"i'm not her anymore"

[Skyhawk]

I've been working on this for a while and then got an awful case of writers block!
Criticism is welcome & appreciated.
Where should I go from here?

"I'm not her anymore"

I looked in the mirror. I had changed. If I had been here a few days ago, I might have styled my hair in a braid to make myself look prettier but I wasn't her anymore so my hair hung in untamed, dull blonde strands. Not only did I looked changed, I felt changed. So I stood there for a few minutes, looking in the mirror and accepting that I was now different than before. A loud bang, coming from downstairs, reached my ears. Putting the toothbrush down, I walked calmly out of the bathroom and turned the light off. The floorboards squeaked, as they always did, as I wandered towards the front door. I find myself snatching my father's old handgun, from the empty cabinet, and hiding it behind my back. I swing the door open half way, my foot tucked behind it.

A man in a black suit stands on the porch, peering over my head. I edge the door further towards him. "Hello Miss, I hoped you were informed of our arrival?" I nodded once, remembering the letter that had arrived in the post a couple of days ago. "Good and I also hope that you understand it is just protocol that we cannot tell you where you are going." I nodded again. His voice was emotionless, like that recorded person who speaks to you in a lift. It matched his appearance. Not a single inch of skin could be seen on the man, apart from his face which didn't really look like skin at all. He was so pale, I imagined if I reached out to touch his face, my hand would go right through him, like a ghost. "Then, let's get on our way." He smiled and I realised that even his smile was unexpressive. He didn't ask about my parents so I didn't tell him. Instead, I locked the door, pushed the keys into the back pocket of my jeans and walked up to one of the three black cars parked on the street. The man opened the door for me but before I slid in. The man hesitated at the door, his hand resting on the window. "You're not scared of needles are you Ellen?" He asked but before I had a chance to speak, my mouth was slammed shut and a searing pain spread agonisingly slowing through my body reaching my head. I flinched then my eyelids fluttered and unintentionally everything faded to black.

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I woke in the wrong bed. The cover was a pristine white which matched the sheet. I sat up, gasping for air. My fingers flew to my wrist. I could feel the reassuring, recurring beat of my heart. It slowed, gradually relaxing into it's normal rhythm. I reached up to touch my hair and recognised my signature ponytail. This time it had been curled. It feels unnatural and I soon tug the hairband out releasing my blonde hair. My clothes are the same, the soles of my shoes still as worn down as they had been. I glance around the room at the three other beds. Unlike mine, they are messed up. Half-scrubbed off markings of makeup stained onto the sheets. Just as I'm about to stand up, the door bursts open and three giggling girls barge in. They stop, as I do, in my tracks. "Hey new girl!" One of them squeals, stepping forward to hug me. "Nice to me you," The second one says, politely shaking my hand.
"What's your name?" The last one asks, tilting her head to the right.
"Athena," I replied easily. The name rolled off my tongue and the word slipped out my mouth. I slapped my hand to my mouth. The girls smiled and gently stretched out to hold me. "It's a beautiful name," The second girl said. They agreed and nodded to me.
"But it's not mine." I acknowledged, gritting my teeth. I forced myself to remember anything about who I am but my mind was a blank scrapbook. It scared me. Who am i? Who was I?

Notes -
A significant reminder that I needed to sleep.
For the first time since I've been here I smile. accumulating
"It happens to everyone." They muttered going back to their beds. I was still frozen to the spot. My head pounded, a growing headache coming on. Then, in the distance a bell rung and all the girls sprung up. "Dinner time!" They laughed, moving towards the door and picking me up on the way.
the memory hit me like a bolt of lightning

[Skyhawk]

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The common room was deserted when crept onto one of the sofas at half nine. At dinner the girls explained mainly everything. That this was a school for uniquely talented kids and each of us posses something special. Something once unmasked was powerful and that to fulfil our full potential we had to attend here. To me, there didn't seem to be a choice. You had freedom to go anywhere you wanted at lunch but where am I? I could be all the way around the world. By the time we headed back to the dorms my throat was dry from speaking and my head still buzzed with questions. I couldn't sleep because I couldn't stop thinking. So while the girls were snoring I crept down the stairs to the common room. Why had I been taken here? How am I different? What was my talent? Suddenly the door to the room flung open and a couple of boys barged in. One of them stopped and turned to me. "Hi, you're the new girl right?" His voice was sweet and gentle and he politely held out his hand. I nodded and shook it, guessing he was probably the only sober one out of his gang. If I wasn't the person I was now, I would have sat there and awkwardly listened to the uncomfortable silence, scared to embarrass myself. But I wasn't her so I didn't.
"Yes, I'm Athena" I murmured half-heartedly. As much as I wanted to say my real name, I was getting more and more used to using a different one. He ran a hand through his brown tousled hair self-consciously. My eyes found themselves gazing back into the roaring fires. The flames licked up the wood and the warmth it was giving off was nearly unbearable.
"Everyone gets used to their names. It just takes time." He explained, slowly wandering over to me and then sitting down. "I like Athena." He complemented, smiling. “I’m Zach,” He laughed and I returned the smile. I looked around the room at the unfamiliarity of everything, knowing that wherever I had been previously it must by now be incased in a thick layer of dust, unlike here.
"Where am I?" I sighed angrily, rocking my head back and forth in frustration. I pulled my knees to my head and tucked my toes onto the sofa. "In an academy which prepares young girls and young boys for their careers in adulthood," He recited easily. My eyebrows furrowed and he smirked.
“What! What is this place?" My legs were cramped but that was the least of my worries. He stopped grinning, straightened up. Facing me, his voice turned serious yet I could still see a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. He spoke,
"I've been here ten years and I still don't think I can answer that question.”

[Skyhawk]

Hmm, not sure on where to go from here. Criticism would be useful