Troubled

FORTY NINE

CORA PHILIPS

Later Kyle would ask me if I was provoking Margaret, but in all honesty, I wasn't. He wasn't the one that was going get stuck with a horrible hairstyle till his hair grew out again.

When my eyes did a brief inspection of the place, I saw a few things that screamed she was going to give me the type of hairstyles that were supposed to remain in my drawings. They were scary, extremely. A threat to my plan to stay anonymous wherever I went.

First, her own hair style. It was pretty obvious she sat in front of a mirror and did the cutting herself, she even dyed it herself. It showed she didn't have staff, either she didn't have enough money to pay staff, or she thought she could do it on her own, my best bet was her attitude. It chased all of them away.

Second, the film of dust that say around, on the tables, stools, drawers. It meant no customers. If she did a good job for people, she would have a ton of clients, booking spaces and rushing in. But she didn't have those. Plus she hardly cleaned.

When she picks up the scissors and point it in my direction, I feel it coming, it was sharp, quick. Before I couldn't control my limbs I say quickly to Kyle, if anything should happen, it could happen to Margaret, I don't care, not Kyle. I tell him to run, far away.

My hand moved quickly, collecting the scissors from her so quick that she doesn't have a chance to drag it with me. And before she could blink the scissors comes down the side of her face, catching her by surprise. Her wide eyes watch me for a few seconds before the pain kicked in. Her shaky fingers move to the open wound where blood was beginning to seep through, the scissors had missed her right eye by a few inches, catching the side of her face, from where her eye brow started to the side of her upper lip.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Monster!!!" I hear her scream.

The scream brought me back. My eyes grew wide as the scissors slipped from my hand and landed a few feet away from me.

"s**t, s**t, shit." I hear Kyle curse, he was staring at Margaret who was writhing and shrilling in pain, with his eyes wide open.

"I'm so sorry.. I didn't mean.." I start with a shaky voice.

"Get away from me, you are a monster. A f*****g monster." Margaret screamed as she continued to cry.

I take a few steps back but my eyes were glued to the scene. She was right, I am a monster. What human could slice open someone else's face when they weren't even a surgeon.

Who was I kidding when I was running around with Kyle and Xander? Playing human when I knew deep down that I could never be human. I couldn't be like them. They couldn't be like me. I was a walking human hazard. A disaster that shouldn't have been born.

I didn't know I was running until I feel my lungs burn. Funny I could feel that. I could feel my lungs burn but I couldn't stop myself from slicing another human's face.

It was an out of body experience, it was like I briefly floated out of my own body, someone borrowed it for a while and I sat there watching what they did with my limbs, and I could not stop them. No matter what I did, they would do what they wanted any way.

My limbs moved as they wished, without my command, without my input. And then since nobody else felt like I did, I couldn't explain to them that I wasn't the one. Plus, we are supposed to be accountable for our actions, or the actions of our bodies. Albeit not what I want to do with my legs and arms.

When I turn back, the shop had disappeared into the distance, I had covered a lot of ground by running. But I don't stop, I don't care if my lungs gave out, my body was going to suffer the punishment if it continues to do me like that. Why that woman? She didn't even do anything to me, yes she was rude, but nothing more. If only I left the shop when she asked me, if I followed Kyle out when he said to follow him.

The only thing that was consistent was the regret. The regret that was always there after the disasters pass. The regret because I can't turn back time.

My legs felt like they were on fire, when I don't stop they buckle under me and I collapse in a sweaty, distressed heap.

"What am I?" I whisper hollowly yo myself.

A dry, bitter laugh escape my lips as I turn over my hands and look at them.

"I'm a monster. A monster that looks unassuming. A terrifying monster nevertheless." I say to myself.

I was by the side of the road, there were hardly any cars, and I was pretty much safe, as if. Everything was pretty much safe from my touch. I was too far from humanity to do any harm.

I don't know how long I sit there, but by the time I find the will to go home the sun was not as hot as it was earlier. And the cars had started to dwindle in number.

My hands pat my pockets for my old phone, but I don't find it. I search through my bag and find nothing. Then I realize I left it in Kyle's car along side his own when I turned on airplane mode. So my phone was with him obviously.

I sigh, I don't know how to get home, I don't have my phone with me so I can't call an Uber, or follow the map.

A few metres ahead I see a stop and shop, hoping to find someone I could use their smart phone or ask for directions to the nearest bus stop, I walk towards it.

I briefly wonder how Kyle was faring, did he leave her? Decide he couldn't stay friends with a monster like me?

I hoped, somewhere in my selfish mind, that he wouldn't run away from me after seeing that.

But I knew it was impossible.