She never mentions the word 'addiction'
in certain company.
Yes, she'll tell you she's an orphan,
after you meet her family.
She sighs, pulling out small, long box from a hole in her closet wall and a small smile creeps to her pale lips.
She opens the box. Quietly listening around her to make sure she's alone before taking out its contents of a syringe and a small brown bottle. Quickly, she puts the needle of the syringe into the now open bottle and pulls up on the lever.
Next, she takes a strap from under her bed and wraps it above the crook of her elbow on her skinny, white arm. She then puts the syringe into her arm, flinching only slightly knowing what's about to come is worth it. She pushes down on the lever, injecting herself with the murky yellow liquid.
Clink.
The needle hits the tiled floor of her room as she slowly lies down on her bed after removing the strap.
A smile once again returns to her lips as her eyes close. This is why she risked it. This is what she loved.
The feeling of happiness in her veins. The relaxed sensation in her body.
She knows tomorrow she'll wake up shaking and crying…but it doesn't matter. Not now.
"NATALIYA! FOR GODSAKE GET UP!"
This was the norm for her. A loud bang before the booming voice of her brother screaming at her…usually followed by her sister Katya crying to him to stop yelling.
Said girl looked over to her clock. 9:42am.
'great..' she thought 'I'm late…again.' A long sigh escaped her lips as she got up picking the syringe from last night off the floor and replacing it into its box along with the bottle and putting it back in its hole in her closet.
"YOU HEARD ME, DA SYESTRA?" her brother boomed again.
"How can I not..." she mumbled pulling on her grey skinny jeans and a black As I Lay Dying pullover sweat shirt. "You're so damn loud!"
When Nataliya opened her door she found her brother's ominous figure leaning in the doorway. Glaring at her.
"Chto…?" the blonde said pushing past him only to be grabbed and pulled back to his side.
"Let me go! Ow! Hey what was that for jerk?!" she yelled in his face as he grabbed her newly syringe-bruised elbow, squeezing hard.
"Why do you yelp in pain?" He asked bluntly.
"because that hurts!" she replied yanking her arm away, shoving him hard enough to go into a bookcase and knocking books and novelties to the floor.
He only stood there a moment-staring at the floor- before lunging at the fragile girl and pinning her to the wall, gripping her slender neck hard.
"Does this hurt too, syestra…" he threatened. She didn't dare move or make a sound but he only gripped harder until she was being lifted off the floor and gasping for air.
"DOES IT?" he screamed at her. Nataliya nodded her head frantically and he threw her to the side, causing her to tumble down the stairs.
"Good…count yourself as lucky this time, Da? You know what I'm capable of Nataliya."
Once she was alone again she stood rubbing her neck, tears rolling silently down her cheeks.
"Fuck you…. .Ivan."
Nataliya sat silently in her 5th class, staring off into space tapping her pencil on the desk. She glanced at the clock.
12:15pm. Sigh.
Then the door opened. She looked over to find a tall blonde kid entering the room with a few papers in his hand.
"Hey uh…is this Miss uhm…" he looked at his paper adjusting his glasses. "Johnsen's calculus class?"
"Yes, it is…and you are?" said teacher interjected.
"Oh uh, Alfred Jones. I transferred here today and- "
"We don't need your whole life story Mr. Jones. Now take a seat." The boy fell silent and scanned the room for a seat…and he found one next to a certain platinum blonde.
"Your accent…what is it?" said girl asked, not looking up from a drawing she started.
"Huh? Oh, it's American." he chuckled looking over at her. His eyes widened at what he saw and a small blush rose to her tanned cheeks. Pure beauty.
"She's like a porcelain doll. Flawless. Gorgeous. And pretty hot." He thought to himself.
"Hello?" she said obviously annoyed.
"Huh? What?" he said nervously coming out of his haze.
"I said why are you here? This is the exact opposite of America. Cold and shitty. Why would someone willingly come here?" she repeated herself, this time looking up, from her paper.
"Well, I didn't come here willingly…my stepdad got a job transfer…I didn't want to come. I would've stayed in New York." Alfred answered nonchalantly, looking down at the table.
"So why didn't you." Nataliya stated bluntly, her icy indigo eyes giving him a cold glare.
"I just said it wasn't my choice." He replied looking to her where their eyes met.
The white skinned girl blushed when their eyes locked. Blue meeting purple in a fire and ice stand-off.
Alfred tried to pull his gaze away but he couldn't. Her eyes mesmerized him. He saw her…like actually SAW her in that moment. Saw her beauty, her pain, her sorrow but most of all her emptiness…a void where her soul should be.
"HEY! Why don't you two love birds pay attention now and flirt later…not a good start Mr. Jones…" The teachers stern voice pulled them from the grip of the moment and Nataliya went red in the face as she buried her face in her arms that were crossed on the table, attempting hide the pink on her cheeks. The class laughed.
"That actually doesn't sound too bad," Alfred said as a devious smile came to his face "Now does it?"