Morning birds sung as Rosaline took a step down on the creaky stairs. Her stomach gurgled to the smell of a batch of sweet pancakes. 

“Hi sweetheart, how’d you sleep?” her mother asked while holding the pan, scraping up one last pancake. 

“Hey mom,” she rubbed her eye, “I slept fine thanks.”

“Good baby,” she shook her head while prepping a stack of 3 pancakes onto a plate and pouring just the right amount of syrup. “Come eat.”

Rosaline quickly pulled out the wooden chair from the dining room table and sat herself down devouring the food that was placed in front of her. 

“I am off to the store, want anything?” her mother walks towards the couch grabbing her tan coat and dark brown purse. 

“I'm okay, thanks,” she replied. 

“Okay just do not be late to school, the bus will be here in 20 minutes,” she reminded, shutting the door softly. Rosaline ran up the stairs and went straight into the bathroom, brushing her teeth, washing her face, combing her hair and styling it. Slicking her hair back and holding it all up with a hair tie. She moves to her bedroom. Gathers a pair of light wash jeans, a black plain hoodie and some white low cut socks from her closet and throws it all on and swishes down the stairs. She slips on her white checkerboard vans and flies to the bus stop. 

The red and yellow leaves surrounded all over her feet, drowning her deeper and deeper with no escape. 

Bright yellow lights glow from the distance. The bus is near. Rosaline kicks her way out of the pile of leaves while the wind helps, blowing them away from her. The lights glow red, the doors open wide and the stop sign on the left side pops out. She raises her left foot and quickly puts it down on the first step, while lifting up the other she loses her balance and falls forward with her hand by her chest ready to push her back up. Ha-ha-ha. Laughter begins to spread.

“Did she just fall?” the kid in the blue jacket shouts from the end of the bus. 

“Is she blind?” the kid in the orange hoodie smirks.

Rosaline picks herself up, lowers her head down the aisle and sits in the middle. She picked an empty seat and sat on it.

“Hello” a soft voice spoke. Rosaline turned around slowly. “Are you okay?” the voice added. 

“Yes?” Rosaline tugged on her hoodie trying to cover her face.

“I'm Jenny and you are Rosaline,” she pointed at herself then at Rosaline. 

“How do you know my name?” she asked, lifting herself up from the crouched position. 

“You are known around the area,” she smiled. Rosaline scrunched her nose and forehead and raised an eyebrow at the girl.

 “Okay…” she turned back and stared at the window. She stood confused about those last words, “you are known around the area”. She found it quite odd for the girl to refer to their town as an “area”, for as long as Rosaline had lived there, nobody had even said that word. Not even just that, but the fact that she said she was known was concerning, Rosaline did not speak to many people. She kept to herself and her mother. 

The bus finally arrived at the Chimeric High School. Everyone unloaded the bus and walked through the opened glass doors. As Rosaline stepped foot inside, the announcements went off, “10 minutes to get to your rubber room!” Rosaline rushed through the slow crowd and directed herself there. She turned left down the hall and went straight in the room. Ding ding ding. The bell had rung. Nobody else was in the room but her instructor. She creeped around the door.

“Hello Rosaline,” Mr. Madsin called, “would you like to take a seat?” The wooden chair stood in the middle of the room facing towards the door.

“Why is nobody here?” she questioned while slowly lowering herself to the seat. 

“Well, I just needed a few seconds alone with you, is that alright?” he asked. 

“Sure, for what?” she replied curiously. 

“I need to make sure you are okay,” he stared straight into her face, examining her features, especially the eyes. 

“Yes, why do you ask?” she pushed him away lightly. Bringing her hand back down, he snatched and inspected it with both hands. Looking directly at her hand and flipping it over to her palms, then carefully moving down to her arm.

“Aha!” he pointed at the vein that was shown through her skin. Rosaline attempted to swing her arm towards her, but he had a good grip on her. She began to squirm. “Hold still now.”

“Stop it!” she screamed, “let me go!” She shook her body while holding her left arm with the arm he had caught. 

Mr. Madsin slowly tilted his head. His jaw began to detach from his mouth as it grew more and more open. Continuing to tilt his head back. Then, all his teeth began to fall one by one, starting from left to right. A big sharp, pointy tooth popped out with a growl. He stopped. Rosaline was breathless, she was stunned. He quickly guided his face towards her and rolled his eyes back, when they came back around. Red. 

“Please leave me alone,” she begged. He drooled looking at her, maintaining the same grip on her arm. “Do you hear me?” she yelled, “don't do this!” He smiled. His lips were not connected anymore, his skin was ripped open and his eyes were bloodshot red. 

“Stay still!” his voice changed into a demonic presence. 

“No! No! No!” she screeched. He squeezed her arm tighter, rolled up her sleeve and exposed his tooth. Ahh.

“Stay still!” he repeated. Getting closer to her arm, places his pointer finger on the vein he had found and bites. 

“Help me!” she cried out. Sinking into her skin and inserting its venom in her. Everything turned white. The brightness of the sun sat right above her. 

“Ms. Anita!” a man holding her tightly yelled, “stay still.” He had a white coat on, light blue dress shirt, brown pants, squared glasses and a syringe in his hand connected to her vein. Anita took a good look at him, wheezing in fear, and checked all around the room. The room was surrounded in white cushioned walls, up above was the bright light and the black wheelchair she was sitting on. Inspecting her cream gown, with the tiny holes all spread out and the little spill of milk spilled down. 

“Where am I?” she gazed at the man, “who are you?”

“Anita, for the last time, I am Dr. Madsin and you are in your rubber room,” he answered, rolling his eyes. She stared at the open door a few feet behind him and stayed in silence. Her head drooped off to the side and her eyes slowly shut down. 

“Who’s Anita?” she questioned. The doctor grabbed the handles from her chair and wheeled her to the corner.

“Goodnight Anita,” he closed the door and locked her in shut.