‘Audrey’s thoughts’
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As always, Audrey walked her way to her university. As a second year psychology student, she had no reason to stress. She went on enjoying the sunshine and the warm breeze. If anybody had seen her there, they would’ve thought she only started high school.
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She was exceptionally average. Even though she usually daydreams in class, she still manages to get good grades.
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Everyday, while her professors gave lectures on different disorders and treatments, she’d look out the large window and watch people taking a walk or studying in the vast gardens of her university.
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After class she’d go to the library and read her psychology textbook, while Irene would sit beside her and repeat what the professor had taught them in class.
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This is how the daily routine was, and always will be, until Audrey graduates.
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“What is anorexia nervosa, Audrey?” Irene asked, snatching Audrey’s textbook.
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“Hey! I was reading!” Audrey said.
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“Then tell me what anorexia is.” Irene insisted.
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“Desire… food disorder…. Eating a lot and then exercising too much?” Audrey stared at the table, trying her best to recollect what Irene had said earlier. Irene closed her eyes, her lips became a tight line. Then she looked down disappointedly.
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“What were you reading?” She asked, checking Audrey’s textbook.
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“I was reading about something more interesting, like DID, Dissociative Identity Disorder.” Audrey replied smilingly.
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“You’ll learn about that later, focus on this now.” Irene flipped the pages of the textbook, and stopped at the beginning of the topic ‘Eating Disorders’. She slid the book towards Audrey, who slumped in her chair at the sight of the chapter.
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“I don’t wanna learn about people eating food, it makes me hungry.” Audrey started thinking of excuses to skip the lesson. “Just study.” Irene said, massaging her temples.
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A while later, after Irene had come back from a cafe to buy coffee, she found Audrey staring into the air gloomily. The book was closed and kept aside.
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“You haven’t studied yet?” Irene whispered loudly. Audrey didn’t answer, she continued staring at nothing.
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“Audrey!” Irene shook her. Audrey jerked awake from her daydream.
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“You didn’t study yet?” Irene scolded again.
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“Anorexia nervosa, often referred to as simply anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight and an overpowering desire to be thin.” Audrey said out of the blue.
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Irene became speechless. Audrey too sat up straight and tilted her head, impressed at how she has involuntarily learnt an eating disorder.
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But she stood up and packed up her things, “I’m done with this, let’s go home.” Irene stared at her in surprise, she couldn’t believe Audrey could learn so fast and act so cool about it.
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It was Friday, how could Audrey manage to study psychology while she desires her fun?
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As the sun set between the buildings, Audrey sat down in the balcony with her favorite book in front of her. This was Audrey’s idea of fun on a Friday night.
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While the other girls (and probably the boy too. For some reason, he wanted to tag along too. He must be taking pride in being close with college girls.) went shopping, Audrey sat on the quiet balcony, witnessing the great beauty of the sunset. She flipped the pages to a dog eared page and began reading.
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As the darkness covered the sky like a blanket, the place neighborhood became dark and solemn.
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Audrey, immersed in the book, didn’t know the time pass so quickly. The darkness settled in the neighborhood. A warm breeze blew through her hair, disheveling it.
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A red light caught Audrey’s eye, she looked at the street below her carefully, it seemed like red eyes, glistening in darkness. ‘It must be that kid’ she thought. ‘But didn’t he go shopping with the others? They must’ve come back now. And they are trying to scare me from down there. Ha! You can’t catch me now! I’m smart!’ She went back to her book.
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But there was something unsettling about the atmosphere.
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Just then, a hand grabbed onto the bar of her balcony’s railings.
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To be continued…
