Home(Open)

[Brielle Vacanti]

It was a start of a new year, it should be the happiest time of year for anyone. Yet all Brielle could think about was her family and her home. She had not been home in over 3 years. She'd only seen her family in person twice in those three years. To say she was homesick was an understatement. It didn't matter that she had been bullied to the point of isolation. Or that her family was the only ones who ever believed in her, Blackwater was her home. And she could never go back there.

After her sudden departure the small town started to talk and whisper about her. She knew because her brother, who was growing up so fast , told her. In fact he had told her more then that. It made her sad to hear that he told people he didn't like her or that he was glad she was gone. She hated that she was such a shame for her 9 year old brother that he had to lie about her.

She knew that her family missed her, they called her at least once a week, but it wasn't enough. She would be turning 18 later in the year, which to her was a big deal. But she knew her family would not be coming to see her. They would send her some art related thing and a card , maybe call or email, but that would be all. Next year she would be graduating Hammel and out in the world alone. After that she didn't know how long it would be till she saw her family after that.

It was this longing for her family that led her to laying down on the couch of the dorms first floor watching a documentary about Arizona at 4 am . She may not like the state very much, but it was where she was born and raised. Vermont was nothing like Arizona, and it left her with even more longing.

Brielle was glad that no one else was awake as early as she was so they couldn't see her acting in such a way. She thought that she would of looked pretty pathetic , laying face down crying into a couch while watching a stupid show about Arizona.

[Mia Bell]

Mia sat up in her bed, cold sweat on her neck. She took deeps breaths as she regained her composure. Another night, another nightmare; she was wondering when they would stop. She ran her hands through her hair as her eyes adjusted to the dark. She cautiously stood up from her bed, moving to turn on light. She sighed and ran a hand down her face as she gulped. She scratched the back of her head as she walked over to her dresser.

She looked to see if her pet snake was okay; which of course he was, before taking out a pair of jeans, a shirt, and a bra. She quickly changed, also putting on a pair of gloves, a scarf, socks and a pair of shoes. It was four o-clock in the morning. An hour before she usually got up to go on her morning walk, but since she was up she might as well do it now. She knew she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, even if she wanted to.

Mia turned off her alarm clock and placed her keys in her pocket. There wasn’t anything else she needed, it wasn’t like she could really do anything at this time of night. She walked out of her room and headed down to the first floor of the dormitories. She stopped in her tracks as she saw another girl on the couch. She frowned as she saw the girl crying. She looked at the tv, tilting her head as she looked at the other girl again. Mia moved over to the couch “Hey, Are you okay?” She asked softly; she was generally worried about the stranger, yes.

[Brielle Vacanti]

Brielle jumped slightly as she heard someone come up to the couch. She instantly felt nervous, guilty and shameful. She hated that it was an almost instant thing for her to feel. No matter how hard she tried to be more out there and out going she was always stuck in this isolated bubble. She didn't even know what would be the best response for this situation. Do you tell the truth that your not okay , or do you tell the universal white lie that she was "fine"? A true problem from someone who had no idea what to do in an social situation.

She laid there for a moment almost wishing the girl was a dream. She just wanted to have this moment of emotional break. But she knew that it was pointless to try to and imagine the girl away. Brielle took a moment to wipe the tears off her face before sitting up.

She couldn't look at the girl next to the couch, she could feel the blush fill her cheeks. she moved so she was sitting criss-cross on the the couch so she wouldn't swing her legs, which was a habit of hers.

"I'm fine, just homesick" Brielle kept her face down and hidden.

[Mia Bell]

Mia flinched when the girl jumped. She hadn’t meant to scare her. She wondered if stopping was such a good idea, maybe the girl wanted to be alone? But Mia wasn’t the type of person who could ignore things like this. She had to make sure the girl was all right; even though it was obvious she wasn’t. Which meant the girl needed comfort even more so.

The pink haired girl moved to sit on the couch, sitting side ways so she could look at the girl. She frowned at the girl’s answer. “I’m sorry. I get that way sometimes too. When it snows I feel better because it reminds me of home. Isn’t there anything here you could do that reminds you of home?” Mia thought that was a stupid question considering the girl probably already tried looking for something that reminded her of home. “Can I ask what your hometown is like?” Maybe she could think of something. Or maybe that the one thing the girl had found just wasn’t enough. She knew it was different for different people, some teens were fine with the distance and other’s were not, Mia was in between.

Mia hoped she was making the girl uncomfortable. She wanted to facepalm herself, but resisted. “I’m so sorry… I.. Huh Can leave if I’m making you uncomfortable?” It was a random thought, but a genuine one none of the less.