012
The sun was still buried far down
into the ground
when I woke up
to the sound of
rocks crumbling.
I wonder what would have happened
if I carelessly jumped off my bed
that next moment.
I’m far too careful;
I peeked over
the edge of the blanket and,
boy, I did not like what I saw.
My bed was teetering off of
a seemingly infinite precipice.
It was just brown lines,
dead branches and
falling pebbles.
This was a trick,
absolutely.
Clarence, Judith and Bruce
were the type to do something like this;
but I still couldn’t help but wonder
if my demons
had finally caught up
with me.
That wasn’t why I screamed.
I screamed because of the claw marks
that were slowly manifesting
across my back.
It hurt like the fire must have hurt
Scorch’s cheeks.
Once my skin had been thoroughly
ripped open
the bed tilted until it completely
slipped off the edge.
Wood cried, spraying splinters
at my face,
I screamed louder,
dust clogged my throat.
I woke up with my ankles sliding
on the cold tile floors
and my arms
numb
from being pulled down the hall
by two strong pairs of arms.
“Ice bath—now!”
“Appears to have clawed herself severely…”
“I need more bandages!”
My eyes were shut until my skin
was met with freezing cold liquid.
Floodlight ceilings.
Blurred labcoats.
“Ma’amma’mareyouokay?”s.
I nodded faintly,
trying not to vomit
as my muscles tensed
against the cold.
They wouldn’t let me out.
My eyes
and my elbows
and the crooks of my knees
were all being stabbed
by the cold.
It
hurt.
It hurt so much.
But they held me under;
they told me that it would
help.
Sadly,
I believed them.
I sat in pain until
I felt nothing
and I couldn’t even feel
my heart beating
and pumping blood
into my brain
and I sat in pain as
they hefted my limp body
out of the cold
and I sat in pain and
watched as
Clarence, Judith, and Bruce
stood in the corner.
They were laughing at me.
