Maude's Journey

[Maude]

At times when I am alone like this, I look at the few things I have been able to bring from my world to this one... I miss everyone I knew. My brothers, Erin... even that crooner that Garvin adores so dearly. Also I wonder if I have been a little too harsh on others... and myself.


Nah!

[Maude]

The bells of the near by church announced the departure of a soul. As the casket was brought out of the building, a limo passed by.

A funeral, huh? Maude observed the scene from the back seat, but felt no sympathy for either the dead one or the living ones. “Sucks to be them,” she laughed quietly.

“Maude! Pay attention!” The limo driver snapped. “Now, be certain not to set this place on fire the first day?”

“Fine…” but I will set it on fire tomorrow.

“I’m serious, Maude. Your mother put me in charge to make sure these ‘hormones’ of yours don’t cost her more money than she has.” After a pause, he added. “Not like she’d ever notice if not told, but…”

Maude laughed. “You’re coming to your senses! I won’t… for your sake, but don’t expect me to go without a fight.” The car rolled up to the front of New Knaan High School and Maude exited to car. “I’ll see you later!” Only then did she get a good look at the school. Wow! It’s so big!! Snapping herself out of her gaze, she entered the school. How could they afford all of this- No. The question should be: Why make it so big? Once she looked at the students that were conversing in the hallways, the girl came up with the conclusion. “That’s why… stupid preppy b-”

Her sentence was cut short when a young girl stepped up to her. Although nervous at first, she found the courage to speak up. “Um… I really like your clothes-”

“Get away from me pregnant dog!!!!” Maude yelled at the innocent girl. “How dare you approach me on the same level as you?!?!” And with that, the girl ran away crying quietly as she went. “Wimp…” she sighed as she turned to continue along her away to find her brother.

[Maude]

“Really… isn’t this obvious?” She grumbled as another wad of paper flies over her head. As good of a teacher her English teacher was, he had no idea that the guys were acting like a group of 3rd graders and the girls acting as if it were a slumber party. No one is paying attention except me and that girl… Maude’s eyes moved from the teacher to the girl next to her: the girl seemed quite into the lecture. Her head was down and her paper full of notes. While Maude watched the girl’s left hand fly across the paper, bandages around her wrists caught her eye. Blood? There were blotches of blood on these pieces of fabric.

Before she could think anything more about this, the teacher spoke up. “But what does this passage mean?” No one responded. “Erin?” The girl next to Maude grew tense. “Why don’t you tell-” But she started to shake her head fiercely, declining the chance to speak very quietly. “No? Ok… Maude? How about you… what does it mean?”

Shrugging this off, Maude stood up and started to explain. “The death of Simon is the death of the last sane person on the island. Also, Simon can be defined as a Jesus figure: His own killed him and he ‘was sent back from where he came from’, The Sea, the metaphor for birth and death.”

“That was very good, Maude. We don’t get a lot inspirational persons in class.”

“Thank you.” As she sat down, Maude caught a glimpse of Erin, who was seemingly staring at her the whole time until the two held a glance. A few seconds in, Erin turned away, shaking nervously.

-

When the bell rang, everyone except Maude ran out of class. The teacher wanted a word with her; so, after he was done with a group of lacrosse players, he turned to the girl and smiled.

“You did quite well in class today, Maude. It’s your first time too.” When he saw her nod in reply, he continued. “Do you read a lot?”

“I like to in my free time.”

“Really! Then I have a book I would like to recommend to you.” He got up and walked over to a tower of boxes. As he began to move them around he added, “It’s part of the senior reading list, but I think that you will like it.” Sometime later he pulled out a paperbound book and placed it on Maude’s desk. It smelled of old and damp pages; it made Maude curious. The cover was mostly red and had a picture of two nuns cloaked in red rather than black. Its title was ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’. “I was able to save it from the flooded basement,” the teacher chuckled. “Now, there is only one other person who is reading this book under my recommendation. She was sitting next to you in class today.”

“Her name was Erin wasn’t it?” Maude took the book and started to flip through the pages.

“Yes… up to this point, she was the most inspirational person I have met this year. I suggest you talk to her sometime.”

[Maude]

Her belly was growing bigger every day, but even the increasing pain did not bother her as much as it could have. Maude stretched a little as she left her computer on to record her brother and his boyfriend (Daouit was it? Did not matter) making out. She did not find much pleasure in it, but it made good money on the internet.

"You're going to miss it." She called into the hall, waiting a second before going back inside. falling into her chair in the library, she picked up her book and continued where she left off. By then, Erin had rushed into the room, panting from exhaustion.

"Did I miss it?" Her childish voice was faintly heard from where Maude sat.

"They are still at it." Maude called to Erin. Unfortunately, she was unable to focus on her book: her mind was not up to it. On that day, she had experienced one of Erin's schizophrenic episode for the first time. It was unusual to the girl, and, oddly enough, scary. She cared for her friend still, but she somehow felt like it was a look into the fear that felt this suicidal girl with dread.

"If she wants to fix it... she'll have to face it herself..." Maude uttered quietly. But it looks like I'll have to push her....

Her belly was starting to hurt more.