Manipulate
Chapter Sixteen

The bell rings at lunch time. Everyone piles out of the dorm and heads down the hallway. I hate mealtimes somedays. The lunch ladies are generous and they offer me extra food from the back. I always politely decline their offer.

I grab a tray and wait in the long line to get food. The line shifts slowly. Like a turtle in a race. The food smells delicious, I pick up a sandwich, fruit, water and a slice of cookies n cream cheesecake. I glance around the cafeteria to see if I can replace Mia, Abi or Theo.

I feel a light tap on my shoulder. “Hi, Abhaya. Come sit with me,” Abi pleads.

I follow Abi toward a table. She pats the spot next to her. I chuckle and sit down next to her. Alia comes over and sits down next to me. Max follows her and sits down.

“That looks more like a lunch,” Alia says with a bright smile.

“Lunch is an easier meal for me to pick out,” I explain as I poke at my strawberries.

Max pecks Alia on the cheek. “I’m going to go check on the table full of boys. I’ll be back,” he explains.

Alia nods her head. “Okay. Good luck,” she says to him with a grin.

I glance at the table of boys Max was talking about. They’re throwing food at one another. But they’re laughing it off.

“Abhaya, what happened to your hand?” Abi asks, pointing at the palm of my hand.

I feel my blood turn cold. I search for an explanation in my head. “I fell down a tree when I was younger. And the cut left a scar when it healed,” I lie.

Abi buys the lie I just told her. I don’t feel guilty for lying to her. I really don’t.

The bell rings half an hour later. Everyone in TID pours out of the cafeteria. My body feels heavy and my eyes are barely open. Everyone walks down the hallway laughing and talking.

I barely make it to the dorm without falling or crashing into a wall or any obstacles. I pull myself up onto my bunk with my remaining strength. I sigh and put a pillow over my face. My eyes feel like bricks. In an instant I fall asleep.

#

Sleep is no longer part of my daily routine. It is now an escape from reality. It’s an escape from this cruel world, I think as I lay on my bed.

Donatella locked me in my room. My room used to be a fun place to play in. Aj would come in and we’d draw pictures, or we would play games on the floor. But those days are gone. Aj is at school and he has a part time job down at the bakery.

Click! My head perks up at lighting speed. Aj steps in with a white paper bag.

“Abhaya, why was the door locked?” Aj asks in a worried voice.

“Donatella locked me in here,” I start. Aj’s face already has worry lining it. “She locked me in here, because I made her omelet too brown,” I finish.

Aj runs a hand through his hair and exhales. I can tell that he’s stressed.

“Please don’t tell dad. I don’t want him worrying about me,” I plead.

“Abhaya, you’re my sister and I can’t lose you. Dad or I can’t lose another piece of the puzzle. I love you and all, but I can’t let her keep hurting you like this,” Aj cries softly.

Aj grabs my arm and pushes the sleeve of my shirt up. “Look at this! She did this to you! She left these scars all over your body. What if you get a boyfriend? Or If you ever have children? They’ll ask questions,” Aj whisper yells.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get a boyfriend. I’ll be stuck here for the rest of my life,” I say in frustration.

“Hey, don’t say that. Things will get better. I promise,” Aj whispers in my ear.

He holds up the white bag. I bolt off of the bed. Food!

“Did you get those for just us to share?” I ask.

Aj chuckles. “Of course. Why else would I have brought home a bag like this?” He asks.

Aj opens the bag and the sweet smell of pastries fill the room. The smell drowns out the depressing feeling in the room. Aj hands me a lemon blueberry muffin. I bite into the muffin and taste the sourness of the lemon mixing with the blueberries.

“Were these baked fresh this morning?” I ask in between bites.

“Yep. First batch of the day,” Aj says while biting into a chocolate chip muffin.

“I’ll give you a bite of mine, if you give me a bite of yours,” I state.

“Deal,” Aj compromises.

Aj hands me a piece of his muffin, I give him a piece in return.

I wake up with no sweat. No nightmares this time. Theo sits on his bunk reading a book. I smile at the thought of boys liking reading. I feel a pain in the back of my head. I touch the spot and flinch in pain. I must’ve hit it on the headboard, I think.

Alia comes in with a worried look on her face. “Abhaya, I need your help. Can you come with me?” She whispers in my ear. I nod. “Thank you,” She whispers back.