Innocent Pains Scarred Denial Jennifer kicked out in her sleep and abruptly sat bolt up right in her bed. She clenched at her chest as a feeling of dread welling up inside her heart. She squeezed her eyes shut against the nightmarish images that plagued her mind. Flashes of May, Kris, Tanya, her mother and she could vaguely remember a small red headed girl. After a moments time her breathing began to steady and she felt she could face reality once again. However, when she opened her eyes she was not prepared for what stood before her. She rubbed her head, trying to recall how she ended up in the small clinic, when she noticed matching bandages covering her wrists. She turned her hands over and studied the bandages carefully. She lifted her trembling hands to eye level and stared in disbelief at them. Shakily she touched the bandages. It couldn't be real. She couldn't have... She began to pull at the bandages. Slowly at first, then sped up until she was tearing the bandage off, sobbing as she frantically pulled on the cloth. Soon she came to the last layer and stopped for there was dried blood upon this layer ahd Jenn felt her heart sink. Jenn hesitated, not sure if she wanted to see what was under that last layer. She swallowed hard and while clenching her teeth she pulled the bandage off in one swift movement, closing her eyes against the slight pain that rose up as the cloth tore away from her wrist. Warily she opened one eye; there was an angry cut across her wrist with ugly black stitches holding the skin together with bits of dried blood clinging to the stitches. Jenn began to shake uncontrollably and her breathing grew unsteady as a pain swelled inside of her heart and head. She wrapped her arms around herself and curled up in to a tight ball as the room filled with the sounds of Jenn's sorrow filled sobs. "Jennifer?!?" Kris burst into the room with Tanya and Amy close behind her. Jenn glanced up at her friends and blinked. Both her friend looked miserable, Kris’s eyes showed a deep sadness to them, while Tanya looked pale and thinner then she last recalled seeing the girl, but there was smile upon her face and tears in her eyes. The mere sight of her friends sent Jenn into another wave of sobs deep from within the depths of the girl's soul as tears overwhelmed her. Kris half ran, half stumbled to her friend’s side, "Jenn!!!" She called out again as she knelled next to the girl’s bed. Jenn forced herself to sit up a little, still visibly trembling, "Kris...?" She blinked at Kris and shakily reached out towards her friend, holding out her wrists to the girl, "I..." She chocked on her sobs, tears streaming down the girl's cheeks. "It's alright." Kris reached out and took Jenn into her arms, "Everything will be alright." She said calmly. "What... What happened to me?" Jenn stammered as she clenched at Kris's shirt, "I... " She looked down at her wrists in disgust. Kris let out a pained sigh, "I..." Kris took a deep breath and turned to the young nurse, "Is she going to be alright, Amy?" She pleaded with desperation in her eyes. Amy crossed the room, "Well that all depends on what our friend here can tell us." She smiled down at Jenn, "How are you feeling?" Jenn rubbed at her head, "I... don't know." She stammered, her lip quivering as she tried to control her tears, "I'm so confused..." She sniffled and wiped at her eyes. "So are we." Amy said, while pulling a chair up close to the bed and sitting upon it, "From what I hear you have been missing for quite some time now. Care to fill us in a little? Do you remember anything?" She asked soothingly. Jenn glanced between Kris and the nurse, "I... I don't know...." Jenn stated, her head hurt and the harder she tried to think the more confused she felt, "I'm sorry..." She clenched the side of her head as a wave of pain filled it, "I... I can't remember..." She struggled with her memories. "Hmmm..." Amy tapped a pen on the side of her leg. There was a long silence as the nurse took in what she was just told, then turned back to Jenn, "Do you have any idea how you got in the pool??" "Pool?" Jenn thought for a moment, she had a faint taste of chlorine in her mouth and a sudden realization that she was now clad in a hospital gown, "I... I remember going to school with Kris and Tanya...." She turned to Tanya; "Yesterday we walked to school together and were teasing Kris about not yawning..." Jenn stopped when Tanya’s eyes moved at the ground, avoiding her friend’s gaze, "We did walk to school together, didn't we?" Tanya glanced around at the other girls in the room for an answer when she got none she turned back to Jenn and gave her a nervous smile, "I..." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "How can that be?" Jenn started to become frantic, "I remember. You were teasing me about Kim..." She suddenly hauled, "Kimberly...?" She scanned the room, "Where is Kim?" "She is with her friend." Kris stated, "She said they would be here by now." Kris glanced at her watch. "Friend?" Jenn gave Kris a confused look then her eyes widened, "Na... Natalie?" "That was her." Kris exclaimed, "How do you know about Natalie?" "Someone called?" Natalie entered the room with Kimberly, hugging closely to her friend. Kim seemed rather scared and would not stand further than an inch from the girl. Jenn stared mystified by the girl's appearance. "Well, if it isn't our little heroine." Amy stood up and smiled at the girl, "How is our other patient?" She inquired. Natalie gave Kim a quick glance, "She is a little on the frightened side, however she will be fine." "Kimberly!?!" Jenn scrambled across the bed, "You are really here. Is this some kind of dre_?" She stopped abruptly seeing the girl's bruises, "Did he really..." She rubbed suddenly felt exposed and pulled at her gown. "Did who?" Natalie asked, interested to learn what happened to the girls, "Do you know who did this to Kim? Tell me!" Anger filled the girl's eyes. Jenn glanced at the scared look in her friend's eyes; there was a look in the red head's eyes that almost pleaded with Jenn to keep quiet. Jenn lowered her head, "I... I can't remember..." She rubbed her head, "What is going on? Why can't I remember?" She began to tremble again and looked up at the redhead, "Do you remember, Kim?" She asked desperately. Kim nervously glanced around at all the eyes that turned on her, "I..." She clung onto Natalie's arm, "I don't know." She began to quiver and rub her head. "Nothing makes any sense anymore." Kim tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "That is why you are here." A serene voice spoke from behind Kim and everyone looked up to see Head Mistress Sophia enter the room with Melissa next to her. Sophia was dressed in a fashionable business suit with a set of files in her hands, while her twin sister wore faded jeans and a baggy orange sweater covered in bunny prints. Sophia gave the girls a gentle smile as she stepped further into the room, "Morning to you all." Sophia greeted the group. "Head Mistresses!" Amy stood to her feet, "I though you were not going to be here until this evening?" She asked uneasily. "I had a feeling that we were needed earlier than usual." Sophia set her hand on Kim's head; "Don't stress yourself too much right now. Just try to relax." She warmly smiled at Kim, making the tears mysteriously wash away and the girl shyly returned the smile, "Things will come to you soon enough." Sophia empathically stated. "But..." Jenn shakily looked at her hands, suddenly recalling the blood that had seeped out from under the sleeves of her shirt during school and pooled up in her hands and all of a sudden understood what the vision meant, but shook her head as she tried not to believe what she knew in her heart. Sophia crossed the room and knelt beside Jenn, "You will remember in due time." She wiped a tear off the girl's cheek, "We are here to help." "NAT!" Melissa squealed and rushed across the room, passed her sister, and wrapped her arms around Natalie's neck, "Where have you been?" She exclaimed excitedly, squeezing the girl in her arms. "Help!" Natalie struggled against the woman's grasp. "Hello, Head Mistress." Tanya finally said, keeping herself out of arms reach of Melissa. "TANYA!!!" Melissa squealed again, "I'm so glad to see the both of you." She reached out with one arm to hug the girl, without letting go of Natalie, only to have Tanya step back out of reach. Sophia straightened up and scanned the group of girls, "We seem to have quite the gathering this morning." She turned to Tanya, "Good to see you are up and about as well, Tanya." Sophia nodded to the girl, causing her to blush in embarrassment. "You.. You know me?" Tanya asked in astonishment. "I know all the girls here." Sophia stated, turning her attention to Natalie, "Even those who sneak around in the late hours of the night." "Help! I'm being accosted!!!" Natalie choked as she squirmed against Melissa's hold. "I would not go as far as to say that." Sophia stifled a chuckle, "Missy, would you let the girl free?" Melissa pouted and dropped Natalie back to the ground, "I was just excited to see Nat again." "I know you are," Sophia said with a sigh, "I wish you would calm down a little for once in a while." "I'm sorry..." Melissa hopped onto a nearby bed. Sophia continued to eye Natalie, "I'm hoping that the return of your friend means that you will be staying with us again." Natalie blushed, "You knew about that?" She asked shyly. "I know everything that goes on at our Academy." Sophia said with a sly grin, "Including your ventures into the Alleys with your lady friend, Miss Alyshione Dalfort." "I... that is..." Natalie's face only reddened that much more. "You've been in the Alleys?" Tanya said astonished, "That place gives me the creeps." She shivered at the thought of the dark reassess of the city's slums. She had heard many stories of the things that lived out there and could not fathom what would make Natalie want to enter such a place. "We know your reasons are just." Sophia reassured the girl, "I only wish you would be a little more careful. Alyshione's brother is a dangerous man to be near. I would feel a lot better if the both of you would stay at the academy." She let out a slight sigh, "I worry about you girls so." Natalie stared at the floor. She knew Sophia was right. Needless to say she had tried to get Alyson to move into the dorms with her, however the girl's brother made it extremely hard. It was as if he had a leash around Alyson's neck that keeps tightening every time Alyson tried to free herself and yet she acts as if nothing was wrong. Natalie wished she could free her friend from that man, but didn’t know where to start. Sophia patted the girl on the head. "Don't worry yourself to much. I feel that soon Alyson will be joining us again." She gave the girl another welcoming smile then turned back to the others, "Now how about we assign you to your dorms." She opened up one of the folders she had been holding in her hand. "Ummm..." Tanya stepped forward and nervously fiddled with her fingers, "Will Jenn still be in my room? I've kept all her things together and..." "I'm sorry." Sophia let out a woeful sigh, "She is being moved to the West Wi-" "NO!" Tanya screamed, trembling, "She is supposed to be coming back with me." Tanya clenched the chest of her shirt, "It... it was going to be like... before..." She stammered, struggling with the tears that threatened to engulf her, "What about Kris?" She pointed at the girl with hopelessness in her eyes. "I'm sorry. She is going too." Sophia stepped towards the girl, "I'm not the one who chooses these things. These things just happen." "No no no!!!" Tanya violently shook her head, "It's not fair!!" She cried out in disapproval. "Now, Tanya." Sophia went to pat the girl on the head only to have Tanya duck out of the way and run out of the room crying. "Tanya!!!" Kris started after her friend. Melissa wrapped an arm around Kris's shoulders, "Let her go." She whispered in the girl's ear, "She needs to face this on her own." "She's right..." Kris hugged her aunt, "It's not fair." Sophia took a long breath, "Well, shall we get you four settled then?" She opened the folder again. ***** To be Continued...
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