This is a Safe Place.

Withdrawal

Claire was peacefully sitting at home, alone on her spinny chair in her studio, and was typing away at a paper for her awful English teacher.

Claire thought she heard a noise so she took off her blue headphones and paused the current recording.

She listened for some noise, something that would've alerted her to her surroundings. She didn't hear any noises, and went to place her headphones back onto her head when she heard it, knocking at her front door.

Claire knew full well she shouldn't answer the door while she's alone, and when she knew no one was supposed to be at her house, but she felt like she needed to open the door, she felt a sense of importance. She felt like the world was twisting and flipping, not in a bad way, just in an odd way, something was off.

Claire walked to her red front door, placing her hand on the cold, gold knob. The sudden cold temperature sent a chill up her spine, although she had been sweating, and cold at the same time all day long. She unlocked the door and swung it open, allowing the cold air into the house.

At first, the girl didn't see anything, but felt a tug on her shirt, making her jolt backwards, and glance down to the owner of the tiny hand grabbing at her shirt.

The first thing noticed by the bright red haired girl was the boy's hair, a golden brown, a little shaggy, but clean cut at the same time, then his giggle, he was laughing at her for some reason, then she looked into his eyes, his bright blue eyes with the little rings of gold in them. Will.

Claire recognized the boy as her bestfriend, her boyfriend, Will. Of course, the Will she knew was a teenage boy now, this was only a little kid, maybe seven years old at the most.

"Wi-" Claire tried to croak out, but was stopped by the giggling boy.

"You hurt me." The boy said, his giggles slowing and eventually halting all together.

"What? I wouldn't hurt you, Will. You know that."

"You hurt me, Claire. You hurt me... you hurt me... you hurt me..."

The boy repeated the phrase over and over while rolling up his sleeves and reaching his hand into his pocket.

"You've destroyed your body, Claire..." The boy said, pulling the familiar silver object from his coat pocket, "Now I destroy mine."

The boy took the razor and violently slashed at his forearms, giggling the whole time.

"Will!" Claire gasped and reached out to grab the boy's arms.

As she reached for him, the boy dropped the razor.

"Do you see, Claire? Do you see how it hurts?" The young boy yelled.

His body, once dripping with innocence, was now frail and fragile, the dam of innocence was dry.

The boy's arms dripped with blood, the droplets falling onto the concrete underneath of the boy. Claire felt like throwing up.

"You know what I need you to do, Claire."

Every time the boy talked, it sounded so condescending and agitated, yet so pain filled that it made her listen to him. She wanted to listen.

"Go on." The boy said, waving his bloody arms in a 'shooing' motion.

Claire left her front door open, stepping away from the small child and walking mindlessly into her bathroom. It felt less like she wanted to listen to the boy and more like the boy had control over her.

She stumbled into her bathroom, feeling a sudden wave of intense nausea. Again, she left that door open and pulled the razor from her cabinet, sitting down and hovering the razor above her arm.

The small boy walked into her bathroom, his bright blue jacket sleeves now rolled down over the cuts on his arm, no blood to be found.

"You hurt me..."

Claire placed the razor against her skin.

"You're killing me..."

Claire slid the razor across her arm, the crimson liquid appearing in little beads out of the rift. One.

"You've destroyed your body..."

Two.

"Look what you've done to us, Claire."

Three.

"This relationship is fake..."

Four.

"Do you really even love me..."

Five.

"I hate you..."

Six.

"Your parents hate you..."

Seven.

"You've done this again, Claire, you messed up for the last time..."

Eight.

"Do you even believe I really care about you..."

Nine.

"You've killed me... you just killed me..."

Ten.

Claire glanced up at him as he rolled his sleeves up again, a mixture of their blood blood pooling on the ground in front of the two.

"You did it again... you're gonna leave me."

"N-no I'm not, Will I promise..." Claire choked out, suddenly gagging, about to throw up.

She flung herself towards the toilet and emptied her stomach, sitting on the floor, her head resting on the toilet bowl, and shivering.

"You've destroyed your body, Claire... look at yourself."

Although Claire had recently gotten out of the shower, she was going to need another due to the blood and vomit covering her body.

The boy turned and walked out of the bathroom.

"Will! W- wait..." Claire tried to stand, but started to gag again, vomit threatening to come up. She sat back down, deciding that a hallucination wasn't worth the fight.