Chapter 53

“So, I am nothing but her replacement?” I said swallowing the choking feeling I felt. All my life I tried to stand out. Make a path for myself. It was one of the reasons I chose to school far away from home but no. Some how some way, my sister was always there to haunt me. “I am sorry. You would better be informed later on. I just thought I would give you the heads up before you got a heart attack.” I nodded, got up and left. It took everything in me to not slam the door out of anger. “She is prettier than you” they always said. “Your sister is better than you” they said.“Why can’t you be like your sister” my parents always yelled. ∆∆∆“Mum, I got a part in the school musical” I vividly remember my eight year old self shouting and running to my mum who was preparing dinner. “That’s great. What part did you get?” “I got the sub lead!” I said with Soo much joy. “Why not the lead?” my mum looking at me briefly. It was just for a brief moment, but I could see it in her eyes. She was disappointed, unsatisfied that I was not the lead. “I…” I was cut off from saying anything cause my mum spoke up again. “Lydia always got the lead in these type of things when she was in your class. The other mum’s would be Soo jealous about it.” I saw the way her eyes shone when she talked about my older sister. I. Knew it was wrong but the way she talked about her made me want to scream and call my sister all sorts of name. “I remember how the other mum’s would tell their daughters to do better and try to be like her. Don’t you want that? Don’t you want to be the center of attraction?” she went back to making dinner dismissing me in the process.No matter what I did, I was never going to be good enough for my mother' I though to myself as I cried myself to sleep …

…

I was still trying to. Out whether or not it was a reality or not

I gripped my head, or at least tried to I did not know what was going on.

In my head there were two different identities fighting for recognition.

“Eloise” the James guy said, calling me out of my predicament.

“Oh heavens I thought I had lost you for a moment” he smiled wickedly.

I’m so glad you could join us.” The guy from earlier said smiling. “It’s not like I had a choice. It was either this or I was bundled into the office by those goons I said trying to hold in my annoyance. “Very well then, if that’s the story you are going with” gears were turning as he said this. 'if that’s the story I am going with?’ before I could get a word out, he faced the others that stood calmly in the office. “Good day. I want to welcome you all to Valley high. I am sure you have figured it by now that we are not a normal school, and we aren’t. I am Kiko and I would be your head master for the semester.” He said and turned to give me a smile. “Sir?” a girl called his attention. She looked scared or maybe it was her petite body physique that made it look that way. “Yes, Brenda?” he turned to looked at her with the same taunting smile he gave me yesterday. “What do you mean by not a normal school?” she looked confused but most of all, you could see the confusion in her eyes and in the way she stood. “Exactly what it means love, no one except all ten of you in this room are normal.” Everyone started mumbling it was obvious they were in a state of panic just like I was yesterday. “Why? Why me? This is supposed to be a college!! I applied for a college not this!” another girl who was dark skinned said. She looked broken. Like she had just been told that someone she loved had just died. “You guys are the special ones. Trust me, no one would harm you. You are perfectly safe” I wanted to say something against that. Just yesterday Kayan if I remembered his name correctly almost hurt me. But for some reason, I was not able to open my mouth to speak up. “I don’t want this. I want to go home.” It was a guy that spoke up this time. He looked, for lack of better words, terrified.“I am afraid that would be impossible at this point.” Just as he said it, some people came in to the almost choked office with something on their trays. If I did not know any better, I would say they were collars. “You want to chain us up like dogs!!” I snapped at him. I could not hold myself back from saying nothing this time around. “Trust me, it’s for your own good” his smile unwavering. “This is your safety. It lets is know where you are at all times and of you are in danger, it would alert your superior. You have been shared into different groups and they are to protect you. Your superior would tell you more about it. Oh and.. “ he said dragging our attention back to him. “Don’t try and take it off. It would be too painful to do that and don’t try to run away, it would be a futile attempt” just as he said it, one of the people that had entered into the room earlier came to stand beside me. “arm or ankle?” I ignored the girl and turned my face away from her. “get that shit away from me.” I sneered in a low time. She not even bothering, sighed and snapped it on my wrist. I looked down at the thing in annoyance. In anger, I tried to take it off but that was a stupid idea. Immediately I tried to pull it off, I felt my heartbeat slow down and then “ahhh!” I could not hold in the pain as I felt my insides be electrocuted. “What the fuck!” “You know, if you are going to be stubborn, the only place you would leave this place is when we carry your dead body out” Kiko said as he came closer to me, his smile dropping with each step that he took closer to me. For some reason, seeing him without his over bearing smile made shivers run down my spine. He looked terrifying. “Now, I would say it one last time” he said, looking at the rest. “Don’t try to take it off and don’t!” He faced me and continued “even try to escape” and then he walked out of his office. Everyone started leaving the office one by one while I stood frozen in the same spot trying to get my head around what just happened and still feeling my body coming back from the shock that had happened. “I am guessing you are Noelle” a voice said from behind me.