At The End Of The Tunnel

1) Alone

There is going to be a song at the beginng of every chapter and you don't have to play it if you don't want to, but I'm going to try to make the mood of the song match the mood of the chapter. Its a great way to discover new music and the songs combined will be the soundtrack of the book.

Song: Glimpse of us by Joji

-Jay

Kai Carter [POV]

I woke up in the middle of the night screaming my lungs out. Another nightmare. I'm not even suprised because I get these at least once every two days, by now it has become something normal for me.

I started having nightmares when I was eight years old, but back then my mother used to comfort me until I went back to sleep. It's not like my mother is dead or anything, but let's just say that comforting a seventeen year old is not at the top of her priority list. Well... it's not on her priority list at all.

Ever since I came out to my parents when I was fifteen, they have become very abusive towards me.

My father knocks me around like a punching bag and my mother supports his behaviour. Let's just say that people like my parents don't actually deserve to have children.

I sat up in my bed trying to remember what the nightmare was about, but I just couldn't. This was something that actually really annoyed me, I could never remember what had me flying out of my sleep almost every night.

I turned to look at my clock on the wall to see that it's three thirty am. I'm definitely not going to fall back asleep considering that I fell asleep at midnight and I have to get ready for school in the next four hours.

I guess it's gonna be another sleepless night for me.

After struggling to fall asleep for at least thirty minutes, I sat up in my bed, put my headphones in my ears and started listening to an audio book.

After listening to the audio book, listening to music and watching YouTube videos to pass the time, it was now time for me to start getting ready for school.

I winced as I got out of bed. My entire body was still aching from the massive beat down I received yesterday from my father.

When I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I almost threw up in my mouth. I was a fucking mess.

There were scratches and open bruses all over my bare chest and hand marks on my neck from my father's attempt to strangle me.

After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I struggled to dress myself ensuring that all of my bruises were covered and out of sight.

The pleasant aroma of breakfast engulfed the entire house. I was smelling pancakes, bacon, eggs and even the sweet smell of black coffee beans. I am really hungry and the smell of that food is doing nothing to ease my hunger. I know when I get down these stairs that I will not get a taste of that food.

Whatever food I'm smelling is for my mother and father's breakfast. Not for me. Home cooked meals was now a thing of the past, either I eat out, or I don't eat at all. One of the many prices I had to pay for simply being who I really am.

When I was done dressing I made my way downstairs. I didn't even bother making my way to the kitchen because its not like there was anything there for me, and I also wanted to avoid my parents at all costs.

It seemed as though the universe was conspiring against me, because my father was sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Don't you have any fucking manners?" He asked angrily as I made my way to the front door.