Optical Illusion

Living Nightmare

"Are you mad because I'm late or because I just blocked your view?" He asks referring to the guy in front of me.

"Class we do not talk while others are talking." The teacher says mostly eyeing me and Cori. I sit back in my seat and watch as everyone introduces themselves.

**

After school finally ended I was beat and got out of my seat.

"Man I don't know if I can come back, that was the most boring thing I've ever had to sit through." Cori says rolling his eyes.

I looked back and saw that Derek was talking to the teacher. He then nodded and sat down, opening a book on his desk.

"Hey Cori, wanna do me a favor?" I ask stopping in the middle of the classroom.

"No." He says continuing to walk. I grab a hold of his arm and punch him across the face. "What was that for!?" He says wiping some blood that had oozed on his lips. I look to the teacher who had his head down, buried into a book on his desk. He didn't see it.

"Okay I need you to be louder and make a big deal, you're good at that." I say and punch him across the face again.

"Maddie stop!" He shouts grabbing my arm from doing it again.

"Good just like that." I whisper to him.

"What's going on?" Mr. Kendall asks and comes over to us. He looks at Cori's bruised lip and looks to me in shock. "Young lady did you do this?"

"Yeah sorry." I say trying to speed things along.

He shook his head and put his hands behind his back.

"I hate to have to do this but..." Oh please say detention. "I'm giving you a a one hour detention, no fighting is allowed here."

"It's okay I understand." I say sitting down at a desk in the front of the classroom next to Derek. I turn around and see Cori looking dumbfounded. He shook his head and left.

I tap my fingers on the desk quietly and look over to Derek writing something in his notebook.

"Hey Mr. Kendall can I have something to write with and on?" I ask politely.

"No this is detention, sit there and be quiet." He scolds opening a planner on his desk. I recline back in my chair and place my hands on my stomach. I hold back multiple groans and complaints as they form in my mind.

"This is so much worse than being locked up on the ark." I say thinking about how Derek was right there and I couldn't even talk to him.

"The ark?" Derek asks looking over to me as his eyes go wide. "You're from space aren't you?"

I nod not knowing what to say or if I could even talk.

"What was that like?" He asks closing his notebook and putting it away.

I look to Mr. Kendall and back to Derek. Screw it, I pick the hot guy over rules any day.

"It was like living in heaven, there was such a breathtaking view of the planets and stars that lit up the whole universe."

I had an abusive father and I got locked up for six years.

"And the food was great, possibly even better than the food here."

We barely ate everyday and when we did, it was just enough to fill up a portion of our stomachs.

"And don't even get me started about the living quarters, the rooms were so beautifully decorated with satin rugs and plush curtains. The floors were mostly white, but not as plain as the ones here. They were almost like a quartz." I lie my butt off. I could have told him the truth, but only if I wanted pity and sympathy. Right now all I wanted was a detention buddy.

"That sounds amazing, I've been here my whole life. All seventeen years I've been cooped away in this radiation free zone."

"Why, why not go out, live a little?" I ask curiously.

He shook his head and laughed.

"See that's the difference between us. You were born in space, your blood can filter radiation, ours can't. We step outside and the radiation burns through our skin until it reaches our heart and we die."

Now I'm the one feeling sympathy for him.

"Oh man, that's rough. Are you guys ever going to be able to go outside of these walls?"

"I think they are working on a cure for us-" He gets interrupted by a girl coming into the classroom. She walks up to Derek and he smiles widely at her.

"When are you not in here?" She asks as he gets up and kisses her on the lips. I look the other way and slam my eyes shut. I knew he was way too hot not to have a girl, and to think I got into detention for this.

A bell thankfully rang and I shot up and darted out of the classroom. I ran into my dorm and threw myself next to Jasper on his bed.

"Hey how was school?" He asks from next to me.

"Terrible, never going back." I reply and sit up so I was sitting next to him.

"Why what did you guys do?" He asks.

"Nothing that's the issue, I felt like I was on the ark all over again."

I climb up to the top bunk and lay my head down on the pillow. I start drifting asleep and soon I'm out like a light.

**

I shoot up, panting in my sleep. These are the nights where I wish I had Octavia to talk to. I felt alone and cold in this place. It might have had all the good food and perfect this and that but it was still missing the most important thing....family.

I climb down from my bed and walk into the hallway. It was still pitch black outside so I couldn't see where I was going. I clung onto the nearest wall and started walking aimlessly through the corridors. All of a sudden a flash of light blinded me.

"Hey you there!" A voice yelled at me. I got frightened and ran in the opposite direction. I used his light to guide my steps and I made a sharp turn left. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, my feet feeling cold against the metal floor. I felt like I was in a living nightmare. I ran faster and faster but I was slowing down from exhaustion. I still heard the heavy footsteps following me.

"I said stop!" The voice yelled. It was closer than before.

I continued to run which progressively turned into a jog. I soon felt a hand on the back of my nightgown pull me to a halt.

"Let me go, let me go!" I yelled with tears clouding up my vision.

"Maddie, Maddie wake up!" A voice screamed into my ear. I shot up breathing rapidly. I was panting and sweating so much that I could have sworn my dream was real.

"Is she okay?" I hear a voice ask.

"Maddie?" Jasper asks from next to me. He had waken me up.

I nod at him still trying to catch my breath. I look around the dimly lit room to see everyone sitting up on their beds staring at me.

"Jasper..." I whisper looking at him and only him. "Why are they all staring?"

"You were screaming Maddie.." Jasper says brushing hair out of my face.

I look away and back around to all of the disturbed faces.

"I-im okay." I whisper feeling too embarrassed to speak up. I lay down in my bed and curl up in a ball, trying to control my nerves from shaking my body.

"I'm not afraid...I'm not afraid." I whisper in attempts to comfort myself to sleep.