Prologue

Everyone thinks they know what it is like to feel true pain but the reality is, only a small number of people really do. The rest are just over dramatised stories people tell after they twisted their ankle or cut their finger. Yeah it hurts but it is a pain that will go away. Pain isn't just physical, it's mental as well. 

So many times in my life I have been told to shut up and get on with things but never once did I get asked if something was wrong. Yeah I had a family, I had my true friends and I had an okay life. Well that's what people thought. People judge you for everything these days and never think twice about how it may hurt you. Boys who sleep with lots of girls are cool. Girls who sleep with lots of boys are w****s. Girl who sleeps with one boy is a w***e. If your slightly over weight, your judged. If your skinny your anorexia. If your gay your bullied. It really does emphasis the saying 'Life's a b***h and then you die' because it is true.

In school I wasn't popular but I wasn't the loner in the corner either. I guess I was in the middle. I had my small group of friends and I could have a good conversation with anyone. I just wouldn't party every night or coat myself in make up. I was just there. 

I always found school tough though. I was dyslexia and words would always get jumbled in my head. I would go home and study every night and teachers would help me as much as they could. No one knew of my dyslexia and I liked it that way. I didn't want to be seen as a freak. I already have enough to deal with. My extra work paid off though and most of my grades were heading towards B's and A's and that is good enough for me.

I was the girl in school that stayed out of trouble but at home i couldn't hide from it. 

People just don't know the true me. I feel like I hide the real me behind a wall and most of my life I put of a brave face to take away the pain. No one will ever understand what I am going through. i'm judged for everything. I'm not pretty but I'm not ugly. I have long Sahara brown hair with a fridge that sweeps across half of my face. My eyes are a deep green colour and probably the only thing I like about myself. 

Everyday when I get home, I hide away in my room. Out of sight. Out of the way. I refuse to show myself and most of the time only eat when there is no one in. Luckily for me that is quite a bit of the time. I have two younger siblings and an older brother who I haven't seen for years. As soon as he turned 18 he left us. Left me alone. He was the only one I would properly talk to outside of school, he was my safety. My little brother and sister don't exactly understand much and just get on with life. They don't bother me and I don't bother them. Simple.

So here's me Grace Parks. The girl who seems normal enough on the outside but no one knows what goes on inside. I blend, get through life and hop for the best. My plan seemed to work until everything changed. One event turned it all around. I don't know why and I don't know how I managed to do it but when I had the chance, I ran. I ran and I didn't stop. 

I didn't know at first where I was going or what I would do. After a while I figured it out. A place that would keep me safe and no one would ever find me, no matter how hard they tried. No one would think to look there and maybe, just maybe it would make things better. I could only pray.

I walked up towards the woman sat at the reception and waited for her to register my presence. Everything about this place scared me but it was better than the streets. The walls were purely white and the people looked severely depressed. I wanted to go give them all a hug and tell them it would be okay. I wanted someone to tell me it would all be okay. 

'Hello. Welcome to Greystone Institute. How can I help you?' Her kind voice asked. Even the name of this place sounded horrible. 

'I would like to check myself in please.' I said quietly. The woman took a moment to look me up and down and study every feature. It was only when she spotted one particular thing did reach for a clipboard that was under the desk. 

'Can you just fill out this form and someone will take you to your room?' She asked no other questions after that. Her voice was filled with sympathy and sadness yet she knows nothing of me. I filled out the form, crossing out some sections which i refused to answer. They don't need to know everything. They don't even have to help me. I just need to hide. Be kept from the outside world for a while. Maybe forever.

After I filled the form, someone directed me to my new room which was like any other room. Four white walls. The difference is this room had a bed. They passed me a new set of clothes, once again purely white, and I quickly changed into them, disposing of my old clothes. I had no use for them any more. I shuffled onto the bed, curling into a ball and closing my eyes, soon drifting off into a sleep.

So this is me. Four months later and I am still here with no plans of leaving. This Institute keeps me safe and that is all I need. No one has come in here looking for me, meaning no one cares. I don't talk to anyone. I keep myself to myself and just let the days pass. 

I didn't know then that one person would come along and change everything. I didn't know that the past would haunt me more than it ever had.

But someone did come along and someone did fix me.

Reviews

[Silent Wolf]

Alright, so up until she runs away and her name, you just described me. Perfectly. Brown hair and green eyes. And older 28 year old brother who left and two younger siblings, though I also have one more older brother. I'm not popular and I'm not a loner. I just love this, and I will continue to read this.