The Academy: Discovery

A Royal Distraction

"Get out! Get out, you ungrateful little b*tch!" My mothers high pitched screaming pierces my ears even before she's came into the bedroom where she had earlier banished me. When she burst through the door I can see just how mad she is just by the red on her cheeks. She has pale skin like me without any freckles so it's easy to see any time she's angry. "If you want friends so badly, get out! You obviously don't appreciate your father and my protection anyway. You don't understand we're trying to keep you safe. We've told you over and over again there's no such thing as friends. You can only be friends with the good. There are no good people left. They're all evil! Every. Last. One. Of. Them. Evil." She's in my face now. As she grinds out every word I can feel little droplets of spit splatter my face. "I don't understand why these damn educators don't get that. They just ask stupid questions like 'one thing you'd wish for if you saw a shooting star'. Its stupid. You should wish for good fortune for your parents. You know the people who try to help you and protect you. Do you appreciate it? No of course not! Now get out. See for yourself. You won't make it long before you see the evil in this world. Serves you right". I hesitate until I see her draw back a balled fist. Before she can swing at me, I run. I go straight for the door without grabbing shoes or anything else. Why did she have to look at my work this time? She never checks it. It surprises me she even manages to get the things I need for schooling at home. I can't imagine her taking part in it.

Knowing she would be even more furious if I went through the restaurant, I use the back door. I sprint through it barely breaking stride. Until I feel thousands of tiny pin pricks attacking my skin. They're cold and wet. It's rain from a storm that lets itself be known by nearly knocking me over with its wind and making me jump nearly out of my skin with its loud angry sounding thunder. The sound is more frightening than the lightning that follows.

The dumpster behind the restaurant is my only refuge. My mother may have told me to leave but she'll expect me back with an apology waiting on my lips after a while. This isn't the first time she's banished me. The first time I actually took off walking down the road going who knows where (I was 5 who knows). My father was sent to pick me up. I was punished so badly I had a limp for several weeks. I wont make that mistake again.

Over the next hour the storm gets worse and worse as does my fear. Before its over I find myself folded into a ball rocking back and forth trying not to cry louder than the storm. When it finally ended I run inside tears still on my cheeks. My mother kicks and slaps me for getting my clothes wet and dirty.

"Elsie?" Snapping out of the memory, I recognize Victors melodic voice. "Elsie are you in here?" There's a small tap on the door. I sniffle wiping away the tears cascading down my face. The closet door opens slowly. Silently he sits on the floor next to me. "The storm?" he guesses. I'm pretty sure the sound I let out sounds like a frightened mouse instead of a frightened girl. He nods taking that as an answer. Aside from a soft sigh escaping his lips, we sit silently for a long time. I'm thankful the thunder isn't as deafening as before but each rumble still rocks me to the core.

After our game ended Sean went to discuss going to my apartment with the others. We both saw how dark it had gotten in a short time. I told him I didn't want to travel in a storm so he went to see if the guys had any information on how long the storm would last. As soon as he was gone I bolted for the closet and hid. Has he been looking for me? I was so overcome by the memory I probably missed it.

Victor sits beside me silent for a long time. After a while he starts telling me about himself. "My parents...they were never very good parents. They didn't physically abuse me or anything but they used me more than was fair. They did things and let me see things I should have never seen. They used my piano playing as a tool to get them higher up the social ladder. Even when I did that it was never enough. It was never going to be enough. No matter how much money they had or how big of a house..." he waves his hand in the air gesturing to the house. I gasp. I hadn't realized this was Victors house. I assumed it was a house they escaped to after the outbreak. He laughs without humor. "This isn't the house they lived in full time. It's just the house they shipped me off to so my friends wouldn't bring them shame. Of course that was after several attempts at getting rid of those friends." Wow if this is their second house I can only imagine the main house. Still I can't manage to be happy for Victor living in a house this big. He sounds sad having to do it. "I sound like I'm complaining. I'm not. I preferred it that way because sending me here with Mildred, my nanny, to take care of me is the one thing I think they did right. That's what I'm getting at actually. Mildred, she was an angel sent just for me. She was a better mother and father than mine ever were. I used to be scared of storms too. Though not nearly as much as you, I think. I tried to hide too. She wouldn't let me." I gasp. "No. No it wasn't like that. She just wouldn't let fear control me. She held my hand and for the first couple of storms sat with me near a window just watching. After the first couple storms she took me into the sun room which, if you haven't seen it yet, is all windows. I learned to love that. I still jump when thunder is a sudden loud outburst but I think that's anyone. Sometimes I'll even go out during a thunderstorm and spin around in the rain." He looks embarrassed to admit that that part but looks me in the eye and continues "I don't think you're ready for even the window view yet but I'm hoping you'll let me try something else." His eyes are set to a flicker setting compared to the fire I saw this morning but they're still intense and heated.