Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon…
Hours of concentration
Broken by a second of anticipation
Can't hear myself think
Above all the noise
And above all the yelling
Is there no way of telling
How much a careless word
Or a sentence can destroy
It looks foolish from the ground
When you cry there is no sound
No point in speaking at all
Your opinion doesn't matter
When you dream it's an instant replay
Front row seats of colors, gray
See the raindrops on the window
But do not hear the patter
Bullets often fly
As mouths shoot off more lies
And while eating up the words
I don't get any fatter
It causes me such strain
To try and fight the pain
Disappointment fills my chest
Set my heart aside to shatter
And to give into this stress
See myself die from distress
I might as well take my
Heart of my chest
And bleed with it
As it splatters
-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-
Dilemma: Chapter One - Shadows
"How hard is it! How hard is it to bring a friggin' jar back here in tact! It's not like…as if you haven't done this before! We've been through this a million times! And it can't have been the blood. I didn't raise a wuss! I can't…I won't believe this is happening! Well I assure you, young man, it won't happen again or you won't…"
The angry tone grew quieter and quieter as it drifted down the hall.
Even though the voice couldn't be heard from behind the closed doors of his room, it sounded as though someone was yelling straight into his eardrum. The hateful words repeated themselves over and over in his head. Each word was like a powerful drum, only adding to his pounding headache.
His whole body burned from the lashings that had been delivered only a few minutes ago by his father's brother and even though nothing could be heard from outside the room, he was certain that his uncle was still fuming about what happened.
He had failed again. He failed another mission.
The blame hadn't been placed solely on him for the mission before, but this one was entirely his fault. The whole situation had felt too familiar and it bothered him that he couldn't remember why.
"I just froze up," the boy whispered aloud, suddenly recalling the incident.
There had been blood. Nothing but blood everywhere.
He remembered the look on dead little Cody's face, and the crimson that stained his hands. But most of all, he remembered the jar.
Violent images of what the jar contained flashed through his mind, causing him to gag.
Quickly, he clasped his hands over his mouth expecting to feel chunks of the stale bread and cheese he'd had for breakfast but was surprised to feel a warm sticky liquid slip through his fingers. He lowered his hand. It was a dark red colour.
He was coughing up blood.
"No. Not now," he gasped. His vision swam before his eyes.
'I'm going to die,' he thought frantically. Then his mind lapsed into darkness.
At the far end of the room, a small figure lay curled up in the shadows. Slowly and unsurely the figure exposed itself to the dim glow of the lamp above the desk. First, a thin arm could be seen in the light, then a leg, followed by the rest of her frail body. The figure gasped at the sight of an unconscious young man lying on the floor.
"Brother?" she croaked.
Her voice was hoarse from the lack of food and water. It felt as though a cotton wad had buried itself in her windpipe as well, for she found it difficult to breathe.
She gathered her older brother in her arms and gently brushed a chestnut-coloured lock of hair from his face. There was dried blood at the side of his mouth. The sight startled her. "I thought…your attacks were over…" Her voice trailed off into nothingness. There wasn't anything she could say.
She knew what had happened to the boy soundly sleeping in her arms. From the corner, she was able to see everything without being seen by anyone else. It broke her heart to see her brother treated likeshitbut if he didn't keep Uncle happy…
A soft knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. It was Weiyn, their butler. He entered the room with a tray of food in one hand and a pitcher of water in the other. Sensing the girl's fear, Weiyn assured her that their uncle had gone and wouldn't be back for a while. Her eyes shone with appreciation. The girl let a grateful smile take over her features. Weiyn smiled back and left the room.
Gently, she shook her brother until he was awake. He seemed dazed, but was partially able to eat the meal that was set for him. His younger sister ate what was left--a bologna sandwich and half a jug of water. An hour later, the boy was sleeping again, with his head in his sister's lap. The small amount of water that she saved was used to comb the blood out of her brother's matted hair. Sighing, she looked around the room for a clock.
It was 5: 26 pm.
'Uncle will be back in the morning', she thought. When he got home, his anger would have worn off but he would be restless. If her brother made another slip, he wouldn't be as lucky as he'd been tonight. The punishment would be much greater.
'Next time, Uncle might kill him', a voice sneered in her head.
Then her body started to shake because she knew. She knew it was the truth. Uncle would kill her only sibling for sure. It was what he'd meant to say earlier.
"Well I assure you, young man, it won't happen again or you won't…"
"Live to regret making the same mistake again", she whispered in unison with her uncle's voice. It sounded so clear.
It was almost as if he were sitting right beside her.