Silent Wood

Chapter 3

I spend the night staring at the ceiling. All too soon, it's Monday morning.

I am reaching for a t-shirt in my closet when my bedroom door opens with a bang, causing me to jump and drop the shirt.

Rachel is standing there. "I will be helping you get ready today, Skylar. It is your first day, so you need to make a good first impression. And that means no t-shirts!" she yells as I reach again for the shirt. I pull back, then concede, going to sit on my bed.

Rachel dresses me in entirely new clothes from our shopping trip. I am wearing a light blue sweater that hangs off one shoulder, with a white tank top underneath. Black skinny jeans and white ballet flat complete my outfit.

I am then dragged to the bathroom. My aunt doesn't need to do much with my hair, as it is already naturally straight. All she adds is a little product to create some volume. She shades my eyes with a variety of brown eye shadows, then lines them with eye liner and mascara. Blush and light pink lipgloss complete the look.

I'm a little surprised at the outcome. I actually look alive. Or at least, I look not-dead.

"You'll turn heads," Rachel says, squeezing my shoulders.

I attempt another smile. It expresses itself as a grimace.

"Yeah... keep trying. It will get easier with practice," my aunt says gently, teasing.

After feeding me oatmeal, Rachel forces me into her car, and we begin the drive to school.

For the first time, I am tempted to talk. I am actually feeling an emotion: extreme anxiety. And I need to express it.

But I keep my mouth closed. Let no one in, hurt no one, no one hurts me.

We pull up to the school, and Rachel walks to the office with me. Normally I would never allow this, but I'm obviously not about to explain my situation, so the parental figure is necessary.

A tall, slender woman sits behind the front office desk. When she sees my aunt, she exclaims "Rachel!", stands up, and does a sort of head bow. Pretty formal, if you ask me.

"No need for that, Em," Rachel says a bit nervously, glancing at me. I pretend not to notice. Which is pretty easy.

"This is my niece, Skylar," my aunt states, and a flash of recognition goes off in Em's eyes. Great, they've been talking about me. Small town and all.

"Skylar! It's a pleasure to meet you. You're simply going to love Silver Creek High. We're first in state in all our athletics," she says proudly.

I just look at her.

My aunt steps in. "Look, Em, I don't know how this is going to work out. See, Skylar is having... difficulty speaking and..."

I tune her out. I hate hearing myself be talked about like I'm not there. I take a seat while Rachel explains the situation, and look out the office window to the halls of the high school. People are starting to arrive in large groups. The majority of people are ridiculously tall and beautiful, like those I saw when I went out shopping. There are a few who look more like average-joes, and they seem to all stick together. I guess I know where I'll be grouped.

"Skylar!" I hear my aunt say loudly, and realize she's been trying to get my attention for a while. I walk over to her.

"Em is going to write a little note that briefly explains your situation. Simply show it to your teachers before class."

Great, this is going to be humiliating.

I throw my backpack over my shoulder, let my aunt hug me, and take the note from Em. I hear the bell ring, and look down at my schedule to find my first class. Chemistry.