Hell-Borne

Leo's Outlook

Lyric opens her eyes to see Ace hovering over her, asleep, she looks at the tear soaked jacket Ace gave her, Lyric looks to see two stitches up his arm.

Ace opens his eyes.

"You finally wake up." Ace says.

"Look who's talking?" Lyric shot back.

"Visiting hours are over." The nurse says.

"Please let me say goodbye, he's my brother." Lyric says.

"Leo is sleeping right now, so he won't even notice you're gone." The woman reassures.

"Thank you." Lyric says before sadly walking downstairs and down the hall, Ace follows her.

"Hey, if you want....we could go to my house...." Ace suggests.

"Let me call my aunt Naomi first." Lyric says.

"Ugh...I left my phone at home." Lyric says.

"Come on." Ace says, he goes over to his car.

"Stay here." Ace orders.

He pulls his car in, Lyric climbs inside. Ace continues to drive down the road, she rests her head against the window.

It's Sunday, Lyric brushes her hair. For the first time, her mother walks in behind her, sober.

"Mom!" Lyric gasps.

"What are you doing to yourself?"

"I wanted to....go to Nadine's house for her birthday...."

"I'm going straight to the point. You're too big to wear that, look at your thighs."

"I thought it looked pretty good on me." Lyric says shyly.

Diane laughs.

"Baby do me a favor and slap yourself silly, when do you ever look good in a dress? Lyric put away that pride, like your daddy told me before you were born, stop trying." Diane says heartlessly.

"I thought you didn't love him..." Lyric says.

Diane laughs once more.

"Love...is a silly thing, it isn't real." Diane says.

"Why are you so negative?"

"Lyric, I wish that everyday...I never got pregnant. And you're about to make everyone wish that you didn't wear that dress." Diane says. She walks down the hall, grabbing her syringe.

Lyric runs to the bathroom, locking the door, she gets on her knees in front of the toilet as Diane played her pop music.

Lyric shoved two fingers down her throat, forcing out her grilled cheese sandwhich, her cookies Nadine gave her. Her throat burned as she forced the food out of her body.

That was the very last time her mother spoke to her while sober and the first time Lyric made herself throw up.

"I'm sorry Lyric." Ace says.

"Don't be." Lyric says.

Ace stops at his house. He leads her out, he pulls her close to him, he opens the door, leading her upstairs to his room.

"My Mom..." Ace begins.

"Don't talk about it if you're uncomfortable." Lyric says.

"You need someone to relate right now." Ace says, he takes a deep breath.