Strangers

Clair: SCARS

November, 2017 Clair:

Heat. Flames. The fire consumes me. The pain starts in my shoulders but doesn't stay for long. It rushes through my entire body, like a river of fire. I stand. Burning. I can see the back door. Freedom so close I can almost feel the autumn air, cool and moist. The flames grow larger. The pain more intense. I scream causing the hot flames to rush into my lung, burning me from the inside out.

"Nooooo!!!"

I woke in a cold sweat.

"It's just a dream." I tell myself "just another dream."

My door swung open.

"Clair, you okay!?" A worried voice said.

It was my brother, Luke. Every time I woke, screaming, from one of my nightmares, (which had been almost every night since I got home from the hospital, nearly a month before) he had been there.

Luke sat down on the corner of my bed.

"Same one?" He asked in a voice that was calm and sweat.

"Always."

"Well I'm here for you"

"Thanks."

He didn't say anything for a long moment.

" Maybe going back to school tomorrow will help."

"Yeah maybe."

He stayed with me, until I fell back to sleep.

Morning came fast, too fast. I somehow got myself out of bed. I stepped on my hardwood floor. Walked to my closet to pick out an outfit. My eyes linger when I pass my stand up mirror. My left arm was all scars. Two hand prints could be seen on both shoulders, burnt into my flesh. My hair, before shoulder length was now at my ear.

It took me half an hour to find the right outfit. I chose a pair of long jeans and a long sleeve shirt. My brother drove my to school that day. I said my good-byes before heading in. I kept my head down and by some miracle made it to the gym without incident. Once I got there I went straight to the change room. The other girls were already there, changing. When I walked in they went silent. I sat on the bench and stated to get my gym stuff out.

"Is...is it true? What they say happened to you?" One girl, Lucy, finally got the courage to ask.

"I really don't want to talk about it." I say hoping they'll change the subject.

She looked away. I got my shorts out and started to change. I chose not to change into my t-shirt.

I stepped out of the change room. The board said 5 laps and girls were already running so I just joined in. I look around the class. Part of my thought I'd see Rebecca, not dressed in gym clothes, standing out like a sore thumb. Yet I knew she wasn't there. Just as I knew Isabella wouldn't be there at lunch. Sitting at our normal table, like the good old days.

It wasn't until I finished my laps that I even noticed that we had a supply. An older woman stood at the front of the gym.

"Hello class. I know that you think you can disobey me because I am a  supply but trust me when I say I will not tolerate any rule breaking of any kind."

Most of the class just rolled their eyes and made peace with the fact gym was going to suck today.

"Lol, grandma thinks she's our boss." A girl in the back made the mistake of saying alittle louder than she first thought.

"Well. Little Miss you and the rest of your friends can do 10 more laps."

"That's BS!" One of her friends said.