*Drip*
It's so cold…
*Drip*
As I slouched against a wall, I placed a hand on my shirt and lifted it so I could see my stomach.
*Drip*
I watched as blood flowed out, leaving my body and pooling on the floor.
*Drip*
Gathering some energy, I looked around the room I found myself in. It was dim and musty. Where am I?
*Drip*
I looked up at the ceiling as water seeped through, making an annoying noise. I tuned it out so I could die in peace.
…
Closing my eyes, my thoughts started to speed up as I went over my life.
…
My immediate family died in a car accident.
They were coming home from a road trip when, apparently, a drunk truck driver ran a light and crashed directly into the side of their vehicle.
I was about 11 years old and didn't want to go with them, so I was dropped off at my aunt's house for the time being.
The moment I got the news will forever remain etched in my mind.
I was in the living room with my cousin, Naomi, reading her a book. She was a few months younger than me, so we got along pretty well.
*Ding dong*
That was when the doorbell rang. I wasn't allowed to answer it, but I was curious, so I peeked out the window.
I vividly remember my heartbeat speeding up when I saw a police car outside. I thought we were in trouble for something.
I quickly ran to my aunt's room, but she was already heading to the door.
"Aunt Karin! There's police outside!" I yelled, panic in my voice.
She glanced at the window, saw their lights, and sped up her pace.
"Stay in the living room with Naomi," she said as she walked by me.
I did as I was told and ran back, finding Naomi looking at me with tears in her eyes.
"Are we in trouble?"
Her soft voice and scared face tugged on my heartstrings. I didn't want her to start crying, so I placed my hand gently on her head and told her everything was okay.
We stood there, anxiously waiting for news about why they were here.
A few seconds passed, but it felt like hours. We couldn't hear any dialogue, and I didn't want to leave Naomi alone, so I stayed where I was.
I thought I could hear the faint sound of Aunt Karin crying, and that made my heart beat even faster.
A few more minutes passed, and the door closed.
Aunt Karin walked toward me and told me to sit down. Her tear-stained face made my anxiety rise.
And that's when she told me the news.
My mind went blank, and everything blurred. My aunt was crying, Naomi was crying, but I wasn't.
I don't think I fully understood what was happening yet. But I didn't cry or say anything for the rest of the day.
It was when night came—the day I was supposed to be picked up—that I sat alone in the room I stayed in and realized they were never coming home. I would never see them again.
All at once, it hit me: despair, loneliness, and anger at myself for being stubborn and not going with them.
Though I eventually understood that I wouldn't have changed anything but the death count, those were still my feelings at the time.
Unfortunately, I couldn't stay with Aunt Karin. My grandparents became my guardians and took me in.
They were the only other relatives I had contact with, as my mother's side of the family remained unknown.
I was told I had met them once when I was younger and simply didn't remember.
Anyway, my grandparents lived a few hours away, which meant I would barely see my aunt and Naomi anymore.
The last thing I did in town was go to my family's funeral. I didn't know many of the guests, but a lot of people were crying.
It wasn't unusual for there to be many people; my parents were very friendly.
That's what made everything hurt even more. Looking at the caskets felt like a dream—a very bad one.
As I look back on the viewing, I understand a few things better.
My father suffered the least in the accident, as the truck hit the passenger side. He had his eyes closed and was cleaned up in a nice suit, almost as if he were simply sleeping.
His warm smile flashed in my mind, bringing tears to my eyes.
Next to him was my mother's casket, but hers was closed.
I didn't understand why at the time. I guess no one had the heart to tell me the extent of my mother's injuries. Not that I blame them.
When it was time to leave, Naomi cried and asked me to stay, but unfortunately it wasn't up to me.
I gave her a hug and told her I'd make sure to visit when I could.
And then I left.
Several years later, I was doing better as I got accustomed to the new city.
I had just turned 15. It was still four years before the next major—and final—event of my life happened.
I was in a new school and made some friends.
Four, to be exact.
First was Alexia. Her long purple hair was the first thing that stood out about her, but what truly captivated me were her stunning eyes.
They were purple and shone with such intensity that it was hard for people to hold her gaze.
But for me, it felt… nostalgic.
I shook the feeling off. I was quite positive I didn't know her. No way could I forget that look.
I introduced myself that day, and we've been friends ever since. We had a lot of common interests in shows, books, and even ideology.
Neither she nor I were very social, so we tended to rely on each other.
Even with that, though, she was still pretty popular.
Second was Daniel. He was an asshole to almost everyone and wasn't someone I'd usually hang around with, as I found him annoying.
I only became 'friends' with him because he was always around Alexia, as they had known each other since childhood.
It was obvious he liked her, as he constantly hit on her. Their conversations were usually one-sided, so I got the feeling she didn't like him very much.
The next three were Daniel's lackeys.
Considering he was pretty wealthy, he had his standard bootlickers. They didn't have much presence in my mind, as their only role was to listen to whatever Daniel said and act as his goons.
Anyway, that was the group I hung out with through high school, all the way until our first days of college.
Over time, I grew closer with Alexia, and I knew we felt the same way about each other. I was planning to ask her out.
But then something changed.
Even though so much time passed, Daniel and his friends were the same as usual, which wasn't surprising.
But what worried me most was that Alexia started acting strange. There were times when she grew quieter, barely even speaking to me.
I tried talking to her about it, but she would just shake her head and say everything was fine.
I also noticed Daniel's usual flirtations stopped, and tensions in the group began rising.
It reached its boiling point on the day before my 19th birthday.
We were in the cafeteria that morning when Daniel's group walked in.
I was sitting next to Alexia, and we were discussing plans for tomorrow when Daniel called out to her.
"Good morning, Alexia." He smirked as he stared at her.
She raised her head and looked at him with anger in her eyes but said nothing.
"What kind of wife doesn't greet her new husband?"
Like a bombshell going off, I sat there shocked and confused.
*SLAM*
Alexia slapped the table and stood up.
"I don't care what our families say. I will never marry a disgusting waste of space like you!"
The anger in her eyes intensified. I had never heard or seen her so upset.
Daniel was unfazed, though, and coolly replied,
"A contract has already been made. I went to the trouble of asking my grandfather to step in. You know what this means. I tried pursuing you the right way, but you rejected my advances."
He smiled and shook a piece of paper in front of her face.
She snatched it and read over it. Soon, tears began running down her face.
"I've had copies made. Go ahead and rip it up if you want. It's futile."
Daniel laughed, and his friends laughed with him.
The shock wore off and was replaced by anger, especially when I saw the usually calm Alexia brought to tears.
I shot up and stood in front of Daniel.
"What the fu—"
*Bang*
Before I could even finish my sentence, I felt all the air leave my body.
One of the lackeys, Keven, punched me in the stomach.
He was David's cousin, so he was always the first to defend him.
Keven was tall and quite athletic. Considering I didn't get into many fights, it was the hardest hit I'd ever received.
"Stop! Don't touch him!" Alexia yelled at them.
Everyone in the cafeteria was looking at us, but I was busy searching for oxygen.
I didn't see the next few parts. All I know is Alexia helped me stand up, asking if I was okay.
She gave me a hug and smiled at me as more tears cascaded down her cheeks.
I could see the love she held for me in her eyes.
Honestly, it normally would've made me happy. But my heart ached more than anything.
Her look felt… familiar?
She told me she'd be right back and walked away.
That was the last time I saw her.
I sat around for the next few days in anger—at Daniel and at myself.
I didn't know all the details of the situation, but from what I heard, it was obvious she was being forced to marry him.
The first person I had truly loved that wasn't a family member… I didn't want to lose her.
But I knew I was weak—physically, mentally, and financially.
I may not have known how powerful their families were, but they definitely had more influence than I did.
Instead of sitting there feeling sorry for myself, I decided to do something.
What? I didn't know. But I couldn't just sit there.
I got up and went to the front door of the apartment I was staying in.
When I opened it, I saw a face I wasn't expecting.
Daniel and his buddies.
Right next to him was my bastard of a landlord with a flattering smile on his face.
"Is this the one you're looking for, young master?"
My guard went up immediately as I tried to close the door, but Daniel stopped it with a single finger.
I used a lot of force, and though he was athletic, there was no way he should have been able to stop the door with one finger that easily.
His friends rushed in and tackled me, pinning me to the floor.
"What the—?!"
He didn't say anything. He just looked at me with hatred in his eyes.
That was when David punched me in the face, and I lost consciousness.
I woke up in some random building an unknown amount of time later.
The lighting was dim, and it smelled horrible.
I looked up to see Daniel staring at me.
"Alexia's dead. She killed herself."
He said it so matter-of-factly that I had a hard time processing it.
"Everything should've gone fine—no—everything WAS going fine! Until you showed up and ruined it!"
*Bang*
He punched me in the stomach.
His punch hurt a lot more than Keven's. I felt something tear inside me, and the pain was so intense that I couldn't even scream.
"Several long years, burying my anger while you were so friendly with her. You should've never even been near her, trash!"
*Bang*
There was a lot of information, and unlike when I learned of my family's death, the pain made sure I remembered every part that came next.
After I got punched again, they—
*SLAM*
"Fuck!"
My eyes shot open as a sharp pain woke me from my memories. I guess as my body grew weaker, I fell over and my head hit the ground hard.
'Why am I still alive… why is this taking so long?'
'Maybe my sense of time is messed up. How do I make this go faster?'
The faces of the ones who tortured me and left me for dead were burned into my mind.
My memories were getting blurry; more and more events from my life slipped away.
Whatever. I was done reminiscing. What would I do about anything that's happened? It's too late.
Maybe I'll meet Alexia in death…
If I had known how passively I lived would turn out… I would've done things differently.
Only a simple wish.
Be happy.
Be fulfilled.
Oh well. At least I'll have peace in death.
I smiled and closed my eyes again, hopefully for the final time.
…
3 Hours Later
The metal door to the room burst open with such force that it tore off its hinges.
A rather frail old man entered. He wore formal clothes and stood upright.
His eyes were dull and emotionless, his face blank.
He gazed at the body slumped on the floor, and suddenly his emotionless expression vanished.
Pure fear appeared on his face as he saw the body.
"Young Master…"
(A/N: Release! 19 More chapters today in celebration!)