Sequel: Attero Vicis ›
The Wasted Days.
Familiar to Him.
As soon as Jared’s car pulled up to my house I was out of the door and on my way to the front door. I dropped my bag in the kitchen and half ran all the way up the stairs into my room, where I slammed my door shut.
What am I supposed to do now?
“Salem?! SALEM!” Jared called out. I could hear the worry seeping into his voice. Why did he have to care so much?
I opened my door a crack as I heard him thundering up the stairs. “I’m going to take a shower.” I mumbled to him. I faintly saw his nod and his shadow moved away from the door.
I sat on my bed, just holding my small pile of clean clothes on my lap, staring at the pale pink wall in front of me. I glared at it for a second before turning my gaze to my left hand, still a gross shade and getting worse. Maybe I had broken it. My eyes closed and I leaned back on my bed, staring now at the ceiling. A crack ran from the light fixture to the wall and then another one came from the corner and made a spiderweb design near my windows. I ran my eyes along the small tracks until I became dizzy and decided maybe the shower should be taken sooner rather than later.
I sat up and heaved a sigh as I held the clothes tight to my chest and walked out of my room and across the hall into the bathroom. I could hear a TV blaring downstairs and I figured Jared had decided to entertain himself for a while. Good.
I pulled a small space heater out of the corner as a shiver ran up my spine. I turned it on high and waited for the room to warm a little before I pulled off my socks. I walked to the small cupboard and pulled out a big towel and then a smaller one and hung them on the rack right next to the shower.
Myself stared back at me until we both tilted our heads to the side and stuck out our tongues. I pulled myself away from the mirror as it slowly fogged up. Sighing, I switched the water so it came out of the shower head. I pulled my shirt off over my head and wadded it up before throwing it the short distance across the room. I then stripped down my jeans.
As I turned to check the water’s temperature something in the mirror caught my attention.
At first I thought it was just my hand, but then I noticed blotches all over my body. Purple-ish green blobs covered my entire right side, my shoulders, my knees…
They were everywhere.
The bruises were everywhere.
They covered my pale skin, completely dominating it.
Instead of wondering to myself where they came from I finished undressing and stepped lightly into the shower. Letting the steam rolling off of the water evaporate my worries. I hummed a song, as I tried to forget the horror in the mirror.
~~~
“Hey, Salem?” Jared called. I could hear his light footsteps as he slowly edged up the stairs. “You done in there?” He asked, closer to the door.
“Yeah, hang on.” I muttered, just loud enough for him to hear, before rubbing my hands down the towel, trying to dry my hair. I ended up giving up and slipping on the oversized T-shirt I’d brought in with me. I stepped out of the bathroom and Jared quickly rushed in behind me. I smiled as the door slammed before stepping into my room and brushing my hair with my door open a crack.
“I feel better now.” Jared mumbled hanging onto my door as he swung it open gently, watching me. I set the brush down and turned to face him. Debating.
Do I tell him?
“So, are you feeling up to the game tonight?” He asked me, grinning childishly.
I gave him a half-smile back. “I don’t know.” I drug out the words, really not knowing if I’d feel right by then. The alarm clock on my bedside table glared 1:24, and that meant there were still hours until the game. “Maybe.” I mumbled towards him, just to make sure that a smile would still grace his features.
“Good.” He walked into the room and sat at the edge of my bed. “Lexa called me and, what did I tell you, she’s back in school. She wanted to know where we were.”
I giggled at how goofy he was acting before sitting down. My legs instantly thanked me. “I take it you told her?”
“Oh, yeah! I gave her the whole low-down.” He exclaimed excitedly. “She really wants you to go, by the way.” He said off-handedly, his eyes shifting almost uneasily.
“I bet,” I muttered. I really never looked forward to his soccer games. This one may be one of the last of the season though, so I felt obligated to go. “Jare, I’ll make a deal with you.” I muttered before turning to look at him. His head whipped towards me. “If you can calm your ass down enough to watch a movie… or two… I’ll go to the game tonight.”
“That’s hardly a fair deal,” He pouted. “I was planning on doing that anyway,” and the smile was instantly back. I rolled my eyes at him before standing up and putting in the nearest movie. It happened to be an old Disney movie, and an animated one at that. I smiled and Jared scooted over on my bed, leaning against my headboard. I crawled under the covers he was sitting on top of and bunched the pillow underneath my head.
“Remember when we used to do this all the time?” Jared asked me as his hand subconsciously dropped down and started playing with my hair.
I nodded, knowing that he’d never really know how much I remembered those days; how much I missed them.
What am I supposed to do now?
“Salem?! SALEM!” Jared called out. I could hear the worry seeping into his voice. Why did he have to care so much?
I opened my door a crack as I heard him thundering up the stairs. “I’m going to take a shower.” I mumbled to him. I faintly saw his nod and his shadow moved away from the door.
I sat on my bed, just holding my small pile of clean clothes on my lap, staring at the pale pink wall in front of me. I glared at it for a second before turning my gaze to my left hand, still a gross shade and getting worse. Maybe I had broken it. My eyes closed and I leaned back on my bed, staring now at the ceiling. A crack ran from the light fixture to the wall and then another one came from the corner and made a spiderweb design near my windows. I ran my eyes along the small tracks until I became dizzy and decided maybe the shower should be taken sooner rather than later.
I sat up and heaved a sigh as I held the clothes tight to my chest and walked out of my room and across the hall into the bathroom. I could hear a TV blaring downstairs and I figured Jared had decided to entertain himself for a while. Good.
I pulled a small space heater out of the corner as a shiver ran up my spine. I turned it on high and waited for the room to warm a little before I pulled off my socks. I walked to the small cupboard and pulled out a big towel and then a smaller one and hung them on the rack right next to the shower.
Myself stared back at me until we both tilted our heads to the side and stuck out our tongues. I pulled myself away from the mirror as it slowly fogged up. Sighing, I switched the water so it came out of the shower head. I pulled my shirt off over my head and wadded it up before throwing it the short distance across the room. I then stripped down my jeans.
As I turned to check the water’s temperature something in the mirror caught my attention.
At first I thought it was just my hand, but then I noticed blotches all over my body. Purple-ish green blobs covered my entire right side, my shoulders, my knees…
They were everywhere.
The bruises were everywhere.
They covered my pale skin, completely dominating it.
Instead of wondering to myself where they came from I finished undressing and stepped lightly into the shower. Letting the steam rolling off of the water evaporate my worries. I hummed a song, as I tried to forget the horror in the mirror.
~~~
“Hey, Salem?” Jared called. I could hear his light footsteps as he slowly edged up the stairs. “You done in there?” He asked, closer to the door.
“Yeah, hang on.” I muttered, just loud enough for him to hear, before rubbing my hands down the towel, trying to dry my hair. I ended up giving up and slipping on the oversized T-shirt I’d brought in with me. I stepped out of the bathroom and Jared quickly rushed in behind me. I smiled as the door slammed before stepping into my room and brushing my hair with my door open a crack.
“I feel better now.” Jared mumbled hanging onto my door as he swung it open gently, watching me. I set the brush down and turned to face him. Debating.
Do I tell him?
“So, are you feeling up to the game tonight?” He asked me, grinning childishly.
I gave him a half-smile back. “I don’t know.” I drug out the words, really not knowing if I’d feel right by then. The alarm clock on my bedside table glared 1:24, and that meant there were still hours until the game. “Maybe.” I mumbled towards him, just to make sure that a smile would still grace his features.
“Good.” He walked into the room and sat at the edge of my bed. “Lexa called me and, what did I tell you, she’s back in school. She wanted to know where we were.”
I giggled at how goofy he was acting before sitting down. My legs instantly thanked me. “I take it you told her?”
“Oh, yeah! I gave her the whole low-down.” He exclaimed excitedly. “She really wants you to go, by the way.” He said off-handedly, his eyes shifting almost uneasily.
“I bet,” I muttered. I really never looked forward to his soccer games. This one may be one of the last of the season though, so I felt obligated to go. “Jare, I’ll make a deal with you.” I muttered before turning to look at him. His head whipped towards me. “If you can calm your ass down enough to watch a movie… or two… I’ll go to the game tonight.”
“That’s hardly a fair deal,” He pouted. “I was planning on doing that anyway,” and the smile was instantly back. I rolled my eyes at him before standing up and putting in the nearest movie. It happened to be an old Disney movie, and an animated one at that. I smiled and Jared scooted over on my bed, leaning against my headboard. I crawled under the covers he was sitting on top of and bunched the pillow underneath my head.
“Remember when we used to do this all the time?” Jared asked me as his hand subconsciously dropped down and started playing with my hair.
I nodded, knowing that he’d never really know how much I remembered those days; how much I missed them.