SAVE ME

Ch#1 Save me. Save us.

Ch#1 Save me. Save us

"You ready Al?"

"I was never ready and you know that Aiden", I sighed out. I knew that I couldn't convince these people anymore. But I still tried. Who knows what can happen right? What if a sudden realization dawns upon my family and they would stop my enrollment in that stupid Stoneridge Academy!

"This is the best place we could get for you. I understand you want to stop going to boarding schools now. But we can't take any risks, Al. Can't repeat what happened five years back. Now get your bags and fill it in the trunk".

I reluctantly gave into the game that I had lost already. I did as I was told and gave one last glance to our new home. I hadn't grown attached to it yet, but I still felt like I would miss it.

"Study well, Alana. Don't create a mess there since you don't like the place. Just adjust well and the time will pass by in the blink of an eye". That's what Mum always tells me. Yes, I didn't like the Academy. While one part of me was screaming to put all my efforts to convince Dad to stop me from going into Stoneridge, the other part of me just wanted to reach the Academy as soon as possible.

Right then Aiden honked the car as we were getting late and I got into the passenger seat. Without further ado, I turned on the radio and raised the volume. I didn't want him to strike any conversation with me and he knew that. We didn't speak for the next thirty minutes en route to Stoneridge, while the radio kept blasting off many songs. As I saw the building come into view I turned off the radio and Aiden parked the car. I got off and emptied the car trunk. I took a few steps forward and waited for him to call me. As if on cue, he stopped me as I was about to take another step forward. I turned around and looked into his eyes, hoping he could read me this one time.

"Al, I know you don't want to study here but I don't know why. I'm sure by now you're used to living in boarding schools and you don't give two cents about the facilities. You're a person who lives with whatever available and makes the best use of it." I wanted to tell him what I saw, what I heard, but I don't know what stopped me. I couldn't. No, I wouldn't.

"If you want to stop studying here, if you want to come back home, just let me know. But make sure you don't get caught", he winked at me with the 'I-know-it-all' smile while my eyes just widened.

"H-how did you know?", I stuttered.

"You're Alana, sister of The Great Aiden", he replied while I rolled my eyes.

"Al, you're one of those who follows 'Rules are meant to be broken' and it takes no  genius to guess that you're carrying your cell phone although none allowed in this Academy."

I just smiled back at him. He knows me really well and that's why I can never lie around him. My bad, I know. I hugged him one last time and left to explore the Stoneridge Academy. I heard Aiden sigh behind me. He didn't want to send me off to a boarding school this time. He lives here in New York. It has been two years since he left LA to pursue his dream of engineering. He wanted me to go to a normal school this year, although he was afraid that the past might repeat. And just like an icing on the cake, Dad was completely against it.

Five years back I was severely bullied in my school. I had three broken ribs and a fractured arm. And like a souvenir, I'm stuck up with a rod in my leg. Mind you, I almost met death and survived. Ever since then I have been attending boarding schools since they are stricter than the normal ones. There were no chances of bullying.

I heard the gates closing behind me and I stepped forward. There's something in this Academy, something that stops me from quitting this place. I don't want to study here but I cant help but want to explore this place.