"Good morning Alice! How was sleep? What hallucinations did you see today? When did they start?" Can I sit down before you start fire questions at me? I grimaced, "Hello Mr. Cooper! I wouldn't say good. My sleep was interrupted when Lexi pulled the fire alarm. I had no hallucinations. They started when I was four." He gave me a sad expression. He gave me three oblong pale blue pills. I pushed them away from me and walked out of the door. He followed me, "Alice as part of your stay here you must take these pills. A continuous regiment means you can go home. You can have a semblance of a normal life." I looked at him with disgust, "I am happy with how I am. It's everyone else who has a problem with it. Keep your pills and I will do the rest." He gave me a sad face. I wish you let me help you. You are a good kid. You just need a good environment. I smiled, "I am exactly where I should be."
I walked to the art class. And heard the thoughts of everyone in the class at once. The teacher was a tall thin woman with dark brown hair streaked with grey strands. She looked like a giraffe. She gave me a canvas, some paint and a couple of brushes. She asked me to draw my feelings. Is that even a thing? I asked myself. She smiled at my befuddled look and shuffled to other students who were drawing spirals. They wanted to leave but I wanted to stay. Drawing helps me remain calm. It is my preferred method of meditation.
I was about to paint a scenery when the FBI showed up. They had a warrant to examine my drawings. Unfortunately for them, I had burned all of them. I knew they would come looking for them. They showed me the only sketch of mine they have. Which depicts a marketplace that had been blown up. Then they showed me a newspaper which had the same image only it wasn't a sketch. It was a real photograph. I smile and asked to borrow a phone. I googled the name Samaria and a picture appeared. They took one look at it and stomped away. I smiled at the opportunity to dupe them. I knew the next visit is next week so I need to be in top shape.
The next lesson was interrupted by the pee test. We all had to line up and were tested one by one. I felt lonely till I saw a dark-haired boy stopped next to me. He was tall, well-toned, and heart-stoppingly handsome. I knew everything about him. I had dated him a thousand times in my mind but this is our first official encounter. His name is Dimitri. He is an only child. His mother is an abuse victim. His father is in jail for three counts of first-degree murder. He is here because he beat his teacher black and blue for trying to rape a young female student. He is a hero but the judge didn't agree with that. When we were done I sat down on my own and read pride and prejudice. I was reading about Elizabeth's first encounter with Mr. Darcy when Dimitri sat next to me. He stared at me for five minutes before he turned to face the lecturer.
I walked out of class and entered the restroom just in time for Lucy to pull the fire alarm. I reached there in record time. If I hadn't I would get yard duty. This means helping the gardener with the trash and sweeping up the leaves in the five thousand square feet. I was cleaning my paintbrushes when a blond girl wearing a sweater walks in. Her braids were tied in a messy Princess Leia style. She gave me a lopsided smile. Her name was Amanda. She suffers from depression. She is a busy one. One moment she is smiling the next she is weeping. She could be happy at moment then fuming in the other. She gave me a sad smile and suddenly stormed off. Like I said she is the busiest person I know. The record for her was eight expressions in three minutes. The teacher was so confused he let us leave before class was over.
I walked to the mess hall for lunch. Jean was talking to her brothers John and Jace. There was a small queue near the servers. They were serving spaghetti, Vegetable Stew, Cream of Chicken soup, and few other dishes. I chose spaghetti and for a drink, I chose apple juice. I picked my stuff and walked out quietly. I sat on the veranda and ate. I heard footsteps so I turned to see Lucy. She wasn't pleased that she couldn't get me in trouble. I ignored her which enraged her even more. I sat quietly and Mr. Hernandez came and ordered her to go to the counselor's office. I managed to finish lunch without further drama.
I walked in to return the empty tray and Amanda and Dimitri were babbling. I walked past them and he decided to follow me. This made Amanda very angry. She stomped her feet and ran. Dimitri asked me if I wanted to study with him. I answered yes immediately. I would use any excuse to spend time in the huge library. He gave me a sincere smile and walked away. He wasn't wearing his usual leather jacket today. He wore a loose white t-shirt, black denim, and leather boots.
I walked out to see a group of girls look at me like I had stolen their Barbie. I kept walking as though nothing had happened. I met Selene, a bulimic and a nerd. She gave me a once-over. "You are nothing special. I checked your file. I know everything about you. Why would he choose you over the rest of us?" I tried to walk past her but she got in my way. I decided to play dumb, "Who are you talking about?" She shoved me, "Dimitri, the guy every girl on this campus wants to go out with. He chose you for a reason. What's your secret? I have been trying to get his attention for the past two years and he has given me the cold shoulder." I smiled, "I am telling you the truth. I have no idea why he would choose me." She looked at me one last time and bolted. I turned to see Dimitri leaning against the wall. He smiled at me and helped me get up. He had a pass from the principal so we can stay till late without internment. I smiled at him and ran my fingers through my hair. He did the same. We were staring at each other when the supervisor arrived and asked why we were stationary. We apologized and walked to our next class.