Remember the Past

Chapter 7

  I wake to the gentle touch of Colin's hands stroking my long wavy hair that drapes over my shoulder. I open my eyes slowly to see a beautiful sunrise. I watch the light fill the sky; brilliant blues and purples. I smile as red peeks over the horizon line.

I wrap my arms around Colin. I've never had a friend before and I like how it feels.

As I watch the sun rise, nothing else seems to matter except the here and now. It's breathtaking. I squint as the sun starts to peak over the hill tops.

Suddenly I snap out of my daze. "Crap! I'm late!" And with that I take off toward the school wall. Worry fils my mind as I realize that there is no way of escaping my punishment. I will be caught.

Why I go back, I' not sure. I make it to my dorm room out of breath. A stern-looking women with wearing a black combat suit with her dark hair pinned under her hat in a bun, with two muscular male guards standing on either side is taking notes on a see-through screen.

I was frozen in terror at the door. I realize that only the girls in the dorm have looked at me and have noticed my boots. Obviously the guards are here for me, but if I can hide my boots maybe I can avoid being in more trouble. I sprint and slide into the wall on the far side of my bed from the guards. I slip my boots off and under my bed. I frantically grap my grey shoes and slip them on.

I stand to attention next to my bed, which I had made before I left, as the women approaches me. I am still breathing heavy and I fight my panic to stay calm- at least on the outside.

"Where were you?" She asks sternly staring directly into my eyes. I feel her gaze melt my sense of calm.

I open my mouth, but no words come out. I can't think. Can't think! Why can't I come up with an excuse? I'm usually so good at it. I try again and this time I make out a few words with little hesitation. "I-I wa-was out-"

"Out!" She interjects before I could finish.

"... out of my room getting a drink of water."

She raises her eyebrows. "All night."

I give her a confused expression. I have to sell this. I have to make her accusations seem unrealistic. "It doesn't take all night to get a drink of water." I force a little strained laugh.

"No, it doesn't, which raises the question: where were you really?"

Another confused look. "What do you mean? I wasn't gone long?" Now I'm lying more convincingly.

"Not according to the surveillance cameras."

Crap! I wasn't even thinking of that last night. They picked up my movements. "The camera must have glitched after I left and and got stuck with a clip of me being out of the room." Good one. I think to myself.

"That how do you explain just getting back here now, if you returned to your room last night after the cameras show you leaving the room at a quarter to ten, and another camera caught you leaving this building shortly after. Explain that."

I find myself, again, at a loss of words. A worried expression creeps onto my face.

Then I hear Cora speak up from two beds down. "She can't... she's lying."

The women grab my arm and proceeds toward Cora's bed, dragging me along with her. "Please, continue."

A smug smile appears on Cora's bruised face. "The night before last night Nova left her bed. I stayed up an hour, but I fell asleep before she returned and by morning she was in her bed sleeping. I wondered why, and how long she had been gone. I mean, why would you have to leave the dorm for more than five minutes at night? So, last night I had a stake out and I stayed up all night. I don't know where she went, but she didn't come back until this morning."

I glare at Cora. I feel rage bubbling within me and I picture myself punching her again. The only thing stopping me is this women's claws-for-fingers that are leaving marks in my arm.

Cora gives me a condescending look and adds, "she also has been drawing all the time, and..." I see her lips turn into a devilish grin and I know exactly what she's about to say. "... there's something under her bed that shouldn't be there."

The women takes on look at me, fear in my eyes, and marches back to my bed.

She signal to the guards and each one grabs one of my arms securely. My heart pounds. They tower over me and I can see their guns gleam in their holsters.

She bends down and lifts up my bed skirt. I see her eyebrows tense. She pulls out a stack of my sketches and set them on my bed. She purses her lips as she pulls out my red rubber boots. She hold them up for the room to see. The girls stay silent, they saw me walk in wearing them. She holds them up like I was just accused of being a witch and she just found my evil instruments that are condemning me.

"Where did you get these?" She says sternly, but still not angrily. I can see now that she clearly has wrinkles outlining her facial features. Her hair has no hint of grey and her dark eyes, that almost appear black, look thirty years younger than the rest of her.

I stare at her holding a straight face. My lips are sealed.

She steps toward me and gets in my face when she says, "Where did you get these?" She spits as she speaks. I can hear the impatience in her voice.

This time I do more than stay silent. I gently shake my head in defiant.

"Foolish girl," she snaps.

She quickly lifts a hand and smacks my face with the back of her hand. I let out a whimper. Her boney, wrinkly knuckles made my cheek sting. She hit me hard. I can feel red run to my cheek as a bruise starts to form.