Voiceless

Chapter Eleven

The wind curls around me, its frigid fingers grasping at my extremities. Even the trees moan in low agony as the cold seeps into their branches, and I shiver quietly for them as well as myself. When my grandmother had told me it was going to be cool outside, I hadn't anticipated this.

Walking to school, I'm furious with myself for not bringing extra clothing. It's negative four degrees outside, a new record for what's supposed to be early spring. I hurry up, wanting to get out of this weather before one of my fingers falls off.

I'm not surprised to see that all of the students had rushed indoors as soon as possible, leaving the outside of the school desolate and empty. It looks almost like a bad omen, but I'm jumping for joy at the sight of the lonely structure. I speed up until I'm directly in front of the doors, and I heave them open. When the promising warmth flows from the opening, I practically run inside.

Now that heat is off my mind, I begin to worry again. What if no one believes me? It is likely that they'll take Lydia's side, but... even if they have not a working brain cell, they have to realize that my being at school means she's lying. Right?

My footsteps don't echo like they usually do, on account of all the people crammed into the tiny hallway. I feel like I'm in a school of fish: everyone blindly following the people in front of them, stumbling, tripping, oblivious to their surroundings. Finally I manage to break free of the crowd and get to my class on time, for a change.

I yank open the door and nervously creep over to my desk, hoping no one will notice me. Instead, I see a flash of red and feel the air whoosh out of my lungs, realizing it's Haley as I hear the tell-tale chattering. She finally releases me from her powerful embrace and makes a motion with her hands.

Suddenly an entire horde of girls surround me, all asking me if I'm okay, speaking in soothing voices. Haley grasps my hands in hers and looks me in the eye.

"Lydia's gone too far this time, making up these huge lies. Somebody's gotta put an end to all this, right, girls?" A bunch of voices chime in, agreeing.

I open my mouth and close it again, looking strikingly similar to a fish. Never, not in a million years, would I expect this. People standing up for me, people I don't even know? I have a strong urge to pinch myself and see if I'm dreaming.

 The bell rings, and the girls all disperse. I marvel throughout the period, not concentrating on a word my demonic teacher Ms. Ashton says. When I leave, I feel incredibly invigorated and far more confident than when I entered.

But I forgot Lydia was in my next class.

As I stride into English, I feel the grin dissolve off of my face instantly. There she is, surrounded by her groupies. I scan all of their faces, recognizing few. And on one face, I stop.

It's him. The guy who was smoking in the bathroom, the one who laughed. He has his arm around Lydia's waist, smiling as she playfully smacks him. "Tyler, stop it!" She giggles.

Then it clicks. Tyler Allenovan, the guy she was so upset over. She didn't even realize he was there... or did she? He looks over and meets my eyes, but quickly drops them.

He's on her side. He knows the truth, but he'll never tell. I fume silently, fury growing quickly in my heart.

 But you'd do the same. 

The thought slams into my brain. No, I wouldn't. I'd do the right thing and tell the truth! I angrily reply.  The response is immediate.

You would never tell the truth. You are human, just like everyone else. And, being human, you'd want to save yourself by complying to the one with the power. That'd be Lydia.

At first, I try to think of a good comeback. Then I realize there isn't one. I look at Tyler, and all of my hurt and anger dissipate. I would do the same thing. Knowing that, I can't blame him.

I feel my former calm returning. Then, Lydia spots me.

Her head whips around and her dark, beady eyes land on mine. "You!" She hisses. "How dare you even look at me!" 

She gets up and saunters across the classroom. She may have everybody else fooled, but not me. She's a coward at heart. She even proves this for me when she stops walking, and she's kept a distance of ten feet. I smile and give her a fake wave.

This seems to irritate her. She steps closer, to about two yards. Then, she gives me her trademark lifting of the nose. "You're a liar and a fake! Everybody knows that, right?" She turns, and the group she was with nods mindlessly. I think if Lydia said the world was flat, they'd agree with her. 

Lydia creeps closer as she speaks. She's about a yard away from me now.

"What, you're not going to say anything? Not going to apologize?" She's a foot away from me now.

I don't know what to do. I can't talk, and neither smiling nor waving will help me now. Lydia is frustrated by my lack of response, and she balls her hands into fists.

"Why won't you answer me?!"

I gasp. A sharp pain in my head is all the warning I get.

A glass bottle whizzes past my head, so close to my cheek that I can feel the air it displaces. The mob rioting is gettting out of hand, and Dad pulls us close as Mother searches frantically for the car keys. A man wearing a crumpled uniform and graying stubble on his face stumbles from the ranks of the mob. "We want higher wages! More benefits!" He goes on to say lots of things I don't understand as the mob on strike cheers. "We demand that no shoppers pass through those doors until we get what we want!" Mother has found her keys. Gavin's eyes are wide and he's shaking. I reach out and grab his hand, trying to reassure him. We were just running errands when the strike began. The man is now yelling at a corporate executive, who is speaking worriedly with the security guards. After a while of no answer, he becomes angrier. "Why won't you answer me?!"

Gavin looks at me, squeezing my hand with unanticipated force. He opens his mouth.

"Vera, I'm scared."

That sentence echoes in my head, repeating itself like a broken record. "Vera, I'm scared."

I can't see straight. Everything's so blurry and fractured. The only thing I notice clearly is something running down my nose. I reach my hand up, and pull away crimson fingers. A high-pitched voice is shouting frantically. "I didn't touch her, I swear!"

I feel my eyes rolling up into my head, and the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. Then I'm spiraling down, down, down into an abyss of blackness. The dark isn't so unwelcome, it makes my head stop hurting. "Vera, I'm scared."

"Call an ambulance!"

The scarlet puddle around my head is so pretty. I try to reach out and touch it, but my arm won't move. I want to laugh. It's so relaxing, swimming in a red pool.

A man in a uniform is shining a light into my eyes and asking me questions. I don't want to answer questions. I'd rather go swimming. The man is moving me onto something. "Stay with me." I feel confused. Where would I go?

That's when I stop falling into the dark abyss and feel my eyelids shut.