A Collector

The Day Everything Changed

Izuku Yagi's P.O.V

My heart was pounding loudly in my ears and my lungs felt strained, but I wanted to keep running - I needed to keep running. I had never done anything like this before, but it felt like this was all I could do.

Nothing ever changes - it's always the same events that unfold day after day without fail. I needed to break the cycle. Otherwise, I would be trapped by the same chains that were cuffing me to the floor my entire life. This was what I needed to do.

So, why did it feel so wrong?

_______________

Every day, I woke up at the same time to the same noise and would do the same things. I would wake up at six in the morning, shower at twelve past six, eat breakfast by seven, and walk to school at seven-thirty. Nothing changed in my schedule.

Ever.

Similarly, I always knew what to expect from my sister and her friends. Every word they would speak, and every action they would perform - it was always the same. It felt like I was stuck in a time warp, listening to the same phrases and watching the same events unfold for the rest of eternity. Forever unchanging.

I shook my head as thoughts weighed down on me - I knew it was pointless to think about stuff like this. It would only bring me down if I thought about my circumstances. I didn't really know what I was talking about anyway, but somehow, I could still relate to it. Feeling like I was always going to be stuck in the same "rut". Though, it felt silly to think I knew what hardship felt like.

I'm only twelve years old, what would I know about life and death?

Continuing with my walk to school, I felt a pair of hands harshly shove me to the ground - making me scrape my hands in the process. Tears began to prick at my eyes as the stinging became the only present feeling across my body. Of course, I knew it was coming, but that didn't change the fact that it hurt.

"I think he's crying!" My sister, Izumi, shouted - only making her laugh more than she was before.

"What a loser!" My once-friend, Kacchan, continued Izumi's sentence.

In an attempt to save the small amount of dignity I still had; I lowered my head.

Yeah, I was crying, it's natural for children to cry when they get hurt or fall; although, it still felt embarrassing to cry because of a little scrape.

Regardless, they didn't need to laugh at me. I had once seen Izumi cry because she didn't get the right toy in a cereal box - similar to the time Kacchan cried after falling and hitting his head a little while ago. He didn't know anyone was around, but I saw him.

I stood up and brushed the pebbles off of my uniform before continuing on my path - the taunting and spiteful remarks my old friend and sister would make lingering behind me for the entirety of my walk.

"Wow, Izuku's so strong - he just stood up without even looking back at us. I'm so impressed!" Izumi laughed in a mocking tone.

It wasn't that I was trying to seem strong - they knew I was too weak to stop their bullying, or I would have done it by now - I wasn't sure how to respond.

What was I supposed to say?

'Nice one, guys! Really showed me up!' with a cheery expression?

That would only make me seem like an even bigger loser than they already see me as.

Moving forward was the only thing I could do, and even then, they still would find ways to put me down. There wasn't a single thing I could do to stop them from making fun of me. If I were to retort, they would just kick me or something; if I were to laugh it off, they would call me a freak or a masochist - and no one would explain to me what a masochist even was; if I were to brush it off, they would say I'm trying to seem tough and keep provoking me.