The Lonely Raven

Chapter 1 - Scars from the Past

Waking up to the sound of rain against the windows and the bitter cold pinching her toes, Raven had no choice but to get up. Her pasty slender body crawled out of bed as she hugged herself to remain warm. Winter was slowly approaching and this reminded Raven of the anniversary of her mothers disappearance. Her green eyes slowly glazed over with tears and her long nails dug into her skin as she slowly wept to herself. The clock struck 8:00am and the chime echoed throughout the apartment bringing Raven back to reality. Tears could not bring her mother back but Raven was too broken to move on.

Raven's icy fingertips pressed against the tall mirror that was loosely attached to the chipped painted wall. Her pale skin and the cold winter season made her scars visible. Scars from her past, without her mother Raven felt useless and couldn't deal with the pain. From her wrists to along her stomach, one little scar turned into 10 and then 20... What was a common habit has now since stopped but the scars are a painful reminder.

With the bad weather, the streets were empty and not a soul was present. The morning sunrise was covered by the clouds, the London streets were left wet and gloomy. With no one around, Raven decided to go outside for a walk. A quick warm shower and a change of clothes and she was ready to brave the outside world. She wrapped her fingers around the umbrella. The soft fabric against her skin made Raven feel calm as she grasped the door handle to step out into the lonely corridors of the apartment building. As she turned around to lock the door, faint footsteps echoed down the corridor. Raven quickly tug her hands into her back pockets in search of her rusty apartment key. The footsteps seemed ear piercing to Raven, the closer they got the more she panicked. Her heart felt like it would burst any second and a hot sweat erupted across her body. Without any hesitation, Raven grabs the key from her back pocket but is quickly stopped by the sense of a presence behind her. "Good morning, Raven" said in a cheerful voice. Raven's anxiety made her feel reluctant to answer. In a soft tone that was barely a whisper, "morning..." was all Raven could say. She slowly turned around to reveal it was her neighbour, Poppy.

This was not their first meeting, Poppy has always wanted to get close to Raven. This proved to not be an easy task but Poppy did not know about Raven's difficult past and was not prepared to hear it either. Raven glanced at Poppy and noticed her damp clothing, she had just returned from a walk. Her cheeks slowly began to turn red and her dirty blonde hair was drenched by the rain. From further examination, Raven noticed her beautiful blue eyes but they appeared to be bloodshot and slightly stained mascara just underneath. Raven only assumed she had been crying but decided not to question it. Raven was interrupted by her thoughts by the voice of Poppy, "if I was you, I would stay indoors today" Poppy said with a smile. She was aware that Raven was lonely and would benefit from someone to talk to. Raven didn't answer but only because she doesn't know how to. With little socialisation, talking is one of the many difficult tasks Raven has to face each day. A faint smile creeped onto Raven's face and Poppy asked if she could come in. Raven quickly nodded to say yes and slightly pushed against the door to open it. They both walked in and Poppy smiled to comfort Raven. From a quick glance, Poppy saw Raven's legs shake and her cheeks were blushed due to her shyness. Deep down inside, they both knew this would be the start of a new friendship but both were not prepared about the struggles they will have to face.