Drowning

Prologue

Sometimes it feels as if you're drifting in a sea of days, slowly blending together. Time seems to lose itself and everything seems the same. You struggle to swim, to survive, but your chest keeps on clenching painfully and you feel yourself suffocating. It's hard to breathe. You feel as if you're drowning, even though you're above surface. Nobody looks your way, wanting to help. That's the worst part, kieren thinks, needing help but nobody is there for you to give it. He was all alone, and that thought alone makes him choke on nothing, feeling darkness drag him deeper into the sea of despair. He felt lost, everything was the same yet he felt so utterly lost. Kieren felt like his mind was screaming for help, he just couldn't speak those desperate cries. He couldn't say the words himself, no matter how hard he tried. He sat emotionless on his bed, wanting to cry but no tears would come. So there he sat, in the pitch blackness of the night, feeling so much pain yet feeling nothing at all. Feeling trapped. Feeling all alone.

Across campus, a young man was crammed in a corner. He was clutching his hair, trying to stop his shaking. He, too, felt similar to the little artist. He felt like he was being swept away by the cold harsh reality of the world, trying to keep his head above and just breathe, but he couldn't. He had nobody, his only friend was a needle Simon so craved for. He could almost hear his familiar pal calling out for him, giving him empty promises of making everything better, at least for a short while. Simon so wanted to deny it, but it was so difficult. What else was he to do? But instead of moving, he stayed where he was, clenching his hair painfully and shaking. He stayed like that for what felt like years, though it could have only been a few hours, wanting somebody to save him from the current that seems to pull him deeper and deeper into the dark ocean. All Simon wanted was a helping hand to hold him above water, at least long enough to breathe.