Storms of the Sky

brushing teeth - XVI

TW: v.mit, s..c.dal thoughts, d.ssociation, mention of b..ld, ab.se, d..th, implications of s..ual assa.lt

--Briar--

I vomit as my fingers burn into my skin. I feel it break slowly with my piercing nails.

I stand up shakily. My hands feel dirty and my mouth fuzzy.

I wish I had something to brush my teeth with.

I don't want to go back to Hadron. Who knows what he'll do to me when I come back with nothing? I don't want to find out.

I choke, my hand going up to my mouth again. Am I going to throw up again? No.

Tears start to spill out of my eyes. I choke again, this time recognizing the sob. This is bullshit. Why do I have to cry in an alley out of fear to even get the slightest sense of self again? It's like Hadron is in my head even when he's not here. He's controlling me all the time and I fucking hate it. I hate it. And I don't want it anymore.

I choke again, a laugh bubbling up in my throat.

I don't want to go back but I can't just stay here. If I go back empty-handed, Hadron will do something to me. And if I stay here, he'll find me.

I have to go after Bastet, don't I?

I bury my head into my chest, gasping for air. Tears soak the ground as I choke. It feels like claws are in my throat. It burns so bad. I feel like it's bleeding out.

I swallow down the claws. This is not the time to break down. I must start tracking Bastet.

Knowing Flare, he's aware I'm going to follow them. They're probably already out of Maylea, armed and everything. I spent too much time doing unproductive things.

I'll be lucky if I can track them, let alone catch up.

I groan as I take a step forward.

Stars dot my vision like pinpricks of sky. I grab my head. Ringing in my ears sounds more like hums. I shout as I grip the crumbling wall. Pounding feet make my head seem like a sky full of fireworks. I can even see them.

I gasp, the fireworks dissipating into ashes in the sky. I cough, snot gathering in my throat. I spit it out, able to breathe again.

"Fuck," I gag, straightening my back. At the end of the alley, I watch as people pass by. I wonder what they think of me. Too late to be anything sane.

I push my feet forwards, sprinting out of the alley. I knock into someone. They grab my arm as I rip away from them. My body falls over my feet as I run and run and run. It's more like tripping over and over but catching it just in time.

In a blink I'm catching myself at the edge of a tree. My hands dig into the large stripes in the bark. I glance around, confused.

Am I already at the edge of Maylea? Where should I even go from here?

If I'm assuming, then I'd guess the Meadow. A well, meadow, where Rings go to learn how to control and use their myth. Flare was big there before he decided to work for the Monarchy. He graduated with his Ring, the symbol of adequateness, at thirteen, I think.

I never got to graduate from the Meadow. The headmistress, or founder I guess, thought I was too "violent" for her school. To be fair, I was just floating between places dealing with the fact that both my parents just died. So, sorry Lady Sorrel if I was too violent for your dumbass commune camp.

I'm having a great time in the real world as you harvest corn and shit.

I gasp, my throat tightening as I run past a grove of overgrown bramble. I grasp my knees, bending over, heaving for air. My head was so messy I didn't realize I was making my lungs messy too.

"Ah shit," I heave, coughing. I blink hard as the fireworks come back "Well," I mumble.

My body hits the ground hard, needles and twigs cutting my arms. My head spins as I feel my eyes roll back into my head. Hopefully I'll die when I pass out. That'd make things easier.