Experimentation

The bus goes to a halt as we pull up to the front of the high school I left behind in sophomore year, Whitmore High School, Illton’s very own public high school. The place added to the painful sorrows of my life, to be back here at all is brave but to use this place as a stepping stone to my future is true courage. If I were to lose control again over my… affliction than anyone is a target, anyone can be killed by what’s inside. I step off the bus and look around at the eyes all glued to me, they know I’m back. The girl who couldn’t handle the pain of life is back in one of the toughest places to survive with “my condition”.

After about a minute of dead silence I started to make my way towards the front of the school, silence is the source of all madness and if you let it sink in, it will take over the world you once lived in. Their eyes all held disbelief, I was back for my senior year. Irisa Farren, the girl who survived. As soon as I got to the door, the talking resumed but as whispers on my return. I turn around to glance one more time and make eye contact with my once best friend, Cade Matthews. His face shows no emotion towards me after I decided to “off” myself he was angry he didn’t know and when he tried to visit me, he lost it on me and we haven’t talked since. He was the start. I pull open the door and walk inside not needing the pain to rise.

The number of teens outside was nothing compared to the filled hallways of Whitmore. Jabber filled the room, meaningless nonsense coming from every direction. I slowly walked down the entrance stairs into the many mosh pits of friends. Being pushed and shoved in every possible direction gives a sense of familiarity with being a freshman. The kids looking right thru me, it’s comforting not everyone will recognize me. I continued on my journey to the office pushing the door open to be greeted with a cool breeze of air conditioning, it filled my body with a chill like the gust of wind from this morning. I stepped inside letting the door close gently behind me. The secretary was fully invested in her laptop for whatever reason, her mind so focused she didn’t hear me come in. I walked to her desk and quietly said “Hello?” The lady had jumped back in fear startled by the sudden appearance in her mind, she looked up at my face trying to calm down. Her face was covered with light wrinkles showing her aging attire, her white hair compliments her face lightly, her brown eyes still filled with shock from the moments before. “I’m sorry dear, I didn’t see you come in. You must be Isira Farren, coming to collect your schedule dear?” I gently nodded my head, she reached in her desk and pulled out a small packet of papers. The lady stands from her seated position and hands me the packet. “Your schedule is there, along with paperwork your guardian needs to sign, the student handbook, and a list of activities you may want to get involved with.” I nodded at her speech, wanting this agonizing day over. “If you have any problems, feel free to talk to me or your student guide who should be here in a minute.” I did my best fake smile and just muttered thank you. I sat in the chair which was facing the desk of the lady which I now just noticed had a name plaque on her desk that says Judy. A simple name for a simple lady that has only the light of the world.

After waiting for 5 minutes a light knock was placed outside the office and a girl’s head popped in. Her body clammed up slightly, she’s nervous. Her face covered with her hair, I see a peek at her eyes and her doe brown clearly show she is scared, but the question is what? She lifted her head to make slight eye contact with Judy, she opens her mouth but words are unable to come out and Judy knows this. Judy stepped towards her and gently placed her hand on the girl’s arm. “Harmony, I want you to show Irisa around. Refresh her memory of the layout and make sure she has a friend here.” Harmony looked in fear as she said the word friend, the way her body flinched reminds me of…. Katrina. No, Irisa you promised yourself and her to move on and live your life, not be locked mental in the dark room for the rest of your life. Harmony nods her head and keeps looking at the ground, I tap her shoulder lightly and held my hand out towards her. “I’m Irisa Farren but you can Isa.” She shakily takes my hand, in a whisper I hear, “Nice to meet you, I’m Harmony White but if you would like you can call me Mona.” I let out a little laugh at her quirkiness. I smile. a real smile, for the first time in awhile, I can do this. “Lead the way, Mona.” Her head shifts when I call her Mona and she smiles.

We walked into the silence filled halls, the classes had started. Mona looks at me and laughs, the way her body shifts and eyes light slightly means she is getting comfortable with me. I don’t want- I can’t have anyone close to me! I can only be friends for now but the way my affliction is can kill her if I lose control… If I still have the affliction. After the events of my “release”, there haven’t been any signs of this pain but there are other effects from my days there. The flashing daymares of being in that horrid place cause my mind to race, my body aches with all the scars of the past. Being drawn back into hell is a painful way to live, a free body but a tortured mind is a way no soul needs to be placed upon them.

My mind drifted from class to class as the day goes on, I didn’t really notice the time changes until it was lunch. The “horror” of the day for a new kid but this is the easiest thing I have done in a long while. I open the doors to a full cafeteria, students packed to the brim flooding the tables with bags and food. The first step filled my nose with the scent of chicken and potatoes, my senses are still improved from when the… experiments took place. The jabbers surrounded my ears cause a slight tinge of ringing pain. The people were lost in their own worlds until one whisper occurred “Is that Irisa?” The room fell into an eerie silence with the eyes of everyone on me, all motion stops and everyone turns to me. Their eyes pierce into my mind as I know their thoughts are all the same, is she sane? The last memories that they have is the whispered they heard that I tried to commit… off myself. As I walk towards the fridge that holds the water and open it slightly, slowly grabbing a water bottle and shutting the door. Whispers started to spurt from around the room as I slowly walk towards an empty table, I slowly sat down and just looked at the water wondering when people will stop acting like I am a celebrity secret child. I hear footsteps slowly walking towards my table, I turn around to see Mona walking towards me with a smile on her face and she sits next to me causing a whole other wave of whispers to accrue. The last time I didn’t listen but in my gut, I knew I should. “Why is creepy Harmony sitting with her?” “What did Harmony do to sit with her?” “I can’t believe she is even back.” The voices become overloading my ears causing a piercing ring to fill my mind, a throbbing pain erupts in the fore part of my head. My vision slowly blurs as the pain takes over my body, and I feel like I’m losing control. I place my hand on the table to get more grounded, to know I’m safe, but it isn’t working. My heart beat starts to pick up as the world around starts to swirl, I stand up abruptly trying to leave the cafeteria but after one step my body falls to the ground. As I slowly close my eyes I hear my name being called, “Irisa,” and the world falls into darkness.