Dark Places of the Mind (Editing)

Chapter 1

"Mummy is she okay?"

"Come on honey don't stare."

"But she's sick mummy-"

The young boy staring at me got cut off as his mother dragged him by his small wrist down the snow coated pavement. I didn't look up, my eyes looking downwards. I didn't want to look up and give children more reasons to ask their mothers why I look sick and have people concerned.

"Hey look, there she is."

I bit my lip, holding back a sigh as I heard feminine voices begin to murmur behind me; just hidden under the loud clicking of heels. I turned my head towards the shops, trying my best to hide my face from their sight and convince them I wasn't listening.

"Nikki did I say how much I love your new bag?"

I knew that they were only getting a backdrop ready to use against me somehow.

"Thanks Tabby, I got it on the weekend, David bought it for me. It looks so cute right?"

"You're so lucky. Look, James bought me these shoes last week how pretty are they?"

I tried my best to ignore the twittering behind me but it was difficult. Especially as they started to advance closer.

"I can just imagine you in old sneakers, that would be hilarious."

I gazed down and looked at the grey tinted jogging shoes on my feet. They were old and really my only pair of shoes except for an old pair of slip on shoes. I acted as if they weren't there as they advanced towards me and their twittering conformed from talking about physical aspects to mental.

"So, did you get your grade back for Maths?"

I could feel a sense of shame begin to stir up within me, I knew what they were aiming at.

"Yes, I did, and I got a B+, can you believe it?"

"Nikki I can't believe it, it's the teacher's fault I bet, you're smarter than a B+."

"Thanks girl, what'd you get?"

"An A, of course."

I thought back to the exam we had to do and the grade I got with a shameful pain. I barely passed, getting a C- emphasised that Maths really wasn't my strong point. They hit me where they knew I was weak. I tensed despite my brain screaming at me to stay cool and composed. Nikki and Tabitha seemed to see my frustration, because they subtly fastened their pace, hitting me as they walked past so that I collided with a wall. Nikki stopped and looked at me, a smile playing softly at the corners of her mouth, her bouncy red hair in their usual ponytail, framing her bright blue eyes perfectly.

She adjusted her glasses and then gestured her fingers in my direction, "Oh sorry Meg, didn't see you there. You okay?"

Contempt laced her voice thinly, contradicting the concern in her voice. I didn't say anything, however, simply looked at her through my thick, dark hair. She looked back at Nikita and shrugged before looking back at me. She was pretty, both of them were, but not overly gorgeous, it was a subtle beauty that enraptured some and seemed plain to others. Nikita had short, dark hair that had light streaks running through it in some areas, lightly brushing along her full, round cheeks. She wasn't chubby or too skinny, somewhere in the middle-you couldn't really tell, she usually wore shirts that were loose- with breasts that seemed to be out of proportion to her body, they were large, in other words. In this weather, she wore something warmer, however. She wasn't too tall either, with short legs and a long torso and lightly sun brushed skin.

Tabitha was pale with a long face and rosy cheeks. She had a normal body, normal sized chest with a normal complexion for her age- she was 19, a year older then me. She had shoulder length dark red hair, obviously dyed, and bright dark blue eyes, with a button nose and a cute smile. When it wasn't showing contempt, as it was now.