the thirteenth | kim taehyung

chapter 3

ANABELLE'S POV

Before entering the school, I looked around on campus and saw everyone in their group of friends. There was the the hipsters, the populars, the stoners, and the geeks. I never fit in with any of them, so I would always go into the library and do my work. I looked away after some people began noticing me and made my way through the doors and up the creaky staircase. I walked into class, feeling the warmth from the heater wrap around me, as if a blanket is draped over my shoulders. It had been very cold these past few days, but I may just be hallucinating from the darkness that my sister's death brought upon me. Since the day she passed away, it's like I've been in a trance that keeps me from being my regular self.

Alice was the type of sibling that would wake you up at 3 a.m. in the morning just to get food. We had many midnight adventures, such as walking around the neighborhood and exposing our most sacred secrets to each other. Whenever I got home from school, Alice would always be in the kitchen, munching on a snack with her nose in a book. She loved to sketch and write in one of her notebooks from her endless collection. I learned and tried so many new things because of Alice, and everything I do now would never be the same without her. Although we didn't always get along, I love and miss her dearly.

One by one, my classmates' voices began to echo throughout the halls, snapping me back to reality. I was scared this were to happen and I would completely zone out on my teacher teaching a lesson. I told myself to stay stable, but it wasn't something I could really control. The bell had suddenly rung, surprising me. It was like my brain had tossed out every memory of college and replaced them with sorrow over break. I leaned over to the side of my desk to take out my books when I felt a balled up piece of paper bounce off my arm. I heard a few snickers and unwrinkled the paper, which read, "Welcome back to hell, we've missed you."

This wasn't the first time I've been picked on by my classmates. In fact, this would probably be the hundredth time this year. I always ignored the bullies, but it was never easy. I never talked to anyone about this, not even Alice. I feared that they would think of me as weak, someone who can't stand up for themselves. I would just cry in my room as my mind replayed what they said about me over and over again.

Marvin, the leader of the gang, approached me from the back with a devilish grin plastered across his tan face. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead and my jaw was clenched tight. As his footsteps grew louder, the palms of my hands grew moist, causing for me to lose the grip on my books. They fell with a thump, grasping the attention of the chattering students. I looked up to see Marvin's demonic eyes staring straight down at me.

"Oh! Well isn't the clumsy clown back from circus camp? Back at it again with the stupid actions, Anabelle?" He chuckled. I turned back to the front of the board, but because our teacher hasn't come yet, Marvin was still allowed to be out of his seat. I was close to tears, and that only fed to his growing fire. I prayed he doesn't mention Alice, but failure is what it has become.

"I heard about that sister of yours, but hey. For once, something isn't your fault and caused by your stupidity right?" This earned a couple gasps and then a growing laughter from my gathering classmates. At that point, I couldn't take it any longer. Out of all the things Marvin could've joked with, it had to be the most important part of me. I ran out of the classroom, leaving everyone speechless. I had never done this before and always let Marvin play with my feelings until he got bored of me. I let myself fall as a victim, just for someone else's entertainment. Fresh tears rolled down my cheeks, staining my school uniform. I didn't stop until I reached the library, which was always dark and empty. There wasn't even a librarian, so it was just the dusty old books and me. It's always like this every time I enter the library, although I was alone, I never felt discomfort. Maybe I was just born to be alone, forever. I crouched against a bookshelf and cried until my body couldn't possibly produce anymore tears. I walked back into the classroom and realized it was way past school hours. I snatched my schoolbag and phone and began my journey back home.

It was dark, but I thought of it as a way to finally have peace. There was no one out, and the only sounds were of owls hooting into the night sky. The moon was out, creating silhouettes of decaying trees, which to me, was beautiful. It was all like an art masterpiece, only it wasn't displayed. To see something as wonderful as art, you have to experience a feeling from it. The feeling isn't handed to you, it requires the ability of willing to see the beauty. I began to hum to the rhythm of my sneakers, completely forgetting about my horrible day. I suddenly felt so much energy inside of me and skipped the rest of the way home. Before I even stepped foot into the house, my mom opened the front door and hugged me.

"Why are you home so late today? Did something go wrong at school? Do you feel sick?" her questions attacked me, which was something I really didn't need. I nodded and went to my room to change into a pair of joggers and a crewneck. Unfortunately, she followed me there with the same worried look on her face from this morning.

"Anabelle, dad and I have noticed that you aren't being yourself these past few months. So, we've decided to sign you up for therapy, to help you through this." The words flowed out of her lips, as if it were so easy for her to say this. To me, I've always thought therapy was stupid. I mean, if someone feels this way, who has the right to take that away from them? To invade their thoughts and feelings and lie to them to make them feel better? I felt my eyes begin to water again, but I didn't dare look back at my mother. She knew how I felt about therapy, and yet she decided that it was the right thing to do. I know for a fact that no one and nothing could possibly change the way I currently feel.

"I'm going out. Don't wait up." I spat as I gathered my bag again and walked out the door. I glanced at my mother from the corner of my eye and read hurt scattered all over her face. I didn't mean to make my mother feel this way, but I couldn't help myself. This has always been my way to cope instead of yelling back at my parents or cursing. I eliminate myself and use the time to be alone.

I put on my athletic shoes and ran. I didn't stop, because I was scared that if I did, the memories would come back to haunt me. Whenever I run, I feel relief and forget about everything that's been on my mind. I just focus on the nature surrounding me and the direction I'm headed. In this case, I ran to the nearest forest, stopping here and there for a breath. I love forests and nature, especially at nighttime, where new exotic creatures come out that you wouldn't normally see during the day. After about two hours, my crewneck was drenched with sweat and my legs were about to give in. Luckily, I still had a full water bottle that I packed for school in the morning. I gulped down the much needed water to quench my thirst before putting it back into my bag. I walked a little further in and found a fallen tree that was a home to a couple squirrels. They scurried away as I approached them and realized that there was an old shack a couple feet away. There was a dim light peeking from the shattered window, as if someone were on their phone. I was going to walk away and leave whoever it was their privacy, but I hesitated. Curiosity took control of my body and before I knew it, my legs took me to the front door of the shack. I knocked on the door, but it swung open due to the old lock. Who would live here, I wondered. I looked inside the small shack and saw every maid's worst nightmare, a huge mess. I was about to ask if anyone was there, when I saw someone sitting on a creaking rocking chair in the corner. The figure noticed me and began to make it's way over. I couldn't bring myself to back away, even though I knew I should. I waited until their face was in the moonlight and saw someone that made me regret my foolish choice to come to the forest in the first place. Before me, stood Kim Taehyung.