The Manipulation Room

Chapter 4 - It's Always Been Art

Manipulation Room victim no. 842
Name: Gwendolen Hill 
Age: 12 years old
Occupation: Student 
Family Member: 17-year-old brother, Asher 
Description: Supressed brain functions and artificially induced in a coma from sedatives in a dart. 

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I had a free period and I was drowning in boredom. Time flowed like cement. I checked my phone for the fifth time. A minute had passed since I last checked an hour ago, or so it seemed. Sitting in my usual place with nothing to stare at but an old abandoned wall with chipped cream paint was excruciatingly dull. It was so pointless. I began to drift into an unpleasant daydream or was it a paranoid fantasy? It was hard to tell and I didn't care. It helped to pass the time and I wasn't one for entertaining myself with optimism. Better to be prepared.

Boredom kills. There I am tapping the brick wall I was sitting on repetitively with the end of my pencil, staring out at the field in front of me, wishing I was anywhere but here. I was nicely hidden by a row of hedges and brambles, completely unseen by the football players that were playing on the pitch a few metres ahead of me. Only Credence and Kierra know that this place exists; it's better that way. This place that I can hide myself in, unseen by the rest of the world, my little sanctuary. Up the weathered stone grew ivy tendrils covered in dark green leaf. The plant was no gardeners friend, not the way it spread, but to my eye it was as beautiful as any other. 

I pulled out the book that I had been reading and leant against the brick wall behind me, weathering and forgotten. This little area was so overgrown with nature that I felt like a plant myself. I put my legs ontop of the wall and stretched them out, letting the book pull me into another world. Anywhere but here. Much to my fright, I heard a rustle. It was loud and mysterious and all of my senses ignited at once. I dropped my book on the floor without even realising it, and froze. The noise engulfed me, completely capturing my brain, rendering any logical thought or conclusion impossible.

I slowly dropped my legs from the wall and jumped onto the leaves and mud beneath. "Whose there?" I croaked. There was more rustling but no human noise...no reassurance. I slowly lifted a large stick from the ground, holding it in front of me like a sword. "I said, whose there?" 
Again, nothing. "Credence...if this is you, it's not funny." I glanced briefly at my watch and saw that Credence's next lesson had started fifteen minutes ago. There was no way it could've been him, that only made me more scared. This sounded exactly like something Credence would do. 

There was a suggestion of movement from behind the hedges, inside the darkened area that I stood in. It was formless and indistinct, like a piece of shadow shifting. Squealing and tensing up with fear, I threw the stick in my hand at the area of movement and watched it fly through the air before dropping to the ground. I heard someone call out in pain and I pushed back the growing ivy so that the sunlight could light up the dim area and I could see who it was. 

It was him. Ezra Ray. He was staggering to his feet, rubbing his arm in pain. "What are you doing here?" He asked breathlessly, not taking his eyes off of me. "You?! Don't scare me like that!" I stammered, sinking down onto the brick wall. He had an amused expression on his face, still clutching his  arm. "I'm sorry for...the stick." I mumbled, staring at the ground as my cheeks began to heat up. He shrugged, "It happens." I saw him kneeling down on the floor before standing up straight again, holding my book in his hand. He held it out to me and our hands brushed whilst I took it back. "Thanks." 

"Why...why did you throw a stick at me?" He asked, pulling his bag off the floor and flinging it over his shoulder. I stared at the ground, flustered and embarrassed, "I...I'm normally the only one here. I didn't know who was...there." I pushed a strand of blonde hair behind my ear, feeling myself blushing. He came and sat on the brick wall next to me, rather close, and I felt myself tense up. "Right. I actually come here a lot too...just for future reference. So I don't get anymore sticks tossed at me." He explained, rubbing the back of his neck.