Sacrifices

It All Comes Crashing Down

He didn’t have any dreams that night. It was all a soft black that surrounded him and his mind. It felt comfy to him, and he wished he could stay in the darkness forever. It wasn’t suffocating, it wasn’t drowning him. It surrounded him in a pleasant way, and provided him a sense of comfort he doesn’t feel often. 

    Unfortunately, as he’s been forced to learn early in his life, all good things come to an end. The darkness turned into a sliver of light as he was shaken out of his dreamscape, forced to open his eyes so he could tell what on Earth was happening. 

    “It’s time to go to school, come on. I made you your favorite breakfast, but you have to hurry if you want to get anything to eat.” A soft voice escaped his empty mind, echoing in the black sunlight.

    A small groan escaped his lips. “I’ll be up in a minute.” He attempted to mumble out. For some reason it sounded much more coherent in his head than out loud, but he was too tired to care. It was at this moment he regretted staying up so long, gazing at both the stars and his boyfriend. 

    “No, honey, now. School will start soon.” The voice sounded more urgent this time, and filled with anxiety. It was at that moment his brain decided to start working, letting him process the fact that this was his mom telling him to get up and eat before school started.

    His eyes snapped open. Foggy memories from the early morning flooded his thoughts as he tried to piece everything back together, like why he was still in his clothes, why he could taste his own breath- which tasted of chocolate chip cookies- and why his room looked like such a mess.

    Usually at times like these, he is reminded how much he truly loves his mom. Sometimes he thinks he doesn’t tell her how much he appreciates her enough, but she always says that she knows he loves her, no matter what. 

    The fact that she had turned on his bedroom lamp instead of his light to let his eyes adjust is only one of the few reasons he can list off the top of his head she has already done for him so early into the day. He stared into her sparkling blue eyes and warm smile, recollecting his thoughts before deciding to get up.

    Once he had sat up, it seemed that his mom was pleased enough to head downstairs, not without first kissing the top of his head. He stared at his room for a moment, and quickly slipped on a different outfit to at least not cause any suspicions from anyone at school, or from Gabe. 

    After putting on some old sneakers and grabbing his AHS jacket, he dashed out his room and to the kitchen, where he was hit with the smell of freshly baked pancakes and sausage. There was a hint of maple in the air, along with an acidic smell, that he could only guess was orange. 

    Sally was standing before the stove, flipping blue pancakes with a spatula. Her brown hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and an apron was tied across her waist. When she looked up, Percy could see a smudge of batter smeared on the side of her right cheek.

    “Your breakfast is already ready. School starts in 20 minutes, and the bus will be here in five, so you should hurry up. I already packed your lunch, so you should be all set.”

    As she was speaking, she laid the black spatula on a stone plate, and grabbed his backpack off a hook that was attached to the door near their pantry. She handed him his old and tattered backpack, and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead before brushing part of his hair out of his eyes.

    “I love you mom. You’re the best.”

    Sally just smiled at him for a moment, her eyes scanning his face with adoration shining in her blue orbs. She then turned around and paid attention to the sizzling pancakes, before replying to her son.