The Garden of Eden || Canis Canem Edit / Bully [ #WATTYS2018 ]

Chapter Three: Sweet Summer Nights

A shaky sigh left Eden's lips, as she tugged down at her grey pyjama top. Her eyes held a scalding fierceness, as she glared at her reflection in the mirror. Her mind was swimming with incessant dark thoughts. Thoughts she wouldn't dare to utter out loud. 'I feel so useless. Worthless. They abandoned me here. My own parents, they don't care. They don't care. No one cares.'

Helpless tears dribbled down her flushed cheeks as she hugged herself tightly, a comforting embrace only she could give to herself. Her frame wracked violently with every muffled sob, her trembling lips crying out into her shoulder. 'I can't believe this. I'm having a panic attack on my first night here.'

Eden straightened her form, running her fingers through her chocolate curls as she struggled to regulate her breathing. She needed to get out of there. Now. Her eyes flickered over to her alarm clock perched on her bedside table. 12:25 am. Eden wiped her cheeks and picked herself up off the floorboards. She opened her door with a quiet creak, wincing to herself at the noise. 'Couldn't possibly be any louder.'

She stood in the hallway, gazing down the seemingly endless corridor. Moonlight shone in through the windows, accompanied by the soft whistling of wind and creaking of the antiquated floorboards. Wands of rising branches from tired oak trees cast shadows of dancing silhouettes onto the old-fashioned rug that ran down the aisle. The serene night brought solace like no other.

Her vision was blurry with tears, everything in front of her mashing into a blur of shadows and greys. Her slippers padded quietly onto the rug as she made her way down the set of stairs. Before she knew it, she was already out of the dorm. The cool summer air slammed against Eden's body, her hair whipping her reddened cheeks. She let out a shaky sigh as she shuffled over to the main entrance of Bullworth Academy, her quivering legs threatening to buckle beneath her. Her eyes spotted the bike racks beside the entrance. 'I won't get caught there.'

The teenager forced her back against the stone wall, the cool texture shooting trembles down her body. She was a leaf in the middle of a hurricane, bending and swaying at the slightest gust of wind. The sound of crickets filled the night air, as she hugged herself tightly. 'Today was a relatively good day. I met Jimmy, Gary, Petey, some of the girls. Why did it have to turn out like this?'

Eden slid down the wall, her legs unable to keep her standing. Her butt landed on the concrete, earning a hiss from the teenager. An exhale fluttered out of her lips as she gazed up at the sky. She bathed in the glow of the moon, as it sat perched up in the sky on the clear, starry night. It cast such a brilliant light onto everything it encompasses, turning shadows into dancing silhouettes of deep silver ballerinas. The moon reminded her of a comforting mother, singing a soft lullaby to ease her children into a star-filled night. She wanted to reach out and pluck the moon and hold it close to her chest. Much like a mother would. A comfort like no other.

"Eden?" A surprised voice called out.

The said girl snapped out of her trance-like state and glanced over to be greeted by Gary Smith, gazing down at her. She felt embarrassed, ashamed. She was Eden Milenko. To be seen like this was unsightly, and unbecoming. Despite this, she was frozen where she sat. Gary's gaze was intense on her like a burning furnace, as he eyed her curiously. The moonlight glimmered and shone on her face, highlighting the remnants of tears that once streamed down her rosy cheeks.

"What are you..." He slowly approached her, noticing her teary eyes. "Why are you crying? Geez, I was right, you really are a baby."

'Was that meant to be a joke?' Eden couldn't tell. His laughter filled her ears, but that 'joke' was more tantalising, ridiculing than funny. His words only ate away at her insides, as she hung her head in shame. She whimpered quietly and covered her mouth, her breathing growing laboured. Eden's usual calm, serene exterior had slipped. She had succumbed to her dark thoughts. A quiet hiccup escaped her lips, as they trembled wildly.

Gary yawned tiredly, squatting down beside the distraught girl. She felt a warm hand on her back. She jumped at the sudden contact, as he rubbed her back comfortingly. Eden couldn't hear a thing, except for the thunderous pumping of her heart. She snuck a quick glance at Gary. His eyes were locked onto hers.

'I'm surprised. Is he worried?'

"Thank you." She whispered meekly, feeling her breathing return to normal.

"Why were you crying? Did someone steal your makeup?" He joked snidely, still rubbing her back.

Eden scowled at his words, wiping her tears away. "I'm fine, I just had some things bottled up I suppose."

She smiled softly at him, the first genuine smile since she arrived at Bullworth Academy. He slowly moved his hand, resting it on her leg as he moved to sit down beside her. A quiet silence fell over the two of them, only the sound of crickets filled the night air. Eden gazed down at his hand on her. It was scalding hot, almost hot enough to burn through her silk pyjamas. This contact was foreign to her. Odd. 'Is it normal to touch someone like this?'

"You don't need to do that."

"Do what?"

"Keep that stuff bottled up, you know." He reassured her.

Eden stared deeply into his eyes. 'You're an open book to me.'

"You don't need to do that either." She whispered, rubbing his hand comfortingly.

Gary's facial expression hardened, turning from comforting to confused, angry. She had caught him red-handed.

"Nothing is bottled up with me. I'm fine. Even if this dump of a school and the morons in it drive me insane."

"No one is 'fine', Gary." She pressed on, squeezing his hand.

"Look, all I want is to run this hellhole. Which I intend to do." With each word he spoke, his tone grew more cynical, dripping in hatred. "I will be king of the school. It's up to you, whether you're in or out."

"And if I don't want to be in?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Eden couldn't care less about this school or the people in it for that matter. 'Is this what normal teenagers deal with? I didn't have these issues during homeschooling.'

Gary snatched his hand out of her grasp. "Well, it's sink or swim my friend. If you can swim, then you gotta let the losers drown."

"That's a rather dark way to look at life, Gary. Why not help those that are drowning?" She couldn't help the deceptive smirk that crawled onto her lips.

He stared blankly at her. 'Did this moron seriously just say that?'

"I suppose that's what a normal person would say. I, however, am not that kind of person. I do have to agree with you on that point. Those who are weak will die." Eden continued, bringing herself to her feet. "The strong are like gardeners, plucking the weak weeds out so that the flowers of the week willed, may begin to blossom. But... that isn't how life should believe. We should help one another to the best of our capabilities. Not put each other down. If the weak 'wilt away', they will do so on their own accord."

Gary stood beside her, almost not believing what his ears were hearing. "That is... another way to look at it, I guess."

"Moral of the story, do not get your hands dirty. That's what my parents taught me." She smiled softly at her companion. "My parents are cold, to say the least. That ideology should tell you enough about them."

'This one is pretty interesting.'

Gary chuckled deeply, throwing his arm over her shoulders. "So, is that why you're so cold?"

Eden shook her head. "Not cold."

"No, pretty cold." He eyed the goosebumps swirling on her skin. "Should have worn a jacket."