Cloud Gazer

Chapter 4 - Girlhood

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With an immense difficulty, Elise picked herself up and wiped the tears from her cheeks, attempting to catch her breath. She could hear the rumble of students approaching, the interviews were ending.

With the corridor as a never ending hallway, she knew she couldn't escape the embarrassment of her fellow students ogling her breakdown. The first students to appear was Olive and her friends, Nellie, Grace and Sophie. Olive was beaming with her blue pouch in her left hand, swinging it by her side as she spoke with her friends with excitement before making eye contact with Elise. When she walked past, she gave Elise an odd expression, one of pity and judgement. Elise wasn't surprised, although Olive is kind on occasion, this was different, it wasn't her and Elise alone, it was in front of her friends, and the entire school. The embarrassment that would have sprung on Olive on speaking to the 'troublemaker'? Elise knew not to take it personally.

The other students approached with their pale blue pouches clutched in their hands, almost mocking her with their happiness. It way becoming clear that Elise must have been refused a gift on account of her "struggling" ways. Although she could not dwell on this too much or the tears would stream once again.

"Miss Black thinks I'll be a good teacher one day, what do you think Lily?"

Elise could see Emma and Lily walking hand in hand, delighted by how well their interviews went, thrilled by the prospects of being more than a student of Sagamore, which alone doesn't exactly give you good impression to others.

The large, vaguely terrifying bell rung, signalling dinner time, the students rushed like sheep to the dinning hall, grabbing their trays, desperate for the same old slop, which consisted of unnamed meat products and unseasoned vegetables.

Before Elise could enter the hall, who comes to stand before her but Mrs. Apan.

"That was quite a stunt you pulled earlier, I hope you got the attention you wanted by ruining everyone's interview"

It was incredibly difficult for Elise to remain stone cold when all she wanted to do was slap that smug look off her face.

Mrs. Apan sighed before adding, "You know the drill".

"Yes", Elise responded, not surprised with the repetitive punishment of no dinner. She did not want to show she was starving, she had to act like Mrs. Apan wasn't getting under her skin, although when she wasn't looking, Elise would clutch her stomach in pain. She sat down in the back of the dinning hall, ignoring Mrs. Apan's scowls and peering at Olive, laughing with her friends, reminiscing on days much sweeter than this.

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Watching the Sagemore students eat while Elise sat alone in the corner watching was a punishment she was used to, but the humiliation of the earlier event alienated her even more, the growl of her stomach only garnered her more unwanted attention. While observing the students picking at their meal, Elise felt something, something... wrong.

A sudden nausea came over her, her body felt weak and frail. She stood up and quickly walked to nearest bathroom, scared she might vomit. She looked at herself in the mirror and took in the reflection, pale with beads of sweat on her forehead and lower lip. A sudden dampness was felt in her underwear.

Elise checked if all the stalls were empty before lifting up her school dress to pull down her underwear to inspect what was wrong.