From the Heart

Chapter 2

"I'm still coping with my trauma, but coping by trying to find different ways to heal it rather than hide it." - Clemantine Wamariya

She sighed and sat down in front of the principal.

"Mia, do you know why you are here today?"

"No ma'am." The girl fussed with the edge of her knee-length skirt.

"I'm surprised. You don't strike me as someone to lie." The principal had gray hair and dark skin. Today her hair was fashioned into four french braids that fell past her shoulders.

"I'm not lying ma'am."

"Then I'll explain, with the help of some...friends."

The girl heard the door behind her open and then close. When she turned to see who it was she saw two men in black shiestys. One grabbed her wrists and suddenly she was tied to a chair in a dark room. Her parents lay dead on the ground, a man in a lab coat entered with many surgical tools.

"Mia, it's time for your operation!" The lab coat man laughed an evil laugh, a laugh that woke her up every time. This time when she woke up she was in a cell, a cold, damp, dark cell. She shivered and curled up closer to the wall of the cell.

How did I get here? Where is James!!? My dear James, he left me! Heartbreaking traitor!

2 weeks before...

She closed the book, it was finally over. The vampire had gotten the girl and the poor werewolf had been left to rot. She would have chosen the werewolf, she thought that vampires were arrogant and stupid, she would never love a vampire. Vampires aren't real, at least not in her Verse. Her Verse was completely mortal, any Unhumans found would be banished to the Dry Land.

"Book done, sweetie?" Her best friend asked.

"Yeah, she chose the vampire. Again."

"Vampires are soooo overrated," her best friend said while applying lipstick.

"It's almost time for my guidance appointment, I gotta leave O."

"Mm okay, bye sweetie!!"

The girl slid off the bench and started walking inside. Gym ended at 2:55, her appointment was at 3:00. She needed the extra time to change and then run to the other side of the building. She reached the girls locker room and pulled off her gym shirt, revealing multiple burn and cut scars on her tan skin. She pulled on a pink sweatshirt with blue stars and a bright pink skirt. The she examined herself in the mirror. She hated looking at herself and she didn't know why. Maybe it was the big pink scar that ran down her neck, or the way her curly hair would never tame, but she hated her looks.

She grabbed her bag and headed out of the locker room and to the counselor. She hated this walk, she was walking too far to talk to someone who didn't really care about her. A woman who asked questions with no boundaries. She also hated it because she would have to walk outside, with no one watching her. It was easy for a stranger to sneak up and finish what that evil lab coat man had started.

Today was an especially horrible day to be thinking these thoughts, the second she stepped outside two boys jumped out of a bush, "BOOO!"

She jumped, and noticing that they were just kids she continued walking.

She entered building #2 and found the counselors office.

"Hello Mia! Have a seat."

Mia sat.

"So today, a tough day for you."

Mia nodded.

"The anniversary of..." the counselor trailed off.

Two years ago Mia's old principal captured her and murdered her parents. Mia was tortured by an evil man in a bright white lab coat. The man wanted to know where the Lost Princess was, and of course she didn't know. Thankfully her brain was good at blocking out that horrible experience. She couldn't remember the lab coat's name or face. Sometimes she wished she could, then she could get that horrible man sent to jail just like she had done to her princepal.

"I'm sure that's rough, but today I would like to talk about something different. Come with me," the counselor stood up, revealing a flowery dress that went down to her ankles. The counselor's name was Mrs. Kylie. Mrs. Kylie had graying blond hair and practically translucent skin. Kids often joked that she was a vampire banished from the Fantastic Verse.

Mia stood up and followed Mrs. Kylie, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see, here, follow me." Mrs. Kylie opened the door and Mia followed.

They walked through the hallways and back outside to where the boys had spooked her before.

"Sweetie, sit." Mrs. Kylie sat on a nearby bench and motioned for Mia to sit next to her.

"You've taken everything too far. You need to move on. That happened nearly four years ago, you're eighteen now. You will have to learn to deal with this trauma by yourself."

What?! She did not just say that to me.

"Excuse me?!"

"You heard me. You need to realize what's upsetting you and move on. You can't just mope around your whole life."

Mia stood up, "Move on?! My parents were murdered in front of me! I was mercilessly tortured to give information I didn't have! What do you mean move on? I will never move on!!!"

Mia ran as far away as she could. Through the parking lot and towards the endless wood that surrounded the boarding school.

She crashed through bushes and the tree trunks passed in a blur. Little sticks scratched her arms as she ran. Then she tripped and fell, face first.

She curled up and cried on the cold ground.

Why was everyone after her? Why did everyone hate her? It's not her fault everything in this wretched place went wrong!!

Crunch!!

She heard footsteps behind her, she uncurled.

Whoever it was must've seen her move and stopped walking.

"Hello?"

She got no response, "Are you going to hurt me?"

"No." a deep voice responded, "Only if you come willingly."

Fear and adrenaline shot through Mia.

"Will you come willingly?"

"I-"

Everything went black.