The door was already open so I didn't have to knock. Going unnoticed made blending in easier. I didn't want to intrude so I opted to stick it out in the corner furthest away from the group.
I fix my hoodie in a way so that no one could see my face and stand quietly observing them from afar.
Not even at my old school did I get along with their kind. I was a loner by choice who read a non
conforming variety of books. While deliberating the connection between fact against fiction I perceived the people in said room to be just like the distinct main characters from stories I have long since finished.
The most notable ones that stole my concentration stirred a conflicting set of gut responses. Taking appearance into count they were directly opposite from the next.
The rebel mischief-maker, a petite girl sporting a purple mohawk ignores all pleading to be left alone as she reenacts a coin trick performance for the All-American sports rookie with a checkered shirt that was sitting on a table currently making an effort, and for the moment succeeding, not to fall off.
Across from them Romanticized heart throb with the massive curls and otherwise earthly charm of boho meets hipster, was seated on the floor next to some albino girl that had plain brown hair.
Standing apart from the rest the prominent Asian flair were huddled together seemingly unaffected by the drama that was going on. But it was the silent average dressed guy that captured my attention the most.
He was so normal looking, almost forgettable even to be locked in a system composed of outcasts. Perspectives ran bleak if a person like him was mixed up with a bunch of screwed up castaways; which lead to my earlier question. What did he do that was so terrible to land in Stark House.
When I feel like I'm being watched I catch one of the twins staring not in a creepy way but more like he was trying to figure me out. I didn't know why because I was not that interesting to look at. Not wanting attention from a complete stranger I feigned disinterest and take a gander at nothing in particular. It was shameful how easy I took sudden interest in the foundation of the building. Bitter about not being more observant of my natural surroundings I shake my head. I put all my energy into keeping a low profile that I didn't once think about pulling myself awake.
Holding the folder close to me
I wait for the professor to show up. Periodically I glide along my internal thought compass without much effort. Many instances I fell into a stupefying concentration unable to recount specific moments in the role of a lively witness.Thankfully it wasn't long before soon enough a tall slender lady walks through what I supposed was a side door entrance. She had excellent posture and behaved in such a graceful way that led me to believe was developed through a well-balanced education
.Astonishingly everyone quieted down once they saw her.
"Welcome to Stark house. My name is Professor Roswell and I am your Dean. If you have any questions please feel free to
ask." She wasn't like many authority figures I've met.Her bright red hair stood out against the purple dress that was embellished with gold stitching along the neckline and on the sleeves.
I figured the job must have paid well since there were so many other tempting possibilities to decide from.
"All right, then." she continued
oblivious to my staring."My office is located in the northeast wing." she says. "The only time anyone is called to see me will be for expulsion. Since there are no questions for me I will let my student aid
, Toby, get you all set up. Class starts in twenty minutes, everyone."Professor Roswell takes leave as Toby, otherwise known as Mr. Grumpy, gets himself situated. I watch silently from my corner as Toby walks to the front. He looks around the room and subsequently finds me.
There were at least twenty people he could pick but I had to be the one.
He points at me. "You, over there! Come closer because I will not repeat myself." he shouts louder then was necessary.
I sink backwards when at once the juvenile youth bring their attention from each other and stare at me in a mixed form of shock as if to say I appeared out of thin air. Feeling anxiety expand at max level I wanted to cower for a little bit longer just until I could pull myself together.
Not wanting to approach them I sigh in defeat hating that all eyes were on me. Before he could yell at me I moved from my corner and hesitantly walk to stand more in the center of the crowd.
My attempt to remain unnoticed went in vain as the spiky hair girl gives me a two-arm hug. For a tiny little thing she was strong.
"Hi! I'm Kira. What's your name?" she asks me eyes brimming with excitement.
I take a large step to initiate some much needed boundaries.
I hated being touched but at the same time I didn't want to scare anyone off just for being nice. While looking at her I wondered if they accepted drug tests before or after you got enrolled
. Then I I spiraled into thinking just how much information did mom withhold for the sole purpose of getting me settled in. I had no idea as to the kind of people I was forced to associate with.Despite myself I shake Kira's hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Aislin."
"What a pretty name." Kira links her arm with mine and introduced me to a few people.
"Guys, this is Aislin. Be nice to her or else." she growls menacingly.
Josh waves at me from his place on the floor.
"Grand theft auto conviction. Went on a cruise joyride to Circle Bay. Seemed like a good idea until the car swerved." Josh sighs.
"Naturally dad let go of all charges and put me here instead." he shrugs as if saying 'what can you do'.
The pretty albino beside Josh went next.
Her eyes were outlined with black kohl. "Hey. I'm Rachel." she says quietly all the while playing with the many rubber bracelets on her wrist.
"Nice to meet you." The open plaid shirt guy that was on the table salutes me incidentally exposing his gray t-shirt underneath.
Face turning red I bite my lip and grin. Though I did nothing wrong by looking I couldn't help but feel totally embarrassed.
"What's your score?" Josh abruptly cuts him off.
I shake my head. "I'm sorry. My what?" I ask.
"He means what are you in here for. We all know it's not voluntary." Rachel says rolling her eyes.
My face turns red. I choke and look around. "Oh. Uh..." Palms sweaty I stare at them.
If it was one thing I hated it was talking about myself.
The one boy sitting on the table gets up.
He walks in front of me and smiles. "Hey, it's cool. No worries. You'll tell us when you're ready."
He extends a hand for me to shake. The sleeves were rolled up past his elbows showing off an
impressive scorpion tattoo. "The name's Darcy."
A bit more relaxed I return the handshake.
A dimple appears when he grins. "Misdemeanor arson charge newly acquitted. A doonbugie explodes and some ass wipe tried to pin it on me."
I step backwards when he aggressively spits on the floor.
"Dick-wad." Darcy curses.
"Hi." I wave at them half smiling.
Kira puts a hand on my shoulder. "Ignore him." Kira whispers.
I probably understood him most. "It's cool." Preconceived notions were misleading.
Without warning a girl about my age in torn street clothes walks up to me. I keep my eye on the brass knuckle ring. The whole time I thought how did they not take it from her sooner. If asked I would suggest a check point for weapons at the gate or at the very least pledge for a safe health risk zone.
She gets in my face and yells. "Who the heck are you, huh!? What? Are you going to cry because mommy and daddy don't love you?" Her laugh turns menacing.
My first theory of it being a joke was squashed. I felt stupid mainly because her intimidation worked. As long as I didn't move she would target me just to prove something.
I had always been a visual person. Maybe that explained why I kept looking at her clothes. I was confidant there was more to her than all that bottled up anger. Every piece from the buckle laced boots, and jewel encrusted jeans, up to the signature gold chain fastened around her neck went together perfectly creating one picturesque harmonized style.
She looks at me with pure hatred. "Do us a favor and stop your pathetic whining. Do you hear me? No one cares about you. You're just another unlovable rat." She lifts a palm in the air.
Darcy gets up to separate us. "Yo! Indigo, man, chill out. She didn't do anything to you. Calm down!" He takes a quick glance at Toby.
I look away when they start to make noise.
Mines was a cruel fate to get kicked out before I was absolutely certain that I wanted to stay. Another second and Toby could bust all of us if he wanted. Sure, he was busy organizing a few things but Toby's focus could easily be directed elsewhere if Indigo kept it up.
With Josh's help they pull her away from me.
Wanting to get away from her I step back far as I could.
I wrap my arms together so they wouldn't see me affected. Shaking, I take a breath. I was embarrassed because instead of speaking up for myself I had people coming to my aide.
Face deathly serious Kira narrows her eyes. "Step back and get yourself together. Indigo, what did I just say?" Kira had no problem combating with her.
Watching for a sign if Toby would intervene grew tiresome. He was taking forever just to stack two different piles of completely dissimilar sheets of paper while Indigo, on the other hand, was free to continue on with her brutal attack. His casual demeanor had me worried. Not many people could remain calm under a great amount of scrutiny that came with the pressure to keep the bad kids from injuring each other. It was like he didn't even care.
I stand behind Kira all the while making sure not to provoke Indigo by looking at her which proved challenging given how short Kira was compared to us.
"What are you thinking? Don't you understand Toby would love nothing more than to put you on a bus. You wanna see your mom again? Then sit down and take a breather." It was impressive how cool Kira remained.
Then again, not many people would react the way I chose to.
Indigo didn't say a word.
When they remain silent Darcy leaves and sits on the table while Josh accompanies Indigo to the back of the room. They pass by a row of empty plastic stacking chairs that were lined up against the wall. Indigo squats down low next to some window panel curtains that matched the same reddish tint of her jacket. Quietly sitting beside a pair of linens her slim body went unseen. Which explained how come I didn't notice her to begin with.
Relieved but still cautious I try processing what just happened. Sure I was messed up in all kinds of ways, but never did I take part in a fight where fists were involved. That kind of stuff I saw in movies.
"Don't worry about her. When she's not detoxing she's harmless." Kira puts her bald scalp on my shoulder and sighs.
I turn my head slightly to not get poked in the cheek by her tall hairdo that could be used as a weapon if she wasn't careful. I didn't know much about female protocol nor was I used to being around someone that was touchy feely.
Usually at my old school people would steer clear of me and for a good reason. Let's just say I wasn't exactly known as the outgoing type. Actually, everywhere I went people knew me as that weird chick. I guess branching out from my usual method of doing things wasn't terrifying so long as I kept it short.
"What's their deal?" I say out loud.
Kira sniffs a lock of my brown hair. If mom thought I was crazy than she had to meet this seriously odd character in front of me. "Who? Them?"
I hold still while Kira runs her fingers through my hair. It was a good thing I used a brush otherwise she would get caught up in a wall of knots.
"Hmm...I don't know." Kira glances from the corner of her eye. "Despite the obvious fact they're fraternal twins I'm not entirely sure what their story is."
Kira lets go of me and skips over to Darcy where they recite a couple rounds of somewhat obscene jokes until they get bored.
I was thankful to be free of her.
I had enough human contact that I could tolerate. If I stayed I didn't know that I would be able to handle it. Whatever the outcome there was one issue that could be dealt with. In the mean time I distanced myself apart from the rest and step out to the side just enough so that I create a bubble of comfortable spaciousness without causing alarm.
While I wait for Toby to begin with orientation I hug the folder close to my chest and desperately try not to fall at the seems. I had to calm myself before it was too late.
I didn't want anyone to witness my hysteria because then I would have to answer questions. I did enough of that with Dr. Cambridge. I was doing so well but my interest in getting to know people was just a performance.
Having the entire world as my front and center stage I was the main dancer showcasing an impromptu solo. It didn't matter how well I masked the character because sooner or later that same feeling of dread came back preventing me from taking a breath.
They did try convincing me to believe there was no immediate threat of danger but I still had to look
over my shoulder. Dr. Cambridge called it post traumatic stress disorder. Grammatical term aside, I was expected to get over my best friend dying without showing traumatic indicators of regression.
Heck, I was coming around the corner on empty with ten thousand blocks still left to go until I crossed townships intent on embarking a new change where normal proved to be characteristically irrelevant.
They could try modifying subconscious change in the form of new responses, fresh mental outlook, and behavior all Dr. Cambridge ordered while speaking on my behalf.
I wasn't about to let her memory fade. It's why I got the tattoo.
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