the truth teller.

Giving up was never an option. The bright fluorescent lights glared back to life as the portable hospital bed was wheeled into the room. A petite brunette girl squinted as she looked up. Tears streamed down her bloody face and the mask that covered her face fogged up as she breathed. She kept sobbing which stopped her from breathing momentarily while the doctor told her to calm down. After a few minutes the doctors had hooked her up to an IV cord and the tube snaked under her blanket. That’s when she lost consciousness.

 This probably doesn’t make much sense right now so let’s go back in time. From where it all started…

                            ** A few hours before**

Sara slammed her car door shut and felt the Volkswagen shudder.

She muttered about getting a new car, while gripping her coffe cup

and inhaling the strong smell and savoring the sweet taste in her

mouth. She waited by the roadside, straining her ears to hear the

sound of a passing car. She crossed the road after a small black

Bentley rolled by lazily.

Sara was one of those girls. You know, the ones who are incredibly

Innocent and wouldn’t hurt a fly. The ones who people  go to for advice.

Yeah... one of THOSE girls.

Sara walked over to the small, sweet looking bungalow at the far

end of the street. She stopped at the door and rummaged in her

purse for the keys. After a few minutes, she realized that the keys

weren’t there. She cursed softly as she noticed a small but

noticeable hole in the bag. Her perfect eyebrows mushed together

like furry caterpillars however, in the end she gave up . Making sure

no one was about, she took the spare keys out of the plant pot next

to the door. She let herself in and shut the door to stop the cold

infesting the house. She let out a small sigh watching the fog curl;

still smelling like the earlier sip of coffee.

After a long, hot shower, Sara relaxed and curled up on the sofa

next to the fireplace. Before, she had gone in the kitchen to make

herself a cup of piping hot chocolate. She now took a sip, letting out

a small moan. Nothing is as good as hot chocolate in winter ,she

thought. she grabbed her backpack and took her phone out to call

Nina, who is her best friend, to ask for an update. She listened to

the answer machine for a second and then shut it down.

After another two minutes, she redialed the number and her heart

skipped a beat as she picked the phone up.

"Hello? Who is this?" Nina asked as soon as she picked up.

"Hey  Nina. It's me. How are you?" she answered softly, her voice

cracking a little. She knew that if she spoke louder, she would cry.

She would cry and that would make her look weak and if there is one

thing she hates; it's showing weakness to anyone. Nina, hearing the

crack in her voice, immediately starts talking,

"Oh my god, no Sara. How are you?" Sara gulps and asked the question she was dying to ask.

"How... is he?Alex?"

Nina stays quiet for a while which makes Sara sniffle.

 "Is he gonna break up with me?"

"No, No, No, Sara, his friends won't let us see him. They said that he doesn’t want to talk to anyone right now." Nina assured her. She relaxes a little and sighs,

So he is just refraining from talking to me... which makes her panic again. She

can't see him, at least not like that... with his disappointed face and his new girlfriend… Just the mere image made her want to vomit.

"Sara, did you just zone out... should I come over?" she asked worriedly. She felt light-headed and sick and she felt like she needed someone so she agreed and so Nina sped her way over to her house.

As soon as Nina arrived in her beat up Chevy, Sara ran to the door and opened it up a crack as she waited for her to walk up to the door. When she came in, She locked the door and watched as Nina slumped into the sofa near the fireplace. A few seconds later Sara leaned against the wall and slid to the floor while hugging her knees.

“What is wrong with me Nina?” She cried. “I’m tired of being different. I hate telling the truth!”

Nina turned to look at her and pushed her glasses up her nose.

“Telling the truth is not a bad thing Sara, It’s better than telling a lie all the time.” She comforted her.

Sara remembered, her first day at school where she met Nina. She had been walking across the playground feeling very lonely. Suddenly some girls approached her the blonde one at the front sneered at her.

“Hey loser, just something that you need to remember, I am the queen here so stay out of my way and also keep your stupid ugly mouth shut, If you ever talk to anyone about us we will find out and kill you. You got that?”

Sara looked her in her eye, “Sorry, I wasn’t listening there was something in your teeth.” As soon as those words came out of her mouth her hands flew to her mouth and she gasped slightly.

“How dare you!” The girl screeched as she pulled Sara’s brunette pigtails. Sara cried out in pain. Her hair was her weak spot but the mean girl didn’t stop there she kicked her in the gut and Sara doubled over in pain but before the torture could continue a dark shadow fell upon her. A tall girl, with curly brown hair and black glasses stared defiantly at the mean girl.

“Leave her alone Stephanie. I’ll call a teacher!” She shouted.

The threat worked. She started backing away but she spat at me, “This isn’t over loser.”  As soon as she was out of sight, my savior turned around and helped me too my feet.

“I don’t like your hair.” I blurted out before I could stop myself. I gasped and stared at the ground.

“I-i-I’m so sorry-” Sara stuttered.

“I don’t like it either. Too poofy.” She said tugging her own hair.

“I’m Sara. I-i-I’m sorry about what I said but thank you, I truly appreciate you.” I apologized.

“All is forgiven Sara. I’m Nina!” She replied cheerfully while grabbing my hand and shaking it. After that, I hung on to the one friend I had. After all, she was the only one who was able to get over the fact that I couldn’t lie.

“Sara, Snap out of it!” Nina clicked her fingers in front of Sara’s eyes. Her forest green eyes were filled with concern. “Are you ok?”

“N-no Nina, I’m not. He’s gonna break up with me isn’t he?” Sara stares at her sadly, her sapphire blue eyes filling with tears.

“If he truly loved you, he wouldn’t so, think of it as a test!” Nina said trying to cheer her up. Sara buries her face in Nina’s green cashmere sweater.

Suddenly a knock at the door shocks them both. Nina looks at me with a question in her eyes. Who is it? I shrugged my shoulders and went to open the door. I unlocked the door and peered out. A set of sparkling blue eyes stared back. I opened the door wide and smiled weakly.

“aah, brother, hehe weird seeing you here….” I nervously giggled.

My brother, whose name is James, barged past me and closed his black umbrella as he shook the raindrops off it.

“Sara Wesley Shanton you are getting out of hand.” He said without looking at her.

“What did I do now?” Sara sighed wearily.

“When did you talk to mum?” He moved over to the sofa.

“Last week I think?” I answered.

“Why did you tell mum she was doing nothing for you?” He glared.

“I-i-it’s the truth! I live alone and I pay my own bills, I paid for my own car and you can’t even visit me unless I’ve done something wrong!” Sara protested before gasping and covering her mouth.

“How dare you Sara! For 17 years mum has looked after you and you haven’t paid her back so why should she help you?” James banged his hand on her desk.

“Maybe….. maybe you should leave Nina. I don’t think you need to hear this.” Sara’s hands trembled.

“Are you sure Sara?” She looked at me worriedly.

“N-n-no, but I don’t want you to hear this.” Sara stares at her hands. Her knuckles were turning white as she clenched her fists.

“No-” Nina began to argue again.

“Nina, remember the deal we had.” James said without breaking eye contact with Sara.

“Oh, ok.” Nina shrugs slightly grabs her coat and runs out.

“What deal?” Sara looks perplexed.

“It doesn’t matter right now. What matters is what makes you think you can talk to mum like that?” He says before sitting on the sofa.

“I-I all I asked her was why she doesn’t visit me! I told her I didn’t ask her for anything except that she visit!” Sara stamped her foot, like a child.

James sighed. “Do you really want to know Sara?”

“Yes!” I say persistently.

“Mum doesn’t want to meet you. That’s it. She was glad she got rid of you. You always gave her a bad name by telling the truth. Whenever mum took you out with her to meet her friends, you would tell them all about what mum thinks about them. She hates you and did anything to make you leave.” James said bluntly.

After a moment of silence, Sara whispered,

“That’s not true, it can’t be!” James shrugged.

“Don’t believe me, I don’t care. Your friend, Nina, has been receiving monthly payments from mother so she acts like your friend and you end up staying there instead of coming home.”

Sara gasps and falls to her knees. That CAN’T be true. Can it?

She looks at her brother who looked at her with no mercy. Sara stood back up and glared at him.

“You’re lying! Nina would never do that!” Sara declared. James rolled his eyes and called someone and put it on speaker.

                                                         *Call*

James: Hey Nina.

Nina: Hey.

James: Have you received this months payment?

Nina: Only half. I want all. You do not know how hard it is to pretend to be friends with that brat.

James: Okay I’ll see once I go home.

Nina: Ok. See you later.

James: Bye

             *End call*

Sara listens while shaking. The one person who she had trusted her with her life… was a FRAUD? Suddenly the walls of her bungalow seemed too close and it was a little too cold. She shivered and saw her brother’s smirk.

“Honestly, we’re all sick of your truth-telling.” James stated.

My eyesight blurred with tears as the words hit me with the truth. Before I could reply, I heard a ping. I wiped my tears and opened up my phone,

It was a message from Alex.

Alex: Hey Sara.

Sara: Hey Alex.

Alex: I just want to tell you something before I break up with you.

Sara: Wait, what?

Alex: You’re sick. And not in the “cool” way.

Sara: What are you trying to say?

Alex: How could you go around telling everyone my secrets that I trusted you with?

Sara: I-

Alex: Don’t even bother. We’re over. I never liked you anyways

Sara’s eyesight was blurry, she couldn’t stop herself. She hated it. She despised the fact that she was so vulnerable and open. James stared at her with a satisfied smirk.

“You’re an embarrassment Sara.” He whispered before leaving. She fell to her knees, his words circling around her brain, each time hurting even more than the last. The door banged shut and the walls shook, showing the fragility of the structure. The betrayal stung. It was worse than that bee sting she had when she was five. She remembered how she had run to her parents and let them calm her down. She laughed ironically. How amazing was it that the only people she had loved had all deserted her now. But the painful memory brought back more pain. Sara cried out and fell flat on her face. She just wanted the pain to go away. It burned. It seared away the layers of her skin one by one until all that was left was the real her. A scared vulnerable little girl. Her chest burned and she sobbed. She ran out bare feet and sank to her knees in the pouring rain. Each raindrop hit hard. You’re worthless. You’re an embarrassment. No one loves you. This pain, like all of her family and her friend were stabbing her in the back with a spear made of fire.

“GO AWAY! GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE! PLEASE!” She sobbed uncontrollably.

People were starting to notice her. A certain little girl just stared until her mother dragged her away.

“Leave her Lily she is crazy.” Her mother whispered. Sara writhed in pain but silently agreed with the woman. Crazy. Yes that is what I have been reduced to.

She just wanted the pain to go away. She ran back to her house and took her keys and drove leaving the door to her house wide open.

Steal from me all you want. I have nothing left. She thought sadly. She shook uncontrollably while driving. Once she reached her destination, she left her car door open and stood in front of the tall architecture. Jenkins Ltd. Who would’ve thought she would come to her workplace twice. She loved publishing stories and that’s what she worked as. She ran into the building, ignoring all the shocked and distress faces of her colleagues. She thought about what they saw. A distressed girl bare foot with swollen eyes running towards the elevator. She ran in just before it left and pressed the button to the top floor. The man next to her looked her up and down. He seemed to be well over 40 and had a grey suit and tie.

“Are you okay child?” He asked concerned.

“No. I don’t know the meaning of okay anymore.” She smiled sadly. The man next to her couldn’t escape fast enough. As soon as they reached the third floor he jumped out and scrambled away. Sara shook her and wiped her tears. A few minutes later, they reached the top floor. She stepped out letting the cold engulf her. She looked towards the edge and saw how high up she was. She stepped back and breathed in. She looked back down and turned around. As she fell down her last thought was, I’ve officially resigned from my job. The truth teller.

**************************************************************

So now we are back.

 Sara’s eyes glistened as she looked around the room. The doctors had left her, thinking she was unconscious. She saw a tray littered with tiny bloody rocks and a scalpel. Her thoughts were in a haze. What had happened? Then all of a sudden everything came back. James. Alex. Nina. Mother. All of them, they hated her. She started crying again. She had jumped so the pain would stop but it just got worse, she just wanted to die, so there was peace. She screamed in pain and before any doubt clouded her decision she grabbed the scalpel and plunged it into her heart, the reason for all the trouble and the last thing she saw was nothing. Because of course, no one cares for someone who can’t lie.