The incessant ringing in my ear drowned out the sounds of the street. The neighbours I seldom saw came pouring out of their homes with expressions of horror and disbelief. It was the sort of scene that would rattle any self-respecting suburban who’d managed to convince themself the real world and life weren’t as scary as those outside their bubbles realised it to be.As if waiting in the wing for her cue, my mother yanked the front door open and came screaming toward the scene. Her grief was so great that she tried to throw herself at the still-burning car and had to be pulled forcefully away by our neighbour, Mr. Robinson. His sweet wife, meanwhile, patted her comfortingly on the back and tried to assure her that everything would be okay while offering up her deepest condolences.People moved around me, some trying to put out the fire, others trying to figure out what caused it. Someone…a faint voice in the background was speaking with the fire department while anothe

“You know I had to do it, right?” she said, leading him over to the couch to have a seat. He was pale and still shook though less noticeably. Matthew’s mind had been pushed into overdrive as it tried to rationalise all he’d seen and fit it into the world he thought he’d always known. “He was going to take Kai…he was going to take you. We’re family; we have to stay together. You know that, right?”Her voice was soft as silk, inviting him to retain his trust in her. It offered reason in the midst of the chaos and sought to assure him that everything that had happened was for the greater good of our little family.He desperately wanted to believe that. “He…was going to take Kai?”“Yes, but I’d never let that happen—to either of you.” She spared a glance in my direction, one filled with purpose and the direct message that escape wouldn’t ever be so easy. Her actions were as much to finally rid herself of the only man capable of playing with her emotions as they were

The next morning, I rose before my alarm. The adrenaline coursing through me at the thought of the performance I would put on left me too anxious for any meaningful rest and caused nothing but tossing and turning the night before. There was a part of me that was relieved to greet the day if only because it meant I would no longer be left to wallow for hours with thoughts I would sooner forget.They would talk about it; it was invariably the course things took no matter where I transferred. There would even be those who were bold enough to walk up to me, shamelessly seeking clarification or further provocation. Rationality dictated that I ignore them and wait to be transferred again but experience reminded me it would make little difference. My peers had always had overly active imaginations. They needed little help from me to flesh out the details of their fantasies concerning the many lives they had convinced themselves I lived.It was only 5:50 in the morning but I&r

“Yeah. We figure the three of us could get better…acquainted.” He took a step forward, forcing me to move back until I met the wall and could go no further. With nowhere to run, my gaze was forced to the pair whose lips had spread into satisfied smirks. They knew they had me cornered and had rightly assumed no one would come looking for me. Screaming, while useful, would draw unwanted attention and I’d garnered enough of that on my own.Dale, the other boy, reached a hand over to caress my cheek. It was an action that caused my heart to hammer erratically inside my chest. My airway began to constrict as visions of my past transgressors and their hungry hands flooded my mind. It wasn’t only the two who stood before me, but every boy I’d ever had the displeasure of meeting. They’d managed to find me, transcending time and space to assault me once more.I shoved his hand away. “I don’t want to acquaint myself with eit

Jayden took me by the hand and led me through the crowd that had grown following the first punch. He didn’t stop until we’d come to our biology classroom. With another 10 minutes before class started, no one else had made their way over but I knew they would begin filing in soon.Jayden sat at his stool, his face buried in his hands. For several silent seconds, he didn’t move or otherwise make a sound.“…Are…are you okay?”He shook his head slowly as if the action itself brought him great discomfort. “Those guys gave me a splitting headache. Feels like someone took a jackhammer to my head.” Jayden lifted his face to look at me and I could see his condition had deteriorated significantly since he first appeared back in the lab. “Are you okay? They didn’t hurt you, did they? I swear, I’m—”“No! No, no, please; I’m alright. Don’t go after them again; you&r