Taken.

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Once, home I feel like a new person. Looking at my room, my house, my family, after all of this....

You just seem to appreciate it all so much more, you see it in a new light. Its amazing, and I don't understand how I took it all for granted, before.

I wanted to be alone, to think things over, and at the same time I didn't. I wanted to be with my family, almost as though, to pretend none of this had happened. That, I wasnt in the middle of a court case, or that our house had been broken into, a few nights before.

We sit for a while, and watch tv, but eventually I have to go. The silence is just to horrible, nobody says anything, there's a deathly silence, and I feel my family's eyes on me, and they must all surely feel the same.

The schoolwork I have been left with, is sky high. I have five sheets to do for maths, and chapter of that book for English, and then I have to write a summary on it all. I head up to my room and start my work, I sit on my bed, careful not to place my feet down onto the ground. The pain that sears through my soles is unbearable.

I want to read, but I'm not in the mood. Everything just isn't the way it should be, and I still don't understand it all. Why, did Marcus trap us all? How did he keep those older inhabitants alive? My brain can't fathom it all out, and I'm not sure I want it to.

I sit for a while just thinking, when I get my photo album out. There's pictures from holidays in he highlands, days out with friends, even some of me as a baby. It's how to believe only more than a few months ago, all of this shit could've been prevented. We could've went to a different cinema, and I'm still pissed off about not seeing the movie.

Outside it becomes darker, and eventually I just crawl under the covers and lie there, because that is all I can do.

I hear soon after, my parents turn the lights off and go to their bed. I hear them talk for a while, but unable to make out clearly what they say. Finally, they stop and go to sleep, but I am not in the least bit tired. I guess, all this makes you appreciate life more, and you don't want to miss a second of it.

When, my eyes close I don't dream anything, and when I wake in the morning, it feels as though only moments have passed. It must be early, as there is no sound, when I check the time on my phone, its not even 6am.

I can't sleep, but I can't sit here doing nothing either, so I finish the last of maths off, and find myself sitting bored. Without thinking, I go to walk across to my bookshelf, and I feel the pain in my foot. I fall back onto the bed, and every time I how walk, I have a reminder of how I have spent the past month.

My parents were told it'll take a while before, I cannot feel the pain, and until then to try and walk on my heel, yeah how easy is that meant to be? I lose my balance, and just topple over, or worse fall onto my soles.

I mist have drifted off into sleep again, because when I wake, Mum is shaking me.

" Get dressed. Someone's here to see you."

Remembering this time to walk on my heel, I head to the bathroom, and clean myself up. When, I walk downstairs, there's a girl with auburn hair sitting on the couch.

" Paula!"

I can't help but smile, and when I slowly walk down the stairs, she pulls me into a hug, and then she nods, to the conservatory. There's Gemma, Abigael, Samantha, Morgan, Robyn and Emma, and Sophie's sitting on Abigael, they're all here... All except Ellie. I walk over, and they all hug me, Samantha even let's me lie my foot on her. I want to ask about Ellie, but I don't want to seem rude. But, eventually I can't hold it in, and I ask.

" How's Ellie?"

" I'm alright."

She jumped out from behind the couch, sending me screaming, and falling off the couch. Samantha grabbing my foot, so it doesn't hit the floor.

I'm left there dangling, and can't pull myself up from laughing, and nobody else can pull me up from hysterical giggling. Once, I'm back on the couch, Mum brings through pizza, I ask where Jenn is, and mum tells me she's at Nana and Papa's.

We put The Hunger games on, but no one really watches it, we just chat over it. Being with them all again, makes me realize how much I miss them all, and how bored I get at home all day, instead of being at school with them.

" When, are you coming back?"

Robyn asks, I shrug my shoulders, and they all look at Paula, who's says,

" Why haven't I been let in on this secret?"

" Hey, I haven't either." I say.

They look at each other again, speaking through their eyes. Abigael eventually, looks at me, and she says....

" You might not be able to come back."

" Why not?"

By now Mum has come through, and she knows, I can see from the look in her eyes.

" Your only aloud so much time off, or they'll give your place away at the school. You already knew it was overcrowded, over 20 first years, were sent elsewhere last year."

Reality hits me hard in the face. The school has bee overpopulated for a long time, when I started 10 pupils from my school were denied a place, as there was too many. I was lucky enough to get in, so how hard it must be now, its unbelievable.

" How long have I got?"

" Just over a month."

Morgan tells me, there is no chance the court case will be done by then.

" Mum?"

From the look on he race, I can tell she's expecting me to either cry, or burst out in anger. But, I turn round and say,

" I'll go back next week."

They all look at me like I'm speaking anther language.

" The court case won't be done, and your foot."

" I can put up with my foot, but I can go to school the days I'm not at court. And, even then just have half days."

" I don't know how you'll do it. You're finding it hard enough, as it is to fit your homework in with court, at the moment."

" I'll do it. There is no chance they're sending me to the Catholic high school up the road......"