I opened my eyes and looked at the figure standing above me. The face was too familiar to be forgotten. Especially, since he helped me forget my sorrow for a small moment. Those icy blond locks and black eyes were as kind as ever.
"Get up right now!" He yelled out loud.
I jolted upright and looked around me. The room was different compared to where I was before. There were oversized clothes on my body. I was now on a bed in the middle of a cramped quarter, darkness surrounding me from all sides. I squinted my eyes as I tried my best to identify the place.
Paul snapped his fingers in front of my eyes and said in a low voice, "I brought you here yesterday."
"I died yesterday, didn't I?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" He was noticeably confused.
"I remember dying, the angel of death came to meet me but-" Before I could finish speaking, tears brimmed in my eyes as everything sank back in.
"What happened, Spence?" He asked me as I stared at a corner of the room, mortified.
"My mother," My voice became raspy and solid. "She vanished in front of my eyes."
"Do one thing, eat your breakfast first and then we can talk later. I'll search for your mother and will return in evening at the earliest. Make sure not to open the door for anyone. They might be searching for you."
I nodded my head in approval as I saw him leave out of the quarter, shutting the iron door behind himself.
I tried to get up but a sharp pain ran down my bottom regions. Also, I felt an internal injury in my pelvis as I couldn't move my legs well.
"It must be the injuries from yesterday." I muttered under my breath.
My eyes welled with tears but I decided to hold back.
Limping around the house, I noticed the shabby condition of the living place. The room was extremely dusty as if it wasn't dusted in a long while. The only thing decent in the place was the bed in the center of the room, which looked out of place.
"Brother has not cleaned his house. If my mom was there here, she would have compelled him for sure." Surprisingly, I chuckled. It was probably the first time in such a long time that I had laughed.
Walking towards the mirror, I noticed my reflection in it. I dusted the surface with my palms and looked at myself, unable to identify my own self. My face was covered with dust and soot, eyes were swollen and body looked lifeless. Suddenly, I could see the faces of the perparators behind me.
"Get lost! Stay away from me!" I yelled out loud enough to alarm the neighbors.
However, neither a person came nor did they budge. The boss was smirking at me and Shawn was clinged to him, licking his ears.
"Go away!" I picked up an anvil off the floor and hit the mirror, smashing it into pieces right before my eyes. After which, I began laughing like a maniac.
Someone knocked on the door and I turned back to see who it was. Walking towards the door cautiously, I heard a lady call out from the outside. Rushing towards the doorway, I immediately opened the door, revealing the lady standing outside. The bright light was blinding.
"What is your problem kid?" She was scornful and scrutinized my pathetic face.
However, I couldn't care less to feed her curious soul. The light of the day was enough to hurt my eyes but everything was turning black around me now. Before I knew it, I collapsed on the floor, right at the lady's feet.
I could feel her kick my face and step back. "Pathetic humans like me deserve that." Were the last words I muttered before I fell into a deep sleep again.
*****
When I opened my eyes next, I was back on the bed, with Paul beside me. He looked genuinely worried. Holding a cold bowl of water in his hands, he dipped a piece of rag and placed it on my head, which was warm now.
"Hey look, I am sorry for leaving you like that." He muttered as he sincerely looked into my eyes.
"I am sorry for breaking the mirror." I said as I lifted myself up. He placed a pillow behind my back.
"I didn't know how to handle people with trauma. I am really sorry."
I saw tears in his eyes. For me. A fuzzy feeling rose up in my heart. The feeling of belonging. The feeling of acceptance.
"About your mother, I am sorry bu-" Before he continued further, he pulled me close to himself and wrapped his arms around me, clenching my weak body tightly.
"She died, didn't she?" I bluntly questioned.
He didn't respond. Rather, he squeezed me even tighter. I could feel my shoulders become wetter and warmer. I patted his back to assure everything was fine, which certainly wasn't. I gradually lifted my arms up and grabbed him from the back, channeling all my pain in his loving embrace.
At that time, there was a knock on the door.