Days Passing By  

School was no longer an option after I got released from the hospital, at least not for a while. Instead, I had to focus on earning enough to get by since I couldn't rely on my junkie aunt to take care of me or even pay for the small apartment we were living in right now. Cramped together in this place, we're both always on edge.

Oftentimes when I had off of work, I could hear sudden knocks on the door before my aunt went to check on who it was. From what little I could hear as I kept pretending to be asleep on the couch, she was doing sexual favors to these men in return for money and drugs.

Thankfully, however, she never let those men inside and only did what she had to outside the apartment. In the meantime, I often cleaned up the place as well as did some market trips to stuff some food in our fridge. Having learned my lesson from my mother, I kept my money well hidden so that my aunt wouldn't steal it to buy drugs instead.

Even still, the time finally came for me to go back to school. Not because I wanted to but because of something else.

"Oi…" Lunged onto my shoulders, I could smell the booze on her breath. "Who told you you can leave? Who's gonna clean up when I'm back from my visit to those boys?"

Resting her face right by my neck, she brushed her lips against my skin. Breathing down my ears, she drew deep breaths while her heart pounded like a piston on the back of my body. As I tried to move forward, she forced me back into her clutches. Running her hands down my chest, she nuzzled up by my shoulder with her teeth hesitating to bite me.

"I can't miss school today, Miss Yuuko warned me that if I don't show up, the school won't let me attend the finals," taking her hands off my chest, I quickly paced over to the door. "I'll make sure to clean up and do the laundry even when I come back."

Trying to open the door to leave without giving her another glance, I was struck with a solid object that she'd thrown in a fit of rage. Turning around, I saw her hands folded together as her pale skin fumed with a crimson glow.

"I said, STAY!" Stomping her feet on the ground, she undid the loose belt that barely held up her jeans. Letting it fall to the ground, she began walking towards me in just her white panties. Her fingers clutched tight on the belt, she jerked it around like a whip as a threat. "You're not leaving me, I won't have that. I can't let you LEAVE!"

This wasn't the first time she was freaking out in this way, and I knew to some extent what to do to calm her down. Letting go of the door handle, I took off my school bag and threw it onto the ground. Then with my hands held forward, I moved closer to remind her who I was.

"Aunt Akeno, it's Daichi, okay? I'm not your ex-boyfriend, he's not here, alright?" Getting as close as I could, I carefully grabbed the belt out of her hands. "I'm not grandpa either, and I'm sorry about what did to you and mom, bu-"

I had no clue what happened next, all I felt was a cold pair of lips and some kind of liquid shooting in through my neck. By the time I woke up, it was already morning. Looking around, I found my clothes scattered all over the floor, and a small note taped to my naked chest. It read…

'I didn't know what took over me, but before I knew I'd already crossed the line.' The note made me feel tainted. As if I had done something wrong, something despicable enough to make me vomit. The scratches, the bite marks, and the bleedings, I wanted to strip my whole skin so I could escape this damned reality. 

'Why? Why? WHY?! WHY?! WHY ME?!' Still throwing up in the bathroom I could no longer endure the torture. Looking straight at myself in the mirror, I took one deep breath and began bashing my head against it. Shattering the glass into my skin, it didn't take long for me to begin bleeding, and yet, the nightmare just wouldn't let me end things. 'School…I wonder if Miss Yuuko talked to Hero, and whether Akane is still in a bad mood?'

Trying to distract myself from my destructive thoughts, I decided to go on to do what I couldn't do yesterday. Having had no contact with Akane or anyone from school, I had no clue what had happened there since I last went there. Perhaps it was time to go and look, maybe things are better on that front?

Although I knew I shouldn't expect much at all, I still wanted to cling onto some hope that things were bound to get better, if not for me then for the others that I've left behind.

"Dammit…Where's my phone?" Thinking about leaving for school, I wanted to get my things together, but the very first thing, my phone was nowhere to be seen around the house.

I checked every pocket on my clothes, as well as under the scanty furniture, but no matter where I looked I just couldn't find my phone. After I kept on looking for a while, I gave up and decided to head to school first and worry about everything else later.

'In all honesty, my aunt could've taken my phone with her so I couldn't call anyone when I woke up.' Since it was the only thing that made sense, I kind of just assumed that she'd taken my phone. 'Or she could've pawned it for some cash for her drugs.'

Expecting the worst, I accepted the fact that I might never see it again. Looking back on it, had I known where it was, and why it was taken away from me, I might've killed my aunt way sooner…