Surviving my Scholarship

Porto Flip

                "I thought I'd find you here," I landed gracefully on the ground before turning to Pierce in his adorable silver suit with the green strip down the side. I can't help but notice the curves that are now readily apparent. He must have been working out more. "Avoidance is no way to deal with your problems."

                I scoffed as I pulled back on my helmet allowing it to fall into its holder on my back. The sweat had been threatening to blind me my last few trials and I took this chance to wipe it from my brow. My bangs were now fused to the side of my head in a wet cow lick look. "Do you want to play?"

                "Well I didn't dress like this for my own amusement," he chuckled before flipping his helmet on and shifting his body weight slightly pumping him up. "What game?"

                "I don't know, it is Grog's turn to pick," I slid the helmet back in place and Grog's familiar figure popped up to the right of my screen.

                "You added Grog to the programming," Pierce's low pitch voice vibrated through my headset. I liked the improvements to the overall game Grog has achieved.

                "He did it," I stretched out my arms. "I plugged in my unit to listen to music and he took over."

                "That is one scary program," Pierce mocked in my ear. Grog smiled a big grin before choosing a game blind folded. A small racquet and ball icon appeared before us and Pierce groaned. "Come on Grog, this is racquetball!"

                Grog steamed as he pointed at the screen and made some noises no human could understand. Pierce argued right back as if he understood. It made me chuckle to see them fighting again.

                "Hope you enjoy running," I laughed as I flattened my hand and prepared for hand only, no boundaries, digital racquetball. Pierce grumbled as he bent forward slightly in the traditional stance.

                   Apparently, Pierce's hand eye coordination ended at aiming guns.

                "Best five out of six," Pierce panted as he bent over his knees. Grog danced merrily in our visors as he kept score. I wonder if he knew Pierce was terrible at this and that is why he picked it. Phoenix oddly hadn't made an appearance lately. I wonder where she has traveled.

                "It would help if you had won one," I chuckled as I shuffle to the doorway. Pierce grumbled something as he scrambled towards me. I missed it. "What did Chef make for dinner tonight?"

                "No idea," Pierce shook his head. "I honestly only came in here because my mom made me. She said something about grandbabies and life expectancy."

                I rolled my eyes. The family seemed to be on pins and needles around me since I left that room a week ago. Well, except for Mrs. Galloway. It is why I have been spending my free time down in the I. Q. Terminal and with the dishwasher. At least I would build up some skills while I waited for them to start acting normal again. Sadly, my dating etiquette was taking longer than my flexibility and timing has.

                I slid my helmet completely off my head this time cupping it at my hip. My hair was stuck to the back of my neck and Pierce wrinkled his nose slightly at the sight.

                "Well doesn't that make a girl feel pretty," I grumbled as I headed out of the room. Pierce was right behind me.

                "You look like a wet dog," Pierce chuckled out. I turned and looked at him hurt and his chuckle turned into a full on laugh. "What? That offended you? Seriously? I'm sorry, your highness, but you look terrible and you smell worse right now. I'm just being honest here."

                  "Well at least mine is temporary," I smirked before jogging down the hallway and back to the corridor of my room. It took Pierce a few seconds longer than I expected to choke out a 'hey'.

                As the door slid on my temporary room, I sighed in relief. I pulled the suit off of my body. It felt more like a second skin than a piece of clothing now. As the cloth exposed skin, the brisk air attacked causing small mountains of goose bumps to arise and my body to shiver. It brought me back to that horrid withdrawal period I had just experienced a short time ago.

                Until you have stared at the exact same corner for two days straight will you know the agonizing boredom I had endured. I broke my arm the first night after successfully hanging myself off the curtain rods. I am shocked they even left them now that I think of it.

                With the curtains gone, I got to witness a miracle of life every time the sun shown into the window. It was like running so fast that the world around you was just a blur of colors and then adding massive amounts of glitter on top of it. I really miss seeing the beauty of it actually but not the annoying vomit of glitter that seemed to get everywhere.  

                The hot water sprinkled against my body and I sighed in relief. A shower was just what I needed. In reality, I could have been done a bit ago, but I am staling because dinners have been weird since I came out. I know the truth about this family now. I know everything and I can't face them the same way anymore not since the second day of withdrawal.

                I talked to my mother the second day. She came to visit. I'm not quite sure why she was permitted from her safe haven in the ghost realm, but I was glad that I was able to talk to her again. It's how I discovered what those horrid men are looking for in my siblings.

                My father had a silly game he liked to play with the kids. "Hide the Math." It was the name of the game when it came to my father. He would give us some equation and we would try to hide it in our drawings and scribbles so that my mom couldn't see it. It was fun, until we realized he was giving us the same Math every time and mine was longer than all the others. By the time we were too old for the game, he was gone and it was embedded into our memories.  

                It wasn't silly equations he was giving us. He was giving us parts of the equation. As in THE big equation, the answer to his paradox, his million dollar prize. Each sibling knows a part of the equation and that is why those horrible people are after my siblings. Somehow they had figured it out and now are tracking down this stupid equation.

                My problem is, I'm not sure if Mr. Galloway is the person to help me anymore. Now that I realized I am just a pawn for his company. Imagine the value that equation could bring his company. It would revolutionize technology and he kept me around for that sole purpose. I can't trust him. I can't trust anyone. For all I know the loan sharks, Pierce, the college, or Eugene are all working for him. I mean the college isn't even giving me an education. They just place me in that room to solve the equation. The uncertainty is becoming too much.

                   Sadly, there is only one way to ensure my safety. Leave.

                I sighed out as I pressed my hands against the frame of the shower. The cold water feeling like sharp needles against my skin. How long had I been in here? I turned it off before stepping out. I walked to the mirror and wiped the remaining dew off to glance at myself.

                "Do I have the strength to leave you Pierce," I asked out loud to no one. My heart ached giving me the answer.