Sorry I Couldn't be Better 24: Aquarium Nightmare
What's this? A chapter so soon? Why? Well in answer to that, I'm off to Cambodia for two weeks as a school trip. I applied for another trip but didn't get in (my crushed dream) but was offered Cambodia instead. I didn't want to leave you guys without an update for so long after having taken too long before so here's the next chapter! Please enjoy it!
Thanks to all who followed, favourited or just lurked and read. You are all so cool!
Review Replies to Guests (I'll PM everyone else)
Guest June 13: I hope that when I get around to properly writing Wes and Soul that I do a good job. And glad you liked Crona, I figured it was time I fleshed them out a bit more.
Lexx: Glad you like! Hope you enjoy the update!
Guest June 16: Thanks.
Guest June 22 (I think): I'm glad you liked it and the whole Maka and Crona interaction. Hope you enjoy this update.
Disclaimer: Not mine. *flies away*
He woke with a scream, his eyes wild with panic as he relived the moments. Blood splattered across his face. His mother's cold dead eyes stared up at him. Her blood was pooling around her body. Her mouth was open and she was…
NO!
He didn't need to see that. They were monsters, his parents. And he wouldn't let them haunt him.
He burrowed back under the covers, closing his eyes so tightly it hurt. But he wouldn't relax. He wouldn't let their deaths force their way into his dreams again.
It wasn't fair. He was young when it had happened. Why did he remember it in such vivid detail?
"Help…me…"
It was time to get up. It was time to go get some milk from the kitchen. It was time to be anywhere but here.
"Don't…run away son. Fight…them. Avenge…me."
He was out the door before another second had passed.
"Now it's been a very chaotic week for everyone." Stein had the attention of everyone in the dining hall. "And I do apologise for that. However, we can learn from our mistakes. So please, enjoy dinner. I have a special surprise for you afterwards."
"Crona is looking at you Maka." Liz muttered to the teen as they ate. Maka turned her head slightly. Her new friend was watching her from across the room, their plate untouched. Liz shifted, obviously unnerved by the unblinking gaze.
"Yeah, Marie asked us to chat earlier today." Maka explained. "I think we're friends now."
"Can you ask them to stop staring?" Liz hissed. "They're creeping me out."
"They're not so good with social situations." Maka offered, poking at her spaghetti. "Sorry."
"Whatever," Liz shifted. "Hey what's up with Soul?" Maka looked over at their white haired friend. He had elected to sit alone this dinner.
"I don't know." Maka replied.
"Aren't you guys all buddy, buddy now?" Liz pressed on.
"Not really…" Maka had to admit. "I mean I guess I consider ourselves friends but…I don't really know much about him. And he doesn't know much about me."
"Friends don't need to know everyone about everyone!" Patty burst in, knocking over Liz's soft drink. Liz immediately began scolding her but Maka knew there was no intent behind the words. And even if there had been, Patty wasn't taking it seriously.
"And what about BlackStar?" Liz asked after she'd pushed Patty away.
"What do you mean?" Maka watched the blue haired boy gobble down his food. "He's fine."
"Maybe," was all Liz said and conversation moved onto what this surprise from Stein might be.
They found out soon enough. The moment everyone had stopped eating, Stein appeared again.
"Now I promised you all a surprise after dinner." He bowed low, his coat flying out.
"He looks stupid," BlackStar whispered loudly.
"And I intend to deliver." Stein carried on as if he hadn't heard the teen's cutting remark.
"Selective hearing." Kid muttered and Tsubaki nodded beside him.
"Tomorrow, we'll be going on a fourth floor trip to the aquarium!" Stein flung his arms open wide. "We will leave at ten and return at four!"
Conversation instantly started up with the teens.
"We haven't had an excursion in ages." Liz squealed.
"Fish!" Patty cheered. "Fish, fish, fish!"
"When was the last one?" Maka asked.
"It was to the zoo. Patty climbed into the giraffe enclosure. We couldn't have them after that." Kid explained. "I wonder why they're doing one now."
"Well Patty can't climb into the enclosures at an aquarium." Soul pointed out. Maka squeaked. The teen had come up right behind her and she hadn't noticed.
"I can't swim." Patty said cheerfully.
"I've n-never been to an a-aquarium." Tsubaki stuttered.
"We haven't," Liz gestured to her and Patty.
"I haven't either." BlackStar shrugged.
"Same," Kid added. Soul nodded beside him.
"I have," Maka was the only person in the group who had been to an aquarium.
"Are they fun?" Patty asked excitedly.
"I guess," Maka shrugged. "It was a pretty cool place, the one I went to. It had this area for Australian animals called Crocodile Cove and there was a place where you could swim in this tank next to a tank of baby crocodiles. But I don't know if we'll be going to the same one."
"We can swim with crocodiles?" Kilik was suddenly standing there, Thunder and Fire hanging around behind him.
"Next to," Maka corrected. "And I'm just talking about an aquarium I went to once. It's probably not the same as the one we're going to."
Thunder whispered in Kilik's ear.
"Thunder wants to know how many Aquariums there are in Death City." He repeated.
"Surely not that many." Soul said dryly.
"What if they take us to like, a garden with some ponds of fish." BlackStar pouted. "Like that time they said we were going to a theme park with awesome rides and it was a playground that happened to have this giant swing and a train that went down a hill."
"That was fun though." Kid said quietly. "Remember, we all played maze chasey."
"BlackStar cheated." Liz grumbled.
"Did not," the teen in question shot back.
"You jumped over a hedge." Soul poked his friend teasingly. "So that you could tag Ox."
"He said he was going to never get caught. I proved him wrong." BlackStar protested.
"It was still cheating." Liz said firmly. "And we won't be allowed to do anything like that at an aquarium." Her hands clenched. "Maybe I don't have to go. There'll be lots of people there who want to take advantage of me. And the tanks might break. Don't you walk through tunnels and the water's above you?"
"Well yeah, typically." Maka agreed. "But you don't have to walk through it."
"I'm going to ask Azusa if I can stay behind." Liz stalked over to where the therapist was sipping on a coffee with Marie sitting next to her.
"She won't really stay behind will she?" Patty asked Kid anxiously.
"I don't think Azusa will let her." Kid watched the two talk. "She wants Liz to become more confident when it comes to being in public."
"Yay," Patty cheered. "I'm gonna go play with Crona!" She dashed off.
"I don't think Crona will like that." Maka watched the teen cringe away from the excited girl.
"But Patty never listens to anyone." Soul remarked. "Come on. Let's go up and get dessert and our meds."
The fourth floor gathered at the carpark. Missing was Crona who had thrown a fit about leaving and was staying behind with a nurse Maka didn't know. Liz hadn't been allowed to stay behind and was voicing her displeasure very loudly.
"Here's the bus," Marie smiled. Sid groaned.
"I can't believe we're having another excursion." He muttered. Maka raised an eyebrow. The last one to the zoo must have been really bad. Something else apart from Patty climbing into the giraffe enclosure perhaps. As if hearing her thoughts, Liz leant over to her.
"Kid also started re-doing a random girls' hair, Thunder and Fire got lost in the nocturnal house and Ox started a speech during the macaw show."
"Everyone on the bus." Nygus called out. "In an orderly fashion please." This was to stop BlackStar in his tracks.
Eventually they all got on the bus. Maka had been aiming to sit alone at the front out of habit but Soul grabbed her arm and dragged her to the back. She ended up in the row of seats at the back with Kid, BlackStar, Soul and Liz. Patty and Tsubaki sat in a double seat just before the back seats. Kilik sat across from them.
"So the aquarium is a two hour drive away." Nygus said from the front of the bus. "This is going to be a calm bus ride. You at the back, you will not be playing that game where you push each other off the seats. Nor will anything be thrown. If you get bus sick, please come to the front."
There was a groan from Tami.
Maka was thankful she didn't get sick as she watched the girl trudge to the front of the bus and sit down on her own. It would have been terrible to sit alone.
"Okay we're off," the bus groaned into action, pulling a precarious turn in order to exit the park.
"What's the name of the aquarium we're going to?" Kilik wanted to know.
"Death City South Aquarium." Marie answered. So it was the one Maka had been to. That was good. Death City South Aquarium was huge! It would keep the floor entertained for hours.
"So is it the one y-you went t-to?" Tsubaki asked, twisting her head to look at Maka.
"Yeah," Maka nodded. "You guys will really like it."
"We can swim next to crocodiles!" Patty cheered.
"You said you couldn't swim." Kid pointed out.
"It's not that deep right?" Patty turned to Maka.
"Um…I didn't get in the water. I just watched some girl swim around for ages. She couldn't touch the bottom though without submerging. There was a ledge though and some stairs that you enter through so I'm sure you'll be fine." Maka explained, not struggling to remember the aquarium visit. It was really the only happy memory she had with her parents and she could recall it in startlingly good detail.
"Oh well. Liz can come in with me." Patty declared.
"I am not getting in the water with crocodiles."
"But Maka said they're just next to you. You're separated by glass."
"The glass could crack."
"But it's really thick."
"Did you ask Maka about that?"
"Yup!"
Patty hadn't but Maka knew better than to get involved in the squabble.
"Let's sing." BlackStar suggested, obviously tired of the back and forth banter.
"Not the wheels on the bus." Kid pleaded. But it was too late. BlackStar and Kilik were already opening their mouths.
"The wheels on the bus go round and round. Round and round. Round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round. All day long."
The volume rose as the other teens on the bus picked up the tune. Patty and Liz even stopped arguing to join in. Maka spotted Soul start to sing and eventually, even Kid did. Tsubaki had been singing from the start, her face alight with joy.
The only person not singing was Maka.
The group ploughed through song after song, many Maka hadn't even heard before. Then the group started singing some emo sounding song Soul mentioned was called Resonance.
"It's kinda like the floor's song. No one knows where the tradition came from but we just have it." He explained. "You'll need to learn it Maka."
The singing died down about ten minutes away from the aquarium. Maka couldn't believe her friends could sing for that long. They'd sung everything from wheels on the bus to Little Talks. Tsubaki had an amazing voice and hadn't stuttered once. BlackStar had seemed oddly flat and Kid had given up singing early on, instead focusing on making sure everything about him was symmetrical. Maka felt bad about the white lines on his hair that prevented that.
"Alright thank you for being quiet. We need to go through some rules now." Sid began. "There will be no running or jumping. There will be no splitting up. We have a schedule to follow and we can't break this schedule. The aquarium knows who we are and of course we must wear these passes that say we are from DWMA and for people to please be patient around us." Maka was surprised no one complained until she realised it must have been compulsory for all trips out of the hospital.
The passes were all handed out, big bold letters declaring that the wearer of this pass was from a mental hospital and to please be patient and calm around them.
Hello! I am a patient from DWMA Mental Hospital for kids and teens. Please treat me kindly and be calm and patient around me! I find it hard sometimes to control my behaviour! Thank you!
Maka hung it round her neck nervously. What would people think of them? Would the crowd part when they came walking through. Would they be stared at?
"It's alright Maka," Soul muttered quietly as the bus pulled into the aquarium carpark. "Just ignore everyone. We're here to have a good day so don't let a bunch of jerks ruin it for you."
"Everyone off the bus in an orderly fashion." The doors opened and everyone spilled out of the mini bus, forming a circle around the therapists. Sid, Nygus, Marie and Azusa were there. The bus driver was a man who glared suspiciously at Kid as he straightened his hat.
"Well, it isn't that busy right now but still, please stick with us at all times. If you get lost, find a staff member or stay put. We will find you. I don't want Dr Stein to regret letting you go on this trip." Sid clasped his hands together in an almost threatening matter. "Now, keep together. We're entering the aquarium."
The building cast a shadow over the group, the shark's gaping mouth that bit down on the bold letters proclaiming the aquarium's name just as vibrant and scary as Maka remembered.
"I'm so excited," Patty spun around quickly and resumed walking in one smooth motion.
"Calm down Patty," Liz muttered, drawing her arms even tighter around her body. She shot nervous glances all around her and from the looks Azusa was giving her, Maka wasn't the only one who had noticed. Liz really did not want to be here.
Was it…was it part of her therapy? To deal with the crowds and the fear it brought with it to her?
"Maka, what was your favourite part about the aquarium?" Jacqueline asked shyly, surprising Maka. The two hadn't really talked that much. But maybe Kim had told the quiet girl about the talk she'd had with Maka.
"Um…probably the dolphin show." Maka shrugged. Sure she remembered the day but her attention had mainly been on her parents as she basked in the attention she was being given. It was a luxury, one she had never felt before.
"Are we going to see that?" Tami asked, having been walking very close to Jacqueline. Marie nodded.
"Of course." The therapist seemed very happy today, her hair waving in the wind and her cream sweater and black pressed pants making her look almost like a mum herself.
Had Marie ever wanted kids before? A partner? Man, Maka just kept piling the questions on herself.
"Kid, stick by me," Sid ordered as they headed towards the sliding glass doors. "And keep your hands to yourself."
Maka, Soul and Kid both looked at Kid's hands. They were covered in small plasters and some small scabs still showing through. The after marks of Kid's breakdown. Long sleeves covered any other damage.
"And Soul, you feel anything, come straight to me." Nygus told him.
"Jaqueline, do you have your earplugs?"
"Kilik, stick with the twins."
"Tami, you are eating something at lunch."
"No Luke, you don't feel sick."
"Patty, calm down."
"Liz, stick with me."
"Harvar, don't be afraid to tell us if you're uncomfortable."
"Ox, don't talk to any strangers okay? Don't overwhelm anyone."
"BlackStar, you stick with me as well."
Maka's head spun with all the instructions. All this struggle for just one excursion, lasting around six hours.
"And Maka, don't sweat the small stuff. You're here to have fun and forget what happened over the last few weeks."
And they moved into the cool interior of the aquarium, the noise hitting them like a blow. It was a far cry from the quiet hospital Maka had been stuck in for the past few weeks. People milled around and Maka bit her lip tightly. Were they looking at the passes? The cheery message about treating them kindly and being calm and patient.
"Okay we're heading to Shark Shore first." Sid read from a map. "Just through this door here. Remember, be calm and don't wander off."
Sid marched off towards the door, surrounded by huge shark jaws just like outside. Kid and BlackStar were close by him. Liz was clinging to Azusa who followed after him. Then came everyone else. Marie and Nygus were at the back of the pack.
"Wow!" Patty yelled as they entered the large room. Eyes flew their way. If nobody had been looking at them before, they were now.
The room was huge. The occupants were surrounded by water, held back by glass. The roof was luckily, not glass covered by water. Liz might have fainted from terror. Sharks swam around, slowly and cautiously. Fish darted back and forth. They were ignored by the large predators.
"Can we look over there?" Patty waved at a screen sticking up from the floor. It was some interactive program.
"Let's just walk around for a bit. Stick with a therapist and do not leave this room." Nygus decided. The group split into four. Maka found herself with Sid, Soul, BlackStar and Kid. The room wasn't very crowded and it was easy to weave through the people to find a spot near the glass.
As Maka approached the glass, a shark popped up from seemingly nowhere. Startled, she stepped backwards and crashed into someone.
"Watch out," a girl's voice snapped. Maka spun around, afraid suddenly. She saw a group of girls, one staring at her in anger.
"Look at her tag," one of them whispered. Maka's cheeks flamed with embarrassment and shame.
"Hang on," another girl muttered, her eyes opening wide. "Isn't that Maka?"
And Maka realised she was staring at a group of girls from her old school. And not just the school but her class! The same girls who had laughed at her fashion and stolen her books.
"Oh no," she whispered.
"Maka what's wrong?" Soul came up behind her.
"Oh my god it's Little Miss Maka." The girl she'd bumped into laughed.
Little Miss Maka, can't get a friend. Can score a god grade but can't score a life! Maka has no guts. Maka has no guts! Maka has no guts!
"Guys, let's just go," a blonde girl shifted uncomfortably.
"Come on Maka," Kid muttered. "Let's go catch up with the others."
But Maka remained rooted in place, too shocked to move.
"No wonder you left school. Went all loony?" Someone laughed. The girl who'd spoken stepped forward. "How'd you get in there Maka? Tried to do the world a favour and kill yourself?"
And BlackStar punched them in the nose.
Also has anyone heard of Have you Been Paying Attention? Quality Australian television in my opinion. Go check it out on YouTube if you haven't, just for the laughs.
Another also, I think I found myself a hero or a role model of sorts. I never really had anyone to look up to. I mean I admired people but didn't think I really got anything out of them. This year however, on this Australian TV show called House Rules, there's a man called Ryan on with his girlfriend Marlee. Ryan battled depression and found the courage to get help with it. He's really inspired me.
Another also. Does anyone read these notes?
Yup so there's the chapter, please drop a review if you feel it was worthy. Or don't, I'm not going to get angry about it.
