Chapter 20: Fire

My eyes abruptly snapped open.

It took seconds to adjust to the streetlights blinding my vision. After multiple blinks and taking a good look at the sight in front of me, I figured out I was just on the streets curled up like a little furry ball on a bench.

Right next to me was another figure with a grey colored blanket covering the lower part of his body. He looked older than I was, like he was in his mid twenties or something.

His hair was brown in color and strands fell across his face, reaching his lips and chin. He had stubs on his jaw and a cut on his lower lip.

He had a blue sweater on and a simple silver chain around his wrist. The jewelry had the name 'Aisha' dangling off it and with the diamonds adorning it, it looked pretty expensive.

He didn't look homeless or stranded. He looked scared, afraid and sad all at the same time.

The sweat wetting his face showed he wasn't at ease and his eyes told a different story.

It was like something was coming to hurt him or something.

"Hey" His head snapped towards me "Sorry to startle you"

"You cried in your sleep"

"What?"

"You cried in your sleep. More of like tears of joy cause you were smiling too. You had an amazing dream, didn't you?"

Well, it was definitely a dream come true to see mom as happy as that again if she was with Natasha's father or not .

She looked alive and happy. The same way she was when dad was still alive. It was like seeing the old part of her once more, the part she killed and buried deep in herself.

Besides, Natasha would check as a good sister.

"Yeah. I did" I smiled "Did you have a good dream too?"

"I can't" He laughed, wiping hands on his forehead "I can't have any good dreams"

"What does that mean?"

"I'm gonna die soon"

Okay, this is getting pretty weird.

"Why?"

"Cause I betrayed someone I shouldn't have and now she's gonna come to kill me"

"Oh my god, you need to call the police and find help"

"Trust me, if I sit in the midst of a thousand of the world's best military men, she'll find her way in and we won't know it till I'm dead"

"How's that possible? Don't you think you need help and who's the she?"

"No, you won't understand"

"Just tell me what's wrong. I know it isn't my business but we can find help a_"

The screeching sound of a car pull up in front of us cut me off. I glanced over to see three sleek black cars parked right in front of us. The first and last one were if the same type of structure and color while the one in the middle was a little different from the rest.

They looked so clean and spotless, it was like they descended from heaven.

Not to overreact but damn, that's what I call a car.

"I'm afraid I'll have to leave now" He stood up and pulled the grey blanket off him, dropping it on the bench. "It's nice to meet you"

"Same here" I replied "They're gonna save you, right?"

He hesitated for a second before nodding "Goodbye"

That was the last I heard from the mysterious stranger before he went into the car and left.


.~*~.~*~.~*~.


Breathe.

That's all I had to do before pulling the door open. I just hoped it could be the way I saw it in my dream and everything could finally turn great for me.

That would've been the best thing that could've happened to me after losing my only source of income.

It was the direct opposite when I stepped into the house.

It was just as dark as usual, no lights on cause my mom wasn't the type to enjoy bright lights. I could smell the strong smell of weed and alcohol like she was there just a second ago.

The moonlight illuminating the room showed it was different from the way I left it.

Dark patches were prominent on the wall and the rug beneath my feet was slightly wet.

The chairs were out of place, the couch right beside the door and the arm chair in the further end of the room. The wallpaper was torn in different places, revealing the cream colored walls beneath it. The television was broken, like something was thrown at it and the glass was scattered on the ground.

What happened in here?

"Where were you?" I heard the familiar voice of my mother beside me. The room became a little brighter when she turned on the dim lights of the lamp. I looked closer to see she was sitting on an armchair with her hands placed on her thighs.

She didn't have long sleeves on and that left her arms on full display.

She had bruises and cuts on her arms and little red swollen dots probably from the syringe she kept injecting into herself.

She was hurting herself.

"I was" I gulped "At a friends. We had a sleepover last night and I tried to call but i_"

"Why did you come back?"

"What?"

"Why did you come back?"

I paused to think of the whole situation. She didn't sound angry this time, her tone was slow and emotionless, she wasn't punishing me and the next question is why did I come back?

"I don't know"

"Why do you keep doing this?" She whispered in a low shivering voice "Why?"

"Doing what?"

It was getting a lot weirder than normal. She was asking questions I didn't have answers to and it scared me the way she said it like she was about to cry or something.

"Why won't you leave Diana? Why do you keep doing this?"

"Because I know it's gonna be better some day. We'll be the way we used to be before dad left"

She placed her hands over her ears when I said dad.

It got so bad, she didn't want to hear anything about him.

"It's not gonna get better"

"It will. I believe it. It'll be great, just both of us. We'll live the life I've always dreamed of"

"We won't. I'm sorry, we won't go back to the way we used to be"

Teardrops fall from her eyes as she sank further into the chair, raising her legs up to her chest and hugging them tightly like her life depended on it.

She couldn't control her tears any longer. It kept pouring down her cheeks. It felt like she let out what she had in her for a very long time but the only problem was that I didn't seem to understand her.

"Why?"

"It's the voices"

"What the voices"

"The ones in my head."

"Mom?" I said, taking a few steps away from her. It was rapidly getting creepy as every second passed and it made me scared. It felt like I wasn't standing in front of my mother anymore "Are you okay?"

"I have schizophrenia and it gets worse every day. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it, I didn't want you to leave me and it wouldn't let me."

"I don't understand you, mom"

"I hear voices in my head and see things I'm not meant to and it keeps coming. I'm tired of this, I'm tired of drinking and taking drugs, I'm tired of pouring my anger out on you but I can't stop. I figured out it was going to get worse like it did the last time so I wanted you to leave me but you wouldn't. You just wouldn't leave me. I don't wanna hurt you anymore"

That was enough to help release the breath I'd been keeping for seconds.

She had schizophrenia.

She saw and heard things.

She didn't want to drink.

She didn't want to take drugs.

She didn't want to hurt me.

She just wanted me to leave before it got worse.

But I didn't.

"Leave" She whispered "Go into your room, pack your bags and get ready to leave tomorrow morning"

"No, I'm not leaving you and I'm not leaving this house. We'll get you a psychiatrist and you'll get better. We can fix this together.

"There's no we." She paused "Go upstairs, lock your door and pack your things. You're leaving tomorrow"

"And I said I'm not"

"It's not a question Diana! Just go upstairs before I hurt you!" She yelled.

I turned to leave, my feet thumping on the floor as I made my way up the stairs.

I pulled open my room door, ran inside and locked the door behind me.

Time to pack.



.~*~.~*~.~*~.



I was done with packing everything. My clothes, shoes, bags, accessories, picture frames, make up, toothbrush, toothpaste and literally everything I could get. Once I was done, the room looked empty.

It was 2:56 am. Just a few hours before sunrise and I couldn't wait to leave the house, just like my mom wanted.

I guess everything I'd been through, hoping for better days was a waste of time, money and tears.

It was crystal clear, she didn't want me for my own good and she didn't want any form of help either.

I couldn't wait for her to get better herself while it was obvious she was getting worse everyday. She killed the only hope I had left about making things better.

That there could be the mother and daughter relationship I always wanted. That there could be an us.

It was more than I ever thought and the question was, what next?

I couldn't go to Dylan's house, Natasha's house or Esther's.

I was homeless.

After everything, who knew I was going to end up homeless?

"Diana" I heard my mom's voice behind the door "Open the door. I need to tell you something important before you leave"

I placed the last bag on the floor right next to the door before unlocking the door and twisting the knob.

"I'm sorry"

"M_"

I didn't complete my word before she lunged at me.

I couldn't comprehend the whole situation till I felt something hit my head with so much force, my body completely lost control.

My body hit the floor before I knew it. I fell with a loud thud, my head hitting the door in the process. The world was spinning in front of me, I couldn't open my eyes or focus on anything, I couldn't think of what was going on, I couldn't scream or yell, just loud groans.

It felt like I was intoxicated but this time with so much pain.

I passed out.


.~*~.~*~.~*~.


"Cupcake?" I heard someone say from a distance. "Open your eyes of you can hear me"

My eyes were sealed shut, my body felt numb and the only thing I could hear was the beeps and the faint sound of a familiar voice.

I didn't feel so sleepy but I was so tired, I couldn't move a muscle. It was like my body was paralyzed, the only difference was that I could feel what was around me. I just couldn't move any part of my body.

My head felt heavy, insensible and slightly painful. My eyes and forehead felt stuffed and swollen and I was sure any form of movement could cause pain.

It didn't take too long before everything settled in. I remembered everything in a flash. I knew exactly what happened.

I was hit in the head and I passed out hours before I was meant to leave the house for good.

"Cupcake, it's Dylan" I heard the voice once more but this time it was closer "I'm here with you"

"Dylan?" I whispered and slowly peeled my eyes open.

At first, it was blurry but after a few seconds of adjustment, I could see more clearly.

White walls, white ceiling, white lights, the smell of drugs, the constant beeps, the white sheets over my body.

I was in a hospital and Dylan was right beside me, holding my hand.

"What happened?"

"Your mom hit you in the head with a baseball bat, proceeded to burn the house down and left you in it to burn"



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