Day 1, The Fire
Limp. Limp. Limp.
Holding onto my bleeding left shoulder I tried my best to walk. Despite the throbbing, aching pain in my body I knew I had to keep going no matter what. I couldn't shout or scream for help, my throat was filled with ash and smoke. At this rate I was probably going to damage my lungs so resting my voice was the only option."Ouch." I couldn't help but whisper, but then I hissed and gritted my teeth, grunting as I made a wrong move that caused the agony to increase. It felt like I was fire, as if i'd just drank an entire bottle of disinfectant that was causing my organs to feel like they were burning on the inside. I fell to my knees, still having a tight grip on my shoulder as I coughed up something that shouldn't have been coughed up.
It was blood. I was coughing up blood. How? Why? What was going on?
I'd honestly half expected Baymax to come and help me, but I knew he was back at home. My head was pounding, a buzzing noise rang in my ears as my eyelids lightly closed and opened, the pattern repeating for a few moments until I struggled back to my feet.
No. I'm not going to die. I'm not going to die like this! I have to keep going! I have to!
I was determined. I wasn't going to give up. I remember briefly when I told Hiro I wasn't going to give up on him. But now I had given up on him, hadn't I? So now…
I'm not going to give up on myself. I am never going to give up on myself. I know I can get through whatever i'm going through right now, I know I can! I just have to push myself a little more…I…I can do it…
I can…do it.
Day 2, Patch Up
I pulled the bandage, making sure that it was wrapped around my shoulder tightly (though not too tightly) so that the bleeding would hopefully stop. I had been applying pressure to it for a while so the bleeding wasn't as bad as it was yesterday.
Luck had been on my side. I managed to find a first aid box when I was doing some searching. I had no idea what a first aid kit would be doing in an old warehouse, perhaps it was there for emergencies in case anyone got hurt while they were working? I dunno, I guess I shouldn't think about that right now. I have more important things to do. There were a few more bandage rolls in the first aid box so I knew it would be more than enough to patch myself up. After I was done with the severe injuries I then wrapped some bandages around my hands.
Though now it was time for the painful part. Stitching the open wound on my right arm. I knew I probably shouldn't have pulled the glass out of my skin so quickly, but it was so painful that I didn't know what else to do. The wound itself wasn't originally that big, though if it hadn't have been for it getting stuck then it would have stayed the way it was. Man, I didn't even have anything to bite down on, this was just going to make it even worse. Well Tadashi it looks like you're going to just have to grin and bear it. I wasn't going to risk anybody finding out that I was alive. I was broken that's for sure, but I was living and breathing at least. I carefully put the thread through the eye of the needle so I was sure not to miss it, once it was through I tied the end of it into a tiny little ball so that when I was stitching myself up the stitches wouldn't fall out of place. I applied a cleaning solution over it and I quickly bit my lip to avoid screaming out.
"Okay…" I nodded slowly. "Okay you're doing great. You're doing just fine. This'll be over before you know it…yeah…it'll be over before you know it."
I braced myself and started with the first stitch. I stopped for a moment and banged my fist on the table that I was sitting at. Darn this warehouse I was in was surprisingly really big, I never realised how big it was until I took a chance to glance around. I hissed at the pain, cursing under my breath (usually I wouldn't have cursed though I think now was an appropriate time).
"Argh! For the love of- holy crap! Damn it…" I seriously just wanted to cry right now (I know i'm such a crybaby) because of how unbearable this was. But I had to think about how Hiro, Aunt Cass and my friends felt. They probably all thought I was dead and to be honest I wanted it to stay that way. I was never going back.
I was never going back to the city even if my life depended on it. This was a chance to show my independence, to show that I didn't need help from anybody! It wasn't like anybody had helped me anyway! I was either pushed to the ground, beaten up because I was vulnerable by all these people that consider themselves to be people! They aren't people; people in the part of the city that I was in were monsters! Complete animals! They didn't care about anything or anyone, not even the police departments or hospitals cared! Why didn't I see it before? Humans are nothing but selfish brats! Though i'm not entirely human anymore- I know that now.
I got back to stitching my arm and the pain this time was a little better. Don't get me wrong it still hurt like nothing I had ever felt before, but it wasn't as bad as it was the first time around. Before I knew it there was only one final stitch left to do and then I was done. I sighed in relief, resting my head on the table, my hair was all messy though it didn't bother me. I was fine the way I was.
That fire was Callaghan's fault. I didn't need anyone to tell me, I was able to figure it out myself. I'm gonna guess that the fire was just a big middle finger to everyone who attended the school, Callaghan's way of fucking everyone off. He probably just burned it down so that he could get the insurance money, that bastard.
Day 3, New Clothes
The adrenaline pumped through my veins as I managed to go uncaught. I'd just managed to steal a whole entire outfit for myself. God, are the people that live here really that stupid? Or do they just not care about what other people do? I'm gonna go with the first one. I managed to find a men's room in the place that people considered to be a mall, it didn't even look like a mall, it looked like something out of a tacky action movie. Going into one of the stalls I got changed, putting my old clothes into a bag so that I could dispose them later, they weren't going to be worn anytime soon so I thought it was only for the best that I got rid of them permanently.
No one else was in the bathroom so I looked at myself in the mirror. Darn the new trench coat sure was a little itchy, but it actually looked really, really good! I could get used to this new style if I stuck at it! A red fedora hat, a new pair of shades, some leather gloves and a red scarf perfectly covered my face, the only thing that was exposed was a little bit of my nose though it was perfectly fine, I kind of needed that part anyway because otherwise I wouldn't be able to smell anything properly.
I coughed but covered my mouth with my hand. Hey, just because I had been through a tough time it doesn't mean that I should forget my manners. I still had my morals after all. Were things honestly getting a little better for me? I sure hoped so. Exiting the bathroom, I held the bag of clothes and waited until I spotted a trash can and put the bag in the trash. I nodded in triumph. That was one problem out of the way. Now I had another.
Where was I gonna find a place to stay? I definitely was not going to stay in one of the hotels in this part of town, who knows what could go on in those kind of places? I wasn't really trusting anything anyone had to say right now so I made the decision to go and find a place on my own. It didn't matter if it was big or small, just as long as I had a bed and a roof over my head then i'd be okay. As I walked the boots I was wearing rubbed against my feet, but i'm sure I would break into them eventually. It was just going to take a while since they were brand new.
"I felt really bad for stealing and not buying the outfit but I hardly had any money. I'd spent the last of my money getting some snacks so that I wouldn't starve, stealing was a last resort, i'd pay it all back when I could someday. I wasn't sure when that day would be though.
I guess today was just the start of another crappy day for me.
Day 4, Aspen
I couldn't help but stare at my hands in utter shock. My lips quivered as I wanted to say something but I couldn't get the words out.
"W-w-what the heck is this? I-I don't understand. What's going on?"
Well there goes resting my voice.
I didn't stop staring at the fire ball that hovered above my palms, I honestly had no idea what was going on but whatever was going on, it certainly wasn't normal. I'd never seen anything like this before- well except in movies, but this kind of stuff wasn't real, right?! It couldn't be real! The flame ball went away as soon as I took off my sunglasses and buried my face into my hands, shaking my head slightly before I started to cry. Me. Of all people. I couldn't believe I was actually…crying. I hadn't cried since the day of my parent's funeral. Why was I even crying? It's disgusting for me to cry! I've brought this upon myself, it's all my fault i'm in this situation in the first place! This is just my form of a punishment! I deserve to be punished for what i've done, don't I?! Don't I?!
"Hello? Is someone there?" I heard someone's voice, though I didn't recognise it. It was a woman's voice, and by the tone of her voice she sounded pretty young. Maybe she was my age. Her accent was southern so perhaps she wasn't originally from San Fransokyo. I placed my sunglasses back on and watched as a woman was looking around. Her hair was platinum blonde and it was tied into a braid that reached up to her back. Her attire was appropriate for the time of year, she was wearing a baby blue coat and I was guessing that underneath the coat it was some kind of jumper dress. I couldn't make out the colour, but getting a closer look at her facial features I realised that she wasn't that bad looking, in fact she was very beautiful.
"Are you alright, mister? Here, lemme help you up." she offered her hand though I didn't take it. I continued to look at her, taking in whatever details I could. Hesitantly I took her hand after a few moments and she helped me to my feet, offering me a gentle smile.
"It's really cold, ya know. Ya shouldn't be out here. My name's Aspen, Aspen Murdock. Who might you be? I heard someone crying and I came to have a little look around. You poor thing, are you lost?"
I didn't say a word, I wasn't sure whether or not I could trust this 'Aspen' girl. I shook my head.
"No?" Aspen began, a little confused. "So you're not lost?" but then it hit her and I watched as an expression of sympathy formed on her face.
"Oh you poor thing, you're homeless, aren't ya? The people in this part of town aren't all that nice, c'mon, why don't you come with me? I can get you some warm food to eat; you look like you could use it. Don't you worry; I promise you'll be alright once we get back to my place. Holy cow, there's blood on your coat! Are you hurt? Here."
I was taken by surprise as Aspen offered her shoulder so that I could keep myself on my two feet. I took her offer, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. My hand hung loosely but I didn't mind.
The blood she was seeing was just some dry blood that had got onto my coat from the bandage on my shoulder. The bleeding had stopped now. I don't know what it was, but despite the fact I had literally just met this girl, she just had a loving sort of vibe to her as if she had been raised to be kind to every person she met.
"Life isn't that good for us teenagers livin' here, I moved her after I turned eighteen- I mean I still am eighteen, but- gah, i'm not making much sense, am I? I'm sorry; you've probably got other things on your mind than to hear me talk on about my personal life. The important thing is that we see to you first. I saw what happened back there, I saw the whole fire ball thing."
My eyes widened behind my sunglasses though what Aspen said next really caught me off guard.
"You got nothing to be afraid of, in fact I can relate to ya. I'm just like you. Which reminds me, there are some people back at my place that I think would really like to meet you. You up for that?"
I was so desperate that I couldn't help but nod. Warm food, something nice to drink? I knew I couldn't refuse. Whoever Aspen was, she was more than a good person.
She was a saviour. She saved me from the streets. She saved my life.
Day 5, Improvement
Day five. I couldn't believe it was day five. I thought I would have only lasted a day or two and now look at me. I had a place to stay; I had warm food, a shower to shower in and a bed to sleep in. But more importantly I also had company.
"Wow, Sunny! Look at you! You're looking a lot better than yesterday. After a good night's sleep, a nice shower and some homemade cookin', I can definitely see the spring in your step!"
You're all probably confused as to why i'm being referred to as Sunny. Well to put it bluntly, that was the name that they had chosen for me. I didn't talk around them so after looking through a couple of websites and dictionaries full of names, they finally settled on the name "Sunny Elemente". The name was actually pretty cool, it was very classy. There had been a couple of debates because everyone thought Sunny was the girl version of Sonny, but then it turned out it could be used for either so that settled everything. I was still getting used to the name though i'm sure it would become normal after a while. Sunny Elemente, the fire mutant.
I never thought it was scientifically possible for mutants to actually exist but I guess I was wrong! Aspen can manipulate the air while her other friends can control other elements! I wonder what they are? Not everyone has had the chance to introduce themselves properly because as soon as Aspen had given me something to eat I was out like a light in the spare bedroom. The house itself was a house with six bedrooms. Perhaps when Aspen first moved in she didn't get the house she was hoping for and instead got something better, because according to what I had heard one of her friends say about her, she had helped them the same way she had helped me.
She created a safe place for us all to live in and there was no doubt in my mind that she was a good person. I'd seen her kindness twice so I knew it had to mean something. I got the feeling that I was honestly going to enjoy living here. And with time, I might just be able to consider everyone as my second family.
Day 6-7, Downfall {The Final Day}
Just when I thought that everything was going to get better it all has to come crashing down!
I felt like I was losing it. I thought it wouldn't eat away at me this fast but it was! It was my guilt of pretending, pretending to be somebody I wasn't! Pretending to be dead! I was lying to the people that had helped me! This was all wrong! Everything was all wrong! I laid on my bed, my knees close to my chest and my face marked with the irritated colours of red. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing even though they were silent. My heart was breaking and I wasn't usually the type to be effected by these things. But having something eat away at you, to have this constant part of your mind screaming at you wasn't a good feeling to have. I'd lost track to the amount of times that I had vomited. I could still taste it in my mouth; I could still feel the saliva on my lips because it had been so violent. Aspen had told me to spend the day inside because she thought I was coming down with some kind of illness.
But she didn't know that I was actually the one causing it. I was making myself vomit. It was a simple process really, I just stuck two fingers in the back of my throat and then let the freak show began. I didn't get why I was feeling this way, but I had the feeling that it was my newly discovered abilities that were doing this to me. It was like it was connected to my inner thoughts and making me do these things as a form of punishment, punishment for what i'd done. Punishment for going into the fire to try and save the low life professor I once considered to be a friend, punishment for leaving my own family in a rut. What had I done? What had I gotten myself into?
I wished I could go back in time and change everything, to make sure that none of this ever happened. The week hadn't even finished yet and I was...
I was already falling to pieces.
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