Chương 28: Trapped in a mundane world
August threaded through the gray and off-white hallways of River Bend Middle School, the real world, or as she liked to call it, the mundane world whipping by her. The frenzy of activity by her fellow students blended into the background as her mind wandered a million things, the dread of stepping into her mother's house, front and center above all. With practiced efficiency, she effortlessly rummaged through her locker, pulling the relevant books for the day and discarding the rest into the messy pile.
"Hey! Is that the loner you were talking about, who talks to herself?"
"Shush. She can hear you."
Two girls rushed by her, their conversation brief but stinging to her. She slammed her locker shut. Why couldn't people mind their business? Was she harming anyone to deserve this much vitriol? She hated this school and everything to do with it, already wishing the day to end. Her gaze swept her feet as she stumped her way over to class when a momentary glimpse upward caught a girl peeking out of the restroom from across the hallway.
What is Betty up to again?
That girl, Maya or Mila or McKinley, was in Betty's clique and probably served as a lookout for what she had no idea. Nevertheless, knowing Betty, the girl was up to no good. She spun around. Maya or Mila or McKinley, tried to stop her by bracing her hands out. August grabbed onto those outstretched hands and pulled the shocked girl outward, then snuck in behind her.
The affair in the girl's restroom was a familiar sight, prominent in her school. An assemblage of girls encircled Betty and another girl, who sat with her knees on the dirty tiled floor, her hands covering her face as she sobbed profusely. The girl's hair and white shirt were soaked, clinging to her body, while a pool of yellow liquid spread from under her. Betty wore a toothy sneer on her face, an empty mop bucket still swinging in her arm.
"That's what you fucking get when you don't listen," Betty said. "Leave Jason alone or next time, I won't stop at piss."
"Ewww!" some girls sang in unison, while others snickered.
"Real cool Betty," she said. "You've outdone yourself. What comes next? Suspension? Expulsion?"
The room fell silent as they all turned to her.
"Oh, it's the crazy girl," someone whispered.
"Loner!" another shouted.
Betty pushed through the crowd. "Go away, freak show! Go talk to your made-up friends."
The slightly taller girl stopped inches from her, some urine still sloshing in the bucket Betty held.
She leaned in. "No. I have a better idea. Go turn yourself in for what you've done. Or else—"
"Or else what, bitch? Don't forget your place, August. Your made-up friends can't save you." Betty leaned in as well, whispering into her ear. "I wonder what people will say about you after I dump this piss on you." Then Betty transposed into a mocking tone. "Ew! The crazy loner even wet herself. Has she no shame?"
Her jaw tightened, and her muscles tensed. She was mere seconds away from decking the arrogant bully. Perhaps a black eye would look good on her face, accentuating the girl's repulsive features.
However, Maya or Mila or McKinley nipped that idea in the bud, peeking in and announcing that Mrs. Harrison was headed their way, before bolting off. The girls scattered like flies, including Betty, leaving her and the sobbing girl.
Soon after, the short and round stature of Mrs. Harrison shuffled into the restroom, her distinct scowl seared on her face. The vice principal scanned the area, her perplexed look fixed on the crying girl, then a questioning glare directed at her.
"Do you mind explaining yourself, Miss Stevenson?" she asked.
August raised her hands, shaking her head. "It wasn't me, I swear. In fact, I was trying to stop it."
"That right." Mrs. Harrison's eyes narrowed into slits as she walked over to the girl. When she tried helping the girl up, the rancid odor of urine pushed her back, almost felling the vice principal. "What atrocious act is this? I will punish those rascals." She glared at August. "Start calling names, girl."
"Betty and her cronies were the culprits," she blurted out.
Afterward, Mrs. Harrison made her leave, the fate of the sobbing girl unknown.
The hallways were vacant, as lectures had started. A fairy hummingbird landed softly on her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek, and chirping in a sing-songy tone. The bird, adorned with many bright colors to complete her wonderfully adorable visage, was Zephyr, one of her three imaginary friends. Only August could see them, their whimsical magnificence invisible to the rest of the mundane world.
"It's okay Zephyr," she said. "I'll be fine."
"Sure, you would."
She looked up at the source of the voice. Lily, a fire fairy with bright pink hair and translucent wings, floated in the air beside August, while laying on her back as if cushioned by a comfortable bed.
"You should've let me have at that witch." Lily balled her small fists. "I would have strangled the flipping breath from her lungs."
She frowned. "That's not nice, Lily."
Lily shrugged, resting her arms behind her head while gazing up at the monotone ceiling. "Well, some people deserve nice things, while others are destined for the guillotine. I'm just someone willing to deliver the message. You catch my drift, gurl?"
August and Lily continued their conversation as she absently sauntered into her homeroom, interrupting the professor's roll call. Her classmates stared incredulously at her animated conversation with herself on her way to her seat. Some continued to gawk, while others whispered to themselves. Most of all, they laughed at her. The professor ignored the sudden noisy uptick, calling her name.
Unbeknownst to the happenings of the mundane world, August shook her head. "Still, we leave those things to the authorities. That's what my dad taught me and that's the way we run things. Mrs. Harrison will handle it. Just watch."
Lily rolled her eyes. "You're the boss, gurl. Though I think you're a tad naive. Well, what do you think, Zephyr? You've been as quiet as a dead mouse."
Zephyr chirped brightly. August smiled, obliging the hummingbird's request by patting her feathered head.
Loud echoing thuds broke her from her trance. Her imaginary friends scurried, disappearing into the floor, while their images were replaced by a red-faced professor who banged on her table.
"Mrs. Stevenson!" he called repeatedly.
"Yes, Mr. Stewart!" she blurted out, jumping back into her seat because, to her, the man had just appeared before her. However, she knew better.
Her classmates broke into bouts of mocking laughter. The sounds made her shrink into herself, her cheeks pink with shame.
"Mrs. Stevenson," he repeated. "Please answer your name when I call you. Are you hard of hearing?"
She shook her head.
"Then why, time after time, day after day, do you repeat these same actions?"
"I'm sorry," she muttered.
"You said that two days ago."
She stifled any tears. The embarrassment imminent if her classmates found out their actions pained her, proved too heavy to bear.
Mr. Stewart opened his mouth to talk but exhaled instead, choosing to lower his tone to a whisper. "You'll see me after school."
"For detention?"
"No, not of that sort. You, your mother, and I will have a talk."
The rest of the day went by like a blur. After the situation in the homeroom, she kept to herself. She sat at the back of class, staring out the window, not distracted by her imaginary friends, but wondering why her life was this different. As far as she was concerned, no one she knew had these problems. Not her mother, who misunderstood her plight, trying to cure her supposed illness at every opportunity. Not Tom, her mother's boyfriend who, frankly, terrified her. Not her father either, who tolerated her imaginary friends, but deep down, she knew he thought she was off her rocker.
During lunch break, she had a table to herself in the cafeteria, the scornful gazes of other students dotting the surrounding tables. The mashed potatoes tasted bland and was soggy. She resorted to swallowing mouthfuls to quell her hunger and bypass the taste.
"What's bothering you?" A deep baritone voice, akin to a soothing avalanche, spoke beside her.
He was Harry Tophat, a towering blue sasquatch, brandishing an ornate cane, his only clothing a tall top hat resting on his furry head. His red eyes observed around them through his round monocle.
"Can't you tell? It's fairly obvious." She gulped down a full cup of water, then wiped her mouth with a hankie.
"No. The actions of your fellow humans mirror other days. Yet you are more dejected than usual."
"Then maybe it's all getting to me. The constant belittling, snide remarks, and downright rude comments do take a tow. I'm only twelve, Harry."
"Hmm." Harry Tophat ran his fingers through the fur on his chin. "You are wise beyond your years, Augie. Don't underestimate yourself. However, I'm inclined to agree with your point. Have you made a decision on my request?"
She sighed, studying the leftover mashed potatoes she couldn't bring herself to consume. Harry Tophat had been pestering her for the past few months to get a human friend. They don't understand me, she would say. Harry Tophat, ever wise and knowledgeable, would shake his head slowly, there are 8 billion of them. Surely you can find one.
She covered her face with shame. He thought too highly of her.
"Please reconsider my request, Augie. Sooner than you'd know, the right opportunity might arise."
"Where Harry?" Her head shot up. However, the sasquatch was gone.
Instead, a girl with blonde bangs stood before her, a perplexed look on her face.
Bullocks.
She cleared her throat. "I assume you said something. Sorry, I was preoccupied."
The girl forced a strained smile. "I can see."
August gawked at the girl, her mouth shut, contemplating why she looked so familiar.
The girl shrank from the attention. "Um, I'm the one you helped earlier today in the restroom."
Oh.
The girl had changed from her uniform into her PE wear, no signs of urine anymore.
"I just wanted to thank you for your help." She continued. "I was too scared then to say anything. But I'm truly grateful."
August nodded. "Don't stress it. We've all got to bond together to deal with the likes of Betty."
Internally, she cringed at the blatant stealing of Harry Tophat's words.
Sorry big guy.
"So what's your name?" she asked.
"Emily," the girl replied.
Then a palpable, awkward silence passed between them. The bell rang, spurring Emily to break the silence.
"Thanks again." She trotted off.
❊ ❊ ❊
After school, she found herself seated in the hallway outside Mr. Stewart's office. The school was deserted, the melodic hums of the cleaner the only sound permeating the mundane world. Her feet, too short to reach the floor, swung before her as she tried to kill the boredom and take her mind off the impending situation.
"Oh, fudge buckets! You could cut the tension with a butter knife." Lily descended from the ceiling and began to massage her shoulders.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Building a space rocket. What does it look like I'm doing? You need to relax, gurl. You ain't a lamb sent to slaughter."
"But my mom is coming. What will she say when—"
"So? The most they can do is spout more lies 'bout you. Shit, we could split before she arrives, if you're so bothered."
She vehemently shook her head. "Nope. That's the last thing I'd do."
Lily shrugged in response, floating higher. Zephyr leaped onto her lap, emphatically. She almost forgot all her worries as she busied herself playing with the lightning-fast hummingbird. If Zephyr didn't fancy being caught, no one, not her, or Lily, or Harry Tophat, could hold a candle to her pure speed. Still, she managed to catch the bird quite a few times. Their play came to an end when she bounced off her mother and landed on her behind.
The abject disappointment present on her mother's face made her heart arch.
"Hi Mom," she mumbled.
Grace, her mother, clad in a tailored business suit, nodded. "August. You know why I'm here?"
"Yeah."
Her mother exhaled a tired breath like she wanted to say something, only stopping at the last moment. Instead, Grace elected to knock on Mr. Stewart's door, her demeanor laced with annoyance. Before her second round of knocking, the door opened inward, revealing Mr. Stewart. They exchanged rushed greetings. Afterward, he admitted Grace into the office, a nervous August not far behind. Her imaginary friends had disappeared, leaving her alone to deal with the impending situation.
With the professor and her mother comfortably seated, the meeting began. As for her, the chair, although substantially cushioned, felt claustrophobic. The entire room had a similar suffocating vibe.
Mr. Stewart started by detailing accounts of everything that had happened involving her in the past few weeks. Things that he wasn't supposed to be privy to also spilled from his mouth. His tone carried the concern of all her professors. Her mother listened, casting occasional cold glimpses at her anytime the professor mentioned she was talking to herself.
"... and that brings us to today. Again, she came late to class, ignored my efforts to discern her whereabouts, and even failed to answer her name during roll call, repeatedly." He clasped his hands together. "Mrs. Stevenson, I implore you to have her evaluated. It's in everyone's best interest that we understand what is happening to her so that steps can be taken to better manage her situation."
She thanked her long hair for shielding her eyes from her mother's stern gaze.
Grace chewed on her lips nervously, leaning forward. "Do you mean a psychiatric evaluation?"
Mr. Stewart nodded.
"Well," Grace said, "Tom and I already had her evaluated two months ago. I didn't disclose this information with the school, because I felt it might compound her problems here. She already finds it very hard to make friends. The thought of her disorder coming to light gave me grave concern."
"I assure ma'am, it would only help her if we understand what she is dealing with."
Grace paused for a minute, finding the right words. "She has a severe case of schizoid personality disorder."
"No, I don't," she muttered, barely audible.
"Keep quiet, young woman." Grace glared at her. "If you had just paid attention in school, none of this would…" Her hand shot up, covering her mouth, to stop herself from speaking further. Then she turned to the professor, sighing. "Forgive me. Now where was I? Oh yes, her disord… health condition. August has… difficulties relating to others in a typical way and connecting on an emotional level. Her imaginary friends fill the social and emotional needs she lacks."
Mr. Stewart leaned back in his chair, an intrigued look on his face. "Imaginary friends? That's who she's always talking to?"
"Yes, if I remember correctly, Zephyr, Harry, and the major culprit Lila, who always influences her negatively."
"Fascinating."
"It's Lily. At least get it right," she said, with her arms folded, facing away so as not to meet her mother's gaze.
This time, an exhausted look came from her mother. "Mr. Stewart, it is important that she is treated the same as other students. However, take extra care during her hallucinating episodes. A combative approach yields negative results. That's what the doctor said."
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aspiringmaker
aspiringmaker If you are enjoying the story so far, pls consider adding, commenting, and reviewing. Also, my gratitude extends to generically again for the power stones. Much appreciated! Thank you all for the support.
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