IV

Kyle's POV

That happened 2 months ago. Two agonizing, lonely, brutal months. I didn't want anybody to see the freak I had become so my father bought me this huge house that I never leave. Never. The first month I just stared at the ceiling and threw inanimate objects around. Now I'm just quiet. The rage, the anger, they all sort of evaporated. I didn't call my friends, I never responded to their e-mails. Nothing. Not that they tried very hard to reach me…but still.

I got up from the couch and headed towards my room. My big, luxurious room. I would have preferred to stay in a ditch as long as I didn't look like this. That witch…that bloody witch did this to me. She turned me into an albino, tattooed freak. I lost my hair, all over my body, not just my head and I am covered in grotesque drawings; I call them tattoos because I don't really know what they are. And I don't think I really want to know that. She left me a magic mirror, a glove and a key. The glove supposedly helps me with something, I haven't quite figured out yet. The key will apparently open any door I want and transport me to where I want to go. It's completely useless….it's not like I want to go anywhere looking like this. And finally, the mirror is the most exiting thing. I can watch anybody I want. Seriously, I've watched Sloane take a bath…it's not as pretty as I would have thought.

But there was one person I didn't watch. At first I was so angry with her, I knew I would break the mirror is I saw her; but then anger was replaced by guilt. And I couldn't bear to see her without her hair.

As I walked into my room, I saw the mirror on the bed.

'Better do it now and get it over with.' I said to myself and looked into the magical object, muttering Linds' name. And then she appeared.

She was in front of her computer, talking to somebody; the person on the other side of the chat looked like her, but was a little older. Probably her mother or sister. I looked closely and listened.

"Well" the older woman said "Your hair looks nice today. I don't know what made you cut those beautiful auburn locks of yours, but hey. I'm just an old lady."

"Yeah well…it's sort of the newest trend. Everybody's doing it." Linds smiled and waved her hand. So she hadn't told her mother the truth.

"I never thought you were the type to do everything the crowd is doing." The other woman said sympathetically "Are you really having a great time there, darling?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.

"I'm fine!" Linds threw her arms up in the air and giggled "Actually, I'm doing so great and have such good grades, the school wants me to participate in a new program."

"What kind of….?"

"Well…" she said quickly "It's a new thing the school wants to make like…official, so they chose the brightest students; I mean, the ones with the highest grades to study from home. Isn't that great?"

"Oh honey…does that mean you're coming home? We miss you so much." The woman said, excitement evident in her voice.

"No Mom, I can't. I still have to go every other week just to fill out some forms and stuff. I wish I could…Anyway, I have to go. I have to write like 3 essays. Talk to you soon."

After a brief goodbye, she turned off her computer and her shoulders sagged and she started shaking. I knew why she was crying. There was no such program. She was shielding herself from something.

I heard Sloane talking about different pranks, but I never thought they were directed towards Linds. I never assumed she would have to leave school….well, sort of leave school, just to get away from Sloane and her friends. She was shielding herself from them. That was such a pity.

But…if her family is in another state and she lives alone…plus the fact that she doesn't have to go to school on a regular basis…

This wasn't right. I knew what I had to do.