Freed

Wendell

Chapter 7

Wendell

It's the same girl from the registration line. Jade.

The plate clangs to the ground. Jade is standing face to face with a girl with brown hair and lizard like eyes. The girl speaks teasing Jade "Are you gonna do something about that or stand there like the dumb little girl on the street everybody knows." Everyone oohs.

"Is that Jade" Chrys asks me. I nod. "I gotta do something." "Wait one second." Edan says sitting him down.

"You don't want to fight me, Caitlin" Jade says walking away.

I see adults standing in the hall way walking in, but a short skinny woman with gray hair in a bun stops them.

"Why don't I want to fight you? You gonna kill me like you did to your parents!" More oohs. "You don't understand... what will happen!" Jade begins to walk away again, but Caitlin grabs her arm and turns her around. They are nose to nose.

That's when you realize how short Jade is compared to Caitlin. Also how Caitlin is turning paler by the second. "You are worthless" Caitlin slaps her across the face knocking Jade to the ground. Jade's lip begins to bleed stain her gray shirt.

Caitlin begins to walk away very confidently, when she falls to the ground and begins making choking sounds. Everyone is dumfounded by the sight they just saw because Jade didn't lay a finger on Caitlin.

The woman let's the adults walk in picking up Caitlin and ignoring Jade.

"Now" I hear Edan say. I get up with Edan and go to Jade. We boost her up with our shoulders and sit her at the last seat at our table between me and Edan. Blaze hands her a napkin.

"Are you okay?" Edan begins to put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't touch me unless you want to end up like her." She says under her breath. Edan doesn't listen and puts the hand on her anyway.

Nothing happens. Jade puts out a sigh of relief and smiles. Edan rubs her hand on her back with out stopping. Chrys offers her half his sandwich and she politely takes the offer. Soon it's gone like she hasn't eaten in weeks. She probably hasn't.

"Who's that?" Blaze speaks up. Jade looks up at her and says "My room mate."

We all say "ooh that sucks...sorry." "No problem I learned to fight people like her." She says letting her smile turn to gratitude.

"Hey you can sleep in our dorm" Blaze offers. "That way you don't have to sleep with that she-devil." "Thanks, but I can't" she refuses, and her smile fades.

"Uhh yeah you can. Come on I insist." Blaze says tilting her head to see Jades face.

Jade looks up and almost scares the pee out of Blaze. "Holy mother of Amers, your eyes-..." she bites her tongue. "Are lovely" she finishes, looking down at her plate.

The thing is Jade isn't the most... what's the word... appealing person. The eyes aren't that bad after awhile but then you move on to other things. Like her cracked lips with the scar on her upper lip, the tangles mess of her hair, her rotten teeth from not brushing, but behind that you see that the scar is kinda cut, and her nose is like a gumdrop and her hair is the color of amber. She is beautiful all she need is a -

"Makeover" Edan says. Edan and Blaze look at each other and exchange happy looks. "That's perfect!" Blaze announces. "After dinner we will go to the Hub and get you all cleaned up so you don't- no offense but- Scare people" she interrupts.

"Yep pretty much!" Edan says looking satisfied; Blaze hits her on the shoulder. "Ouch" Edan says rubbing her shoulder.

"What'ja say" Chrys finally speaks up. She gives a slight grin "Ok I'll do it"

Everyone claps. I pat her on the back lightly when I feel a sharp pain go up my arm. Jade turns at me and shouts something I can't make out. Everything turns blurry. I fall out of my chair, and see people rushing over me. That's when the lights go out.

...

I'm just opening my eyes and see a white curtain around me. I look beside me and move the curtain to see Caitlin going through a surgery in which they are cutting off her arm. I shut the curtain, and close my eyes. That's when the needle is in my arm and I'm in a dream.

I'm in a dark room strapped down to a chair. I try to scream but nothing comes out of my mouth. I blink and they next time my eyes open I see a mirror right in front of me. There is my reflection, same as always.

The mirror backs up and I see a torch beside the mirror on the right side. Then a shard of ice goes on the next side. Beside the ice is a leaf bright and growing. Then appears a vial of poison next to the torch. The poison is the same color of Jade's eyes, dark purple.

Blaze's face appears above the torch except her hair is fire. Caitlin's voice calls out "Blaze is the first one." Then appears Chrys's face above the ice, his eyes are ice blue. Her voice again "Chrys will try to protect her" *laughing*

"What's going on" I blurt out. "Oh it's only just begun" her voice replies. I shut up to listen.

"Then you will run with them."*more laughing* "And it just keeps getting worse. The image of me in the chair disappears leaving an empty metal throne. "Edan goes with you because, well isn't it obvious, she loves you." The chair has disappeared. I take a step back in shock. *laughing* I back up one more step to find myself falling off a cliff. *more laughing* "As I said, this is only the beginning"

The vial of poison appears in front of me. It pours into my mouth. I scream and wake up in a cold sweat.

"Whoa there hot shot" I see Edan in front of me on a chair. I'm lying in a bed strapped down. I look at the straps.

"Yeah they had to put you in those to keeps you from falling out of bed." Edan smiles. "How long have I been on drugs?" I ask realizing my throat is dry so it really comes out like "How log hab I een a rugs?"

"About three days" Chrys says standing in the door way twirling a silver knife. "What!?" I freak out. For the first time in forever I shot wind out of my hands. Edan falls off the chair knocking her to the ground.

"What the" Edan says rubbing her head. "Nurse! Shoot him with the sleep shot!" Chrys yells off balance. A nurse comes in the room and there is yet again a needle in my arm.

I'm out.