The Super Enrichment Programme

I SAID GET UP!

‘UP! GET UP!’ a voice yelled, jolting me out of my peaceful dream.

‘I SAID GET UP!’ Mr Lee roared and I leapt out of bed and sprinted into controls centre.

Hale and Nolan were stood around the food, their faces like thunder.

‘What’s going on?’ I asked them, my heart racing.

‘Emma’s playing with us, she's about to lock down the dorm.’ Hale growled and I saw Nolan flinch, the pain breaking through his poker face for a split second.

‘Who’s still in there?’ I asked, dumping my bag next to the food.

‘Ringwood, Luca, and willow I think,’ Nolan replied and I nodded, seeing the first two emerge, yawning, from the dorm.

‘Willow’s still trapped though,’ I heard Hale murmur, ‘Nolan’s only got one girl to flirt with now,’ he teased, stepping out of his reach and giving me a high five.

‘WILLOW, WE’LL GET YOU OUT AS SOON AS WE CAN!’ Mr Lee yelled down the dorm before counting us.

‘It seems I gave you an extra minute,’ Emma hissed, making me back into hales arms. She sounded like she was standing right behind me, no matter what direction I was facing.

‘You’ll pay for that later…’ she trailed off as the red lights started flashing and the dorm became officially off limits.

‘H-Hale…’ I whined, ‘Why won’t she stop talking?’ I looked up into his face to see confusion.

‘She’s stopped,’ he whispered but I backed away, shaking my head.

‘n-no she hasn’t! She’s threatening me, she scaring me!’ I cried, tears springing from my eyes as I listened to something they couldn’t hear.

‘You can’t hear her?  I don’t get it, she can’t get in my head, she can’t!’ I continued, mainly to myself.

‘You may have found out most of my secrets, but you dismissed this one… you’re so vulnerable, I could make you bad… you’d be good at being bad… you just woke up little Gem, didn’t you think about that before saying ‘She can’t get in my head’? I can only get into the heads of people like you to talk… to scare… to be your conscience.’

I felt Hale grab me by the waist and pull me over to Nolan. I lost concentration on what Emma was saying, making her sound eerily like something from a horror movie again.

‘She can’t get into your mind Gem, you have a mental block.’ Nolan told me, and I nodded, refusing to accept that she can only get into my head.

‘No… don’t listen to Nolan… he’s just jealous he can’t hear I… don’t block me… you CAN’T block me out and you know it… I’m a part of you.’

‘I don’t think so,’ I muttered as I woke myself up, making my natural mental block shut out the squealing voice of a defeated Emma.

‘Hale…’ I whimpered, reaching out to him as I sunk down to sit on the floor.

‘she still likes him,’ I said, pointing at Nolan, who had started to pace the room, his face showing signs of the pain he’d manage to conceal for so long.

‘How do you know?’ Hale asked, his hand lingering on mine for a few seconds too long.

‘She started to talk about him. But even though she was being harsh on him, I could hear the love in her voice. I've known her for so long would have been stupid to have not seen it,’ I replied, lowering my voice whenever Nolan paced closer.

‘Should we tell him?’ Hale whispered back, his face lighting up as he looked up at his heartbroken friend.

‘No, because I'm not 100 % sure. It’s more like 99…’ I replied, giggling as Hale started to tickle me.

‘Why tease me then?’ He asked. I just hiccupped and carried on laughing whilst rolling around on the floor, trying to get away from his hands.

‘Nolan!’ I squealed, reaching out to him from where I was trapped on the floor by hale.

‘Oi you!’ He yelled, running over, ‘Stop tickling my girlfriend’s best friend!’ I crawled away whilst Hale was distracted, only to see Nolan start to tickle Hale.

‘OH THAT’S NOT FAIR!’ he yelled, helplessly laughing as me and Nolan roared with laughter.

‘Oh stop it, I can’t breathe,’ I squealed, making Nolan stop tickling hale, but kept him pinned to the ground with one finger.

‘Do you promise to not tickle anyone from now on?’ I asked, making my face blank in mock seriousness.

‘I do my good lady,’ he replied with what I think was supposed to be a bow, except he couldn’t really do it because he was pinned down, so just head butted the floor.

‘Nolan, let him up? I think we’ve punished him enough now…’I trailed off as pain flashed across Nolan’s face for the third time that day.

‘Are you okay?’ I asked, walking up to him. I reached out to put my hand on his arm, but he turned around and moved out my reach.

‘I’m fine…’ He whispered before walking off in the direction of the gym, leaving me in the company of a very confused Hale.

‘S’whos phat?’ he slurred and I slapped him on the arm.

That did nothing.

‘S’what phat pore?’ he slurred again so I slapped him around the face.

‘POOW!’ he yelled, making me confused. I grabbed his wrist and dragged him to Mr Lee.

‘Head butted the floor? He’s just concussed, although I’m not entirely convinced your slap helped him much…’ Mr Lee scolded and I nodded, leaving Hale in his capable hands.

Now I just wanted to help Nolan, and the only way to do that is to get Emma to turn good again.