-This is Mee-

The Bad Days

It was already a few weeks at Color's Orphanage... It wasn't nice. I didn't like it. And no one seemed to like me.
Most days consisted of Rat Face Boy, of whom's name is Ray, as I found out, bullying me during breakfast, recess, lunch, and dinner. A lot during class too. His audience, those of which I called the Rat Face Nest Pests, would join in every now and then by normally acted as Rat Face Ray's entourage or audience to his schemes against me.
When Rat Face Ray wasn't constantly bullying me, Mrs. Tsvet made it her everlasting final mission to make my life here miserable. If I were to mess anything up, or get caught trying to make my revenge against Rat Face, or sometimes even be blamed for things by Rat Face, she'd punish me worse than the other kids.
Lesser of punishment was the countless dishes. Of which, in my opinion, wasn't too bad. My stick figure friend would occasionally show up and we'd have fun. Plus, it soothed my conscious to know that's being forced to do the dishes took the toll off Laura's shoulders.
The worst part about the dishes was I was only seven... I could barely reach the facet and the soap. Of course I'd drop a few bowls and plates, and then I'd get even more punished. Mrs. Tsvet likes to take the children who "doesn't behave" into a room up stairs. I've been there... it's a dark room. A dangerous room. There's nails sticking out from the floorboards and walls, along with the splinters of wood from gashes of Rat Face's true family members. Broken glass from alcohol bottles of which I assumed she restocked the room with such glass every other night. If you know what I mean.
She forced to take our shoes before putting us into the very middle of the room to stand in the only spot that's of smooth wood. And we have to stand there, until she decides to let us out, gets tired of our crying, or remembers that we're even in there.
The longest record of someone being in there is a kid Douglass. He's been in there for almost 8 hours once. He's also my only friend. Or, I say friend as if we're close. No, I mean friend as in the only person who will talk to me without tripping me afterwards.
But do I remember a specifically bad day...?

March 9, 2003

     I was sitting down on a bench outside during recess while all the kids were playing on the small playground we had. I gave up on trying to go there a few days before because one way or another I ended up crying. The other kids didn't like it when I had fun. So now I just stay at the far corner of the playground and sit on the bench.
      Beside me, one of the older kids was sitting on the other side of the bench. Most of the older kids hung out inside during recess but very few came outside for the sun and air. She was one of them.
     She had shaggy black hair just long enough to cover her eyes. Her long dark blue sweater was torn at the bottom and at the sleeves. Her black pants bad a silver chain connected to it, and she had countless bracelets. Her left nostril had a button or something pierced to it, and wore skull earrings.
     She was maybe thirteen for all I could tell, and gave off a gloomy aura. I just felt... down when she sat there. But there was something about her that drew me to her. Maybe it was what she was doing whenever she sat there.
     She was hunched over resting her head on her left arm while the other worked away at a paper with a pencil. I couldn't see what she was doing with her arm in the way, but I was extremely intrigued.
     My stick figure friend appeared on the table and walked over to her. I watched as he looked at me and urged me to follow. I puckered my lower lip debating if I should or not. The girl kinda scared me.
     He sighed, hunching his shoulders, and went by himself anyway. He walked across the table until he made it to her arm. He grabbed hold of the blue fabric of her sleeve and climbed up. He didn't disturb her. She didn't even notice him. He climbed up onto her bicep and looked down at the paper.
     An exclamation mark appeared above his head as he shrieked in surprise. My eyes widened as I became increasingly interested. He swayed his arms in the air in excitement as if he was a part of some party ritual. I couldn't hold it anymore.
     I bounced my way over the bench, but before I could get any closer a rock hit my head. I fell backwards off the bench and fell onto the ground. I groaned and rubbed my head, tears forming at my eyes from the pain.
Rat Face and his pests were standing not to eat from me and laughing at me, my pain amusing them. Rat Face was beginning to turn red from the stress of laughing in his face. His big nose and buck teeth bigger than life itself.
The older girl glanced at me but looked away again. She grabbed her things and stood up. She threw her legs over the bench and walked away, ignoring the laughing around us. I watched as she walked back inside, pushing passed the older kids, now watching and laughing at me.
     "Aw..." Rat Face laughed. "Poor thing gonna cry?" He kicked some dirt at my face, and laughed some more. "Don't tell me you're gonna cry... again." He snorted.
     "Why do you have to be so mean!?" I cried out.
     "Oh?" Rat Face was surprised and amused. "Somebody wanna talk up to me?" He began to walk towards me, raising his hand aggressively.
     From behind him, his rat tail sprawled out and wrapped around his ankles. He tripped and fell flat on his face. I know he actually tripped on a rock, but it was nice to imagine his own tail tripping him.
     I wiped a tear and chuckled a little bit, a smile crossing my face. Rat Face was angry at my smile. Made him feel weaker than even me. I liked smiling.
     "What is going on here?"Mrs. Tsvet said baffled as she trotted her way over. "Get off the ground. The both of you." She said, her nostrils flaring up.
     "Matthew pushed me to the ground!" Rat Face shouted as he stood up.
     "What?" I said shocked.
     Laura rushed over and picked me off the ground, placing me back on the ground. She patted some dirt off of my pants and stood up, worried.
     "He did what?" Mrs. Tsvet growled.
     "Is that true, Matt?" Laura asked me, squatting down to meet my eyes.
     "I didn't push him." I shouted. "He's lying!"
     "Kids!" Mrs. Tsvet looked to Rat Face's friends. "Did Matthew push Raymond?"
     Almost instantly, every single one of those blasted kids nodded their heads and said "Yes." My face turned red and tears formed in my eyes again. I clenched my fists and cried out in anger.
     "They're lying!" I shouted. "I didn't do anything!"
     "Come with me, boy." Mrs. Tsvet said, holding her arm out to me.
     Laura stood up and put her hand to my chest. "He said he didn't do it." She huffed. "And I believe him."
     "I don't care." Mrs. Tsvet walked over and grabbed me by the arm. She yanked me away from Laura, but when Laura tried to grab me back Mrs. Tsvet slapped her palm across Laura's face.
     Laura held her cheek with her hand and stepped back, a tear gathering at her eye. The rest of the park went quiet. Even the older kids stopped their chatting.
     "Let this be an example, children." She shouted over the crowd. "Bad behavior like this before my very own eyes will be retaliated with punishment." Her bright red lips puckered up, and her eyes bore into the kids, waiting for someone to speak up. "And that goes for your housekeepers as well..." she said, looking at Laura. She turned around and looked at Mr. Ledd leaning against the doorframe. He shook his head and looked at the ground, hiding his eyes beneath the shadow of his cap.
     I wiped my eyes furiously with my free arm, trying to see clearly. Laura was hurt for nothing.
     Mrs. Tsvet then dragged me across the house and up the stairs to the dark room. The other kids were quiet as they watched me. Most little kids were silent and looked sad. The kids around Rat Face's age were smiling and some were laughing. The older kids seemed concerned and whispered to one another.
     I passed Douglas on the way through the cafeteria. He just shook his head in disappointment.
     She dropped my arm and I fell to the ground before the door of the room. I cried out loud as she stripped my feet of my shoes. She then opened the door and picked me up by the arm. I could hear the glass and wood cracking beneath her heels and she walked me to the middle. I was dropped and I was forced to stand, in the little space surrounded by nails and splinters. My bare feet huddled to one another for warmth in the cold room.
     "Learn some manners!" She yelled at me. She whipped around, her thick dress pushing me, making me step on the splinters for a second making me yelp. She walked out and slammed the door, the darkness being all that I could see.
     I could remember the echo of my cries through the damp room. The sound of rats crawling around the edges, stepping in the glass. I could hear the laughter and play of the kids outside and downstairs. There was no light...
     Just the dark.