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Empaths - Chapter 2



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Sun Oct 30, 2011 2:50 pm
SlightlySenile says...



Chapter 2:

Maisie Smith

It was sunny in Florida. This meant two things for Maisie Smith. One, she really needed some after sun on her nose and face, Two, She was outside once again. Maisie liked it outside. In her mind it was peaceful and serene. It was a place she needn’t worry about being a ‘freak’ as the others liked to call her.

She wasn’t surrounded by people that didn’t understand her. She wasn’t forced into doing something because she was different in more ways than one. No ridiculing took place outside. There wasn’t anyone else outside; due to the fact that it wasn’t really a garden, it was more of a yard, concrete spanning a good fifteen feet out.

Maisie let out a blissful sigh. It didn’t matter to her that there was no wildlife, no plants and no play equipment. Those things didn’t matter to her because this was hers. No-one else saw the appeal of an undisturbed thinking space so this set her even further away from her peers but that didn’t matter either, she felt free out here. She could finally breathe!
She had a great spot in the garden. You could just see the sea if you looked hard enough and she always felt truly invisible out here. It was almost as if they couldn’t see her they couldn’t hurt her any more.

Inside she felt as if something was happening, as if she was being watched. That feeling was only intensified when she was forced to socialise with the other girls. She was always on edge near people. ‘Socially awkward’ she thought with a snort.

‘I’m just not normal. End of. Ya’ll don’t see other kids passing out from being too wound up. You don’t see other kids feeling two things at once.’ She was raging to herself once more. The serenity ruined as she battled internally again.
The soreness of the burns on her nose and brows gave her something to think about rather than dwelling on the fact it was coming on to twelve and it was almost lunchtime. Lunchtime was something Maisie had learnt to live with, however this didn’t mean she enjoyed it in any shape or form.

She couldn’t be late. They didn’t like it when she was late. As she hurried up from her spot she caught sight of her reflection in the rusted fire escape and she sighed once more. Her chocolate hair was pulled up in a pony tail, swinging just below her shoulders. Her eyes were dulled as if a fire had been put out within in the grassy depths. The clothes she wore were non-descript, she didn’t need the extra attention of something eye catching, all in flat tones of gray.
She was very pretty. She didn’t think of herself this way as she hid behind her glasses and books. Other people did. Apart from the other girls who found it as another excuse to bring her self esteem down lower.

Maisie sniffed and pushed her glasses up higher, a nervous habit she had acquired before she could count, and made her way into the hallway. St Margret’s had tried to make it a happy and vibrant environment, their motto being ‘All children have the right to be happy’, unfortunately they had failed.

The yellow paint was now peeling and loosing the effect it had before. The effect was not one they had desired as it had made it look fake and cheap. The carpets that were worn and scruffy were once a deep cream was now at best a murky gray. Graffiti had been scrawled everywhere documenting the passing of girls and the abuse of Maisie.
‘It wasn’t a bad place to grow up’ Maisie thought ‘It wasn’t as if I could have chosen.’
“Smith...Smith! SMITH!” Maisie jumped, now brought out of her internal monologue and turned to face an increasingly red Mrs Evans and someone else who was remaining in the shadows.

“Now, Smith today is a great day. Today is the day you get out of here! Thanks to Mr Mackenzie! Well what are you waiting for? Go and get your stuff.” Mrs Evans looked positively glowing and Maisie put it down to the fact she was getting rid of the one girl that had been a pain in the arse since day one. Maisie however was absolutely stunned and was still trying to come about her thoughts when Mrs Evans brushed past her and left her in the company of the muted stranger.

“Your face says it all- Confusion, shock and terror- Aww don’t be afraid of me little darling. I’m not gonna hurt ya. What was it the other one said? Oh yeah... You’re not mad and...” The strangers voice rang out clear with a strong drawl of Texan. The voice brought Maisie out of her mental daze and brought back her clarity with a growing anger.
“I’m not about to be ambushed. There are forms and processes! I don’t know you from Adam! You could be a mass murdering serial kidnapper for all I know. I am not about to go with you...” Her voice was on the verge of rage and was growing increasingly in volume.

The man had now stepped out of the shadows revealing a baseball cap pulled down to cover his eyes, an Umbro jacket zipped up to his collar and a pair or sweats hung lose on his hips. Maisie dimly noted that they were very baggy and flat clothes, designed to create the appearance of carelessness and disregard.
Maisie was only noting this because she wasn’t fooled. The expensive cut of the shoes and the dash of silver poking out of the sleeve, gave away the falseness of the veneer.

“Seriously... You all aren’t very good at staying undiscovered. If you had the barest sense of self preservation...” Maisie didn’t care what this man had to say. She wasn’t about to be kidnapped. So survival mode kicked in and she ran. She was sprinting past the phony walls just barely registering the footsteps behind her. The footsteps were sauntering.
“You know I’m right! If it helps you can call me daddy... Oh yeah you might feel a slight pinch.” Mr Mackenzie’s drawl sounded out just as Maisie Smith slammed into a six foot wall of muscle. The force’s face was hidden in the shadows. Maisie then felt a sharp prick on her upper left forearm but didn’t register anything as she was too busy moving slowly backwards away from the man, all seven foot of him.

Maisie suddenly felt very light headed, her eyelids were dropping and her tongue seemed to be devoid of all moisture and stuck on the roof of her mouth. The world was blurring around the edges. She fell backwards on to the wall and slid down it. Her head seemed to be made of cotton wool, her ears, she could hear the sea. Mr Mackenzie crouched down to her level and said “I hear the shortbread in Scotland is pretty good”
Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.
Dr. Seuss








"People should not be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people."
— V for Vendetta