Rats, Roses And Paper Bones

chapter 14: lost kitten

“Doyin.”

A voice called my name.

I looked up from my reverie and found myself staring at a very tall woman towering over me. Four other people stood around her.

I was bent over on the floor, my clothes soaked with sweat, my body aching from what felt like hours of beating.

“Doyin, for the last time, do you understand the repercussions of what you’ve done?” the woman asked.

I groaned.

“I didn’t do it,” I managed, my voice barely above a whisper.

“You still don’t want to tell us the truth?”

“I’m telling you the truth.”

The woman stared at me for a long moment without saying anything.

Then she sighed.

“Your parents are here.”

I tried to stand.

My legs gave way.

I fell.

I tried again.

I fell again.

It was as though some invisible force beneath the ground was pulling me down.

I looked at my feet.

Hands.

Actual hands were growing out of the ground.

Before I could scream, they grabbed my ankles and began pulling me downward.

“No! No! What’s happening?! Let me go!”

I screamed, but nobody seemed to hear me.

They all turned around and walked away.

“Help me! Please, help me!”

I kept screaming until I heard a calm, familiar voice calling my name.

“Doyin.”

“Help me!”

The voice became more insistent.

“Doyin, are you awake?”

I finally opened my eyes.

For a few seconds, I had no idea where I was.

Then reality slowly came back.

It had all been a dream.

Well... mostly.

I looked around.

Two beds with blue sheets were positioned beside mine. The room smelled strongly of antiseptic and soap.

The school clinic.

Why was I in the school clinic?

Then I noticed someone sitting beside my bed.

“What are you doing here?” I half-yelled when I saw Michael.

He raised an eyebrow.

“Umm... you're welcome?”

I hissed as a sharp pain shot through my head.

“Ow.”

“Careful,” he said. “You hit your head pretty hard.”

“What happened? And how long have I been here?”

I tried to piece together the blurry memories from earlier.

Michael shrugged.

“Well, what can I say? You walked straight into a pole while you were trying to get away from me.”