Hope

In an unbearable world of darkness there seemed to be a glowing light of a full moon. It reflected against the shards of my shattered mirror and manifested itself in the form of a boy. He wasn't bright to look at. In fact he was dark as well. The mirror he held had been broken before. Gashes ripped through it yet it was whole. Can it really be put back together again? It will never be the same but... I could see my face in his. It wasn't repulsing in his mirror. I reluctantly allowed myself to cling to the hope that he held out.

I arrived back home around nine. I entered the quiet house wondering what would happen. I had never been out so late before. 

"Do you know how worried we were about you?!" My mother's voice spiked with a hateful tone.

"How dare you come and go as you please!" my father's gruff voice added in, "We almost called the police!"

I gulped back pain and fear and tried to answer but I was too late and a cruel hand had already come across my face, "Go to your room!" my father pointed in the direction and I picked myself up off the floor tears stinging at my eyes, "You're grounded. You're to be either in your room or at school! Do you understand me?!"

Trembling I started to my room but he had gripped my arm right over my cut causing me to yelp in pain and fear, "Do you understand me?!" he restated, rage evident in his eyes.

"Y-yes sir," I scurried away from him the second he released my arm. I closed the door once I made it to the comfort of my room and I dropped to the floor in tears. I held my face with my hand letting the coolness of my hands ease the pain though my head throbbed and my arm stung. Through my blurred vision I saw the glint of metal under my bed and, though it was far away, I reached for it till sudden exhaustion caught me by surprise and I used my strength to crawl into bed. 

The next day was like any other yet I found myself rushing from the house early terrified to be there. This happened whenever I was hit. I'd fear and fear and fear then slowly trust it wouldn't happen and suddenly be called out for my stupidity. It seemed every time I was so sure that was when I'd be hurt again. It taught me, but not what I should be taught. It taught me not to trust anything because the second you do it'd become a lie when it should have taught me to flee my parents cruelty. 

I walked up the dreary sidewalk and into the school with my head down. 

"What happened?" Dalen's voice rang clear from among the crowd of people who were ignoring the teacher in homeroom. I hadn't even realized he was in this class until that very moment when our eyes met and he mumbled, "Never mind... don't even say anything. It's my fault."

His words cut worse than I thought they could. They cut deep into my heart. They didn't make everything better or worse. It was just no longer only myself against the world. Someone else had joined me and stood by my side. Someone dared to understand. Someone cared to understand. 

And suddenly it felt like I saw a new hope in the world, in life, and in him. I don't know how it happened so quickly. I know somewhere I'm just being stupid again... yet I don't want to let go of this shred of sparkling, dark hope.