Saving Athena ✓

10) Celestial

A t h e n a

I wake up a while later, I pray that I'll be back in my bed. That dad will be in the kitchen making me pancakes like we used to when I was seven but instead I wake up to the sight of my own blood on the wood floors.

Every move I made with my body was excruciating, my head was throbbing and my feet thoroughly burned with each motion I attempted to make. My eyes were stinging and my throat felt as if I was screaming for hours. The window was slightly open and I only saw a sliver of the dark sky, I was passed out for the whole day.

My phone was in my room, I attempted to get up but I slammed back down onto the ground, I seethed when I smacked my arm on the open glass fragments.

My pain was a river and I was drowning in it.

Everything hurts. My head pounded on itself and I cowered as I touched it lightly. Maybe somebody would notice my absence? Maybe somebody would notice I wasn't at work, maybe someone out there cared and would come and help me. I hope it'll happen even though I know it won't. Sometimes having false hope is better than having none of it.

My universe has plummeted to the ground and shattered. I grip onto the chair next to me as I bring my foot up slightly. I try my hardest to lift myself. My hand slips on the holder as I tumble back down to the ground. It takes everything within me to stand up, and when I do, fatigue hits me like a storm.

I blink harshly to get rid of the black dots, I grip the wall and tears fall down my face when I look at what dad did.

He completely ripped apart the house, everything in the kitchen is now on the floor, the cabinets tore open, the pantry door slid to the side as all the glass containers collapsed to the ground. The living room has couch cushions on the ground, glass mixed with blood everywhere, and the rug a strewn mess. The house is dark so I limp over and flick the lights on, it makes everything worse than what it already is.

I let out a sob and use my hand to cover my mouth as I limp to the bathroom, flicking on the lights carefully as I blink firmly to readjust to the bright light. I see myself and more tears stream down my face, my hair was knotted and matted, a prominent bruise ran along my cheekbones and on the button of my nose. My neck had a purple bruise on it and my feet were all cut up. A line of blood dripped down from my nose and onto my blue sweater, staining it. There was blood all over my clothes.

I'm the epitome of a disaster.

"It's okay," I whisper to myself, close to tears. "You're okay, it'll be fine." I push my back down the wall and open the bathroom cabinet, pulling out my first aid kit as I pulled out bandages and rubbing alcohol. I pour some onto a napkin but the second it hit my skin, I gasped and jerked my hand away. It burned too much, I'm already in enough pain.

I carefully took out the pieces of glass from my feet and arms before bandaging them up as best as I can. I gave up after a while and just sat there, unable to move because when I did, it hurt too much. I place the kit back and fight back tears before I can't, I bring my knees to my chest and sob quietly.

✧

A few days have passed and I haven't moved, afraid that if I do, dad will come back and it'll happen all over again. So I stay put until I can finally move again, I grip the sink and lift myself up, the bruise has softened a bit. I shakily reach over and grab a hairbrush, parting my hair as I ran it through my waist-length locks, it hurt and I had to actually put the brush down and take a break. I bite my lip to contain my wince whenever the brush ran through a knot.

I gave up on braiding it, I let it have its way as I stumble back outside. I sigh at the mess. My once clean house was now an utter disaster. The steamed carpets are now ragged, the fresh couches are now reeking of liquor and the spotless kitchen is anything but spotless.