The Wolves and the Lamb.

I tried to outsmart them,
contorting my limbs
to fit anywhere,
barbed wire cutting
into thighs,
blisters forming on
each ankle.

They found me

and I was a lamb
among a hundred wolves.

I called out meekly,
digging my toes into the
bone-dry soil, wishing it
could swallow me whole.

Soon, it'd be over.

I waited and waited,
hearing nothing but the wind

then painless silence.

I returned to school
with hollow lungs,
leaving nightmares in my trace
while people treated me
like a broken cog in a machine.
Some gave me space,
some offered comfort,
most had eyes of disbelief.

One girl cornered me,
said I had no reason to cry

because the worst hadn't
happened

and I was lucky.

and I shouldn't sulk.

I wanted to punch her,
until her teeth popped out
and blood flowed freely.

But, I didn't.

I woke up,

knowing why I had
these fears
in the first place.