The Stars Still Remember

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Chapter 2

The sweat beaded down his forehead, falling quick and easy onto the floor and he hit the wall again, full force of his body this time. The bang echoed, infuriating him.

"Come on, break! What is that all you've got-" he screamed as he ran again at the wall, repeating the process. It was on this time, that the door slid open, creaking as it did due to wear and tear over the years.

"Work smarter, not harder. This is a policy that the planets themselves understand," said the cloaked man who entered.

"I will never listen to a word you say old man," the boy balked, turning his back on the man and kneeling to the floor in push-up position. He had dark brown hair that now grew to cover his eyes, which were a chocolate color as well. Whenever one looked into them, a sense of uneasiness would arise as his unusual amount of anger would seep into your own soul.

"Why build up your strength if you will only ricochet off these walls? They would serve you better outside... I'm sure you don't even recall that there exists worlds beyond your confinement..." The cloaked man trailed off as he moved leisurely around the small, square room.

"Because I will get out of here one day, your majesty," the boy said sarcastically, "Ain't gonna be through you," he concluded said looking up at the cloaked man only briefly before continuing his exercises.

"Believe whatever you wish. However, while you are breathing in and breathing out my oxygen, you will do as I say. Which, for the past few trips around the Sun, has been to not slit your own wrist. Tomorrow evening, you will leave this pen and begin training. My patience has worn thin," he declared, turning to leave with his hands confidently folded behind his back.

"Yes, oh humble and wise Master," the boy sneered, switching into one handed push-ups.

The door complained as it closes shut, leaving him in darkness. He sat for a moment and listened for a sound, but being met only with silence, he went into a rage. He screamed and clawed at his ears, taking great delight in the sound that came back at him in glorious echo.

After he was certain his vocal chords were destroyed for the day, he went over to his box. He pressed his face against the glass and looked out as far as he could, seeing nothing but stars, endless sheets of stars. He waited here, looking out at the galaxy, until his breathing slowed and his body temperature returned to normal. He breathed heavy and it fogged up the glass, so he wiped it with his sleeve, which was full of holes and tears from nights were he had tried to tear away at anything to simply destroy the silence. He tried to clean the glass, but there were scratched on it from trying to claw out an escape into the void. As he tried to wipe them away, he felt drops of moisture sink through the fabric of his sleeves and it was only then that he realized he was crying. He tried to gather up the saltwater in his hands, like a young boy who didn't yet understand the laws of physics. Still, he tried to clean the glass with what little he had.

He peered at the box again, his precious window, and saw his reflection. His eyes were red and puffy, swollen yet sunken in, and the sides of his face was red from trying to rip his ears from his head. His pale skin was in perfect contrast to his dark hair and eyes and thick eyebrows, his gray long-sleeve hanging loosely around his strong but deteriorating body.

He backed away from his ghost-like image and crawled under his bed, which was simply a rectangular metal platform protruding from the wall. From here, he could see a glimpse of the window and watch the stars slowly move across his line of vision.

He hugged his knees into his chest for a brief moment, but quickly felt claustrophobic, so he spread himself out on the cold floor, trying to cool down. He laid on his stomach and placed the side of his face onto the cool ground, trying to steady his breathing.

He took a deep breath and in a voice so rough and quiet, a simple sentence escaped his lips.

"Was I truly that easy to forget?"