Tic.. Tock.. Tic.. Tock..
The thin hand began to move with rigor. The process of consciousness coming back takes time until it is able to perfectly coordinate his body. A 16-year-old boy wakes up with a tremendous amount of fatigue. Like a bone shattered from the inside, it's numb.
His slant-eyed eyes circled the room where he was. Suffice it to say that this was his bed and not a green hill full of trees.
"Aaah!"
His head's throbbing like crazy. It feels like he's about to burst and there's nothing he can do to stop this misery.
His skinny body limped all the way to the bathroom. Roughly open a medicine box that depends, looking for a white bottle where he can stop this pain. By rashly taking a bluish pill from the inside out, some of them slipped off and went into the sink. He didn't have enough time to pick them off one by one, and the pills that fell off were just a little bit longer.
He gulped down three pills at once, hoping for the pain eating away at his head. He then pours the tap water down his throat, and he doesn't have time to go back to look for the mineral water outside. At least with this the pill worked its way into his stomach.
Washed his pale face with a cool stream of water. Staring at the reflection right in front of him. A pale face that looks full of bruises. Etched a scar on the corner of his right lip, it hurts enough when he touches it. Wounds that were confirmed to have been sustained shortly before this, the strange that there is no memory of any 2 days before this. Desperately sitting on the cold bathroom floor. His illness got worse as he took countless pills a day. His palms don't look so good, too many scratches here. And he still doesn't remember what happened to him.
Standing staggering as they rested on the surrounding wall. Chose to splash him, hoping that he could at least think clearly.
Pecking at the little mirror on the nightstand table looking a little worn. Staying alone has caused he a bit of trouble to manage. Even with his illness afflicting him, he often became troubled with a few instances of forgetfulness. Comb through growing black hair. Tickling out a blazer and tagging a name tag, Nathan Davies.
"So, it was all a dream?" asked the reflection in the mirror.
It's like a long dream. A dream that felt so vivid that even the tiredness of running so hard he still felt it. It's always the same dream. A train tunnel. Only this time he got in. Even the nightmares are like trying to kill him.
'Knock.. Knock..'
The knock on the door threw his reverberations. In that little apartment he dropped over for years had only a few screens that weren't even soundproof. A soft knock he could hear clearly from inside the room.
Re-trimming yang hairdo and hastening to see who was guests in the morning.
"Hi~"
Finding a brown-haired young man standing with a gentle smile greeting his morning. The young man he saw in he dreams.
"Dean? Don't you have to go to School? Why here?" enough to impress Nathan because he knows Dean's school isn't in the area. An expensive private school downtown rather than its upside down. Even maroon's red uniform seems very expensive.
Dean ruffled Nathan's hair, resulting in a fit of irritation because he had to rearrange his hair. "Let's have some breakfast..."
"Wait a minute"
Nathan quickly picked up an old duffel lying on the underside of the bed. Hurry to the exit as it locks shut. Well, Nathan's not worried that if a thief comes in, there's nothing worth stealing in his apartment. Worst case scenario is a drunk man who randomly walks into an unlocked apartment room. Not just once, the area where he lived had the most slums with a few drunks and gamblers. Had no other choice, what could he have had to live alone with his family's insignificant possessions. Nathan has never cursed at god for his life to be so unjust.
"You just came here for breakfast?" asked Nathan. It's not unusual for Dean to go to his little house. But there is no real reason when the tall man brings him to breakfast when they are far away from school.
"There's something I want to say..." Said Dean whole way down the stairs. No fancy facilities like elevators or such. Just old ladders with graffiti decorating their walls.
"What?" Nathan's guess was right. There's no way Dean could have just met him at a bad time.
"Later, I'll buy you breakfast first," said dean The young man put his arm around Nathan's shorter shoulders.
To the nearest minimum. Dean told Nathan to wait outside while he was buying instant noodles and mineral water.
"Please~"
"You're not eating?" Nathan raised his eyebrows when he saw only one serving of noodles dean had brought.
"This is my breakfast," showing a cool soy latte in his hand. "I'm not hungry anyway.." Dean explained again so that Nathan would feel free to accept his gift.
"Is it really okay if I'm the only one eating?" Ask Nathan for make a sure. Nathan's not the kind of person who can swallow food when people next to him don't eat anything. His mother's words were still vivid and vague. A very valuable memory and the best Nathan can preserve.
Hard as it is to know that he may not even remember tomorrow. His memory was always severed, like a broken tape. He didn't have the money to check what was inside his head. Or maybe he's too scared to know the truth.
"Yes, eat. I'd be pissed if you refuse," Dean clenched his fist into a fit. Looking ridiculous instead of scary.
"Thank you.." Nathan says.
A fragment of Thanksgiving goes to the almighty for what is given. His friends always helped him when they knew of Nathan's illness. One other important memory that was always guarded was when they met. Nathan really remembers that day. The day he was on the brink of death.
"Wyatt told me he was beating the man who abused you Nathan," Dean said, sucking out soy milk in his hand.
Nathan sticks his eyes out. "Are you sure?"
Dean nodded, shot his head and continued his explanation. "He came to me with a wounded body. Wyatt must have approached those abuser with that defiant face he always had. If Jeremy hadn't helped, I don't know how they'd end up."
"Jeremy is also fighting?" stopped his feed and chose to listen carefully. Still not buying Dean's story, how Jeremy got into the fight.
"Of course he didn't. He called the people around to stop the fight. How could he be willing to get punched in the face," Dean laughs at how the curly haired young man always looks at his face. It's a rare thing that Jeremy would sacrifice his face.
Nathan breathed a sigh of relief. At least Wyatt's still alive after challenging those negotiations on his own. "How is he now?"
"I don't know.." Dean rolled his body around to make it easier to stare at passing vehicles. "He said he would visit you after school."
"Let me visit him..." Nathan volunteered after slurping the noodle soup until there's nothing left in the cup.
"No, you know Wyatt's not gonna let you into his house. Let him come to you instead" smile quietly Dean patting Nathan's arm.
A moment after waking up from a nightmare a glimpse of worry hit its retreat. Nathan thought he'd never see any more friends after this. Left alone just like in a dream. But all that was in his head, now his friends are still with him. Defend them even if it's not their problem.
The corner of Nathan's eye caught the hiker staring at him with a sinister look. Like judging that he doesn't deserve to be an inch away from dean. Their appearance differs by 180 degrees, like prince and ugly duckling.
"Hoy, how many times have I told you not to keep your head down? Forget them, you're better than those freaks anyway," always have been, Dean became Nathan's most wanted protector, no matter how many people gossip dean will be out in front of the negative thoughts created by Nathan's fear.
"Hurry up, your school's a long way from here." Nathan reminded.
Dean looked directly at the wristwatch on his left hand, can't hide his panic attacks. Well, Nathan was right, and he had to leave right away.
"All right, you get on the bus, too. Don't forget to let me know if the abuser comes back in.
The tall boy still waved his hand in a big smile. Nathan smiled and waved back. The broad back is slipping away behind the heavy foot.
Now, he was alone with an empty noodle cup and half a mineral water left. His growing anxiety returned. Could he have just skipped school? Too cowardly indeed. No matter how many times I tried to set Nathan's heart on fear that he would stand in the place where he should be comfortable.
It is his fault. It is natural to be shunned, it is natural to be abused. As the saying goes, the strong will always win and the weak will be oppressed. That is the law of nature. People like to be on the bottom of the food chain.