Through the Acheron

4: Black Cats and Skulls

[Year 1998]

Persey grew to hate school within a year of going. She hated the forced interaction with other kids, how they never left her alone. She tried her best not to take her anger out on the teachers or the students, despite how much they seemed to antagonize her. 

Halfway through first grade, however, a boy crossed the line. He sat in the desk behind her, whispering to her that she was ugly, that she was a retard. Then he started sticking pencils and crayons into her hair. Persey had enough, and she turned around and punched him. She ended up giving him a black eye, and the school expelled her. 

 Once again, my parents had to make the decision to keep her in school, or take her out. They were so worried that no matter what school they put her in, she would still be bullied. Eventually they just decided to homeschool her. 

I wasn't happy about this. I didn't see why she got a pass off of school just because of some stupid bullies.  Bullies meant nothing to me; I took their opinions with a grain of salt. Throughout school, kids (and adults on occasion) tried to tease me for being a loner and a book worm. There were some kids who really tried hurting my feelings, making almost a daily effort. To me it was like they were trying to break down a wall by throwing clods of dirt at it. Completely pointless.

I tried to help Persey with her bullies, but she would only get angry. She didn't want any help from me, she wanted to be a big girl and handle everything herself. For a couple weeks, she would only stay in her room and ignore me, no matter what I tried to do to make her come out. This frustrated me very much. 

After Mom and Dad decided to homeschool Persey, a district official came to see if they were fit to have her learning there. They invited them into the office room, where Persey was already sitting in a desk chair. I was in my room, listening closely. 

"This is where we're going to have Persephone study," my mother said. "We're going to have the computer off unless it's for learning purposes, and we have a few books in here so she can have a break between assignments."

"I'm very happy to see you've thought this through," the official said. "I just wanna make sure you've considered a few things. Of course, there are going to be good and bad things about this decision."

"Yes, we've thought it all through." 

"Very good," the official said. "So, are you planning to teach your daughter, or are you going to hire a tutor?"

"Actually, we're planning on both," my dad said. "I have a degree in education, and I can take a few days off each week to teach her English and history. We're also going to have a tutor teach her science and math."

"Okay," the official said. "So, it sounds like you and your wife can still provide for your family. One thing I'm a bit concerned about, though, is if Persey's at the right age to be homeschooled. Taking her out of public school will limit her social life; she wouldn't have the usual company of children her age."   

"Like that would be a bad thing," I heard Persey grunt.

"What?" the official said.

"Persephone was bullied at her old schools," my dad said.

"Ah, I see," the official said. "So is this the reason why you pulled your daughter out?"

"...Yes," my dad said. "Well, we didn't pull her out. She got expelled because -"

"I punched a boy who called me retarded," Persey said harshly. "I gave him a black eye." 

"Persey!" my mom reprimanded her, before speaking to the district official. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Our daughter is a little.... forward, sometimes."

"I'm not sorry," Persey said. "He deserved it." 

"Um..." the official paused for a moment, clearly uncomfortable. "So, has she been bullied often? Was she always violent?" 

"Most of the time, yes," Mom said. " .....She was expelled from all her preschools because she fought the other girls."

"Hmmm...." the official paused again. I was so tempted to go into the office room and talk to her myself. I wanted to see in her face what she really thought of my sister. What would she do if this was her daughter? Was this really the best thing to do for a little girl who gets bullied?

"Well," the official said. "Persey, let's talk about you. What are your favorite hobbies?" 

"Reading and writing," Persey said. 

"Ahh," she said, smiling. "Well, you might have plenty more time for that. What do you like to write about?" 

"Vampires and ghosts," Persey said. "They live in lonely houses that humans will try to move into, but the vampires just want to be alone. So they scare off the humans. Sometimes they kill them."

The district official did not seem reassured by this, so she tried a different question. "That sounds..... okay... So, what do you want to be when you grow up?" 

"When I grow up, I wanna live in a haunted house, so nobody will bother me. Nobody will ever visit me or anything. And I'm gonna get a bunch of black cats and decorate the house with skulls. They symbolize death, and that'll keep the ghosts happy." 

"....Okay," I heard the official get up from her chair. "I've heard enough, Mr. and Mrs. Methusael, can you step out with me for a moment?" 

Once they were outside of the office room, the district official murmured to my parents. "Your child exhibits very strange behavior. I highly suggest that you give her a psych evaluation."

"I don't think that's necessary," my dad protested.

The woman shook her head. "I've had to chat with many families and their children, and I have never met someone so..... so darkly inclined as your daughter! She's aggressive, reclusive, antisocial; it deeply concerns me, she may be even worse as she grows up!"

"Are you saying she could have autism or something like that?" my mom nearly cried, resentment clear in her voice. "Do you even know what you're talking about?!" 

"Look, look, I didn't mean to offend. I'm just telling you, take this into consideration before you start homeschooling," the official said, taking her purse and walking downstairs towards the door. "I may be wrong, but it looks like she could show signs of an autism disorder. It would be best if you get her checked, before it becomes more of an issue. If you do that, then I believe you would be fit to school her." 

A week later, Persey did get an eval, but there wasn't much evidence to diagnose her of anything. When my parents told the doctor about the meeting with the school official, the doctor said that she overreacted, and was probably very uneducated about autism. However, something still needed to be done about Persey's  behavior. He put her into social skills training, which helped make her feel more comfortable with talking to people. 

This gave Persey a little more confidence. She made a few friends, some girls in the neighborhood that were shy and tomboyish like she was. A lot of times they would invite her to birthday parties and sleepovers.

My parents were very happy that she wasn't being bullied anymore, but I saw that there was still something off about her. She still seemed distant and unhappy. I feel like she wasn't fully accepted by her friends, like she still had to hide herself from them. I tried talking to her about this, but she still didn't want my help. Whenever she had the chance to be alone in the house, she would stay in her room and avoid everyone.

 I didn't know what to do, and it absolutely killed me.