Why is everyone staring at me? Stop staring. Please, stop staring. I feel like an outcast as I walk the halls of Kadic Academy. I keep my hands clenched inside the pocket of my jumper and my gaze plastered to the linoleum that travels beneath my feet, but whether or not I look I can still feel the unfriendly judgment of others being pressed upon my shoulders.
"You're not going to tell a soul, do you understand?"
"Yes. I promise."
I shake my head furiously as I walk. To others, I probably just looked like a wet dog shuddering away the wetness matted onto it's fur, but for me, it's an attempt to knock the memories right out of my head.
"Hey, Aelita!" I hear mumbled underneath my train wreck of thoughts. I wasn't paying attention, so I walk straight past her. It sounded like Yumi. I feel bad now, I should've said hello to her. I stop in my tracks and spin my head around, hoping that she would still be there so that I can have a chance and be a bit more firndly; but she's already become lost in the sea of Kadic students. I sigh. Somebody rudely bumps into me, yelling at me for standing in the middle of the hallway like an idiot. The force of their collision causes me to shriek and throw myself against the wall. Now even more people are staring. I feel my heart pounding against my chest and my breathing quickens. I don't know what's happening, or why I'm reacting this way, but I don't like it. The endless chatter of everyone glaring at me and spitting snide remarks blends into my ears as one overloaded mess of noise. I cup my small hands against my ears, trying to block them out, and dash down the hall. At least in my class it will be quieter.
"Morning princess," Odd calls out to me as I stumble through the door frame of my chemistry class and take a seat next to Jeremie. I don't feel like talking, but I do solemnly smile at him in a bitter attempt to keep him from asking questions. As Mrs. Hertz's shrill voice begins to reverberate throughout the room regarding pointless lectures I already know, Jeremie leans next to me and whispers into my ear.
"Are you sure you're okay, Aelita?"
"Yes, I'm fine." I wish he would stop asking. He's so overprotective sometimes, but I guess I should be thankful I have someone who wants to look out for me so much. Yumi rushes through the door looking flustered just a few minutes after the bell had rung. She must have been heading the opposite direction earlier because she forgot something. Or maybe she had another one of her weird talks with Ulrich. I'll never understand those two…
"Hey, Aelita," she pants between gasps of air. "I said hi to you earlier in the hall."
"Did you? I guess I didn't hear." No. Bad Aelita. Lying is bad. You don't break promises and you don't lie, either. But if it's protecting your friends, then is it really that bad, after all? Humans are confusing. I sink my face onto my fist, resting my elbow against the wooden table. Usually I'd be taking notes, actually paying attention, but today I don't feel like it. Maybe another day, but not today. I need a break.
"If you don't tell me everything right now, you're going to regret it. I'll make sure of it."
"I… I don't know what you're talking about."
"You really want to play this game, Ms. Schaeffer? I'll do the same thing I did to your mother."
"AELITA STONES!"
My eyes dart open upon the calling of my name. I gasp and look up at Mrs. Hertz, who is furiously beaming down at me.
"You know, most of us use the night to sleep." Cries of laughter flood the room and I feel my face growing warm.
"I… um… sorry. Mrs. Hertz, I don't feel well, may I go to the infirmary?" She glares at me for what seems like eternity, probably thinking I'm lying. I feel as if I'm about to throw up, I don't have time for this.
"Aelita, do you want me to go with you?" Jeremie says. It only takes him one quick glance to know that I'm feeling ill. My stomach churns and I break out in a cold sweat.
"No." I blankly state. If I said anything more, I'd probably spew all over this table.
"Okay, go ahead," Mrs. Hertz finally responds. Clutching my abdomen, I shove my chair behind me and burst through the door.
(3rd Person Point of View)
Jeremie turns around in his seat and rests his arm against the back of his chair. He shrugs at Yumi and Odd, who raise an eyebrow at him.
"Is she okay?" Yumi asks. "She ignored me in the hall earlier."
"She's been acting weird all morning but she keeps saying she's okay. Besides, she is a girl, after all… I think this might be our problem," Jeremie points out as he turns her chair around to reveal the tiny drops of blood that are splattered onto the seat.
"Gross!" Odd screams, catching the attention of Mrs. Hertz. She slaps her ruler onto the hardwood of her desk, her angry eyes piercing into his soul.
"Odd! I'm sorry that you think my class is 'gross.'"
"Oh, no Mrs. Hertz, that's not what I… uh… heehee…" he attempts to pull off his excuse with his classic grin, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck. The rest of the class turns to him and chuckles at his embarrassment, but Yumi is none too amused. She leans over her table and grabs a closer look at the red drops that Aelita had left behind, and her heart skips a beat as a tight feeling of nervousness erupts inside her stomach.
"I hate to break it to you, but that's not the right kind of blood for that." Without even asking, Yumi gets up from her seat. Jeremie and Odd exchange each other concerned yet confused looks, and before Mrs. Hertz can even say something, she hurriedly paces out of the door.
(Aelita's Point of View)
It's throbbing again. I just wish the pain would hurry up and go away. Yolanda checks my temperature and sees that I'm running a fever. However, her attention is quickly directed away from the thermometer and towards my legs. She raises an eyebrow, appearing concern. Can she tell by looking at it? Is she going to find out? Oh, no. I glance down to see what's caught her eye. I'm going to go ahead and assume it's the stain of red that's spreading onto the white tissue paper that coats the exam table. I shouldn't still be bleeding, should I?
"Aelita, have you started your menstrual cycle?"
I raise an eyebrow at her. I've never even heard of that before.
"My… my what?"
"Your period."
"I thought a period was a form of punctuation." Clearly, I'm terribly wrong, judging by the perplexed expression on her face.
"I'm going to assume this is your first cycle, then." She starts rummaging through one of the drawers. I lean closer towards the edge of the bed, trying to see what it is she's looking for. She approaches me with two objects that are both wrapped in a thin plastic. One of them is a little square, but the other is a tube of some sort. I wonder what they are. I continue to stare at her, my forehead wrinkling as I raise both of my pink eyebrows. She sits down next to me and gives me the two items.
"Do you know what I just handed to you?"
Naturally, I shake my head, since I sincerely have no clue.
"Your period is something completely natural that is going to happen once a month from now on. It's the reason you're currently bleeding from there right now. This is a pad," she says as she points to the square object, "and this is a tampon," the nurse clarifies as she points to the cylinder. "These are what help absorb the bleeding so that it doesn't ruin your underwear and clothes. Which would you rather use?"
"Uh…" I'm still confused, but I look down at the two objects she's placed in my palms. "What's the difference?"
"Well, the pad sits on the lining of your underwear. The tampon goes inside of you."
"Inside where?"
"Aelita, have you taken sex education yet?"
"No."
"I think it's best we get you enrolled in that soon."
She pats my back, nudging me to jump off of the table and be on my way. I oblige her request and scoot myself towards the edge before pushing myself off. As my feet crash to the floor, though, it's almost as if I feel something tearing inside of me. The pain is unbearable and I bend over, cupping my hand over the sensitive area between my legs. Yolanda immediately rushes to my side to assure that if I'm alright, but when I remove my hand I see the creases of my palms tinted red from the blood that seethes through my underwear.
"Is this period thing supposed to hurt this much?" I ask her as I grunt from the agony.
"It can, yes. But… that's not where it's supposed to hurt. Is there something you're not telling me, Aelita?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
I take a deep breath and straighten myself up. "Yes, I'm fine," I lie. "I'm going to go to my room now, thank you Yolanda." I hold my breath and suck up the pain as I attempt to easily strut out of the infirmary. As soon as the door behind me closes, though, and I know Yolanda can no longer see me, I bend over and clutch both of my hands against the area that thuds incessantly, shooting jabs of pain through my nerves. I need to make it back to my room before someone sees me like this. For now, at least, the bleeding has stopped.
"Aelita!" Yumi screams and runs up to me. "Are you alright?"
I take another deep breath and quickly straighten myself, fighting back the urge to scream in anguish. "Yes, I'm fine, Yumi."
"Aelita, I saw the blood on your chair."
My fake little smile diminishes into a hard pressed line. Now what do I say? Just say what Yolanda said.
"It's just my period, that's all."
"Do you even know what a period is?"
"Well, not really, but that's what Yolanda told me. I have to go back to my room now; I have a lot of studying to do."
"You don't have to lie to me Aelita, if there's something wrong you know you can always tell me. You can tell any of us."
"You're not going to tell a soul, do you understand?"
I cringe as his raspy voice echoes inside my head. No, Yumi, I really can't. I'll just have to keep spitting out more lies.