[ This chapter contains adult themes and is recommended for mature audiences. Reader discretion is advised. ]
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Memories flashed before her eyes, tears fell on her soft cheeks that dripped onto the floor, hoping for a lie that everything could still be undone.
A place of buriedmemories.
The hope to be saved.
And of blurred pictures she kept recalling.
[ ??? ] candles glistened as birthday songs played. Smoke lingered above the candle she'd blown, a wish for a [ ■•■[]• ■□▪︎[] ].
But now it'll never come true. Despite this, she hoped for something she could hold onto while shouts rang outside the walls.
[ BaNg ]
She jolted from the noise. Her body quivered, occasionally looking beyond the basement door.
Her gaze drifted back to the interior of the room she now resided in.
Tears blurred her vision, tracing over bruises that hadn't yet learned to fade. Perhaps she didn't want them to. Perhaps she believed it was proff of being... alive.
The walls were claimed by dust, the air thick with age, and shelves burdened by cobwebs and forgotten books.
She sought comfort in this very room. Once abandoned, it had become the only place that kept the demons from barging in.
From beyond the basement door came voices, the cracks evident. The noise was heavy, replacing what love used to fix by something heavier.
Despair.
Where tape was no longer enough to keep things together.
Her mother's voice trembled behind the door, trying to win an argument that screamed in ghosts. Her father's voice rose to meet it, wrapped in liquor and something she no longer recognized as love.
[ BaNG! ]
Something shattered.
[ BAng ]
And another.
Until the sound blurred what little hope she had left.
She folded into herself, drawing her knees close. Her breath came in ragged bursts. The wooden floor beneath her was cold, but it felt kind.
She recalled a man, her father, who once blew his birthday candles to wish for his daughter's happiness.
[ Or perhaps she made that up. ]
Perhaps she wanted to believe warmth had ever existed here.
He used to work tirelessly, saving what he had to give her the smallest, yet biggest joys. Yet when she recalled that memory, she felt nostalgia.
Because the truth she could not rewrite was that in the end, he threw everything away.
Not to bring them to shore, but to prove to the sea that he could swim.
And in chasing what he lost, he forgot what was once his prized possession.
[ After that, the lights were always on, even if no one was awake. ]
He delved into addiction, kept himself away from them to spare himself regret. He didn't want to face the truth. The he failed as a father.
When he was replaced by his employer's cousin, he sought to prove himself against a world that had already forgotten him.
The company was just trying to save itself.
Like a tree cutting its branches off to survive the drought.
And her mother, who once braided her hair and whispered stories to help her sleep, had allowed another man to touch her.
Seeing the downfall of her husband, she chose the easier option.
She met another man who seemed more capable of holding himself together. Or perhaps someone who had never fallen at all.
[ .... ]
Yet even when she saw her mother break, she clung to the lie that it was for them.
It hurt less that way.
She thought it was a sacrifice to keep food on the table, until she realized it was not love, but obligation.
How her mother whispered when she could have screamed. How she stood there, watching.
And when she thought silence had settled beyond the door, it broke with a [ Creak ]—
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[ *TiRiNg, rinG, TiRIrinG* ]
My alarm clock rang.
I instinctively let my hands reach for the snooze button.
A tear fell on my cheek.
The dream lingered in my chest... unsettling, yet strangely warm. Dawn barely touched the window, and I found myself wanting to fall back into it.
I knew dreams told a tale in a way you couldn't comprehend. And I really just wanted to see what would happen next.
My vision dimmed as I let myself sink back into sleep.
[ *TiRIrinG, TrInG, TiRINg* ]
"....Wow, that was such a cliffhanger."
I groaned, reaching my hand to stop the alarm again from blaring.
The dream, though, didn't appear again.
I sighed, no use holding onto something already gone.
[ Tick, Tock, Tick Tock ]
My gaze fell upon the clock near my desk. Its hands slowly ticked, signaling the steady flow of time, reminding me I shouldn't idle here any longer.
"I guess it's time for school..."
Yawning, I pushed myself out of bed and headed downstairs.
I couldn't help but form a smile.
I was excited.
Today came my 14th birthday.
And I just hopped down the stairs like an eager little bunny.
The moment I reached the kitchen, my breath hitched. I caught the scent of...
Fried Chicken.
I could almost taste the crunch in my mouth.
I looked away shook the thoughts aside...for now.
"Yeah... I should go shower first."
Dragging myself away from temptation, I hurried to the bathroom, letting the warm water wash away the remnants of my dream.
[ Minutes Passed. ]
With my clothes changed to my usual uniform, I hurriedly made my way to the dining table.
[ Crunch ]
Ah yes, My favorite...Fried Chicken. I devoured and savored every bite like I was in heaven.
My mom, who sat across from me, smiled.
Yet, her gaze remained on me, asking a question I had no answer to.
"Soo.. who are you planning to invite this late afternoon?"
I paused.
My fingers tightened slightly around the edge of my plate.
I stared at my fried chicken, planning to answering ambiguously. I did have someone in mind, yet the thoughts of asking her again felt daunting, as if the mere idea would crack my self-esteem. So I had to... pick someone else.
[ If I reach out first… does that make me stronger… or just easier to leave behind...? ]
"You'll have to see, mom."
She nodded, a small teasing smile forming as she mentioned how I might invite no one again.
[ Minutes passed ]
I adjusted the red ribbon on my uniform as I stood near the door.
Inside were three chicken legs, neatly packed.
"One or two extra," she said, "for your friends."
Friends.
"Thanks, Mom."
I waved goodbye and stepped outside.
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Before heading to school, I took my usual route through a small alley—
The houses stood only a few meters apart, leaving a wide path no home dared to trespass.
The air was thick with the smell of rotting garbage. Puddles from last night's rain reflected the blue sky above, and broken glass that came from alcohol bottles scattered the ground trying to erase the past.
I was planning to meet with someone, since our house wasn't so far apart, we usually went to school t■gether. We didn't plan it or anything really, just a mutually beneficial deal we both understood without words.
Yet, while I was walking down the alley, my gaze spotted something... or rather, someone.
There, tucked against a crumbling brick wall, lay a black-furred cat.
She looked wrong. Thinner and... broken.
I often encountered her roaming around this alley. Although, she was never this badly injured before.
Compared to how I remember her, I saw bruises covering her body. Her coat was now matted with blood, along with dirt daring to mark her thin frame.
Her scent reeked of blood, with her ribs pressed painfully against her skin.
[ What co■ld've ha■pened? ]
I studied her a little further, feeling a sense of sympathy... or in my words, responsibility. I wasn't exactly a saint, but I was afraid to share my fried chicken with "friends".
And so, with the soft clink of my lunchbox opening, I decided to give her two out of the three pieces mom gave me. I placed them in front of her, a few inches away from her frail shape.
I watched her slowly, yet hesitantly, walk toward the food. I thought she'd pounce on it right away, but I understood her hesitation. Kindness, when given away like it was free, can feel like a trap disguised as compassion.
I didn't dwell on her figure for long, finally making my way to where I was headed. Though curiosity piqued, and I turned back one last time.
She had already started eating.
It was quick. Desperate eve
Like she couldn't risk stopping.
[ A suffering seen, yet hidden at the same time. ]
[]■WhAt■HaPpENed?[]
I took that into consideration, but decided it wasn't worth digging too much. It was probably caused by nature. Besides, who would do such a thing when laws are placed to forbid it from happening?
I glanced toward the end of the alleyway. I still had someone to meet—someone who reminded me that I still had someone to look for.
[ Was it a FrnEid? ]
A ■•■?■■ of mine.
Yet something was tugging me at the back of my mind while I walked.
Should I... Inv[]te her?
[ Maybe the answer isn't whether I should reach out…
…but whether I'm ready for what happens after. ]