Fluorescent

She was tired.

Tired of all the yelling.

Tired of all the cursing.

Tired of the abuse.

Tired of the grief.

Tired of the warm tears soaking into her skin, overwhelming her and making her feel lost. She remembered a time when home was as it should be - a home. Now it feels like a prison, making her feel broken and unloved.

She glanced at her phone. No new texts. Her boyfriend who used to be her source of comfort and care left her, and she was torn. He left, but her habits remained. She constantly checks her phone with a sliver of hope that he might text. Oh, how she missed him. Why did he have to leave? He made everything somewhat bearable.

Unplugging her earphones, she lied down on her bed and shuts her eyes attempting to get some sleep. Something aches, and she realized a faint bruise she didn't notice before. Nothing new. All the injuries on her body put together couldn't compare to the hurt she feels inside.

Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, a loud scream wakes her up. She hears crying and yelling. She knew right away her little sister was getting beaten. Most likely for something completely irrelevant. Her sister probably left a dish unwashed and now she was getting punished as if a criminal.

It stings. She wants to go help but she knew her interference would just inflict more pain onto both of them. Pulling the covers over her head, she shut her eyes tightly and mutters a prayer.

She looks at the clock. Almost midnight. She crept out of her bedroom slowly, cautiously avoiding any noise to be made. Everyone was asleep. Her mother, satisfied. Her father, too scared to do anything. And her poor little sister, her sniffled weeps lulling her to slumber. She was confident that they would all stay like that till dawn.

Returning to her bedroom, she fetched a pair of old boots and a thick jacket. Then proceeded to unlatch her window pane and push open the glass. She carefully climbed down the walls, which were quite easy to scale since she had done this many, many times before.

The cold air ran through the back of her spine. Walking onto the pavements, she was greeted by the warm radiance of the fluorescent street lights. Hands her in her pockets, she strolled slowly, humming soft lullabies that she somehow still remembered from when she was a young child.

She wasn't afraid of the streets at night. This was where she found solace. Just like how she pushed the glass windows, she pushed her thoughts and feelings away. She loved the fluorescence. The orange glow it cast in the darkest hours of the night. It calmed her.

There was a time when she thought she could drown her sadness and grief in the lights. Hoping that when she would return home from the late night walks, she'd feel happy. But her demons can't be drowned.

They know how to swim.