DEVAN Ellen was crazy! Principal Walter was too weak, and Tommy had been a fool. All three of them had managed to usurp important positions in my life, during the last few days. That morning as I gazed out of the window, hoping for a breath of fresh air, I could smell something eerie, but I couldn't lay my grasp on it. Principal Walter was still in bed by the time I had awakened. He was yet sulking. He had barely slept through out the night, as he had wandered from one end to the other in tears. I wasn't one to comfort one in moments of distress, but at this point, it was beginning to seem like my peace was dependent on it. If I didn't stop Principal Walter from sobbing unnecessarily, I wasn't going to have a proper rest. I strolled out to the kitchen that morning, and busied myself with preparing a cup of tea for him. If I wanted him to listen to me, then I had to entice him. Oh, crap! Slowly, and subconsciously I had turned out into something I could
ELLEN A cold, windy morning it was. I hadn't been prepared for it. Winter had come in too early out of nowhere, and had caught me off guard. I sat at the cafe overseeing the rest of the whole building, while I sipped at the bottle of juice that the waiter had been so kind to drop off. I glanced at my wrist watch, and sighed. He was late again, just as always. I had expected him to be earlier today considering the urgency of things, but as always he had taken his time. Crazy piece of shit, that he was. He didn't matter to me anyways, once all of this ended, I was going to decide on my next move. He walked into the cafe, looking sexy as always. I shook my head in disapproval, that was a rather odd word to use considering our relationship. I wasn't supposed to see him in that light. I stood to my feet, and suddenly a gust of wind hit me. I rubbed my arms slightly, as my teeth chattered. Oh, dear! I was going to freeze out here today. "Ellen," Devan whispe
THIRTY ONE ELLEN No one seemed completely innocent anymore. Everyone was a suspect, including Devan. Although, recently he had devoted most of his time to chasing after me, or hovering around me unnecessarily. I didn't know what he thought this was. It was a fact that the cords of our friendship had tightened over the course of working together. A situation we could both do nothing about. However, nothing had changed in the way that I felt towards him, and I had to make that clear to him. Boundaries had to be reset, and lines had to be redrawn. Walking down the hallway that morning, I held my head high, watching and listening. I had to know what was going on behind the facade of these seemingly perfect lives. No one seemed as near perfect as Cullen had been. Cullen had been the embodiment of nature's best qualities. He had possessed a flair that others clearly didn't. Yet, he had been the first to show who he really was. Blah! "It's really cold out
ELLEN There were only two ways this whole game was going to end; and the both of them included me being held behind cuffs. Devan was dying, and the doctors could barely help, and Zach had become a pain in the ass. "Coffee?" Zach quizzed, walking into the room. I hit my head against my palm in disappointment. "Why are you still here, Zach? You should leave." "That's harsh." He mumbled placing a cup of coffee in my hands. "You should drink it, at least it'd help to keep you sane." "I am sane." I retorted, dropping the coffee on the table beside Devan's bed. "Oh, are you? Baby, we both know this whole case is driving you crazy. It's clearly impossible to be sane at this point." I clenched my fists briefly, and hit the walls in anger. "Why don't you just leave, Zach. You're driving me crazy. You're of no help at all." I screamed, hoping he'd agree. "At least I keep you company, no one else does that, you know?" He stated, biting the ends of his lips.
ELLEN A bath in a hot tub was all I craved, and I had taken leave of the hospital to return to my room to satisfy my cravings. However, things hadn't gone as planned. I had barely been able to sit in the tub, when Ms. Dottie had come knocking on the door. I was angered because I couldn't enjoy my own space anymore. What a waste of time my journey back had become. I wasn't going to enjoy any bit of today's rest, as long as she was still here. I watched her walk into the room gleaming radiantly. I was visibly annoyed, but I knew more than trying to pour out my anger on Ms. Dottie. It wasn't going to turn out well for either of us. "Hey Ms. Dottie." I greeted, with a beaming smile. I had to look friendly at least. "Sweet Ellen, how are you?" "I've seen worse than I could possibly tell." I confessed, as she chuckled. "I heard what happened, so immediately I heard of your return, I decided to come see you." She lied, barely looking into my eyes. I d
ELLEN Waking up to banging doors wasn't part of the rest I so desired. Messy hair, swollen eyes, and a grumpy face weren't the perfect combination to welcome a guest with, and so I ignored the call for a while. I laid on my bed for a minute, letting my brain reboot, and decide on what it wanted to do. The knock continued, as whoever was behind on those doors was insistent on seeing whoever was within. I stretched out on the bed, groaning in relief, as my joints make cracking sounds. I was finally awake now. I hurried over to the mirror, and began wiping my face, and arranging my hair. First impression actually did matter, and I had to give it my all. I exhaled briefly, as my eyes lingered on my reflection on the mirror. It seemed perfect. I moved towards the door in quick short steps, and turned the door knob open. There was nobody there. Whoever had been knocking a few moments ago seemed to have left already. "Hello," I called out confused. There was
DEVAN I didn't know how long I had been out. Maybe a day, or two? Probably even a week. It didn't matter anyways, all that did matter was that I was awake, and surprisingly I didn't know how. The bed; a hospital; and a bunch of cards, and wilted flowers, that seemed to belong in the thrash. What was all these? How had I gotten here? And then, realisation did hit me in the face. The fall! Yeah, that was how I had ended up in a white room, strapped to a bed. I had fallen off that wall onto the awaiting ground. How had that even happened? I couldn't remember any of it, except for the fact that I had wanted to open my eyes for so long, but I just couldn't. Here I was now anyways, behind a closed door, and still strapped to a bed. Phew! I had been alone on that day. Why had I been walking at the edge of a wall in the first place? It all seemed so strange to me, and I couldn't understand any bit of it. I clung to the rails of the bed, and forced mys
DEVAN Broken legs weren't just it. Cold, limp, and useless; that was what my legs were. I wondered what Mum would say when she saw me without my legs now. She had indeed warned me about embarking on the school trip, but I had remained adamant. Why though? I couldn't just place a finger on it. I sat hopelessly on the bed with my legs touching the cold floor. I had been making attempts to walk for almost an hour, and it hadn't yielded any results, as each time I tried, I landed forcefully on my buttocks. The doctor had said he wasn't so sure I was going to be able to walk after that fall, but I was determined to prove them all wrong. If for anything, I wanted to put Robb's taunts to an end. He had not been the kindest with his words when he had seen me sprawled out on the bed, not being able to move my legs. He had raised them up, and inspected them, before shrugging his shoulders and heading outside mocking scornfully. I had to try. I had to learn how to walk