Hidden Among Humans

Chapter 5

Feeling like my skin was about to fall off felt like the norm now. I didn’t expect anything to get better at this point. I stared in the mirror; I was like a stranger to my former self. I looked like a dried-up prune; I was a shell of nothing. No wonder my parents no longer were around, they didn’t want to see the cripple I had become.

I reached for the toothbrush only for my muscles to cramp on the way to get it. I say muscles, but I didn’t really have any left. I am used to it by now. I have lived this way for months now. I thought nothing could be worse than this, but then the universe showed it could. Today was to be my first day back at school. Not one person visited me after I left the hospital, not that I wanted to be seen. But it told me one thing: I had no friends.

“Miss Isabella isn’t this exciting, your first day back at school,” Fred spoke as I made my way into the kitchen.

“What could possibly be so exciting about it,” I snapped as I took a seat at the table.

“Isabella Sawyer! Where are your manners?” I turned to find my mother standing near the doorway. It had been six months since I had last seen her, now she stood there as if she had never left. How had I not noticed her until now?

“I am sorry Fred,” I pulled my head down in fear of showing the emotion that ran through my veins. What was she doing here now?

“Miss, it’s no trouble,” Fred lowered his voice as he spoke.

“We will have none of that Fred, she must apologize,” she made her way towards the tablet. Her stride was just as confident as it was before. “Will you give us a moment?”

“Of course,” Fred turned to walk out, but I didn’t want to be alone with her. I was not ready, but as Fred turned the corner, I realized he wouldn’t be coming back.

“Izza…” I stopped her before she could continue.

“I’m sorry, I’m going to be late for school.” I needed to leave as soon as possible; I knew I could not hold the tears back. I refused to let her see me cry.

“You haven’t had breakfast,” she said.

“I lost my appetite,” I said as I tried to run out of the kitchen, only to realize running was not an option. I slowly wobbled out of the kitchen. I must have looked like a fool, but what other choice did I have? Not only that, but I had caught the scent of another. It was dad. I could not handle both of them in the same room, at least not now. They had abandoned me for months. What could they possibly want now? Maybe they had changed their minds about the crippled daughter they now had to care for.

As I tried to make myself comfortable in the back seat of the car, I saw my father emerge from the side door. Fortunately, Fred had already begun driving away. Immediately, my father began to wave as if to stop us from leaving.

“Miss, it's your father,” he looked at me through the rear-view mirror.

“Please don’t stop,” I pleaded with Fred. I was relieved when Fred continued to drive towards the front gate. Now I face another challenge; school. I let out a chuckle, what was worse, my parents or school. Those were my choices. Great.

School was not like I remembered it, it seemed cold and distant. Maybe because I didn’t want to go in. It was as if something dark and cold was waiting for me inside. I sat in the car with my eyes closed for a while, hoping the school would vanish. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was disappointed to find the school still standing when I opened them.

“It’s time, Miss Isabella,” Fred looked back to find me with tears down my cheeks.

“Yes, I know,” I took a deep breath before wiping the tears away.

“Here, take this,” Fred handed me a large granola bar before he stepped out of the car. He was quick and before I knew it, he was already opening my door.

“Thank you, Fred,” I spoke as he helped me out of the car.

I slowly made my way up a set of stairs before I came face to face with the doors of the school. Angel Academy was built in the 1900 hundreds. It was old but well built. Someone had the great idea of making castle-like. Although it has been removed many times, I couldn’t take away the vintage aspect of the early ages.

“Here I go,” I whispered to myself, knowing Fred had already driven away. I couldn’t turn back even if I wanted to. I kept my eyes forward, not paying attention to my surroundings, but then as I entered the doorway, I saw her.

What I dreaded the most came to pass. I came face to face with Amanda. I wondered what she would say or what she would do. Our last encounter had been memorable, to say the least. I had to face her sooner or later, it was not like I could turn around and walk the other way. I wouldn’t make it very far, even if I attempted. I watched as she twirled her hair between her fingers, how I made fun of her for doing that before. But now it seemed more ominous than anything else.

“Oh, look what the wind dragged in,” she smirked as she stopped before me. Her eyes were as icy as that day on the field, the day before the game. She hated everything about me, she turned to her friend beside her to find approval in her actions. I was not surprised to find them giggling. Just then, I caught her eyes looking towards her shoulder. It was like she wanted me to follow.

“Yup, it sure did,” I replied as I followed her eyes. Her blond locks gracefully draped over her jacket. It was then that I noticed the words on her jacket. It read captain. Her smirk became larger when she noticed my eyes had caught those words. Why was I not surprised?

“Oh, sassy now are we,” she snorted as her posse began to boo around her. She made it evident she did not like my response. I felt weak and sick, but I would be damned if I allowed her to insult me. She took one step forward, with the full intention of pushing me to the ground. Had she tried, there was no way I could have defended myself. Just then, a deep husky voice came from behind me.

“Amanda, leave her alone,” I turned to find Zander standing right behind me. Once again, another person snuck up behind me. What else did I expect? With everything else that was wrong with me, this would just be one more thing to add to the list. Zander was just as handsome as he had ever been, with a twist. He had allowed his hair to grow to his ears. He knew I loved long hair, but he had never let it grow before. As I looked at him, I noticed his eyes. He looked tired as if he had been up all night. Something was different and I couldn't tell what it was. Either way, I didn’t need to worry myself about it.

“Mmmm… fine, anything for you, babe.” She skipped right past me into Zander’s arms. I was not surprised to see their lips wresting with each other. Just as I was about to turn to leave, I saw Zander's eyes looking in my direction, still, he continued to devour Amanda’s lips. I had seen that look many times before, it was as if he was trying to apologize. I would be lying if I said my heart didn’t hurt, but I was worth more than that. I showed no emotion as I stared into his eyes. I was no longer concerned with his life, just my own. My focus was getting to class in one piece, so I turned away, and I didn’t look back.

But as I walked away, something odd caught my attention. I had not noticed it until now. Amanda did not have a scent at all, it was as if she were not even standing behind me. Had she not been talking, I wouldn’t have even noticed her. I didn’t think too much about it. After all, my senses had been acting up lately.

“That little b*tch,” I heard her hiss through her lips. Then I heard her take a step forward in my direction. I knew it would be long before she reached me, and I was defenseless. But then, his voice came to my rescue again.

“I said leave her alone,” I could hear the anger in Zander's voice. I wondered what reason he had to defend me after everything.

“Why are you defending her?” I had already turned a corner but still, I could hear them. There were many times I wished I could turn it off. Today was one of those days.

“Are you that pathetic to think she is a threat to you?” I heard him pause but no one replied. “Seriously, look at her.” His voice continued to rage with anger. That’s when it made sense, he felt sorry for me, or sorry he ever laid eyes on me.

“A threat, her, ha!” Amanda finally replied, as if disgusted by the idea.

“You already have everything that was hers, what else do you need,” I could hear the movement in his arms as he pulled her in for another kiss. “B…t…er” I knew at this point I had lost their voice in the crowd, I thought I would have a moment of relief but that’s when the whispers began. Everyone was talking about me, the pity in their voices said it all.

I walked as fast as my body would allow, but still, I could not escape the voices. They spoke softly but with my keen ears, it was as if they were yelling at me.

I eventually crawled my way to class, where I allowed my bag to drop to the ground. Other than the professor, the class was empty. It was still early, most students were still socializing outside. This was a relief as it would allow me to settle in better, while I took a breather.

“Good morning Isabella, it is nice to have you back in class,” Mrs. Sander’s had always had a soft and welcoming voice.

“Good morning,” I replied with little effort, mainly because I had no strength left. My morning had already drained all my energy. I was not sure if I could make it through the day. I couldn’t say anything else, I surely was not happy to be there.

It was not long before a dreadful scent hit me. He was right outside the door. I buried my nose in a book in front of me, hoping he would walk past me. As the door opened, I knew I could do nothing further to hide. His scent walked closer and closer until it was right above me. He stood there motionless without saying anything.

“Go away, Zander,” I hissed, being careful that the professor would not hear me. I could feel his body lean down towards my ear.

“We need to talk,” he whispered.

“No,” I turned to face him. Immediately Ifeltshivers down my spine. He was so close to my face, I could feel his breath on my face. His eyes told a story I did not want to read. He was sorry about something. But I didn’t care for it, at least not right now. It was not long ago, I would have thrown myself into his lips, but now, his lips belong to another.

“Izza, I went to your home almost every day. You refused to see me. I need to explain.”

“I said, go away,” I would lie if I said his words did not hurt. I still loved him, even after everything. I turned back to my book, hoping he got the message.

“What was I supposed to do? I need you to understand.” He said with a small crackle in his voice.

“Are you deaf, I said go away.” I flipped a page and continued to read but he had not moved away. That’s when I felt his hand over my own.

“I still lov…” I pulled away quickly as I raised my voice. I couldn't believe him; he would dare say that after everything. What kind of i***t did he take me for?

“NO!” I caused the professor to turn around.

“Inside voices, please,” she said, slightly irritated. I was relieved when Zander pulled away. I was startled as the first bell of the day rang. It was not long before the rest of the students began pouring in. Then my heart sank when I felt the seat beside me pull back. The relief I had felt when Zander left was short-lived. Now he is sitting next to me. I had forgotten he wouldn’t be going far. After all, we had this class together.