Considered Insane: How They Saved My Life (NO LONGER UPDATING)

Chapter 9

I lay on the floor, too stunned to move as I stare into the box, my eyes welling up with tears that overflow and rain to the floor with soft pats. The plastic binding and cover of my sketchbook reflects sunlight from the window into my eyes, blinding me temporarily. I reach forward into the box with a shaky hand, gliding my fingers across the surface lightly before I wrap them around the thick book, pulling it timidly out of the safety of the box.

Before I realize what I am doing, my fingers flip through the pages, and I eye each sketch that should be burned and ripped to shreds beyond repair. Every pencil mark, every smudge, is exactly where it was left before it was ruined. But there was also something new, a picture I never drew since I never liked to draw myself. There, in the back of the sketchbook, is a picture of me, perfectly drawn and lightly colored in shades of gloomy blues and greys. In the picture, my head is bowed, my arms folded over my abdomen, holding the opposite arm each and covering old scars and new cuts. Rain lightly falls around me as my own, personal cloud looms over my head and showers me with pain and regrets.

I look up at Gerard for the first time since opening the box, shock and awe in my eyes, words unable to form on my lips, "how did you-"

He just shakes his head, unwilling to answer my questions. I look back down at the beautiful sketch and back up at him, a curious look in my eyes.

"I drew you there, and it sends a message. But, the one on the back sends a stronger one," Gerard whispers, placing a hand on my back and nodding to the sketch.

I let my gaze fall once again to Gerard's drawing, lifting the page with trembling fingers to reveal the back. I let the tears flow as my eyes fall over the newest picture of me, full of life and color. Every color and shade imaginable illuminated my new body. I stood in the picture with my arms raised above my head, holding bright purple guns like the one from the killjoy picture of Gerard. My hair glows in bright, shiny blue wisps as the wind carries it across the picture. I wear a mixture of colors on my body that form the shapes of form-fitting clothes, sporting some tall, black, leather boots with zippers crossing

from one side to the other. Appearing to swirl around my body are the words Na Na Na in a string, winding around and disappearing above my head.

I whip my head sharply to stare at Gerard, amazed at what he has drawn of me, "Gerard it's beautiful," I whisper.

Gerard nods slowly, "In there is a thousand promises that I am making, only a few that I will actually share with you verbally. You might find out the others later, though."

I look at him as if he had hit me with a bus, but leaving love and safety instead of broken bones and bruises, "We will be making promises. Starting right now."

"Okay. We will each share a promise, and I will go first," he says, holding his hand out to me to help me up from the ground.

I take his hand, pulling myself from the floor to come to a stand at his side, clutching the sketchbook tight against my chest as if I would lose it again. We slide out of the art room hand in hand, silently walking back through the halls and up a flight of glass stairs. We come to a stop in front of a set of glass doors with silver handles, and I slide my hand over one to reveal what the doors won't.

Inside is a spacious room with a large bed in the far corner, surrounded by more walls of windows. On the nearest wall is a large bookshelf, filled with a large variety of books in shape and color. In the back corner is a small desk with an orange lamp, papers and pencils laid out and ready to use. My jaw drops at the amazing sight of the one wall that is covered in more paintings by Gerard.

"This," Gerard waves his arm to indicate the large room as a whole, "is your room. I hoped you-"

I cut him off as I race for the bed, jumping as high as my short, skinny legs can allow, and land on my bed with a soft thud, bouncing high into the air and sailing to the other side.

"You are such a child Skye," Gerard sighs, surprising me as he sprints full speed and crashes onto the bed next to me. "But so am I."

We look seriously into each other's eyes for a split second, grey meeting hazel, before we erupt in laughter and begin rolling around, enjoying our childish fit.

"Okay," he sits up, breathing heavily. "Down to serious business."

"Right, the promises," I mumble, pulling myself up and leaning into Gerard's shoulder.

"Like I said, I will go first, and you are only allowed to hear a few of my promises, and I get to hear some from you."

"Okay, shoot."

He sighs again, lighter and almost inaudible this time, "I promise that I will," he pauses, as if this is the hardest thing ever. "That I will never drink alcohol again. I am a severs alcoholic, but seeing you so happy now makes me feel like I don't need the alcohol anymore. So I am quitting."

I wrap my arms around him, squeezing with joy and love, "thank you, I'm so glad you're giving up alcohol. I really don't want to see you so drunk, even though I never have before today."

He stares at me and whispers, "thank you," before letting me unwrap myself and face him. "I promise to stop hurting myself, and to be a better person. You know, fix my attitude and all that. . ." I trail off.

"Good, I was hoping you would say that, Skye. But," he pauses to dramatically flick his black hair from his face, "never lose too much attitude. You gotta have some sass, right?"

"Right," I laugh, smiling like an idiot who just saw the funniest movie ever.

"Okay, Skye. I promise to never leave you. To never let anyone harm you ever, and to keep you safe forever. It is a big promise, but I am definitely sure I can keep it, because I am never letting you go back to that hell," he whispers, and I believe him fully. A strange, guarded look crosses over his face, but it is gone as fast as it had come.

"And I promise to never let you go, even for a split second. I won't let you feel hurt over anything," I pledge, feeling more tears well up with the strength of the promise and emotions emitting from me to him and him to me.

A strange sense of warmth falls over me as look up at Gerard, unblinking. Instead of staring like a fool, I spread my arms open to give him a hug, and he falls into me, beginning to sob once more. I rub my hand along his back to soothe him, calming his cries and causing him to fall quiet. After a few moments of holding Gerard in my arms, I slowly lay back down onto the bed, curling up against the safety of his being. He wraps his arms around me and we lay there, drifting off to sleep in our safe haven, encased in glass and art.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Sorry for the short chapter, I kind of have a lot to do in so little time, and this wasn't such an important part lol. Love you guys!!

~DeliciousFicticiousKilljoy