Dusk Town

Chapter Twenty-Seven

I opened the curtains slightly to catch a glimpse of the sunrise. I saw how the once solemn city at night became busy again. People were rushing towards the train and buses to get to their work. I like how mellow the streetlights at this time of the morning. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I'm sorry. I am so sorry that I took away my mother's genuine and warm smile as well as my father's laughing eyes. By not speaking up, I pushed my mother to the darkness. I made her want to kill herself. Depression can really kill someone and it doesn't stop there. Death doesn't stop the constant sadness. It's a cycle that keeps on going until the end of time.

"You okay Quinn?"

Tom asked while feeling cozy on his bed. We decided to adopt each other. He said that he's the one taking me in and not me. He has so much pride in his furry body. It's nice to have someone around. That night when I got home late and I even brought Tom with me, Max was furious that I didn't even send him a message that I'll be late. My phone died and I always forgot to recharge it. I bet Sky bombarded me with so many text messages and calls or maybe not.

Max went back to the camp a few days ago so it's just the two of us. Tom surprisingly has fully adapted to a home cat's lifestyle. He has been lying down, watching TV, eating and napping all throughout the day. When Max saw Tom for the first time, he thought he was a girl and Max instantly grew fond of him.

"What do you want for breakfast, Your Majesty?" I teased.

He stood up on his legs and walk straight to the comfort room.

"How many times have I told you that you should walk like a normal cat from Earth?"

"It's just the two of us so why should I care?" Then he closed the door.

I told him before we went home that he should start meowing and walking with his four legs. I swear when I heard him meowed for the first time, I fell hard on the floor for laughing too much.

"Better hurry up because I need to take a shower!" I shouted.

Today is the resume of classes. I'm on my third year in college, taking up Bachelor's degree in Education.

It's been a while and I didn't think about reaching this stage back when I was young. I really thought I was going to die earlier than I should. I always have that intuition or maybe I'm just being paranoid.

Sebastian left for good, I think. I still think about the things he said to me in Aletheia. I bet you enjoyed it that's why you can't say no. I am scared to hear those words from everyone but I think hearing it coming from Sebastian's mouth is more frightening. He said it to me like he's looking straight into my soul. I am terrified of him, again. I don't think I can face him again without reminiscing my past. I know that I should confront my fears in order to move forward but it's not easy as I thought it would be. I have to embrace my shadow in order to be free from all the things that haunts me at night. Well, I guess staying away from each other could do the trick. Perhaps I can forget everything and move on if I don't ever see him again.

"Both of you always do this to me." Tom suddenly said out of nowhere.

"Who are you referring to?"

"I know that you know who I'm talking about. Both of you are always keeping your mouth shut about the things that bothers you. Why can't you guys say it to me? Both of you should learn how to share your burdens with others. The weight from your chest could lessen even for a bit if both of you decided to talk. That's all it takes Quinn. Tell me something, please?"

I didn't tell everything to Tom and Trent when Sebastian appeared out of nowhere when Violet tried to kill me. They found me on the chair trying to put up a smile with a swollen eyes when they both came back from Dusk Town. They both asked me what happened and the rest is history.

I know he has been so curious of my past. He once tried to ask me about it but I failed to tell him. It's fair to tell him everything because he had seen and heard enough about us.

"I know you're dying to hear how I created Sebastian, what really happened that I made a demon out of desperation. I was eight years old when I was sexually abused. He was my mother's adopted brother and I killed him. They changed my name and my hair color just so I look different from the real me. The incident drove my mother crazy until one day she was driving our car while my father was sleeping beside her, she crashed the car into a big tree. I basically killed them too. My brother who was physically abused by him is serving in the military because he told me he wants to protect me instead of following his real dream. In simpler terms, I made him forget his authentic self. I was carrying all of that for a very long time and I just want to be free from it. I want to sleep at night without thinking of how our life became a tragedy just because I failed to defend myself. I went to a lot of therapies and that's how I forgot Sebastian."

I touched my cheeks to feel the warmth of my tears but there are none. I said those things like I'm telling someone else's story. Why am I not crying? Why do I feel distant from myself? Why do I feel numb?

"I'm sorry that you went through a horrible thing in your life. Stop sulking because you should be proud of yourself that you survived. The only solution that I can see is that you have to reconcile with everyone or everything that reminds you of all the things you want to be freed from. You've come this far so don't give up yet. I know you can do it because you're so much stronger than you can ever imagine." His soft little paw touched the back of my hand. "Can I hug you?"

He seldom display his affection overtly and when he do, it just feel so warm. It felt nice to be comforted and understood by someone. I closed my eyes and hope for the better.