Fly Away With Me

The group of about ten boys advance on me. I take a step back and realise that students have us surrounded. Each of them wanting some sort of entertainment by watching the strange girl be beaten up. I back to the edge of the ring the students have formed and suddenly a girl pushes me forward. My feet fall out from under me and I land on my knees in front of Brad. He smirks at me before kicking me in the stomach. I curl up trying to protect myself. That first kick triggers a full on attack by his 'gang'. I try to protect my head and stomach as much as possible as legs and fists strike me from every direction. Tears silently slip down my face. All I need is for one of the guys to forget his own strength and I die at the hands of teenagers crying at school.
"Move!" A male voice thunders stopping the students cheering as they watched the school's freak get bashed.
If I thought my body was sore this morning, I was wrong. This is sheer agony. I manage to stay silent as the last of the abusive falls on me.
"You stupid pricks!" the same voice thunders.
I don't move. I don't want to. My knees are against my chest and my arms are wrapped around my head.
"Dude! She insulted me first!" Brad argues.
"Why should you care? She's just a freak! I hear she's half vampire half elf and was raised by a squirrel!" One of the guys from Brad's 'gang' defends.
There is a noise of a smack and I peek out of one eye to see the same guy that called me a freak laying on the ground with a welt appearing on his face.
"What the Hell?" Brad demands.
"Get away before I beat the crap out of you" Christian's voice thunders through the area.
No one seems to question it. The crowd dissappears with a shuffle of feet and low whispers.
"Oh God, what happened Lillian?" that same male voice that was the first to break up the 'pick on Lillian' session.
"Nothing" I mumble trying to avoid moving.
"What is wrong with these kids?" Zach hisses as he kneels by my side.
I roll onto my back with a wince. Everything aches. At least no broken bones. Only bruises, they won't matter after all the ones from last night. This is a good cover as to why I look beaten up.
“Are you alright?” Zach asks softly as he tenderly touches the wound that Sophia inflicted this morning.
“Fine” I mumble trying to sit up.
The pain is too great and I fall back. At Zach’s touch the pain starts to disappear. One fine power he has there.
“Wouldn’t say she didn’t deserve it” Holley says.
I look up at her to see the first ever real smile directed at me. She is enjoying this.
“Shut up” Zach tells her while helping me to sit up.
“What?” Holley asks shocked “Since when did you side against your family?”
Zach just rolls his eyes. Everything aches, I just want to lay there. The bell rings; obviously someone up there hates me.
“Those little pricks” Zach hisses as he sees the extent of my injuries and clenches one of his fists as the other is helping to support me.
“They even drew blood” Blake comments seeming amazed that the children managed it.
“No they didn’t” I tell them regaining my composure “That was a little gift from this morning to send me off to school.”
Everyone but Zach looks at me confused. I couldn’t care less.
“Get to your classes” I tell them standing up.
Pain shoots through me despite the hand Zach has laid on my shoulder.
“You sure? I’ll take you to the first aid room if you want” Zach asks.
I shake my head. All I need is to turn up in the first aid room. The school would call Sophia, she’d hate me even more and I’d suffer even more pain.
“Go to class” I repeat as I walk over to my locker.
“See?” Holley tells the rest of the group, “she doesn’t want our help, let’s just leave her”
I don’t watch as I hear them shuffle away so I don’t notice that one of them have stayed behind. My locker is still as organised as ever and I quickly pick out the books I need for the first two lessons.
“Wow, your locker is in much better shape than mine” Zoe says from behind me scaring me half to death.
Even after last night I am still slipping. What is wrong with me?
“Sorry to scare you” she says as she locks her locker that is just a few away from mine.
She stands behind me as I shut my locker, reopen it, shut it again then finally snap the lock shut. Just having someone stand behind me irks me. I stand up and start to walk away. Pain pulses through my body, I just want to escape everything.
“Hey, sorry Holley is such a cow sometimes” Zoe apologises as she falls into step beside me, “She just hates change.”
I just shrug.
“Did I offend you?” Zoe asks after a moment of silence.
“Nope, I’m just not in the mood to talk” I tell her.
“Well I am a bit concerned, could you please talk to me?” Zoe asks with a pleading look in her eyes.
I sigh. Couldn’t hurt, could it?
“What’s wrong?” I ask her after a moment deliberation.
“I’ll tell you what, if you are still okay with talking to me after Home Class meet me back by our lockers and we will skip the first lesson together” Zoe tells me before hurrying off to her Home Class.
That was odd. I climb the steps to my own classroom in utter agony. Students stare and whisper. I hate humans.

The Home Class teacher tried to talk me into visiting the first aid room but I just wiped off the blood from my cheek with a tissue. After class was released I couldn’t be bother to go to my first lesson so I decided I might as well see what Zoe wanted.
“You came” she says happily as I approach.
Her back is against her locker as she sits cross-legged. I sit down beside her.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Christian was pretty irate this morning at Zach, Blake was very evasive after he got home so late last night and Holley has been happy” Zoe says quickly “All three things are bad.”
“Okay” I say slowly prompting her to tell me what I can do about it.
“I want to know what I missed last night while I was at soccer training” she tells me looking right into my eyes.
I look away. Should I say anything?
“Lillian, I will find out” Zoe tells me earnestly “I think you might prefer it if you just tell me though.”
How can she be so sure she’d find out?
“You’ll find out anyway?” I question looking at her uncertainly.
“My power” she tells me with a small smile before turning seious again, “just tell.”
“Not sure if I should” I say slowly still avoiding her eyes.
With a sigh she suddenly grabs my arm.
“Hey” I yelp pulling away from her.
What was that? Zoe stares at me with terrified eyes.
“What the hell?” she whispers.
“What did you just do?” I demand crossing my arms and moving away from her.
“Lillian, what have you done? Why did that happen last night?” she demands worriedly.
“What did you just do to me?” I demand backing away again.
“Fine, if I tell you will you explain why last night happened?” Zoe asks moving towards me.
“Maybe” I say softly staring at her.
Zoe sighs and returns my gaze for a moment.
“My power allows me to search a person’s memories just by physical contact, with you it is harder it seems, so I have to know what or when I am looking for in your head” Zoe explains keeping her voice low incase a student overhears the wrong thing, “your head is like a massive maze that aims to stop any information from slipping, it is hard to get a single memory out of you.”
I nod slowly. This is bad. I can’t be around someone who can just touch me to know my past. I have to get away. My eyes immediately dart to the exists. If I try to run I will be in too much pain to escape her.
“Lillian” Zoe says softly and slowly “I need you to explain what I saw.”
“What did you see?” I mumble trying to avoid looking into her eyes in case she is like Christian or Zach and can trap me.
“I saw that man standing over you while Zach was bundled up in a net, who was he?” Zoe asks.
I shudder. Last night’s memories rising up freshly in my mind. It sparks a chain that means the night I lost my family rises again. The images of my dead loved ones burn freshly in my mind. I just shake my head refusing to answer.
“Lillian, I have a right to know” Zoe tells me, “You can trust me, I won’t tell anyone.”
She reaches out her hand as if to comfort me but I glare at it.
“Don’t touch me” I half hiss, half plead.
My voice is an odd combination of strength and weakness. Zoe draws her hand back.
“I’m worried about my step brother, I need to know why that man was after you” Zoe tells me earnestly.
“ He isn't a man” I hiss at her violently “ He’s a monster.”
Zoe nods staying silent. She expects me to go on. I shake my head, once again refusing to let anymore information slip. Zoe obviously thinks I am going to endanger the group by leading him to them and she’s right. I already nearly killed Zach. If it wasn’t for Immy Zach would be dead and he would have followed the tracking device to capture Blake and I. Maybe I did deserve the beating I received this morning.