Perfectly Imperfect

Chapter Eleven - School Trip

This was absolutely ridiculous, I fumed as we trekked through the woods. I glanced around to the other students I had been forced to group with. Part of our biology grade this year was an experimental physical exam, and this was the mock practice. It was a stupid waste of time. Especially considering what happened yesterday, this was the last thing I wanted to be doing. I had greater priorities at the moment, like trying to find out why my eyes looked temporarily blind before changing back.

We all held a clipboard with some lined paper to document the plants and animals we found. It wasn't that I was opposed to the outdoors side of it as much as being forced to group up with other people, people I didn't like and people who would only hinder me.

Why did we have to get stuck with the freak? I had heard them say as we set off.

At least it's a free grade, she's a nerd, she'll do all the work. Why don't we head off behind that tree? We have a free hour, after all. A shiver ran down my spine at that comment, what a smarmy creepy guy. I had no idea why he thought he was so smooth or why the majority of the population of Brooklyn High found him attractive. I was once again thoroughly annoyed by the fact despite being 18 I was still in high school, the last year at least. They had put me in year 9 meaning I was, at the time, 16 in a class of 14-year-olds.

We were deep into the woods at this point and they hadn't yet followed through on their plan to "have some fun" behind the tree, thankfully. But it did mean I had to put up with their stares and mean comments for that much longer. The past 2 years had not been any more pleasurable than beforehand.

Granted I was neither abused nor starved, but I was still completely and utterly alone. Forced to face them each day. Following that fateful day that I returned home you would have thought people would have tread carefully around me, maybe had a little sympathy for the ordeal I had suffered. Of course, that wasn't the case, because I couldn't remember how I escaped I was looked upon with suspicion.

Was she part of the mafia?
Did she kill them to escape?
Maybe she's recruiting people for them.
Don't look at her, apparently, she can kill people with one look.

Sometimes the theories amused me, sometimes the gossip terrified me to the core. As much as I could laugh at the unlikely extremes, I didn't know how I had escaped the most notorious gang in central England. And with that lack of knowledge meant I had no answers to refute their theories.

We were far into the woods at this point, the others trailing behind having their own conversations about what they could do tonight and over the weekend, since it was Friday. Me? I had another therapy session. Which should be interesting considering what happened yesterday.

But with that aside, I never failed to return from those sessions angry. It was both a symbol of the fact they still didn't trust that I had nothing to do with the criminal happenings of that gang and their uselessness in failing to help me remember. The amnesia wouldn't be permanent, they had said. Sure, that's why the last thing I could remember was cleaning a bloodied prison cell with a toothbrush.

Suddenly all 5 of us froze, fear almost permeated the air from the 4 behind me. We flung around to face the bushes, there was a rustling noise coming from behind it. A growl. And then the largest wolf I had ever seen emerged. My head began pounding. I grasped my temples desperately in a hope it may ease the drumming pain. This wasn't the time to suffer through one of my headaches.

One of the girls screamed in a delayed reaction of pure fear. The wolf crouched down and growled again, shut up, I'm sure it was saying.
"Ashley, if you want to remain intact I suggest you shut your damn trap," I said without taking my eyes off the wolf.