"I'm often quiet when I'm screaming on the inside.

[14]

felt so afraid of something that the mere thought of it could trigger you?

My whole life I've been afraid. So afraid that I thought that my life was a joke. Maybe it was...but I can't know for sure.

I come back to conscious after a very dark sleep and am met with whispers.

"We need to get into contact with her family," someone whispers.

"I've tried but no one picks up," Adam says quietly. "I tried her brother but he no longer attends our school."

Brother?

"What about her parents?" The same voice from before says.

"Nothing. It's like they don't even exist," Adam states, confusion present in his voice.

Parents?

"We'll get the police to look into the matter after they've had a chat with her."

"I don't know if she'll like - " Adam gets cut off.

"It's a must, Adam, you can't hold it off forever," the person says making Adam sigh.

"Okay, I'll try talking to her again and if she doesn't come through, the police can talk to her."

I hear footsteps come closer to my bed. A warm hand touches my forehead. I had to control everything in me to not flinch and blow my cover.

"We'll fix her Adam, we'll get there..."

"I know, mum," Adam whispers back.

"I love you...just stay strong for her. She needs you most," she says. The door closes and I'm suddenly met with a silence.

My eyes flutter open but then quickly close due to the brightness of the room.

"Isabelle?"

I open my eyes to be met with a very worried Adam.

"I'm so sorry they injected you with that stuff, it's just that you weren't right in the head," Adam apologises, pleading for forgiveness.

I nod my head and give him a small reassuring smile. Adam visibly relaxes and sits down in the chair next to me.

A comfortable silence elopes us and I sigh in warmth, snuggling closer into the blankets.

"Isabelle?" Adam says again.

I turn my head and look him in the eyes. "You need to tell me. Who did this to you?" He whispers.

I blink once and slowly shake my head. They'll come back for me. They won't let me go.

"Please Isabelle, just tell me how it happened," Adams begs. "Don't tell me who, just tell me how."

I contemplate it for a little while before slowly nodding my head.

"Okay..."

I don't know if it is the fact that I finally agreed to tell Adam how it happened, or if it is that I am finally - kind of - opening up to him, but Adam seems to be in a state of shock. Again, I don't know why.

I continue anyway.

"It was that night of the party..." I start. Adam looks over at me and nods his head for me to continue.

"I needed some air and so I decided to go for a walk outside. From what I remember, it was really dark, so I couldn't see anything... I was trying to get home but I went too far south I think... It felt like someone was watching me and so I turned around but there wasn't anyone there and so I continued walking back to the party. Maybe ten minutes after the shadow incident, someone grabbed me and slammed my head against a wall and...yeah..." I pause and look Adam in the eyes.

I'm lying again. I don't want to remember...but I have to.

"Isabelle..." Adam stares at me with a look of hurt on his face. "I don't think - " But yet again, Adam is cut off.

"Knock, knock."

Our heads snap over to two policemen and a nurse who is now standing at the door.

"Sorry to interrupt you, kids, but we need to talk to, Isabelle Thompson. It's a bit overdue if I'm going to be completely honest," the officer states firmly. Adam looks over at me with a frown etched onto his pretty face.

"Sorry son, you've got to leave the room as we don't want any distractions."

Adam nods and softly smiles at me, "I'll be back soon."

I watch him as he leaves and is out of sight before panic finally sets in. I'm going to have to lie to the law. Oh, fuck it.

The police start to question me.

"Okay then, let's start, shall we?" I don't speak or make any movement so the police officer continues.

"Do you remember much from that night, Isabelle? Perhaps who did this to you?" I nod my head and tell the story of how I 'supposedly' got beaten to almost death.

The police write down notes, nodding their heads every so often.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't quite hear who did this to you?" One of them questions.

"I didn't say because I don't know myself..." I mumble quietly. They both paused, looking at each other in the process before nodding their heads.

They continue asking me questions for another hour until they finally leave and I'm left in peace.

"You get to go home today!" Lily squeals while I frown.

You no longer have a home princess...

That's when I finally realise that I don't have a home. I'm homeless. Why hasn't anyone asked me where my family is? Or why the records say I don't live with anyone? Unless...

"Isabelle?" Lily interrupts. "Aren't you excited to go home and get out of this place?" She asks.

My mouth stays closed and I just stare into space.

"Isabelle?" Lily waves her hand in front of my eyes. I blink them quickly and look at her, tears present in them.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't - " I pause and breathe in, "I don't have a home..."

Lily starts to laugh. "Are you serious?" She says through breaths of air. "Oh my gosh, you're hilarious Isabelle!"

I frown and stare at Lily. Lily suddenly stops laughing and looks back at me. "Wait - are you serious?" I nod my head.

"Oh...but if you don't have a home, wouldn't you have it in your records?" I shrug my shoulders.

"I don't know," I mumble, tilting my head to the side.

"Oh, Isabelle!" Lily cries pulling me into a hug. "How long have you been homeless for? It doesn't make sense..."

My body tenses up. How long have I been in the hospital for?

"Um, Lily? What's the date today?" I ask.

"The twenty-first, why?" She replies.

I shake my head and wave her off. I've been in the hospital for over a month...

"Can we talk to a nurse please to see whether my parents have gotten back?" I ask quietly. Lily jumps up and claps her hands.

"Sure thing!"

I'm homeless. Now I have nothing.