Tomorrow Will Be Kinder (Watty Awards 2012)

I: Turmoil

I walk along the pothole-filled road, cowering in my jumper, hood raised over my head against the forceful winds and torrential rain. 

The storm is delivering a beating to this rundown town like none it has ever seen before. Rain pouring from the sky, drowning everything below, while gale-force winds rock the decrepit old cottages to their cores. The once joyous and colourful streets have been transformed into one long shade of grey. 

There’s not a person in sight on this cold, horrid winter’s evening. 

I shouldn’t have done it. 

I know that now. 

I understand. It was horrible, wrong, and foolish. 

In other words, not me. 

I squeezed my eyes shut as the freezing raindrops tried to fight their way into my stinging eyelids. 

This was probably my punishment. My punishment for the appalling acts I had executed. 

I couldn’t help it though. You must understand. 

It was as though, once I saw her, my world just – snapped. 

A billion pieces of my existence, bursting out of my head, shooting up into the dark sky. 

A billion emotions, folding around each other, twisting and curling up through the house, through the minds of all the inhabitants. 

Excitement. 

Loss. 

Confusion. 

Rage. 

And I don’t know how, but somewhere along the lines of frayed, indistinguishable thoughts in my mind, something clicked, like a trigger, and suddenly I was shouting down the house like it was World War Three, turmoil ripping its way through my body. 

I grit my teeth, blinking rapidly as the memory rushed back to me after its brief absence. 

And then, I had let it all out. 

My horror and sorrow, having never known anyone like her. 

My anger and rage, at her never having been bothered to check with me before running off on her own. 

My complete and utter puzzlement as to why she’d thought I’d be okay without her. 

It was only the look on his face that caused me to stop. And even then I was panting, beads of sweat running down my face, various furnishings scattered and broken across the room, and nearly visible scars on her body from where my hurtful shrieks had struck. 

Momentarily forgetting her pain, I turned to lock eyes with him; except he’s gone, replaced with the shadow of a ghost, barely a trace of his old self I’d grown so used to in his grey eyes. I glimpsed well-hidden emotions behind those round irises, though – bucketfuls of shock, astonishment, sadness, fear and… pain?

I’d hurt him? 

How? 

It wasn’t as if he could… want her, could he? 

Could he? 

It was then that I broke down. To disappoint someone you love is a horrible crime, one that wreaks shudders through all your body and chills down your spine. And as a punishment for myself, I did what any normal, irrational sixteen-year-old would do. 

I ran. 

Past her, past him, through the door and out onto the road, bolting down the muddy street, then the next, not stopping for several kilometres. Only one thought ran constantly through my mind. One shining, burning thought that blocked out everything else: the sky darkening, my feet blistering, my drenched black hair tangling around my hips. 

It’s her. She’s back. It’s her. 

She’s back.  

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HAY HAY HAY!!! NEW STORY!!!  

So no, this isn't going to be a big one like Stones is ahaha!!! Just a short story idea I've had for a while... :) Think of it as a filler story, while you wait for Stones to be uploaded. I'll write this during the week, since the story's not going to be too long, and hopefully you'll all enjoy it :)  

Please vomment!!! Even if it's just a random smiley face or something, it really, honestly makes my day.   

Picture on the side is Maysilee ;)