It was cold and I was soaked. I felt awful. "Just a few more steps," I kept telling myself. And by steps, of course, I meant miles. Ten miles. I've done it every month for as long as I could remember. Why did it seem so hard now? I didn't know. But I did know that I had to keep walking. Help was nearby. Just a little longer. I wonder why I'm in this mess in the first place? I guess I'll never know. I finally arrive and knock on the door. It opens slowly at first , and then so quick it's scary. "What the hell are you doing here?" "John please. I haven't eaten since the last time I saw you." "Fine. Come inside, but don't say a word. I'm not in the mood to listen to your begging." John invites me inside. I enter quickly and quietly, as if hoping to seem invisible. "Destiny, stop acting like I can't see you," he says. I quickly stand up straight and look him in the face, observing his every detail. He's changed since October. It's December now. He's grown a bit of a beard. He seems taller and more muscular. He got his hair cut. Recently. And dyed black, too. Much more suiting than its former light brown. His green eyes are starting to run over with gray. Almost half and half, almost a blend. Most girls would consider John quite attractive. Me, however? I don't have time to be attached. I need to focus on blending in. On planning the future. On survival. "So what do you want this time?" I stay silent. What if he's just like father? I'm covered in enough bruises and cuts and welts..."It's okay to speak," he says, his warm monotone very assuring. "Food, clothes, a shower, a place to sleep for the night. The usual," comes my meek, sheepish reply. John turns on the light in the kitchen and I instantly shy away. I'm not very used to the light. I've been in the dark for so long that everything's sharp as a tack. And if I feel like it, I can use echolocation. But in the slightest bit of light, I'm blind as ever. I can barely make out John's blurry figure. It's moving closer. I can hear him. I can feel him breathing. I can smell him. It's too close. I make a bolt for the nearest dark room. It happens to be the bedroom. I hide in the closet and quiet my breathing. I've done this before, too many times. "Destiny? Destiny come back!" I hear his calls, but I stay put. They become more desperate and pleading. Eventually, I come out of my hiding place. John looks somewhat worried. He's studying my face, somewhat intently. He asks out of nowhere' "Destiny, what happened to your face? You look like death." I know exactly what he means, even though I'm not allowed to look in the mirror. My face is covered in bruises of different colors. I've got scars and wounds too. My reply is simple. "Mother and father." "Oh my god. Destiny. Why?" His words are full of sorrow and sympathy. I simply shrug. After he calms down he asks if I can see okay. He's turned off most of the lights so I say, "Yeah, why?" He tells me that my left eye is completely destroyed. He reaches his hand out to my face and does something I can't see. When he is finished his hand is covered in blood and filled with broken glass and shards of metal. The glass wasn't a shock. It was the metal. That's what got me. I ran for the nearest bathroom and puked my guts up. Not that there was anything in them. A few minutes later, John comes in and asks if I'm okay. I'm only as okay as I can be, stomach acid burning my throat and all. Then he does something totally unexpected. He pulls me into a hug. A long and warm hug......and I don't let go........
