Volume 3
Mending
Kami stared blankly at her reflection in the smudged mirror. It was her eighteenth birthday the next day and she was still contemplating her waning youth being ripped away from her just as quickly as it seemed to come. She absently fingered the fresh gash on her arm that had already stopped bleeding and now was merely an open hole on the girl’s forearm. Her mind was so blurred that she could barely remember what set her off. From her vague recollection of the event, she gathered that she had felt so numb, so restless and disconnected from reality that she had to inflict pain simply to feel something other than sadness or rejection. She went into the living room cautiously, her eyes darting frantically from left to right. No one was there to witness her inevitable descent into madness as the sharp blade of the butcher’s knife glinted in the sunlight as it hovered vengefully over her arm; the bloodthirsty blade seemed to whisper to the girl wickedly:
“Go ahead. Cut away, no one will know, you will use a sweater to cover it up anyway.” The words played over and over in her head until time itself seemed to slow down as the serrated edge made contact with Kami’s scarred skin. She managed to make one small jagged cut before a hand gripped the knife and threw it to the other end of the room. Kami’s head snapped upwards as Brandon hoisted her face to meet his eyes. The once bright and yet gloomy eyes of the boy were now clouded with rage and utter sadness.
“What on earth are you doing Kami?” Brandon asked confusion and anger quite evident in his expressive voice. The girl’s tortured eyes filled with painful tears as they met those of her first love. She then sank limply into the boy’s arms. Loud sobs seemed to resonate uncontrollably through the girl’s body as every emotional wall she had ever established seemed to come crashing down around her
Brandon blinked a few times before pulling her close into his chest and wrapping his arms around her protectively. A swift updraft made its way through the open window in the large kitchen and as a result the young girl was wrapped in Brandon’s hoodie as she took a few shaky breaths in an attempt to calm her nerves. Brandon ran his slender fingers gently through her hair to try and soothe her.
Finally after about half an hour later, Kami’s breathing slowed into soft rhythmic sighs as she was claimed by sleep. Long red streaks could be seen from the corners of her eyes to the bottom of her chin. Her boyfriend carried her bridal style over to the couch, covered her with a few blankets and watched her sleep for a few minutes before climbing up to the windowsill in her room, jumping out and making his way home.
