NC - She's not there (standard:other, 786 words)
Author: oprel	Added: Jun 24 2004	Views/Reads: 2974/2	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Noticed by no one. (I don't know what category this goes into... "other" seems good for now.)

She's Not There 

Once upon a time there was a girl who was all alone in the world. 

Her name was Sarah and was new in town and new in high school. Her
parents had moved here since they both had been offered a job, at the 
same company. The only one not benefiting from the move was Sarah. It 
was hard enough to make friends at her old school, and she certainly 
didn't need this. Now it was impossible. But what did her parents know? 
Nothing much about her, anyway. Either way, she felt as if they didn't 
care very much. They never seemed to listen. She had tried to tell them 
what she thought about it all, but they never wanted to discuss it any 
further. Eventually they wouldn't even listen. 

Her first day was just about as bad as she had thought it would be. In
her first class she had to stand up and introduce herself. She sat in 
front of the class and could feel the stares from behind. So when she 
slowly stood up and turned around she expected them all to stare at 
her. They didn't, only some of them showed any interest at all, other 
looking forward into the distance, out the window or at the floor. ‘Oh 
great,' she thought, ‘they have an active disinterest in me...' It took 
only a few moments to tell them her name and where she came from, but 
it was a relieved Sarah who sat down. She noticed her hands were 
shaking. 

During lunch break she slowly walked across the cafeteria to find a
table. When the other students didn't put their bags on the free 
chairs, or gave her the evil eye, she was ignored, even when asking if 
there was a seat free at a table. She swallowed and said nothing. The 
last table; she might as well try her luck here. There were only one 
guy and a girl there. 

“Hi,” she whispered, cleared her throat and said, “is- is this, s-seat
free?” 

It turned out that it was, and she sat down and they all seemed friendly
enough. 

The usual outcasts were always picked last in gym class, Sarah was
somewhat used to it by now, and it wasn't so painful as it used to be. 
This was how things were in school; some were always picked last. 
Participation in gym class was just something she did because she had 
to, anyway. Never tried really hard and never made anyone notice her. 

Science class was what she loved the most with school. To do experiments
together with her new friends who shared her love for science. 
“Friends” was perhaps not the right word, but they didn't reject her 
anyway. They did the assignments and experiments mostly together with 
her. Still, somehow she couldn't get much closer to them. At first she 
was hopeful that she found new friends; that they would actually care 
for her the same way she wanted to care for someone. But they were 
always slipping away from her; every time she tried to get closer it 
was almost like she pushed them away. Sometimes they didn't even seem 
to acknowledge her at all. 

Every night it was hard for Sarah to fall asleep. Sometimes she could
lie there for an hour, or two hours, before she fell asleep, too tired 
from thinking and analyzing every little bit of her life. This was just 
such a night. Like so many other nights before, she cried herself to 
sleep. The next morning she went to school like any other day. As 
usual, she was mostly invisible to everyone, or non-existent. Sarah sat 
alone during lunch that day, and in class she was constantly 
interrupted and ignored. Nothing new, but she had still not gotten used 
to it completely. Her parents were already at home when she came home. 
They didn't notice it of course. Later that night, her parents did talk 
about her. They were worried that she never came home from school, and 
that she wasn't over at her friends either. Sarah's father called the 
police, and reported her missing. 

None of this was anything Sarah knew of, though. She was lying in her
bed, drifting off to sleep. It began with a few dreams; some chaotic 
and strange dreams that made her twist and turn in bed. Soon enough it 
became a dreamless and very deep sleep, however. 

Outside the window, there was a full moon behind dark clouds. It was raw
and cold outside, but warm in the bedroom. Suddenly, the bedroom became 
very quiet, not even Sarah's breathing was heard. Night was over and 
the sun rose. 

The bed was empty. 


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