Broken Souls

Nightmare

Up on the sixth floor of the building, Estelle was pacing back and forth across the darkly tinted marble flooring. By this point, her feet were aching so badly that she'd thrown her shoes off to the side and walked barefoot. Her hair was up in a halfhearted and messy bun. Black makeup stained her cheeks from when she was crying and wiping her eyes. The only part of her that was still remotely intact was her dress. Even mentally, she was in disarray.

Thoughts rattled around in her head about the worst possible outcome for what she witnessed tonight. With every step she took, she could feel her heart aching. It didn't ache for Jiyong or Xandy at this point. It ached for her old self when she wasn't so emotionally destroyed. Visions of suicide flashed through her mind, causing her breathing to falter and burning tears to form in her eyes once again. Some days she wished for death and others she wished that she just wasn't...there. Not necessarily death. She just didn't want to be a lot of the times. She always knew it to be a painful and unforgiving feeling.

"Why am I so weak?" she whimpered silently, stumbling as she walked. Her hands held tight to the fabric of her dress that lay on her thighs. "What did I ever do to deserve this type of punishment? I know I'm not the best person in the world...But no one deserves a pain such as this." A lump formed in her throat as she spoke which caused her tears to fall quickly. "I can't stand being this way!" Her voice echoed in through the huge hall as pitiful sobs followed. "I can't live like this anymore! I want to be normal again!" With every word she spoke, her knees bent, bringing her closer and closer to the cold floor.

When she finally dropped to her knees, her body slumped forward. She caught herself with the balls of her hands to keep herself from falling completely on the floor. Her arms trembled as her sobs elevated in volume. She coughed harshly as saliva dripped from her mouth with her tears falling in unison. In a burst of anger, she began to bang her hands on the floor while screaming hysterically. With every blow, she shrieked louder and hit harder. She shook herself so hard that her hair fell out of the bun and fell to both sides of her face. "Why..." she repeated painfully now slamming the sides of her fists down onto the hard floor beneath her.

Jiyong stood across the room from behind Estelle where she couldn't see him. He witnessed her entire break down. His chest clenched as she shouted with such pain and suffering her voice. He knew all too well what she was feeling. His mind was telling him to comfort her but his legs never heeded his mental command. He was distressed just by watching the woman. "E-Estelle..." he choked out quietly, halfway hoping she'd heard him. Slowly, he took a step forward towards her which turned into a sprint. Once he reached where she was falling apart, Jiyong dropped to his knees in front of her. "Estelle..."

Estelle jerked her head up to reveal a tear and snot soaked face. Her eyes saddened even more when she realized she was looking at Jiyong. The brunette used the sheer sleeve of her dress to wipe her eyes and nose. "W-What?" she replied in a raspy tone. Her hands were swollen and red from the abuse they just endured.

Jiyong felt his heart sink into his stomach when he saw the grief tattooed across her face. The right corner of his mouth pulled back into a slight grimace when he laid his eyes on her hands. Feeling helpless, he grabbed her hands and cupped them tenderly. "I..." he began, looking into her eyes. "I didn't know it was this bad, Estelle." His eyes widened slightly at the sight of her bottom lip quivering. "Please don't cry anymore." He scooted closer to her on his knees to try and offer comfort. He gripped a little tighter onto her hands but just enough so it wouldn't hurt. "I can tell you that you're not alone."

Estelle sniffled softly as more tears rolled down her cheeks and onto their hands. "Why are you even talking to me? I hurt you when you were just trying to help me and calm me down." Her voice broke as she spoke. She began trembling once more at her provocative thoughts.