Chapter 7
Renale's POV
I stumbled into my house, bruised and bleeding from my elbows. My backpack slipped from my fingertips and I fell onto the carpet, my black eye twitching shut. My body hasn't ached this much since I fell off my bike in the park when I was in sixth grade. I breathed deeply for a couple seconds, trying to take the pain I was in off my mind. I forced myself to my knees and literally crawled to my room. Fingers grasping my nightstand, I pulled myself to my feet and glanced at myself in the mirror. I probably looked like Frankenstein's long lost cousin, minus the stitches.
My shin and eye was black, blue, and nearly swollen shut. Crimson liquid ran down my arm from my tumble on the sidewalk. The collar of my shirt was even tattered. I frowned at myself: why was it always me who got into these situations when I get beat up so badly I can barely move? Do people loathe me that much that it brings them pure bliss to see me bleed?
Hate: one of the strongest words in the dictionary. People use that word to describe me all the time. I hear it in the hallways, at lunch and, just about everywhere, I go. Still lost in my thoughts and I walk into the kitchen. Why do people hate? I never did anything to them in my life. Is it just because I speak my mind and step out of line people hate me? Even my own father hates me, and I'm his own blood. I pull a silver knife out of the drawer my face reflecting on the pointed blade.
If it brings the people bliss to see my blood, them I'll give them blood. The tip of the knife runs over my arm, red seeping from the cut skin. Pain makes it way up my arm, but somehow it feels good. Blood drips off my arm and onto the floor. I take the knife and run it over my shallow cut, making the blade of the knife turn red. Reality interrupts, making me drop the knife suddenly. My whole arm is red with my blood. Now the only thing I can hear is my pain-stricken screams.
I fall to my knees, cradling my cut arm. Crimson drips onto the floor, making tiny pools beneath me. Shivers overtake my body as I press onto my arm with my sleeve, soaking it in red. One thought of regret takes over my mind as this whole catastrophe unfolds: what the hell was I thinking?
I stare at the snow-frosted ground beneath me, unable to look into Lumaria's eyes. Shame seeps into my bones and overtakes my body. I could feel Lumaria's gaze on me, but I don't know what his heart is telling him. Snow is still falling around us, the cold flakes melting as they touch my skin. Lumaria sighs deeply as he puts his arm around my shoulder, sending chills throughout my body.
"You cut yourself because you wanted to show everyone the blood on your hands…why would you even do that?" Lumaria's eyes are emotionless as he speaks to me.
"I didn't know what I was thinking at all, I just felt tired of feeling hate. I wanted to feel something else," I answered, keeping my head down.
"You only wanted to feel?" Lumaria's voice rose. "What kind of sick person bleeds just to feel?"
"I guess me," I sighed.
Lumaria pulls me closer to him using his fingertips to gently hold my chin up. His lips press against mine, making the tension of the moment ease away. I close my eyes and let myself fall into his arms. Everything that happened tonight disappeared from my mind: the fights with Hikari, telling Lumaria my crazy suicide attempt…and I only focus on the present moment. Lumaria pulls away and his sapphire eyes lock with my green.
"Would that have been a better feeling than pain?" He asks, keeping his voice steady.
I smile at him. "Any time," The tears that lingered behind my eyelids flowed down my cheeks.
Lumaria pulled me into another hug as he pulled me to my feet. I adjusted the jacket that was still draped over my shoulders as the two of us walked away from the blasting music coming from the high school. We walked across town through the falling snow, completely alone. We walk into my house, toss Lumaria's jacket on the armrest of the reclining chair, and kicked off my black ballet flats that were murdering my heels.
"Nice place," Lumaria commented, glancing around my living room and taking a seat on my couch.
"Thanks, I try to keep in order since my dad is at a bar 65 percent of the time," I smile back at him before I run into my room, closing the door behind me.
I toss off my dress and throw on an over-sized lounge pants and t-shirt. When I walk back into the room, Lumaria was fast asleep on the couch. I smile to myself, typical of him. Tossing a blanket on the pink-haired teen, I settle down next to him and fall into the deep clutches of sleep beside Lumaria. I felt his fingers tracing the curves of my face and playing with my hair. His soft touches gave me chills and soothed me to sleep, but nothing in the world could've prepared me for what was to come tomorrow...
The first rays of the golden sun broke the horizon and cast over Radiant Garden. Arina walked through the newly fallen snow that blanketed the town. Her short red hair was tucked under a grey beret and the cold wind blew around her, sending a mist of snow across the un-shoveled castle grounds. Ansem's castle loomed over her, snow clinging to the towers and icicles hung from the fountains. It was dead silent but this time there wasn't the background noise of the birds chirping.
"Ansem, I came early because…you…" Her voice trailed off as she realized the corridor was empty.
Arina raised an eyebrow in confusion as she walked further into the castle. It was completely silent. No footsteps against the carpet, no low chatter, just silence. The redhead turned into another corridor, expecting to see someone like Braig or Dilan, but again no one was there. Dead, eerie silence hung in the air of the empty halls.
"Braig? Dilan? Are you guys here?" She wondered aloud, her voice echoing off the walls.
Arina gulped, beginning to worry a little. Where was everyone?
"Even? Ienzo? If this is some kind of joke, you may as well give up now," Annoyance rose in her voice.
She almost kicked herself for even saying that. Why would a bunch of scientists play such a stupid joke on her? She jogged up a staircase and rounded a corner, where the apprentices' rooms were. Arina stepped into Even's room and looked at his bed, only to find it neatly made. His desk had piles of notes and books all over, but there was no sign of the blonde. Arina checked Ienzo's room, which was as empty as Even's.
"What the…?" The red-haired woman was now annoyed.
She checked everyone else's rooms, but they were all neat and empty. Where were they and what happened? Around the corner? Bermuda? Arina face-palmed herself: if they went on vacation Even would've told her. Thoughts of Even getting hurt made her twitch. She opened the door to Ansem's study, hoping to see the old man, but the only thing close to a person in the room was the portrait of Xehanort hanging up.
Giving up, she walked back outside and was greeted with the newspaper smacking her in the face. Arina pulled the paper off her face and sighed with annoyance.
"Sorry!" The paperboy yelled back.
Grumbling to herself, she read the front page hoping for a story or article that wasn't depressing for once. She flipped through the paper and one headline caught her eye. After reading a few sentences, her green orbs grew huge and the paper slipped from her hands and fell to the ground. The redhead just stood there, far too shocked to take in what she had just read. One thought echoed in her mind at the moment…Renale.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
My eyes flew open, awakened by the loud banging on my door. Lumaria was still fast asleep next to me, undisturbed by my rude awakening. I forced myself to my feet and stumbled to the door, still feeling totally out of it. I opened the door and much to my surprise, Arina stood in the doorway. Her eyes were red and puffy, as if she was crying, and she held today's newspaper in her hand.
"…Arina? It's nine-thirty what are you doing here?" I leaned against the doorframe as the cold wind sent shivers through my body.
She hands me the newspaper and gulps. "Y-Your father's…dead,"
I laughed. Not soft, giddy laughter, but loud and obnoxious. "Dead? How?" What was in that fruit punch at the dance?
"He was drunk and he was driving home when he slammed into a tree. The car swerved out of control and he crashed into a telephone pole," She explained.
I was giggling to myself as I looked at the headline: LOCAL MAN KILLED IN CAR CRASH. Under the headline was a picture of my dad and his demolished pick-up truck. My laughter died within a second. This wasn't a dream caused from that possibly poisoned fruit punch; it was real. I could stand there and stare at the headline as Arina's quiet sobs broke the silence.
"That's not all…Ansem and his apprentices have gone missing," Tears streamed down her face. "I looked in his castle and there was no sign of anyone anywhere. They're gone and even possibly…dead," She roughly wiped away her tears.
My hands trembled as Lumaria approached me, still wearing his white shirt and black slacks. I couldn't process this…first my mom and now my dad. The room spun as Lumaria snapped his fingers in front of my eyes, trying to get me to speak. The room shook, as Arina's eyes grew wide.
"Renale, are you okay!" She screamed.
"Renale, what happened?" Lumaria's eyes grew huge.
I couldn't focus anymore the room's colors faded into grey and spun around me. My muscles were shaking violently and Lumaria was screaming at me. Then…
"Renale!"
…black.
Eyes fluttering open, I try to make out where I am. A cool breeze is blowing across my face and I hear Lumaria's soothing voice trying to comfort me. He squeezes my hand as I blink a few times, trying to clear my vision. My head is pounding and my skin is clammy with sweat. Everything clears up and Arina's gentle eyes are on me.
"Renale, are you okay?" She asks as she continues to fan me with a notebook.
"Kind…of, where am I?" I groaned.
"You fainted and Arina got scared so she took you back to her house," Lumaria explained, still holding my hand. "Your father died in a car accident so Arina thought she might as well take care of you,"
I slowly sat up and recognized the small living room connecting to the kitchen in the house. I rub my head as Lumaria takes a seat next to me, now dressed in jeans and a dark green sweatshirt. I could see the sorrow and melancholy in his normally bright blue orbs, just like the ones my dad used to have: before my mom died.
My dad had the kindest blue eyes that would sparkle in sunlight. I would always look into his eyes when I was little and feel…safe. But then shortly after my mom's funeral, he completely changed. Instead of using soft words to dry my tears, he would dry them with a slap to the face. I would bite my lip, run into my room, and sob quietly under my bed. He didn't give a damn about me anymore, because in his heart he believed that I caused my mother's death. After all, she pushed me out of the way to stop the car from hitting me.
I grew apart from the once many friends I had; only out of fear of being hated. My dad turned to alcohol to soothe the hole in his heart but that only made things worse. I grew up with a stone cold heart and snapped at everyone with pissed me off. Before I knew it, I was in high school and was the social reject. Hikari would rub it in my face my mom was dead. I was actually…jealous. Her mom got her everything she ever wanted while I had to deal with my alcoholic dad. I buried my face in Lumaria's chest as tears broke through my eyelids and poured down my face.
A week later, after my dad's funeral I lay in my new bed. Well, it was actually the guest bed in Arina's house. After my dad died, she went to court to legally adopt me. Now it was me, her, and her brother Haru. I close my eyes and let the soothing sounds of the night fill my ears. Crickets chirping, the soft chatter of Arina and Haru down the hall, the knocking on the windows…wait, knocking?
I sit up in bed, and glanced out the window. A small tree's finger-like branches are tapping against the pane, a shoulder bag hanging off it…what the hell? I pulled the window open and came face-to-face with a hobo. He pulled off his beanie, revealing his gorgeous pink locks…
"Lumaria?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion.
Lumaria put a finger to his lips. "Do want to escape your life here?" He asked, a stern expression in his eyes.
"Yes," I replied uneasily.
Lumaria signaled to the window. "Then let's go,"
I grabbed his forearm. "Wait, what about Arina? First she lost Even and then me…she'll be devastated,"
The pink-haired teen shrugged. "Physical wounds heal so can metal wounds, so come on. We'll escape this hell of a town together,"
I stared into his beautiful blue eyes that seemed to trap in his ever-lasting gaze. Lumaria planted a quick kiss on the cheek and jumped out the window. I quickly threw on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, my grey sweatshirt, my arm warmers, and my converse with a lighting bolt on them. Grabbing my shoulder bag, I jumped out of the window, leaving behind Arina. Lumaria took my hand and we ran away from the town…
…and away from the life we once knew.
There's a place off Ocean Avenue
Where I used to sit and talk with you
We were both 16 and it felt so right
Sleeping all day, staying up all night
There's a place on the corner of Cherry Street
We would on the beach in out bare feet
We were both 18 and it felt so right
Sleeping all day, staying up all night
If I could find you now things would get better
We could leave this town and run forever
Let your waves crash down on me and take me away
There's a piece of you that's here with me
It's everywhere I go, it's everything I see
When I sleep, I dream and it gets me by
I can make believe that you're here…tonight
That you're here tonight…
If I could find you now things would get better
We could leave this town and run forever
I know somewhere somehow, we'll be together
Let your waves crash down on me and take me away
I remember the look in your eyes
When I told you that this was goodbye
You were begging me not tonight, not here, not now
We're looking up at the same night sky
And keep pretending the sun will not rise
We'll be together for one more night
Somewhere, somehow
If I could find you now things would get better
We could leave this town and run forever
I know somewhere somehow, we'll be together
Let your waves crash down on me and take me away…
Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard
Author: Depression city, huh? I've been thinking about this chapter all summer and I typed it up in about two days, wow. Thanks for reading!
~yukihikari99