Serenity.

T H R E E • C u r i o s i t y S a v e d T h e C a t.

Picture of Damien Callahan on the side.

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I couldn't sleep. I expected this outcome but it still sucked. The alarm clock beside me currently provided the knowledge that it was now almost 1:30 a.m.

I just lay there staring up at the smooth blank ceiling as images of my mother continued to flash in my mind like a camera. The tears caressing my face had become a part of me, therefore I didn't bother to wipe them away. Permanent tear stains.

I told myself I didn't cry, but ever since she left, that statement no longer applied to me.

I pictured her stern but sweet looking face. I pictured her hands hugging me for comfort. Any memories I could remember of her played in my head as the fear of forgetting was causing a build up of anxiety in my heart.

It was hard to force myself to be strong. I knew it was normal to cry, I did but it still made me feel like I'd just lost a battle each time my eyes leaked. It was a repeating battle, one which I couldn't find it in myself to overcome.

Standing up I slipped on my jogging bottoms, a hoodie over my tank top and my converse before casually walking down the stairs to the front door.

Clearly the cautiousness to avoid being caught was lacking in my movements which is why it was anything but a shock when a voice appeared behind me.

"What's wrong? Where are you going? Are you okay?" The concern in his voice caught me off guard as well as angered me slightly. Who gave him the right to be concerned?

"I'm sure you slept well all these years without any knowledge of where I was so I'm sure you can carry on with that same routine." I spoke harshly without turning around.

Not waiting for a response I opened the door surprised that it was actually unlocked, that couldn't be safe.

"You should lock your doors at night by the way, just a tip" I yelled making sure that my voice held no hint of concern but a simple nonchalant tone.

The bang of the door startled me as I ran from the house.

After endlessly running in an undiscovered direction, the bus stop finally greeted me which caused relief to flood through me. I didn't actually know where I was going but you know, you've got to hope that you'll reach your destination at the end.

Wow, sleep must have been lacking entirely in my system if that thought just occurred in my mind.

After approximately 30 minutes of sitting there with an air of seemingly transparent depression, the bus arrived. I clambered onto the bus and paid the bus driver with the last of any cash I had on me. Sitting near the back of the bus, I then noticed that except for me, there were only three other humans present on the transport I was currently abiding on.

No destination in mind I decided to stay on the bus until the last stop, which I could already tell was a terrible idea waiting to happen. As my eyes scanned the world outside of me I rested my head on the window. There was minimal light in the sky which provided me with the knowledge that it had now reached early morning, around 2 a.m.

As the bus halted probably due to the common red light, I dropped my head. The deep aching of utter sadness seemed to grow with every passing second. A feeling of an unfamiliar pair of eyes burning deep into the side of my head overcame me. I slowly lifted my head towards the window wondering why it was taking forever for the light to turn green and I was met with a pair of eyes covered in the colour blue staring intensely at me through the window from another bus. I stared back confused until he suddenly stuck up the middle finger, a goofy look placed on his face.