30 minutes and Cassie is still distracted from the noises outside the window of the classroom.
It has been that way since her first day in Drama Art High school.
Cassie Taylor, a new transfer girl from San Diego. Fair, with blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes.
She is the only child of her parents. Quiet and very reserved. She walked into the hall of Drama Art high school on her first day in school, and the entire eyes of the students were on her.
She is a little confident but not when everyone was staring at her.
She walked sluggishly to her classroom where her teacher introduced her to the rest of the students in her class.
She was offered a seat at the penultimate row at the back.
She wasn't really bothered being she was new and just transferred from another school.
Cassie sat down and the lectures began. Her first day in school wasn't a hassle until her second and third day when she started hearing voices outside the window of the classroom. At first, she ignored the noises and voices but with each attempt to pay attention in class, the louder the noises got.
Cassie was completely distracted and immersed. She was bent on hearing better or clearly what the noise was all about and figure out why she was hearing these voices.
Cassie Taylor! Cassie!
The teacher called out to her when she noticed Cassie's absent-mindedness.
Yes, Cassie? Are you okay?
Yes Ma! Cassie responded.
Were you paying attention in class?
What was the last statement I made Cassie?
What was the last statement I made? Cassie retorted.
The whole class burst into laughter.
Are you trying to act smart with me young girl? You had better pay attention in my class or you will be seen in the P.E court next time.
Yes Ma
Turning to the board, Mrs. Blair continued with her lectures while Cassie was left battling with the noises in her head.
Hey honey! How was school today?
Normal
Okay, nothing exciting happened? Any new friends?
Nothing of such mom
Alright dear, go wash up and come down for a meal before it gets cold.
~SCHOOL~
Cassie right?
Yes? How may I help you?
Oh I am Peter I was just wondering if we could be friends? I know you are new here and it's very inappropriate to approach you for friendship.
I really don't know if you will be needing one now or anytime soon but there is no harm in trying to extend a hand of friendship, is there?
No at all...Pet. Peter, right?
Yes, you are very correct, it's Peter
So Peter, I appreciate your kind gesture and for offering me this friendship thank you!.
Okay? So can I tag along? Going to the class right?
Yes sure I am and yes you can
Hey Peter! Can you come help me out with my project?
Peter was a little sad and disappointed having to leave Cassie all to herself and attend to his friend Dave.
So, Cassie, we will meet after school okay? Is that okay with you?
Not a problem Peter, have fun!
Cassie walked into her classroom and like always, she paid no attention to anybody. She sat down, unpack her bags, and then plugged in her earpieces.
She hasn't made any friends in class or even in school so she was always alone listening to her music.
While the music was on, Cassie's mind went back to the meeting with Peter. She couldn't understand why Peter would walk up to her and offer her a hand of friendship without even knowing anything about her.
Could it be that Peter is up to something? Or did she look pitiful and lonely that Peter was asking to be her friend?
She let the thought slip away after some minutes of pondering on it.
She didn't want that to bother her, it is the least thing she wanted to worry about at the moment.
Peter waited at the gate after school for Cassie but only for her not to show up.
He was a little worried because he was sure he didn't see her walking out the door that led to the class blocks let alone the school gate.
Peter had to rush back to the classroom to be sure that Cassie was not in trouble or something. On getting to the classroom, he saw Cassie laying on her desk and sleeping soundly.
The school had dismissed and no one cared to wake up Cassie so she was left lying on her desk while everyone went home.
Peter didn't wanna wake her up either so he grabbed a seat and sat opposite her watching her sleep peacefully and very calmly.
Just when he stretched his hands to touch her hair and get it off her face, Cassie woke up and was startled at the sight of Peter.
What's going on? Why are you here? Cassie questioned Peter?
School had dismissed since about an hour ago
So why didn't you wake me up?
I didn't want to disturb your peaceful sleep Cassie, I am sorry I hope you aren't angry.
No, not at all, let's go, shall we?
They both walked outside the classroom heading home.
Cassie's mom already sent her driver to pick up Cassie from school. She bid Peter goodbye and entered the car while they drove off. Peter went in the opposite direction. He was gonna board a public transport home.
When Peter got home, his mom was already so worried and asked why he came back home so late unlike him.
He told his mom he had something doing in school that's why he had to return at that hour.
He freshened up, took his dinner, and retired to bed.
But before then, he spent some time thinking of Cassie and her well-being. He was worried and was also sad at the same time for not getting her mobile number to reach out to her.
He promised he was going to do that when he gets to school the next day.
Cassie on the other hand was still battling the noises and voices in her head every time she was in the classroom. The more reason why she slept off the other day in school. The noise was getting unbearable and Cassie was getting worked up but she didn't wanna tell her mom because she wasn't ready to change school again.
For each school, Cassie went to, she was transferred after a few months because of one mental challenge or the other. Cassie never saw her condition to be a mental disorder, she knew what she heard, saw, and felt but no one was ready to listen to her or try to understand her.
Most people thought she was crazy and a psycho and that had always led to her transfer.
When Cassie came to Drama Art High school, she made a vow not to tell anyone about what was going on in her head or whatever it was that was bothering her that is why she didn't intend to make any friends.
She wanted to be on her own, fight her battles alone and mind her business, but now what will she do with Peter trying to squeeze his way into her life?
While she was pondering on this, she heard Peter's voice beckoning on her.
Hey Cassie!
She pretended not to have heard and buried her face in her books.
Cassie? Peter called out again. He walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder.
Are you okay? Cassie
Yes I am, why?
Well, I have been calling out to you but you weren't responding
Cassie pointed at the earpieces on her ears to tell Peter she wasn't hearing him because of those, but Cassie was lying, she had heard Peter even with the earpieces plugged on her ears.
So Cassie, what will you be doing after school?
Go home, of course, Cassie stated bluntly
Okay, I was hoping we hang out together after classes.
You don't stand a chance, Peter, sorry
Before Peter could say another word, he noticed Cassie sweating profusely and she was looking pale.
He placed his hand on her forehead and immediately shouted Cassie you are boiling
What's wrong with you?
Cassie couldn't make any further statements with all the noises spinning on her head. She fell and was about to hurt herself but before that happened, Peter already grabbed her and helped her rest on his shoulder.
Cassie! Cassie! Open your eyes
Cassie, can you hear me? Peter kept calling out to her, he managed to drag and carry her to the school clinic where she was put to bed and look after.
Peter was asked to return to his class while the nurses and health practitioners will take good care of Cassie.
When Cassie was up, she was told that her parents were already on the way to pick her home.
Cassie freaked out because she could already predict her fate and what was going to happen.
No one cared to ask her what happened or why she was the way she was.
No one bothered to seek her permission before dialing her parent's contact and reporting the situation to them.
And just as Cassie had earlier predicted, she was going to leave Drama Art High School for reasons no one knew.
Her parents always transfer her to another school whenever such or similar situations occur without even hearing her side of the story.
Two days later, Cassie was nowhere to be found in Drama Art High School. The next day Cassie's classroom teacher broke the news of Cassie's transfer to her classmate.
Peter was devastated on hearing this. He never got a chance to get Cassie's contact even when he promised to do that the next day and now with Cassie gone, he was never going to see or hear from her again and this made him very sad and heartbroken.
The End!
Well, if the noises were in her head, changing and leaving a school won't be of any helpOh! Till the end I waited for hearing what the voices and noises were about but you didn't tell @zellypearl 😐.
Sorry about that. I see you are one of the reasons I was given that suggestion of telling what the voices were.
Anyway, the main focus of the story wasn't really about the voices but the situation of changing location each time it seems someone has a little bit of a problem, it can be anything but I used the unknown voices in this story.
Haha. The focus was change but the reason was voices. Lol. I desperately wanted to know what they were
This is such a sensitive portrayal of a child isolated by mental illness (unless you are suggesting in the story that something supernatural is occurring). Her use of the earphones is a great detail. It shows readers how the child struggles with a problem that tortures her. Adding another character, Peter, is also a good technique for giving readers insight into how Cassie appears to others.
Although it is true that many people with mental illness do not receive appropriate care, it would improve the story tremendously if you indicated what eventually happened to Cassie. A sentence, even explaining her fate would be much more satisfying.
This would be a perfect fit for this week's prompt: Change. You might like to link to the story under the prompt post.
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Thank you for the feedback. The focus wasn't really on what happened to Cassie, but on the aftermath of the whole scenario. But since it's a good suggestion, thank you!
And I guess I should link it as you said it's a perfect fit for the week's prompt.
A girl is repeatedly moved from one school to another, which prevents her from establishing permanent friendships. Apparently the parents know something that the readers are not aware of, even the child herself does not seem to know, as she may have another version of events.
I am sure the parents don't either. They just think its a mental situation and they think the only way to deal with it is to give her a conducive environment free from the troubles
Oh man, that was a really good story. I loved the vague description of her mental illness without trying to give away what it was or becoming to specific. I also found the depictions of the characters very realistic.
This was a fantastic, detailed, albeit sad story. Knowing someone who's suffering from mental problems, tales like this always hit close to him.
Great read!
I am glad that you liked the story even without a detailed explanation about Cassie's condition. Thanks for reading.
No problem, I think it made the story more interesting. I feel that writers often tell a bit too much or are to quick throwing words and conditions around and thus ruining things. Your descriptions, however, were perfect in showing that something was wrong with her.
I truly appreciate this.
Yeah, I often like leaving readers with either suspense or making them hit their world of imagination as well.
Thank you for stopping by
I've been wondering what's those voices Cassie heard. Although it gave me an idea when you specified about the mental illness thing. Even so I was hoping to have a clearer story as what @theinkwell said. It's not that it was lacking maybe it t was just me looking for something. But it's a beautiful read and you wrote it well. Very nice.
Thank you for the feedback and I appreciate your time spent reading it.
@zellypearl this was such a touching story. I never expected the ending and this made me feel even more compassion for Cassie. I liked the way that you write the dialogue and explain how Cassie feels towards her environment. My heart went out to her. I found it to be written very sensitively. Thank you for sharing this story!
I am pleased to read your comment about my story.
I feel for Cassie as well.
Thank you for your comment I appreciate
The story is quite interesting but sad. I like the fact that the parent showed concern about Cassie and wanted the best for her but moving her from one school to the other isn't the best as it even played a role on her mental well being. Cassie is an introvert struggling with mental illness and trying to make her change to the new school work and not a temporary stay but all her effort to that was futile and Peter who would have helped her settle down easier was left heart broken.
This is an interesting story. I really feel awful for poor Cassie!
I guess the voices in her head were the untold mystery of the story. I love the concept of your story and the beauty of needing but not wanting to be seen in Cassie and Peter's relationship. I loved it.
Yeah, it's sad for Cassie when her parents keep transferring her without any inquiries.
Thanks for stopping by to read through