Jenn thrashed about on the lobby sofa, clawing at her blouse and face as the feeling of a large hole ate away at her heart and the sound of strange chimes filled her mind. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she clenched at the side of her head letting out a mournful wail from deep within. Blood began to pool up under her nails as she sunk them deeper into her own skin. She did not feel the pain for her mind was overwhelmed with the sounds of the chimes. Thousands of glass chimes increased with intensity crashing against her thoughts and memories. Images flashed before her eyes at the sound of each shard of glass clanging against another. Her mothers burnt body, May dying face, Kris's pained eyes and blood, lots of blood. She could see herself drawing out the blade of a retractable knife and place it upon the flesh of her wrist. Suddenly she felt a weight upon her body forcing her arms away from her face. She refused to let go of her blouse, clenching it with all her strength as the force pulled her fingers free and restrained her arms to either side of her head. Fear welled up inside of her tattered heart as she felt the pressure push down on her chest as if something sat upon her. She shook her head violently wishing to be freed of the nightmare. "Jenn!" Kris called out to her friend through the fog, "Jenn, it's me!" Kris's voice cut through the madness in Jenn's mind. "Kris?!?" Jenn sobbed, her eyes darting around, trying to focus on the form over her. Finally her mind began to clear and she could see Kris sitting on her chest. She looked to either side to find her friend was holding her arms down, "W... wh... at... are... you doing...?" She stammered, unsure if she wanted to know why her friend was sitting upon her in such a way. All around her she could see her many new friends watching her with concern and fear in their eyes. "Are you alright?" Kris cautiously asked, not making a move to release the girl. Jenn struggled a little under her friend's weight, "I'll live." She answered, seeing the friend was not going to loose her grip Jenn settled back on the sofa and let out an exhausted sigh. Her entire body hurt as if she had just had the worst beating of her life. Having seen that Jenn had calmed down Kris slow eased up her grip, "Are you sure?" Kris inquired again as she glanced at the tattered bandages upon the girl's wrists. If Kris had not arrived when she did, she feared that Jenn could have ripped open her wounds and she did not want to bring herself to thinking of the rest. Jenn ran a hand through her tangled hair and gave Kris a weak smile, "You don't need to keep asking me that." Jenn explained trying to take some of the worry from her friend's eyes, "I will be fine." She started to sit up when Kris wrapped her arms around the girl in a tight hug. "I thought I almost lost you again." Kris let out an exhausted sigh of relief. Jenn allowed herself to hug Kris back, "I'm not going anywhere." She promised, her eyes glanced around at the girls that watched them; she spotted Jessica among the group and saw her quickly turned away. Jenn was sure she saw a hurt look in the dorm head's eyes. She shook the thought from her mind as Head Mistress Sophia approached. "It is good to still have you with us." The Head Mistress stated as she knelt beside Jenn and nodded at Kris, who suddenly realized she was still sitting on Jenn's waist and scrambled off of the girl to get to her feet. "I'm sorry I worried everyone." Jenn shrunk in the sofa, trying to hide from the many eyes upon her. "Do you remember what happened?" Sophia asked gently as she reached out to take Jenn's hand only to have the girl pull back like a wounded animal, "I just wish to tend to your injures." She explained softly. "Sorry." Jenn rubbed at her eye with the heel of her hand. She could still feel the hole in her chest, it was subsiding but still strong and she needed to clench her teeth to keep the tears from overtaking her. She allowed the Head Mistress to take off her jacket and begin to reaffix her dressings. It was as if Jenn suddenly noticed the state of her arms for the first time, there were several claw marks up the sides of them and a bruise the shape of a hand, but the size of the markings were bigger then her own hands. She scanned her other arm over and there to were more bruises and scratches. Her eyes moved across her body as one by one she spotted wounds. The worst was a large purple bruise at her thigh as if someone tried to grab at her. She blinked up at Sophia, many questions formed in her head but her mouth would not work. She simply showed her arms to the Head Mistress as more tears brimmed in her eyes. The woman simply kept her eyes on Jenn's bandages. When Jenn figured that Sophia was not going to answer she turned to Kris, "Wh...at ha... happened to me?" She asked with trembling lips. Kris turned away from Jenn to glare at her aunt, "Why do you refuse to explain anything that is happening around here?" She demanded. Sophia turned to her niece, "You know the rules." She stated simply with sadness in her eyes, "You know this better then any of us." Kris bowed her head in shame, "It is unfair!" She snapped then scanned the group of girls until her gaze fell upon Jessica, then Tanya and she fell silent. "I see the mood here is not much better then upstairs." Melissa stated as she sorrowfully entered the room. She crossed the lobby to stand near her sister and looked down upon the woman, "It is done." She stated miserably, "Natalie now knows the truth about Alyson." "What happened to Natalie?!?" Kima and Kim chimed in unison. Melissa glanced at the twins; "She is in her room with a broken heart right now." Kim rushed passed everyone and headed up the stairs. Kima was about to follow when she glanced down at Penny's silent form and changed her mind. Melissa gave the red head a half smile, "Glad to see some of you care for each other." She started, and then glared at her sister, "Unlike our esteemed Head Mistress here." Melissa swiftly turned towards the dorm doors, "I'm through with this place." She stated dismally, "I am leaving." Sophia sprung to her feet, "Do you really plan to leave, Missy?" She demanded, "You are just going to leave all these girls alone?" She waved an arm across the room. Melissa stopped with her hand on the door, "I can't stand it here anymore. Kris is right, it is unfair." She explained in a voice that was nearly inaudible. "So you are going to just run away?" Sophia raged, "Is that your answer?" Melissa spun around to face her sister. The skies outside suddenly turned dark as clouds passed before the sun and several of the girls were sure they heard the slight rumble of thunder, "What is it you want from me?" Melissa snarled, the happy bouncy Missy all but gone now, replaced by a fury of anger and sadness that no one had ever seen before, no one but Sophia and Kris that is, "You keep telling me it is for the better of the girls and yet all I see is suffering and pain. Even Jessie has been getting worse." She shouted, pointing at the dorm head. Jessica staggered backwards at the Head Mistresses accusation, "B... but... Mistress Sophia said I was better... We talked in spring..." She remarked staring at Sophia with a puzzled look upon her face, "You said that I could leave at the end of the year. That I could go home." Melissa did not take her eyes off her sister, "That might have been, but not anymore." She explained harshly, "Sophia was going to have a word with you later in the day. She was going to ask you to step down as Dorm Head and allow Kris to take over. Try asking her why you cannot leave. Why no one ever leaves this nightmare." "She already knows why." Sophia stated simply and slowly turned to face Jessica, "Do you not, Jessica?" She inquired; it was obvious that Sophia was taking no pleasure in bringing this up among the other girls. Jessica rubbed one of her arm nervously as her eyes darted around the room. She licked her lips fearfully as the memories of that morning passed through her mind. She could feel everyone's eyes upon her and felt filthier then every, it was if everyone was peering into her heart's darkest secrets. She knew she was not better, she knew that and she tried so hard to keep it from everyone else. There was nothing wrong with her, was there? She rubbed at her temples as she shook her head, "I... I'm fine." She answered with a swallow and took deep breath, "I'm fine!" She repeated, this time more firmly. "What about Misty?" Melissa asked coldly, giving Jessica a knowing stare. Jessica flinched and quickly glanced to Kris with guilt in her eyes, "I..." Hastily she turned to stare at the floor, "Leave me alone!" She snarled then spun around and ran into the office where she locked the door behind herself. "Stop it!" Kris snapped at her aunt, enraged that Melissa would treat someone so coldly, "Aunt Missy, what do you think you are doing?" She inquired glaring intensely at her Aunt, "Do you enjoy hurting Jessica like that? What has happened to you?!" The sound of Kris's words were like a knife through Melissa's heart and she blinked in disbelief at Kris's rage. Instantly the anger faded from Melissa's eyes and she shook her head, "I..." Melissa glanced at all the eyes upon her then to her sister, "Good bye!" She said dismally and she pushed her way out of the dorm. "Missy!!!" Sophia rushed after her sister. Stopping at the door for a moment and turning to the girls, "Everything will be alright." She stated with a weak smile, "I will bring her back." then to her niece, "Kris, Do you think you can handle things here?" She requested. "Go on." Kris commanded weakly, "You need to hurry before she disappears again." "Thanks." Sophia hurried on after her sister. "Auntie Wait!" Kai quickly brushed passed a few of the girls and out of the dorm, after her aunts, leaving the rest of the girls stunned and bewildered. ***** To be Continued . . .
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