That night I sat with Brinn, Cindy and Dennis, while Logan and Zack were being talked to by Sketch. They didn't tell us what they did when they went away, but we always felt more vulnerable when they weren't there.
We all whispered together on Brinn's bed and I told them about what Zack had showed me today. Dennis held very tightly onto Cindy's hand when I told them about what ghosts were, and my theories about what they did to people. I didn't want to scare anyone…I just felt that sharing my fears helped. I guess that under this hardened Manticore exterior, there was a child who was easily frightened…and lonely.
"Why do you think they left a tooth?" Brinn asked, she looked as tough and sceptical as ever.
"I don't know…maybe that's what ghosts eat…"
Cindy laughed quietly.
"try not to be scared. A monster we can't see, that's stupid Jace!"
"It's like the wind," Dennis whispered to us, "we can't see it, but we can feel it…and it can move things"
I didn't think of that, now I was really scared.
The door interrupted our talk, Logan and Zack were pushed in. The guard remained at the door, and we all got into bed. I lay on my back, and closed my eyes.
There were noises in the room that I hadn't heard before as I tried to sleep. Logic told me that if I slept, the sounds would go away but my body refused me that privilege. It kept me on full alert, with every hair on end tingling. That's when I snapped. My mind screamed out for safety, and when I looked over to see the others in a deep sleep I panicked more. So I got up and walked quietly over to the door, where there was a dim light on. I could see that there was no one down the corridor, and every fibre of my being cried out for freedom, to get out of these ghost-infested rooms. I pulled hard at the bars, but they moved little. A great creak arose from somewhere and I saw a shadowy figure proceed toward my position. I kicked the air, but as it disappeared I ran full on into the small window that over looked the forest below. The glass smashed, and as I fell I screamed out for someone, my fingers scrabbling at the walls. I landed on the ground hard, and I cut my arm deeply on a bit of metal.
Then I ran for it. I ran with the wind in my face and the grass below…something was calling for me, something I couldn't see. But I wasn't frightened, no, I was exhilarated.
The alarms went off in the background but I kept on running toward the forest. People were behind me, how many I couldn't hear so I turned left into a thick clump of bushes and as I slowed, something hit me in the back. I reached around to find a dart, empty now but it once held tranquilliser. As my body gave in, I looked up, and saw birds flying high…like in Logan's story. They were free…free…something I will be soon…I smiled as my eyes closed, I was going to the special world beyond the cruel truth of Manticore…where I couldn't be touched…
We all whispered together on Brinn's bed and I told them about what Zack had showed me today. Dennis held very tightly onto Cindy's hand when I told them about what ghosts were, and my theories about what they did to people. I didn't want to scare anyone…I just felt that sharing my fears helped. I guess that under this hardened Manticore exterior, there was a child who was easily frightened…and lonely.
"Why do you think they left a tooth?" Brinn asked, she looked as tough and sceptical as ever.
"I don't know…maybe that's what ghosts eat…"
Cindy laughed quietly.
"try not to be scared. A monster we can't see, that's stupid Jace!"
"It's like the wind," Dennis whispered to us, "we can't see it, but we can feel it…and it can move things"
I didn't think of that, now I was really scared.
The door interrupted our talk, Logan and Zack were pushed in. The guard remained at the door, and we all got into bed. I lay on my back, and closed my eyes.
There were noises in the room that I hadn't heard before as I tried to sleep. Logic told me that if I slept, the sounds would go away but my body refused me that privilege. It kept me on full alert, with every hair on end tingling. That's when I snapped. My mind screamed out for safety, and when I looked over to see the others in a deep sleep I panicked more. So I got up and walked quietly over to the door, where there was a dim light on. I could see that there was no one down the corridor, and every fibre of my being cried out for freedom, to get out of these ghost-infested rooms. I pulled hard at the bars, but they moved little. A great creak arose from somewhere and I saw a shadowy figure proceed toward my position. I kicked the air, but as it disappeared I ran full on into the small window that over looked the forest below. The glass smashed, and as I fell I screamed out for someone, my fingers scrabbling at the walls. I landed on the ground hard, and I cut my arm deeply on a bit of metal.
Then I ran for it. I ran with the wind in my face and the grass below…something was calling for me, something I couldn't see. But I wasn't frightened, no, I was exhilarated.
The alarms went off in the background but I kept on running toward the forest. People were behind me, how many I couldn't hear so I turned left into a thick clump of bushes and as I slowed, something hit me in the back. I reached around to find a dart, empty now but it once held tranquilliser. As my body gave in, I looked up, and saw birds flying high…like in Logan's story. They were free…free…something I will be soon…I smiled as my eyes closed, I was going to the special world beyond the cruel truth of Manticore…where I couldn't be touched…