B2: Chapter 16 - Rebirth - I

                                    

                                          


                          
  "Science class sucks now that Mr. Darwin's not teaching it anymore."
                          
  "Yeah, it's so bor... whoah."
                          
  "What?"
                          
  "Look at Jenny. What's up with her face?"
                          
  "You think she's hiding something under there?"
                          
  "Like what?"
                          
  "I dunno. Maybe she got a tattoo."
                          
  "No way. Isn't that like, illegal?"
                          
  "I think you can if your parents say okay?"
                          
  "But she doesn't have parents, right?"
                          
  "Maybe she did it herself then."
                          
  "She's so weird. Did you hear she hides out in the bathroom and talks to animals all day?"
                          
  "So? You talk to your dog all day."
                          
  "Yeah, 'cause he's smarter than you."
                          
  "No he's not!"
                          
  Natalie walked down the hall, trying to ignore the whispers—if they could even be called whispers. No one seemed reluctant to talk about her right in front of her face. Even more than before, she felt marked. The first few days and weeks she could write off as being silly; she was new and from out of town, of course she felt like everyone was watching her.
                          
  Now she really was marked, even if none of them could actually see it yet. She still wore the bandages that Door-guy had put on her, taped to the side of her face. For the first time, she was glad of her long hair, since it helped cover up a large portion, but from the front the pale white cloth still stood out. It was an unsettling growth on her face, forcing more eyes to watch her when all she wanted to do was disappear.
                          
  She'd been too afraid to remove them, afraid of what was underneath.
                          
  The gossip continued, but unlike her first few weeks, now they were getting to her. They needled at her mind over and over like a pest that wouldn't go away, and she knew exactly why.
                          
  Before, they made fun of things she chose, and she didn't care. Who cared if someone thought it was weird she ate alone in the bathroom? She just didn't want to deal with other people for a while. So she talked to animals like they could understand her? Well, for one, they could, but besides that, they were way nicer than other people anyway.
                          
  But now they were all talking about something beyond her control. They could all see what had happened to her, right on her face, and there wasn't anything she could do about it. Even with all her supposed power, her amazing abilities that Cinza and the others wouldn't shut up about, Natalie was helpless.
                          
  And every single word, every glance and pointed finger, every gesture and mocking tone sent her mind tumbling back into flashes of memory. Painful, horrible memories where she felt overwhelmed and afraid, and was forced to hurt everyone around her to protect herself.
                          
  "I bet she just cut herself to get attention like any stupid girl."
                          
  Natalie wheeled around, but she couldn't spot who said it. Everyone in the hall was watching her, and this time she wasn't imagining it. Absolutely every single kid, standing at a locker, hanging out with friends, waiting in front of a closed classroom door—every eyeball was locked on her. None of them were familiar, and every last one seemed derisive and cruel.
                          
  Ignore them. You're better than them.
                          
  She couldn't do it.
                          
  Natalie bolted down the hall, nearly barrelling through two kids who just managed to get out of the way. Lucky for them, since Natalie was pretty sure she'd turned on her strength magic without even thinking about it. If they'd been in the way, she didn't honestly know how much they'd get hurt.
                          
  She was really good at hurting people, and that realization made her feel even more sick.
                          
  "Miss Heshire!" snapped a harsh voice, just as Natalie reached the end of the hall. She came to a stop instinctively, despite herself. The din of conversation in the hall came to an abrupt halt as well. The principal had exactly that sort of authoritative voice that could stop anyone in their tracks.
                          
  Natalie didn't answer, staring determinedly at the wall. She could feel the eyes of the rest of the students back in the hall on her neck, as if they were actually pressing down on her.
                          
  "My office, please."
                          
  Robotically, Natalie complied, following the old woman back into her office, while the conversations in the hall immediately started up again, and though Natalie couldn't hear any of them, she knew every single one of them was talking about her again.