Unheard {ONHOLD}

The bell hurts

My eyes open slowly and I start to feel the effect of the healing and sleeping tablet disappear from my body. I wince as I use my elbow to get up. My head feels slightly dizzy and the room spins for a second.

“Hey, easy, easy” Some guy says pushing me back unto the bed. “You need to take it easy”

I turn my head to find the speaker. It’s Tim, the guy from before. Why’s he here?

“Nurse Melissa said that you have to take it easy, Jenny” Tim says, concern spread over his face. He smiles then. “Are you alright?” I nod my head. “That’s good”

Alice. I think softly.

“She was sent back to class” Tim explains.

‘Where’s my piffle?’

“It’s right here” He scrambles away from the bed and comes back with my piffle in his hand. “Alice left it for you. She took the rest of your stuff to your locker”

‘Why are you here, Tim?’

“Because I was sick too so I got to stay until I recovered” He sits on the bed and looks down at me. His grey eyes peer down at me and my face heats up, too close, way too close. Maybe I’m sicker than I thought.

‘Are you okay?’

“I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about” He says quietly. “You got targeted by a Shar”

‘I wasn’t targeted. It just stopped for a while’

Tim’s face turns serious and he asks the next question quietly as if being cautious about what he says.

“Jennifer, how much do you know about your past?” He asks. I look into his eyes and think. I know a lot about my past, how could I not? I did live through it myself.

As I begin to answer in my head Melissa slides the infirmary door open and walks through. Tim frowns and turns his attention to her.

“Hey, you’re awake” Melissa says placing a plastic bag on her desk. “How’re you feeling?” I nod and smile. “Good, you can go home now, the bell’s about to go any second now”

I nod and try to get up again. This time, I don’t get dizzy. I get up just fine as if nothing had happened. I smile to myself and begin to slide off the bed. Just then the bell rings for home time.

It’s never happened before and I don’t know why it happens now, but the bell vibrates through my mind and instead of sounding like the slow, peaceful and extended dong it usually sounds like, it sends a piercing shrill through my mind and I block my ears to block it out. The ring gets louder and I am forced to lie back on the bed, curled up. I shut my eyes and wait for it to stop.

When it does stop, I am out of breathing and panting for air. I feel sweat trickling down my forehead and down my arms too. I open my eyes and find Tim and Melissa peering down at me.

Melissa pulls out a strange device that looks like a pointer and she waves it over my face. A yellow light shines at me and I squint to see her better.

“Jennifer, I don’t know what’s wrong with you” Melissa concludes frowning. “Are you alright?”

I shrug and slide off the bed shakily.

‘Am I dying, nurse?’

“No, no, no, no you are not dying, silly girl” Melissa says smiling and waking back to her desk. “First an encounter with a shar, changing blue eyes and getting knocked out by the school bell. I wonder what’s going on”

I take my piffle from Tim and turn to Melissa.

‘Thank you very much for looking after me, but I must be going now’