Following Traditions of the Ones Before Us

The Hard Times

Dusty's P.O.V.

The tournament that everyone gawks over is almost around the corner. I've been training nonstop. I wanted to be prepared. I was still a bit out of it after all that's happened over these past few months. By training, it helps me focus on other things than everything that's happened. My birthday was coming up too. I let out a sigh as I held the punching bag. "Another year without mom," I mumbled to myself. I'm turning fifteen, meaning it's been eight years since mom died. I decided to call it a day with training. I unraveled the wrappings around my knuckles that protected my hands as I punched the bag. My knuckles were getting blistered from all the training I've been doing, a bit bloody too. I groaned as I looked at them. They're going to kill me now. It's gotten worse with the bruising, blistering, and open sores. They always tell me not to push myself. It's like they're treating me like a child. I threw the wrappings into my gym bag and headed out the door.

I put my headphones on so I could drown out everything with music. The first song that comes on is one of my favorites. Take Me Home by Boys Like Girls. It makes me think about my life and how things could've been. I took out my scroll and unlocked the door, walking in. No one was there. That was odd. It was a Saturday morning, meaning they're usually still in bed or at least in the room. No one was even in the bathroom. Spooky. I closed the door and threw my gym bag to the foot of my bed. I grabbed some clothes from the bureau and headed into the bathroom to take a much needed shower. The room filled itself with steam as the hot water flowed from the nozzle. Once I stripped down and threw my sweaty clothes to the side, I climbed into the shower. I never thought that a shower would feel so good as it did right now. The water flowed over my body, releasing the tension that built up in my muscles. I took my time and still managed to keep my shower to be no more than ten minutes. I wrapped my body in a plush towel and walked over to the sink counter. I wiped the mirror from the vapor, revealing the pitiful sight of my reflection. My ears went flat against my head as I cried internally. I look like a complete mess! I turned the faucet on and splashed warm water on my face.

After that, I finished up in the bathroom. I left my hair down, not bothering to do anything with it. I wore a black long sleeve with a pair of baggy jeans. I pulled my sleeve back just enough to reveal the destruction. My skin torn, my wrist scabbed over from injuries. Mom would kill me if she found out. Not to mention everyone else. "I'm going to be screwed when they find out about this," I muttered. I pulled it back down and walked out of the bathroom. Still no one was here. I wasn't going to question it. I needed some alone time. I threw my gym clothes into my hamper and collapsed on my bed. I stared at the ceiling for who knows how long. Eventually I turned on my side, facing the picture of the five of us. My ears drooped as another wave of depression consumed me. I felt completely numb to the point where I couldn't feel a single thing. It was like I lost the sense of touch. I sat up and did what I shouldn't have done. I fished out the shard of metal from my gym bag and walked into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind me. I grabbed the first aid kit from under the sink before I did anything. Once I had everything set, I pressed it to my skin, breaking it. Crimson liquid rose to the surface as I shed some tears. I let the blood drip into the sink. Plip. Plip. Plip. That was the sound that each drop made once colliding with the sink bowl. Once I had enough, I cleaned up the wound and disposed of the evidence. I stuck my head out of the bathroom, finding that it was empty in the room. I ran across the room and hid the blade again in my gym bag. I pulled at my sleeve as I made sure that no one could see anything. I decided to read my book again. My feet carried me over to my bed. My fingers curled around the book's binding as I took it out of the drawer of the nightstand. I placed my headphones back on my head and listened to my music as I read. I completely lost all sense of time and what was going on around me.