13 Chapter 9

March 13.

"No!"

Sitting beside the young girl, Sister Jane continue to sweep her sweats with a wet towel. After hearing the voices coming out from the young girl, Sister Jane again trying her best to wake the young girl up.

"Anna, Anna, wake up."

The more she calls her the more aggressive the young girl acts. It's already half an hour after the girl passed out on the ground floor, but until now there still no sign of her waking up. No matter how low Sister Jane turn the temperature inside the living room, the young girl still sweating continuously. Feeling lost, Sister Jane decided to call her neighbor who works as a nurse at the main hospital in their town.

"Hello Kate, sorry to disturb you."

The conversation continues leaving Anna alone in the living room. The nightmare that haunts her keeps on replaying all the scenes that she had long kept at the back of her head. It seems no matter what she did the nightmare is bound to be inside her memories without a way to erase them.

The scenes change again, however, at this time the current Anna was present inside the memory as a third person watching everything from the side. She kept on screaming trying to warn the young Anna so she will run inside her room before her stepmother arrived.

The memory that currently playing in front of her was when she had been beaten and locked inside the basement just because she plays with her brother. The present Anna recognized the scenes, trying her hard to warn the younger girl, Anna started to cry tremendously.

She still remembers every moment by the time she had been locked inside the basement, without much food and water, no matter how hard she begs her stepmother, her stepmother won't ever listen or pity her.

Sister Jane looking at the young girl worriedly, when she heard the doorbell, Sister Jane rush over with her big steps to the door.

"Thank you for coming."

"No worries, where is she?"

Walking inside, the middle-aged woman who wears her casual clothes asking with her eyes wander around.

"She is lying on the couch inside the living room. I am really out of idea on how to help her. She keeps on saying some things, but I don't know what it is."

"It's okay, I try my best to wake her up."

Kneeling beside the coach, the nurse first checks the young girl's condition, only then she takes out her balm and puts it in front of her nose, and discussing something with her neighbor. A couple of minutes later with her consistency, the young girl finally regains her consciousness.

Looking around with her blurry eyes at the ceiling Anna pinch her nose bridge silently. When she finally remembers her situation, she quickly sits up making her head throb even more.

"How are you feel right now?"

Looking at a woman in front of her, Anna back out leaning to the coach, only after she saw Sister Jane, she let her guard down.

"I'm fine. Sorry, I troubled you."

"No, no. You didn't trouble me with anything. Here, drinks some water."

The nurse who sits there observing the young girl smile beautifully. Packing her things, the nurse stands up and walks to the girl.

"Take care of yourself more, you seem a bit underweight. Eat more."

Patting the young girl's shoulder, the nurse bid her farewell to Sister Jane and walk away leaving the two of them in the living room. After says her thanks to the nurse, Sister Jane sits beside the young girl, sorting her hair.

"Sorry again Sister Jane."

Holding to the glass tightly, Anna speaks with her small voice feeling guilty. Not only she had troubled the middle-aged woman, but she also makes didn't get to clean up the steel lunch boxes. Anna doesn't know whether the middle-aged woman will still help her in the future after what had happened.

"Don't worry, it's nothing. Why don't you eat at my house? Besides it's already 10 o'clock in the morning, I'm sure you didn't eat yet right?"

Listening to Sister Jane's words, Anna jolted remembering the class that will start at 10.30 am. Putting down the glass, Anna rejects the middle-aged woman's offer while explains her situation.

"Then, I just pack it for you then, so you can eat it on your way."

With a smile, Sister Jane quickly closes any ways of refusal, feeling lost, Anna just nods her head accepting the middle-aged woman's suggestion. Even her refusal words stuck in her throats unable to get out.

"Thank you."

Hearing the words, Sister Jane quickly walk to the kitchen packing the sandwich, and put it inside the paper bag. Seeing the young girl ready to leave, Sister Jane gives the paper bag and sends the young girl to her door.

"Thank you again, Sister Jane."

Bidding her farewell, Anna walks out heading to the elevator. Sister Jane didn't want to make the young girl feel trouble close the door. Anna who notices the door being closed releases a relieved breath, only God knows how fast her heart beating just now. Thinking she had kept on bothering the middle-aged woman, Anna feels even more scared thinking about the possibilities of her being hated by the middle-aged woman.

"Ding!"

Getting inside the elevator, Anna leans her back at the back. All of her memories had been playing inside her mind causing all the pain to resurface in her heart. She still remembers how she felt when she is being punished for playing with her brother, and how her father had punished her after he get back from working outsides causing her to have a high fever for two days. The memories that she had keeping at the bottom of her memories suddenly resurface causing Anna to feel fear.

After she walks out of the elevator, Anna continues straight heading to her room to packs her belongings. Afraid to get late, she only changes her clothes before she started to run down using the stairs and walk with a big step on the side roads. The paper bag had been tightly gripped by her left hand.

Walking down the street, Anna keeps her head down with her hair covering her face prevents others to notice her. Looking at her phone, the times currently 10.15 am, leaving her another fifteen minutes before the class started, knowing she is currently in a tight situation, Anna decides to run like her life depends on it. by the time she arrived at the door, the bell rang notifying the students about the times.

Anna opens the door while panting slightly, however, the beating heart keeps on pumping in a vigorous state after the whole students inside the hall staring at her. Walking slowly to the corner of the hall, Anna heard a couple of voices ridiculed her at the back which makes her head bow down even more. This is one of the reasons why she hates being stared at, all of them will bad-mouthing her calling her a freak, and many kinds of nicknames making her the monster.

'I had never asked to be born like this!'

While Anna walks to her sits in the corner, the pair of dark eyes had long ago stared at the group of students in the fourth row who laughed at the young girl. Like a hungry wolf, the eyes give a cold vibe making those who stared into the eyes feel chills.