Human. (On Hold)

Chapter Two

We only walked for five minutes across campus, but with the weight of fear enveloping me like darkness in the forest on a cool night, it felt like hours. I no longer feared my family's punishment, no matter how brutal it would have been, I would not let them know I broke the rules. I have only two fears, my family and the unknown, but the effect they have upon me is devastating. I lose the ability to move of my own accord, the only thing that keeps me moving now is Ms. Downing's condescending presence behind me.

My family, an obvious fear of mine. With drastic punishments, strict law, and unfeeling demeanor, I know why I fear them. If they ever knew what I was truly like, what I thought about our lifestyle... I don't even want to think about it.

But when I don't know what lies ahead, I can't function. My body becomes robotic,  emotionless and obedient, just to protect myself from the overloading fear I would experience if not. I call this my factory setting. I was raised and trained by my father, and he taught my this. My siblings and I were raised like soldiers. We had no childhood.  The whole purpose of school was to keep a watchful eye on the next generation.

Sam's voice pierces through my cold, robotic exterior and into my thought process. Her calling of my alias pulls me from my trance and brings me back into my terrifying reality. I wished to stay buried deep within myself, but found I was unable to resist her beckoning.

"Yah?" I ask and cringe when my voice cracks.

"We're here," she whispers, so quietly I almost missed it.

I look over to her and see the same fear on her face I heard clearly in her trembling voice. Her eyes are glazed over and I think back to what she said earlier about her father also killing her. I can't help but wonder if she was as serious as I was because no one feared a school punishment to this degree.

As I think it through, what she said finally sinks in. We're here. I draw my attention from her face to the office building towering over us, casting shadows and gloom upon us all like a heavy woolen blanket slowly asphyxiating us.

We all stand there huddling together as if we were penguins keeping warm from the cold fear of our principal's wrath. None of us had met the principal because we were the flawless honors class, but we've heard horrendous things.

Ms. Downing urges us forward as lambs are urged to slaughter and we push timidly through the doors. We all fork over our yellow slips and are ushered into the back room.

The principal looks shocked to see all of us here, especially since we were the golden kids.

She gazes across us and slowly shakes her head with eyes full of disappointment in that weird way adults do things when they want you to feel guilty. So, to uphold the youth's tradition and continue my charade, I play along with the others. We look at the floor and pretend to be ashamed.

Mrs. Dwight says, "Marta, what did they do, exactly?"

Marta, who I presume is Ms. Downing, begins to look uncomfortable. She looks away from our principal's intense gaze and chokes out, "They were laughing," and everyone in the room stifles another laugh at how ridiculous she looks, giving us referrals for laughing.

A baffled Mrs. Dwight says, "At you, that is," she hesitates before adding a hopeful, "right?"

With a shameful tone, Ms. Downing replied, "I'm not sure what they were laughing at.."

With a sigh, our principal says, "I'm sorry, you are all free to go."

Ms. Downing adds, "But they were disrupting my class!" but Mrs. Dwight says nothing and points to the exit.

We all begin walking back to class with smug smiles.

However, we don't make it because the bell chooses this moment to ring in all of its annoying glory.

Everyone dashes of in different directions like Ms. Downing's  unruly hair. Sam and I discovered that we shared every class period excluding second. Thus, we walked to Rosener together.

After meeting Sam, and with no danger to myself in my family, I'm beginning to like school.

Upon my arrival at home, I realize I won't see Sam for another week. This realization hits me like a blow to the gut from a bodybuilder. I'll miss her terribly... But wait, none of my others siblings like school. Maybe, I can take their place? Do the "worst" chore while they do mine?

***

Sorry it's so sorry guys, and sorry that took so long. Since its summer, I'm going to try to start a schedule for my stories.

Picture of Sam>>