that she had been running. His eyes lingered for a while before returning to Sophie. "Okay," he sighed.
Skye ran as far away from the administration building as she could, away from everyone. She stopped and fell on the ground, panting and exhausted. She rested her head on the wet grass. The tears that had been building in the office spilled over. She made a fist and started pounding it into the ground. She cursed her secret, her family, and herself. She cried in the grass for a half an hour before she decided to go back to the dorm.
When she opened the door, everyone was asleep. Everyone except Shelby. Skye crept past them and slid into her bed.
"I'm your buddy for the first week," Shelby told her. "I don't like it any better than you, but we'll have to deal with it."
"Fine," Skye said. "Good night."
"Good night."
Shelby woke Skye up the next morning. "Get up," she commanded. "I'm not going to be late for breakfast."
Skye opened one eye and closed it again. "Buzz off, Shelby," she groaned.
"I told you, I'm your buddy, I can't buzz off. I have to show you the ropes around here. If you're cooperative it will go a lot smoother."
Skye groaned again, but sat up. "Can I get dressed by myself?" she asked, sarcastically.
Shelby took a step back, "Be my guest."
Skye grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweater. She ran a brush through her hair a couple of times and then stepped out. Shelby was sitting on her bed, arms crossed in front of her. "Are you ready, yet?" she asked.
"Lead the way."
Shelby grabbed a tray and placed it on top of the counter, waiting for a classmate to put her plate on it. Skye followed her example. Shelby waited for Skye as she filled a glass of orange juice. "We sit over here," Shelby said. She led Skye toward the Cliffhanger table. The rest of the group was already eating.
"Hey, Skye," Juliette greeted.
"Hi," Skye said, no emotion in her voice.
"So, Skye," Daisy started. "Tell us your tale of self-destruction. I'm sure we've heard it before."
"Butt out," Skye replied.
"Ooh," Daisy quipped. "Sounds like she's taking after you, Shel."
Shelby smiled at her friend. "She'd only be so lucky."
Skye rolled her eyes.
"So, Skye," Ezra started. "You looking for a boyfriend? There are many fine young men here, you know."
"Who?" Skye asked. "You?"
"Hey, I could be your Luke," Ezra joked. "Then again, the girls seem to go for Scott too. Maybe he's the one that can channel The Force." He smiled.
"He seems more like Vader than Skywalker," Auggie said.
"Ooh, Skye Walker, are you deserting to the Dark Side?" Daisy asked, grinning.
"So original, really. I've never heard any of those things before," Skye said, looking down at her plate.
Shelby smiled, evilly, waiting for the right moment to pounce on the new kid, too. Then, Skye looked up at her, their eyes met and Shelby saw something extremely familiar in them.
Shelby caught up again with Skye later that day. She was reading at one of the tables in Markasian Hall. Shelby sat down across from her. "The wall doesn't help," she said.
Skye looked up. "What are you talking about?"
"I know what you're going through. Shutting people out isn't the answer. It only makes it worse."
"You don't know anything about me. No one does," Skye replied, closing her book and standing up.
"I do know about you. You're hurting, you're angry. You know how I know that?" Shelby asked. Skye sat down again. "Because that was me too. Who was it? Your father? A teacher?"
"You don't know anything," Skye hissed. She stood up from the table and walked away.
Skye paced outside Peter's office that night. She just couldn't build up the courage to open the door and ask to see Sophie again. Instead, she sat outside against the wall. She ran her hand through her hair. She bounced her feet, anything to take her mind off of what she needed to do. She sat there, though. She could hear Peter talking and moving inside. She just didn't want to have to go in there.
Soon, Skye realized that the office was quiet. Peter wasn't talking or moving around. She took a deep breath and stood up. Another deep breath to look in the window. It took several to knock on the door.
"Come in!" Peter called. He looked up at the door. No one opened it. "Hello?" he asked, getting up from his desk. He opened the door and no one was there. He looked to the right first, trying to see if someone was there. Then he looked to the left, where he saw Skye sitting under his window. He knelt down. "Skye, do you need to talk to me?" Skye nodded, but didn't say anything. "Do you want to talk in the office?" Skye shook her head. Peter sat down beside her. "What's going on, Skye?"
"I haven't told anyone. I've been too scared."
"Told anyone what?" Peter asked.
"That..." Skye's voice trailed off.
"What?"
"That..." she tried again. She wanted the words to come out. She wanted the whole thing to come out. She didn't want to carry it with her anymore. She wanted someone else to know. She needed someone else to help her. She sighed and shook her head. "I still just can't..." she said. She jumped up off the ground and ran out of the building.
Peter stood, but let her go, shaking his head.
Skye got into the dorm late that night and Shelby was sitting up, reading. "Hey," she said.
"Hi," Skye replied.
"Want to talk?" Skye shook her head. "It's easier once you get it out in the open."
"Somehow, I doubt that."
Shelby put her book down. "Would it help if I told you about me?" she asked. Skye shrugged. She sat at the foot of Shelby's bed. "It was my stepfather," she started. "He abused me. Well, you know what I mean." Skye nodded. "I hated him so much. I just had to get out of my house. I ran away a lot. I became desperate for money so I had to start turning tricks. That's when they found me and put me here." She leaned toward Skye, "Now you."
Skye studied her for a moment, not sure whether she could trust Shelby or not. She sighed and decided to tell anyway. At least someone would know. "My brother, Billy. He would, um, come into my room when my parents weren't home." She closed her eyes. "He'd been doing it for about six months. I finally just had enough and beat him up one night. My parents didn't know what to think. He wouldn't tell them, and I didn't tell them. I've never told anyone." Tears started to flow from her eyes. "My parents didn't see what he was doing to me. They weren't paying attention, or they didn't care." She stopped. "Please, don't tell Peter or Sophie. Please, Shelby."
"I won't," she said, sincerity in her voice. "I promise." She reached her arms out to Skye. They hugged for a long time. "I know what you're going through, okay?"
Almost an hour later, Shelby and Skye finally went to bed. Skye tossed and turned, but couldn't quite go to sleep. It felt a little better to finally have it off her chest and know that she wasn't alone. She turned over and looked at the ceiling. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. Finally, she was asleep.
She started to dream. She dreamt about home, and her family. More specifically, Billy. Those horrible nights came back to her in her dreams. "No," she mumbled. "No." Tears began to fall from her closed eyes. "No," she sobbed. Suddenly, she gasped and sat up. She looked around, and wiped the tears from her face. She was back at Horizon; back in her dorm, in her bed.
She looked around. She hadn't woken anyone up. She threw the blankets off of herself and got up. She crept into the bathroom, careful not to wake anyone. She turned the light on and stood in front of the mirror. She turned the faucet on and splashed water on her face.
She heard the floor creak outside the door. The door creaked open, and Juliette was standing in the light. "Sorry," she whispered.
"That's okay," Skye said. She splashed her face again and turned off the water. She looked in the mirror. She still felt like she didn't recognize herself. She shook her head and started to regret telling Shelby anything. "It was a mistake," she whispered.
"What was?" Juliette asked.
Skye looked over at her. "Nothing," she said. "Nothing." She watched as Juliette left and shut the door behind her. She looked back into the mirror at someone she didn't know. Suddenly, she couldn't stand that person in the mirror. She never wanted to see that person again. She reached up to the top of it and began to pull. She pulled with all of her strength until it came crashing down onto the floor. She did that with all four of the mirrors. By the time the third one had come down, the whole dorm was standing in the doorway.
"Go get someone to call, Peter, quick," Shelby commanded. "Go!" She took a step in the bathroom, careful not to step on any of the glass that was all over the floor. Skye was sitting in the corner, surrounded by glass.
Peter and Sophie arrived about fifteen minutes later. They ushered the Cliffhanger girls out of the bathroom. They let Shelby stay. They shut the door and tried to make their way around the shards of glass that were everywhere.
"Skye," Peter started. "Why did you do this?"
Skye didn't look at anyone. Her eyes went from the wall to the floor to the ceiling, never staying there for more than a few seconds.
"Skye," Peter repeated. "Why did you break these mirrors? Did someone here upset you?" he glanced at Shelby, hoping for something from her. Shelby just shrugged.
Skye took a deep breath and looked at Sophie, not Peter or Shelby. "It's the only way I feel safe," she said and began to cry.
Against her will, a few tears fell onto Shelby's cheeks.
Sophie covered her mouth to stop her own emotions from getting away from her. She couldn't stand watching this girl suffering like that. She turned her back for a moment.
"You have to help me," Skye pleaded with Sophie. "Please, you have to help me."
"Skye, we're going to do everything we can to help you, but we have to know what's going on. Please, will you tell us?"
Skye looked at Peter for the first time and started to tell him what had happened.
THE END