-Jason-
I pushed back in my chair a little when a rush of kids came into the room. I didn’t like how many people were here. It was too crowded. I wanted to go back to Elijah’s house. I could hear everyone whispering about me. I felt like I was back in the lab with the doctors. When I looked around some of the kids gave me dirty looks and I quickly looked back down at my lap avoiding any other eye contact I could possibly make with someone.
Elijah put a hand on my back and I flinched a little from her doing that and I looked over at her. “Relax.” She said to me and I nodded a little.
As much as I wanted to relax I don’t think that I ever will be able to.
“Settle down class.” I jumped a bit and looked over at the door when I heard a loud voice walk into the room. It must have been the teacher.
She walked over to her desk and flipped open her book that she brought in with her. She began calling off names and the corresponding person would answer with here or present. She stopped with the names and looked up at the class. “It looks like we have a new student in class.” She mentioned and looked around and her gaze stopped on me. “Why don’t you come up here and introduce yourself.” She said and I shook my head and slouched down in my chair a bit more.
“You’ll be fine. Go on.” Elijah reassured me.
Reluctantly I got out of my chair and made my way to the front of the room where the teacher was. “Class this is Jason Rose.” The teacher spoke up.
I nervously played with my shirt, “H-hello.” I muttered not quite loud enough.
“What was that? I didn’t hear you.” Said one of the bigger guys from the back or the room making the rest of the class laugh.
My heart was pounding and I looked down at the ground. I couldn’t speak, I was too nervous. “E-excuse me…” I managed to get out and I ran out of the room and down the now barren halls that were filled with kids ranging from my age and younger not too long ago.
“Jason!” I heard Elijah call for me from down the hall.
I sat down against the wall and pulled my knees up to my chest. “Jason.” I heard Elijah’s voice was a bit softer and then I felt her lightly touch my shoulder and I flinched but looked up at her. “Let’s go back to class.” She stated.
“E-Everyone l-laughs at me…I-I can’t fit in…n-not with where I-I’ve been a-and with w-what’s happened t-to me.” I told her.
“Ignore them, that’s what I do.” She answered.
I knew that we had to get back to the classroom so I nodded in agreement and stood up. Elijah walked with me back to class.
“Look the scared kitty is done crying.” The one that called me out before commented as we walked in.
“Shut up Conner he’s nervous.” Elijah spoke up for me.
“E-Elijah…” I muttered quietly.
“That’s enough it’s my time, whatever issues you two are having can wait till later. For now sit back down and we’ll begin class.” The teacher stated.
Elijah and I went back to our seats and class continued. By the end of the class I came to the conclusion that I didn’t really like biology, at all. Elijah had to go to her next class, which was in the opposite direction from mine, and I had difficulty trying to find it but I found it and sat down in the back of the class.
~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“I have to head to head to therapy did you want to come and wait. You’ll be stuck in the waiting room but you won’t have to be home alone.” Elijah told me.
I nodded, “I-I just have to g-go to my l-locker.” I told her.
“Okay I’ll meet you at the front doors then.” She stated and headed in the direction of her locker.
I wondered down to my locker and I looked through my papers to find my locker combination. I jumped a bit when I heard a hand slam against the locker that was next to me.
“So Jason, I don’t see your little body guard with you.” It was the same guy from this morning.
I didn’t say anything to him and got into my locker. Once I opened it he proceeded to close it on me. I sighed and opened my locker again but this time I stuck my leg out in front of my locker door so that he couldn’t close it shut as I grabbed my books out of my locker. I didn’t say anything to him and closed my locker then walked away from him.
“What’s wrong is the little boy scared?” Conner questioned making his friends laugh and I just continued to walk to the front entrance of the school.
‘According to my schedule I had gym every other day from Bio lab third period, I just hope that Conner wasn’t in that class with me.’ I thought as I met up with Elijah and we walked to therapy together.
As I sat in the waiting room I pulled out my math homework and started working on it. I thought that the problems that we were given were pretty simple. When I finished with my math homework Elijah hadn’t come out of the other room yet so I pulled out what Elijah told me was a sketch book and I flipped it open to the first page and started drawing. All that was in my head was the looks of the lab. I remembered every detail of it. From the cold tiles that I would always feel on the bottom of my feet to the leather straps that held me down so that they could operate on me. Looking at the image that I was drawing made my heart pound. All it did was bring back memories, horrible memories.
I could hear my own voice in my head begging them to stop but the doctors never listened. The beeping of the heart monitor that became normal to me echoed in my mind as I stared at what I drew. I felt like I was being pulled back into the reality that I didn’t think that I could ever escape from. Physically I did, but my mind is still there…I can never get away from that terrible place.
What would I have been like if I wouldn’t have been used as a science experiment my entire life. Would I be as quiet as I am now? What would I look like? What friends would I have? There would be so many questions that I knew would never be answered.
“Jason…” I looked up to see Elijah standing over me “I’m all done.” She said.
I nodded and closed the sketchbook, then put it back in my bag and slung it over my shoulder.
“Have a good day see you tomorrow Elijah.” The lady who sat at the desk waved at Elijah.
“Bye.” She waved back with a smile on her face and we walked outside. “It looks like it’s going to rain.” Elijah mentioned as we stood outside waiting for her mother or father to come and pick us up.
I looked up at the grey clouds, “R-rain.” I muttered.
“What was it that you drew while you were waiting?” Elijah asked.
I opened my bag and pulled out the sketchbook and handed it to her. “W-where I came from.” I answered.
I looked down at her as she looked at the picture. I saw her take a deep breath and then she ripped the picture out of the book. “W-what are you doing?” I asked her confused.
“Don’t think about this anymore. You left that place. If you keep this picture you will never be able to get away from your past.” She told me crumpling up my picture and throwing it out. “Start over, draw what makes you happy.” She told me handing the sketchbook back to me.
I nodded and put it back into my bag. I felt something wet hit my cheek and I looked up. It was starting to sprinkle. “Come on, lets get under the door way. So we will stay dry.” Elijah told and I nodded and followed her.
“T-Thank you…” I said looking out at the now pouring ran.
“For what?” She asked confused.
“S-saving me.” I answered. She has saved me more then once already. She’s put herself out for me in school and she is trying to make it better for me.
“I haven’t done anything.” She laughed a little.
“I-I remember…the d-day I was taken…it was raining.” I told her. “I-I should be a-afraid of t-the rain, b-but it connects t-the earth to t-the sky.” I remember my mother telling me that when I was young. It’s been so long since I’ve seen it. I set my bag on the ground and walked out into the rain and looked up at the sky. The rain felt nice; it felt like everything was being washed away.
