SWEET CREATURE // Luke Patterson

- master of emotional detachment -

Pushing open the heavy doors of yet another school, Danielle couldn't help but feel the crushing weight of familiarity settling upon her shoulders. It was a sensation she would have thought she'd be accustomed to by now, however the rapid pulse of her heart told her otherwise. The blend of anticipation building up on top of the compressing fear she felt for each fresh start overcrowded her senses becoming an overwhelming siren in her head as her feet moved forward like muscle memory.

Eyes scanning across the bustling hallway, she looked for any familiar faces but like always she fell short. Stability was a luxury in her eyes which she could scarcely afford and seeing the groups of friends laughing with each other and catching up for the first time since summer really made these feelings tread over her slowly declining mood.

Danielle felt like she was dragging herself through this chapter, longing to reach the next which seemed so far away. Her hopes promised her the next would be better than the one she currently sat in, but honestly she wanted anything other than this so even if it was just fractionally better, she'd take it in a heartbeat.

Bitter feelings crept up her throat at the hum of student voices, where friends grouped together chatting with smiles on their faces. The concept of friends never came easy with the whole moving about situation so she just learned not to dwell on it. She was 17 anyways, so it wouldn't be too long until she could wench herself out of the care system and school and make a name for herself.

Walking through the crowded corridors, people were littered everywhere like an active hive all wearing colourful outfits of all kinds which couldn't contrast Danielle anymore even if they tried. Her clothes consisted of different shades of cool toned blue and the only trace of colour was the jewels on her bag keyrings which her mum had given her at a young age.

Students went to grab textbooks from their lockers that probably haven't seen the light of day since the previous year, definitely having accumulated an extra layer of dust over the passed time. Danielles backpack was seemingly empty compared to everyone else so she was just praying she could get through the day without a teacher saying she would have to go buy a bunch of useless textbooks she couldn't afford.

Josh had originally said he'd help find all her classes but after taking one look in Dylans direction, she politely declined. He had been frantically dragging the two down the pavement on the way to school to remove the possibility of getting a late. Danielle really didn't want to get on the bad side of him on her first day meeting them properly by being the reason for him being late. Instead they were currently walking her to the office which was where she needed to head to anyways.

The walk was short and weirdly memorable. You'd think after not being here for over 5 years you'd forget the confusing windy corridors, but that didn't seem to be the case for Danielle. Despite it being the place she grew up in, she felt disconnected. She was no longer the girl she used to be, that girl no longer existed. Despite that she felt a sense of grief for what she could have had here, but instead here she was walking down the crowded hallway with the weight of her past trailing close behind her like a looming shadow.

"And this will be the office, as long as you're good from here I guess we'll see you later?" Josh's voice cut Danielle out of daze, making her glance at the boys next to her who had been talking for an unknown amount of time.

"Yeah i guess i will, thanks for this." She shot the two boys a small smile before turning around to face the office door she would eventually have to walk through.

Stepping through the door, the sound contrasting to the busy corridors was astronomical. The noise level did not breach a whisper filled with the sound of paper rustling and pens clicking. The faint smell of coffee lingered in the air, thick on her lungs. Danielle could see filing cabinets aligned along the wall presented in an unprofessional manner with draws being left open and a flood of unorganised papers spilling out its contents. The sight made the girl physically cringe thinking of the treasure trove of information being easy for anyone to have a peek at, the idea of someone in the school getting their hands on her details made her sick to her stomach.