Chapter One
Abandoned
And it's raining
And the stars are falling from the sky
And the wind
And the wind I know it's cold
I've been waiting for the day
I will surely die
And it's here
And it's here for I've been told
That I'll die before I'm old
And the wind I know it's cold
_Shallot, Emilie Autumn
It is raining; gray dreary weather, the dark dismal reality of coastal life. I hate the weather, I hate everything, I pull my hood over my head and cough, I'm coming down with a cold, lovely.
The rain is soaking through my dark gray sweatshirt and onto my head and shoulders, through my thin cotton t-shirt. I have no where to go, no home to return to, no friends to stay with; my best bet is to find a nice tree or bridge and hope to not catch pneumonia, I have no money to pay for a hospital bill.
I cough again and curse my luck, it was only a matter of time before my step-father kicked me out, I knew that. I knew my mom would be his obedient little puppy and choose him over me every time; her dependence on the meth that he supplied her didn't do any good either.
Things had been different once, when father was alive, mother was all immaculate combed hair and bright smiles. They loved life, the loved eachother, they loved me, we had been the family in the TV commercials, the beautiful housewife and the strong handsome businessman, rich and bright and robust.
Fathers like mine didn't get sick, fathers like mine didn't die; that's what I thought, that was the world I lived in, the rules I lived by, that was five years ago. It had been a downhill spiral since then, mom starting drinking, then cocaine, then meth. She gave away everything we had, our home, our cars, my dog. I realized I hated her when she sold her wedding ring.
My stomach rumbles loudly and I blush despite myself, I haven't eaten since yesterday morning. I bite my lip and looked around, no trees, but there is a covered alleyway, all dry cold stone and garbage cans; mystery and danger.
But it's shelter, and what I need is shelter. I peel my backpack off my shoulders and slip my hood back, combing my wet bangs out of my hazel eyes. My throat is screaming; walking five miles in the rain had done it no good. I need a warm bed and cough medicine, I need safety, but I haven't had safety for five years.
I look around cautiously before digging into my backpack for a clean shirt and hoodie. I strip off my wet clothes and slide the dry ones over my head, it's an improvement. I fold my wet clothes up and stuff them into my bag, before treating myself to a slightly stale sandwich I got from a vending machine.
"This is life, Mikan," I sigh, closing my eyes and curling myself into a tight ball; currently keeping warm is one of my highest priorities, second only to surviving the night.
xXxXx
When I wake up, the rain has stopped; but the weather is still tumultuous and foreboding. I'm alive though, and unhurt. I break into a hacking devastating cough, mostly unhurt. I'm sicker than I've ever been in my life, my throat is on fire and my head is swimming.
Have I come this far? Survived five years of a neglectful mother and four years of an abusive stepfather, just to die of sickness in an alley? No Mikan, you're being too dramatic, a cold is all, and there is no way I'm dying from a cold. I opened my eyes again and sat up, leaning on the wall, my vision swimming, my eyes watering.
I feel like I need to do something, need to be somewhere, but I can't remember. I sigh in frustration and slump against the wall.
"Hey," it takes me a moment to realize the voice isn't mine, and I blink up into a pair of stony violet eyes. A girl, unfamiliar girl, and yet…I feel like I know her.
"What are you doing?" she asks. I scowl, is this how she spends her time? Harassing the homeless?
I mumble something incoherent, I just want to sleep. Another voice calls out, and the girl responds, but I can't register what's being said.
I'm going to pass out I realize; I giggle humorlessly to myself. Two arms cradle me, and lift me up, one arm behind my shoulders and the other in the crook of my legs.
"Hurry Subaru," the girl says,
"This is bad,"
A/N: this story is totally unexpected, I've been working on an original story, but I came down with a horrific case of writers block, so I decided to jot this one down as a motivator. It wasn't even going to be a fanfiction, but I liked it so much that I decided to keep it. Tell me what you think?