Madness

Chapter 1

The new girl walked through the door, a look of sheer terror on her face. I didn't blame her. This place was something to be afraid of. Sometimes it can scare the shit out of you. I rocked on my toes and watched from afar as the jocks stood in a huge group staring at her and saying nothing.

She walked past them (rather courageously) and did her best to ignore them. I walked to the back of the hall, waiting to see how she dealt with the Quirks. I knew for a fact they had been taking bets on how long it would take her to snap. Especially the annoying leader, Benny.

Benny's dangerous to most people. Nearly all of them here are. It's a recreational school. She's still trying to break me. She says she won't stop until I've lost it. That's when I pointed out that I never really had it.

The Quirks shout insults and warnings at the newbie as she walks past and she starts to shake.

"I find it helps if you block them out." I shout to her.

She looks up from the floor.

Benny shouts a load of insults at me, which I just block out with a rude hand gesture as the newbie walks toward me.

"Let me take your bag."

She doesn't trust me. I can see it in her eyes. But I've always run solo. And I wouldn't join Benny's group of Quirks if the other option was throwing myself from a bridge. So I grab her bag and run. And, as I wanted, she chases me. Up the stairs, through the corridor, into my dorm. I have to give it to her, she's fast, but not as fast as me.

"Give me my bag!" She pants, and I laugh. Panting. That was nothing. I run farther on a daily basis. Hahaha. She's going to have to get fit.

Once I've given her back the bag, she looks around, her eyes wide in amazement.

"Are these trees... real?"

I laughed.

"Of course they're not. How would they grow? Mrs Deets helped me make them. They're as good as."

She just stands there, staring.

"You like it?" I ask her.

"Love it."

It looks a bit like a jungle. Which had been my aim. My art teacher loves it. The matron hates it. But then, my art teacher is about the only nice teacher in this school. She's certainly the only one who understands and likes me. Her and my maths mentor, who gives me hard maths instead of all the adding crap that the normal class does. I wonder what she'd think? I've never thought to ask.

There's a note stuck to my tree. Telling me that she'll be sitting in on my counselling session. That's the deal. I spend my sessions with the school counsellor (who I hate) and my art teacher (who I love). When Mrs Deets was ill or unable to attend, Mrs Curtis has said she will step up. Looks like the art department is busy.

"Here's the deal. You can bed here and call it your own and all, but no decoration changes unless its to add more jungle. And no sitting in on my counselling sessions unless I invite you. And vice versa, right?"

She nods.

"I wonder why you need counselling?" she says sarcastically.

"Mrs Curtis and Mrs Deets ask me the same thing. I have no idea. You need to tell me your name." I tell her.

"Chloe. What's yours?"

"Nessa. Short for Vanessa. Which I hate. So don't ever use it. Right?"

She nods and there's a knock on the door. It's not three o'clock yet. Must be matron.