after the death of her mother, leighton's father sends her to a boarding school halfway across the world to be taught a lesson. she knows no one and no one knows her.
but the cherry on top is who her roommate is.
#2 in ptsdawareness
#2 in anxiety
#...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"my little hawk, why do you cry?"
-fourth of july by sufjan stevens
⎯⎯⎯
The parking structure, the dim fluorescent lights flickering ominously above me. The air is thick with tension, and every sound echoes off the concrete walls, amplifying my fear.
I know what's coming, but I can't stop it.
"Mom?" I call out, my voice trembling as I step out of the car. The cool air bites at my skin, and I wrap my arms around myself, trying to fend off the chill. "Mom, where are you?"
I hear a muffled scream, and my heart lurches in my chest. I run toward the sound, my feet pounding against the pavement. I turn a corner and see her – my mom – being beaten by a man in a dark hoodie. He's relentless, his fists landing blow after blow, and she's barely able to defend herself.
"Stop!" I scream, my voice breaking. "Leave her alone!"
Another man grabs me from behind, his grip is strong. I struggle, kicking and screaming, but it's no use. He pulls out a knife, and I freeze, my blood turning to ice.
"Shut up, or I'll make you," he snarls, the blade glinting in the dim light.
"No, please!" I beg, tears streaming down my face. "Let her go! Don't hurt her!"
But he doesn't listen. He brings the knife down, slicing across my forearm. Pain explodes through me, and I cry out, the world spinning around me. My vision blurs, and I see my mom collapse to the ground, blood pooling around her.
"No!" I scream again, but my voice is weak, fading. The man releases me, and I fall to my knees, reaching out for her.
"Momma," I whisper, my hand shaking as I touch her face. Her eyes are closed, her body limp. "Please, wake up. Don't leave me."
Her eyes flutter open for a moment, and she looks at me, her gaze filled with pain and love. "My love," she murmurs, her voice barely audible. "Be strong for me, hon."
Her eyes close again, and I feel her hand slip from mine. "No, no, no," I sob, my heart shattering. "Please don't go. Please..."
I wake up with a start, my body drenched in sweat, my heart pounding. For a moment, I'm disoriented, unsure of where I am. Then I remember – my dorm room, the dim light from my bedside lamp casting long shadows on the walls.
I sit up, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The room feels too small, too confining. I need air. I need to get out. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and stand, my legs shaking.
"Leighton," Kai's voice is groggy. I turn to see him sitting up in his bed, watching me. "Go to fucking bed. It's 3 am."
"Sorry," I mumble as I flick the light on.
He turns around and his sleepy eyes are on mine. "Why the fuck did you turn the light on?"
I play with the cuticle around my fingers. "Sorry, I just needed to see something."
Kai grunts and turns back around, covering his head with the pillow.
I turn off the lamp after calculating the steps I'm going to take. I walk towards my door and open it. I then walk towards the balcony door and it creaks open.
I take deep, shuddering breaths, trying to calm myself. I'm not there anymore. I'm safe. But the fear and the pain feel just as real as they did that night.
After a few moments outside, I return back. I walk over to my bed and reach for my phone on the bedside table.
I scroll through Instagram, TikTok, unread emails, spam. Anything to keep me from falling asleep but the sleep just wont go away.
Finally, I place my phone down and close my eyes.
As I drift off, I whisper a silent prayer, a plea for peace, for healing. Maybe tomorrow would be better, maybe the nightmares would fade with time. But for now, all I could do was wait and try to fall asleep.
I close my eyes but then they open again. The sleep had gone away and didn't plan on coming back anytime soon. I reach for my phone and begin scrolling as a way to pass the time.
Usually, when I use my phone before bed, it becomes 5 am before I know it.
But right now, it seems like time is going slowly on purpose.
I sigh.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
heyyyy.
yippeee, chapter 6 dun. get it? josh dun?😦
anywho,
remember to follow vote and comment! love you guys lotss!!
word count: 800
*edited*
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
