Thorns

Chapter Nine

I woke up slowly, allowing a small yawn stretch past my throat and pass through my lips. For a moment, I felt like I was back at home. The sun filtered brightly through my window, giving the vaguely familiar bedroom a thin layer of comfort and warmth. No matter where I was, I would always live under the same sun. It brought me at least some relief to know that Tam, Maeve, and Mom were all awakening to the same rays of sunshine that I was. No matter how far apart we were, we would always share the same star in the sky.

I sat up, my bones groaning as I did so. The twisted position I had fallen asleep in had not done me any favors. If I was being completely honest with myself, I couldnt even remember when exactly I had fallen asleep. I couldn't really remember anything at all. Everything felt so blurred and smudged. My head was suffocating itself in fog and then proceeding to flood itself with a bleach of its own making. It was almost like last night had been nothing more than a freshly painted canvas and I had been a dirty little child smearing my grimy hands all over it.

I blinked hard, fighting the aching pain embedded deep into my head. I was almost sure it was only a migraine, although I wouldn't have been surprised if when I looked into the mirror I would see a huge chunk of my skull and brain carved out.

My stomach rumbled, and it was only then did I realize that it had been days since I had last eaten. No wonder I felt so weak after I had restored Kamilah yesterday. I guess I had been so busy and stressed that eating and drinking fluids hadn't even crossed my mind. I sighed, trying to ignore the cramps jolting through my arms and back as I swung my legs over the edge of bed.

One thing at a time. That's what my dad always told me.

Of course, I knew that that was a lie. Nothing was ever as simple as the concept of one thing at a time. Ever. The world didn't have enough patience to allow people to function with that type of mind set. Everything continued at a constant rate, because time wasn't merciful enough stop for anyone. Even the simplest things coexisted, like the way I breathed at the same time my heart would beat. Time would keep hurtling forward with no intent to wait for anybody or anything, no matter what or who was at stake. There would never be enough time to do each and every thing throughout the universe as individual tasks. It was because of this that we were forced to figure our lives out as quickly and efficiently as possible; it was why we didn't believe we had the time to be understanding. Whether it be a war that needed to be fought or a paycheck that needed to be cashed by the end of the night, time would not put itself on pause.

Time was a merciless force. It was cold and impatient and as brutal as brutal could ever possibly be. It was ruthless, savage, and barbarous and thrived endlessly within its own malice aforethought. Time was equally cruel to all people, regardless of what their beliefs or morals were. It didn't care about the nature of their choices or what their intentions had been. It didn't care who sinned or who repented or who dedicated their entire lives to helping the homeless and the sick.

Time was of the devil's creation.

No matter the amount of privilege, money, or power someone could ever possibly find a way to obtain-or their lack there of-time would not make even the smallest exception for any one soul that resided within this continuum. In the end, we are all just as insignificant as that one tiny speck of dust that sat unnoticed on the hands of a clock or on a table. That one speck of dust could be anywhere in the entire world, yet it would not make a difference or become any more relevant than it had been from wherever it had started.

It could live on a mountain of gold, or in a pile of other flakes of dust, yet it would still remain just as devastatingly inconsequential. Eventually we will all reach the same sense of equilibrium in regards to being nothing more than frivolous, nonessential blips in time. Everyone will end up being forgotten at one point or another, regardless of whether the individual had been an extremely wealthy, powerful, influential Prince, or they had been some random, homeless man that had been just barely surviving in the unforgiving streets and alleyways of the Kingdom.