Split

Zoo

It had been months since I'd left the building that I'd become so used to, since I'd said goodbye to the friends that I'd come to love.
I hadn't stopped thinking about that night since I'd left; the way that Dennis had held me, the way he hadn't wanted to let me go... the mortified look that seemed to shatter my soul when Barry was taking the light... it hurt just thinking about it... and I thought about it all the time.

But today was different. Today gave me a new ray of hope.
I had gone back to school recently and we had been choosing college courses to take, everyone was excited to be able to do something that they enjoyed rather than the basic subjects. I was reading a leaflet on what was being offered when I saw an animal care course. I felt my stomach flutter as I read through the requirements that would be needed to finish the course-two weeks work experience at a Zoo, Veterinary Practice or Pet Store.
Zoo.
Two weeks at a zoo.
I immediately made my decision and waited eagerly for the form to fill out.

As the teacher passed me the paper and I filled it in, I thought about the day i left; how shocked I was at the realisation of where I was. I was amazed to see the animals as I walked through maintenance, then through the centre of the park towards the exit. I thought about the breeze as I left the zoo, blowing the hair of the blonde wig Barry had goven me across my face and making it near impossible to see. How I'd swiped it away, knocking the glasses from my face and hurrying to pick them up. That had been when someone spotted me.
She was a friend of my dad's and I hadn't seen her for years. She recognised me straight away and stared straight into my eyes. It took a few seconds for her to process what she was seeing and then she was running over, practically screaming my name. I was completely overwhelmed and stood there in shock as people began to look in my direction.
The woman had shaken me by the arms, asking if I was okay and where I'd been all this time, and all I managed to do was breakdown into tears. It was all too much, I wanted to go back to the little hideaway under the zoo and sleep it all away.
"It's okay, let's go somewhere quiet, okay?"

She had lead me straight to the police station and I was there for hours, explaining over and over the story that I had come up with.
I told them about my uncle, showed them my scars and explained why I'd 'run away'.
By the time I was let out I was tired, my eyes stung from tears and I missed my friends horribly.
They had gone to pick my uncle up for questioning pretty much straight away, and that night I stayed with the woman that found me-Susan.
She was very pleasant, just as nice as I remembered her, and she offered to let me stay as long as I wanted. She even asked the police if I could stay with her indefinitely, taking on the responsibility of becoming my foster carer. I had a hard time accepting her offer, not wanting to be a burden, but she insisted so I agreed to stay for a few days while she filled out the paperwork. I had been staying there ever since.

My uncle was arrested later that day.

I quickly passed the filled out form back to my teacher and began to daydream of seeing them again.