The Suicide Circle

Parents?

Maisie's POV

My head is pounding. My body is sweating. I feel like I'm going to throw up my guts. I managed to sit up, and observed my surroundings. It seemed like it was dawn.

Liana was a few feet from me, passed out on the ground, curled up in a ball.
Grayson and Dakota were passed out as well, sprawled on the couch, a bottle of alcohol in between them.
Katell was sitting in the middle of the black circle, smoking a cigarette.

"Morning." She said, not looking at me.

"What happened..." I murmured.

"One of the circle suicides."

My eyes widened. "Did someone die?!"

"No. It's called circle suicides because we kill the unhappiness inside. We don't kill ourselves. I don't believe in that." She explained as she took another whiff. She still didn't look at me.

"Katell?"

She glanced down at my direction but still didn't look directly at me.

"Where are your parents?"

"Where are yours?" She replied, shrugging and raising an eyebrow, and looking back in front of her, staring at nothing.

I looked down. Maybe she didn't wanna talk about them? But still, she's like barely a teen and is doing all this stuff.

"Do you go to school?"

"Why bother going there?"

"Um, so you can learn and get an education, and get a job to get money to support yourself?"

"I don't need that."

"Then how do you plan to get by? I mean, where do you get all this stuff?"

"I have a sponsor." She smirked, and rubbed the cigarette head on the ground.

"Who?"

She finally looked at me dead in the eye. She raised a finger to her lips. "Shh." The corners of her mouth twitched up a bit.

"Hey you smiled!"

"Don't get used to it." Her face went emotionless again, and she took another cigarette out of the box.

"But smiling is good."

"I smiled a lot when I was younger."

"What happened?" I risked asking.

"Shit happens." She lighted another cigarette and took another whiff, sighing out the smoke.

I heard a groan and looked over to the couch.

"Ow..." Dakota muttered, rubbing his head.

"Was it worth it?" Katell asked, actually looking at him.

"Definitely." He sighed, smiling.
"So, Maisie, how was it?"

"Uh...painful." I replied.

"Eh, it gets better. A lot better." He glanced at Grayson, and back at me.

"Sweet baby Jesus I feel incredible!" I heard a voice next to me shout.

Liana stretched her arms out, before jumping up to her feet.

"Hey Grayson, wake up!"

"Grayson's unavailable." Grayson said, his eyes still closed.

[~]

"So, what's your story?" Liana asked me, after we all gathered around the circle.

"What do you mean?"

"When a newbie comes, they need to tell us their story. Why are you here, what's wrong with you, how was your life before this, all that stuff." She explained.

"Oh..."

"Just do it." Katell urged.

"Okay. Well, I'm 15. I lived in foster homes. No one ever wanted to adopt me, because I was too old. I made bonds with children who ended up being adopted, and I never saw them again. At school, I kept my distance from people, cause I knew that I would move soon anyway. I'm here because my foster mom left me on the field, and I just gave up. I didn't care anymore. Now I'm here."

"Orphan. What are the odds." Katell sighed, throwing her arms up.

"I don't know if I'm an orphan. Maybe they're still out there. I want to find them."

Katell sneered and looked at me.
"Listen princess, if they're still alive, why do you think they put you in the foster home? They gave you up. They didn't want you. You'll waste your time trying to find them. Either they're dead or they don't want to see you again."

"Katell!" Liana looked at her, who just shrugged and took another whiff of the cigarette. Liana looked back at me with empathy.
"It's okay, I'm orphaned too. I kind of killed them. I told them I could drive but..." She trailed off and looked at Grayson.

"I was disowned. My mom's dead. My dad hates me." Grayson said.

"I never really had parents. I was invisible to them." Dakota added.

I smiled at them with sympathy, not knowing what to say. Then I looked at Katell, waiting for her to say something about her parents.

"What?" She looked at me, and rolled her eyes.

"What about your parents, Katell?" I asked warily. I just really wanted to know. Liana, Dakota, and Grayson looked at me like I was crazy.

"I don't know. I don't care." Katell replied, slightly shaking her head with each word. She coughed and looked at the clock on the wall.
"Who's hungry?"