To the Next Hour

Chapter One - Holo

((Written by Zippy105

I looked at the sky far above me, domed and sloping towards the horizon. Veins of pink clouds crisscrossed the void, intermingling with the specks of crystalline diamond stars which hovered there like fireflies, dancing slowly across the sky with the slow turns of the Earth.

I took a deep breath and appreciated the warm summer breeze ruffling my curly brown hair. I felt the hard shingles of the roof below me and ran my hand across the hard tarmac, feeling the detail in the material. I smelled a faint hint of pine in the distance mixed with freshly cut wheat that the farmers had harvested in the field.

I sighed and blinked away the tears forming at my eyes. I hated my life. I constantly had a reminder of how much everyone hated me, how they kicked and spit on me. I rubbed a bruise on my elbow gingerly, as if my skin was delicate and could break on contact like thin ice. I rubbed my eyes until they were sore and I couldn't bear to open them anymore. I closed my eyes tight and began to sob. I cried and cried, those taunts echoing in my head.

Stupid furry!

Skinny little snitch!

Miss Goody Two Shoes and her dumb hobbies!

My heart started skipping beats and it became harder for me to breathe as saliva and snot filled my mouth. I swallowed the lump that had seemed to form in my throat and took a deep breath, wiping my tears away. I thought about all those quotes that those dead Chinese people had come up with like, a billion years ago. Bitterness welled up as I thought about one key factor; these people were smart, but they didn't know what it was like to be tortured by your peers every day to the point where you didn't want to live anymore.

I scooted towards the edge of the roof towards the oaken tree and reached out with my hand toward the branching leaves. I felt the soft leathery texture of the veins running through the leaf, giving it life force. I just wished that something like that would come and save me.

I took a deep breath and stood up, the breeze playing with my hair and brushing away my tears. I glanced at the deepening indigo sky and caught the faint whiff of a coming storm on the wind. I couldn't bear it anymore. Everything and everyone seemed to be happy and carefree, living perfectly normal lives in comparison to me.

I was garbage. I stank of the grief of something I didn't know of. I looked like a pile of bones covered in pale skin; I was ugly. My heart was bitter. I hated everyone because of how they treated me. I couldn't forgive them.... But maybe I wouldn't have to.

Slowly walking towards the edge of the roof, I tore my gaze away from that beautiful sky and looked down at the ground two stories below me. I stood there for hours. I imagined how I would fall onto the ground, how my bones would snap and my spine would break, how my muscles would be torn from the impact and my organs would be impaled by my shattered bones.

Clouds began to roll in as the sun's light faded. Thunder rolled and few fat raindrops landed on my face. I winced at the cold droplets and closed my eyes, facing towards the sky. A light drizzle began to fall as darkness set over the land. I opened my eyes again and looked down at the ground, shivering as the water soaked through my overalls.

I took a shuddering breath and stepped forward. I experimentally lifted one of my feet and let it hover over the edge of the roof. I felt like I was walking on air as I slowly leaned forwards.

"They think suicide is cowardly," a low voice with a strong Australian accent spoke out behind me. "But I'll tell you what's cowardly. Hurting someone so much that they want to end their own lives."