All Alone In The World

ShadowMoonMLP

I walked into my first day of school on a cold, rainy morning. I was wearing a sweater, even though it was early fall, and much too warm for sweaters. I had to hide the bruises. My parents had fought again. I decided to attempt to break it up. It hadn't gone very well. I sneaked my way through the crowded hallways, praying I didn't bump into anyone and hit my bruises. Someone would notice if I winced. I reached my small locker and opened it. I was surprised to find a note in it. It read;
"What's it like, to be all alone in the world?"
"The hell?" I muttered, crumbling up the paper and tossing it into my bag. I heard snickers from what sounded like a girl behind me.

"What do you want?" I groaned, spinning around to face her. Ariella. The only girl who knew about my parents. Who knew my pain, my troubles. Who WAS my best friend. But we grew apart. She became my tormentor. Bullied me, harassed me constantly.

"Hi, Ari."
"Hey fat-ass. How's your miserable life going?"
She grabbed my arm and I winced in pain. She pulled up my sleeve.
"I see your parents are treating you well. Why do you stay with them? Why don't you go stay with one of your friends- Oh wait," her voice was laced with false sympathy," you don't have any friends. You're all alone."

She pouted, and pretended to wipe a tear from her eye.
"Poor little Cassi, all alone in the world,"
She smirked, her eyes filled with a venomous sparkle.
She laughed, and her group of worshipers behind her did the same.

She then walked away. At this point I was late to class. But I didn't care. I walked back down the now empty hallway. Went straight for the door, and went home. My mother was on the couch, watching TV. She payed me no mind as I slipped up the stairs, and into my small, dark room. I curled up on the floor (I didn't have a bed). I cried. And cried. And cried. I cried until I ran out of tears. I cried until I was just sitting in silence.
All alone.
Like I always was.

I sat there for a long time, until I heard yelling downstairs. My parents were at it again.
I got up, grabbed my purse, and my backpack, and walked calmly downstairs. Then I threw open the front door, slammed it behind me as hard as I could, and ran. I don't know how long I ran for.

When I came to a stop, I stood there for a moment, breathing in the crisp air. I looked up, and found I was at the park. The one my parents used to take me to. I sat on the swing set, and set my bags down beside me. Eventually I began to drift into sleep. I took my purse, and felt around until I found it. The paper. What's it like to be all alone in the world? I fell asleep, holding the wrinkled paper in my hand, clutching my bag to my chest. "What does it mean to be alone?" I whispered as I closed my eyes, and slowly faded into unconsciousness.

When I awoke the next day, I walked to school. I opened my locker, and there was another paper in it. I pulled the paper out and managed to shove the rest of the things into my locker. I unfolded the paper, and read it;
"What does it mean to be alone? What's it like being all alone in the world?"
I turned to find Ari and her "posse" standing behind me again.
"Well, Cassandra?" She said, her voice echoing through the now empty hallway,"What?"
"What do you want?" I asked, prepared to run away again...
"I want to know what it's like. What does it mean to be TRULY all alone in the world. What does it feel like?" Her enjoyment in my torture was evident, from the wicked glint in her eye to the evil smirk on her face.

"It's painful." I began. Her smile wavered slightly, not expecting me to answer. "It feels like I have nothing. Like there's this-"
I paused for a moment, trying to think of the right word, "void. Like there's a void inside me, that will never be filled."
"It feels like I'm empty inside. It feels like I'm lost. Like my soul is just gone.
It makes me feel like there's no point to living. Like I'm a waste of space. It makes me feel like no one will ever love me. Like no one understands. Like there's no one I can talk to, or trust." By now her smile had vanished, and she looked like she was going to cry. "It feels like I'm never going to be happy."
"We had no idea..." One of Ari's followers whimpered. "Shut up!", Ariella hissed. They all looked to be on the brink of tears.
"Ari?"
She swung around to face me once more.
"Y-yeah, Cass?"
"I'm sorry."
She began to cry silently. I already was.

"Wh- why the hell are you apologizing to me? I'm th-the one who w-was so mean..."
"I'm sorry for whatever I did that ended our friendship. If I was too clingy, or annoying, or-"
"No!! You were never..."
"And," I continued, " I'm sorry for being such a waste of space. I'm sorry for being worthless... I should've tried harder to be a good person. To be one people liked. One people wanted to be friends with. I wouldn't have stayed if I knew you all hated me so much."
"Cassi-"
"Bye, Ari."

I turned and walked away. I walked down the empty hallway. Out the front door.Back to my house. I could hear my parents yelling inside. I threw open the door. My parents looked up in surprise, but only for a moment. My father had a knife in his hand. He went back to yelling. He lunged for my mother. I jumped between them, and immediately felt a sharp pain in my stomach. My father looked at me. His jaw dropped, and he quickly backed away. I fell back, and my mother caught me. And they both just stared in shock. They didn't call a hospital. They didn't try to take the knife out. They didn't try to save me. I felt my mother slowly sink to the floor, still holding me in her arms. We sat like that for a few minutes.

Something wet hit my forehead. I looked up to see my mother, crying. Her head jerked up, and she glared at my father. I could hear her yelling, but it sounded so distant. So far away. I think she told him to call an ambulance. I could feel myself slipping away. I looked up at my mother once more. She was sobbing. I looked over to where my father was screaming into the phone. I watched him slam the phone down then run over to me. He fell to his knees and cried. I could hear him moaning, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry" Over and over. And it got more and more quiet. More faint. Until I couldn't hear at all. My vision continued to blur. Finally I'm free. Maybe I won't be all alone now. I smiled weakly as I closed my eyes, and drifted off, into the darkness.

When I woke up, there was a boy waiting there. He looked like he was my age. Kinda tall, thin. He was sitting at the end of the bed I was in. He was shaking slightly, and it actually looked like he was... crying. I looked around me. I was in a white room. There was a small, old looking door on the wall opposite from me. I sat up, groaning slightly, and put a hand over my stomach, where I'd been stabbed. The boy jerked his head up, and stood up. He turned around to face me, then quickly slid over to the side of the bed and sat on the ground. He had bright, kind brown eyes and shaggy brown hair. "Are you okay?!" his voice was full of concern, and it was reflected in his eyes.
"I- ... I think so, yeah. Where am I?"
"This place has no name."
"Oh."
We sat in silence for a few moments, then he spoke.
"My name's Ethan."
"My name's Cassandra. But everyone calls me Cassi."
"I know your name, but It's nice to finally meet you, Cassi." He said, smiling slightly.
But then he started to cry again.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm so sorry..... I never thought it would end like that..... If I had known maybe-"
"What? You aren't making any sense. What's ended? What are you apologizing to me for?"
"I'm...."
He sighed, wiping tears from his eyes.
"I'm your, uhh, "Guardian Angel""
"So... I did die."
He immediately began sobbing again.
"Yes! And it's all my fault! I'm a terrible angel! I should've never let that happen to you! I'm so sorry!"
He jumped up onto the bed and tackled me in a hug. He sobbed into my shoulder.
"I'm so, so sorry." he whispered. "I didn't know it would end like that..."
"You don't have to be sorr-"
"YES I DO!" He sat back, so he was sitting at the end of the bed again.
"I'm you angel. I was supposed to protect you... I was supposed to keep you safe."
"It's not your fault I died," I whispered.
"I'M the one that took that knife for my mother, even though my parents treated me horribly. I KNEW I was going to die if I did... And it's okay. I... I wanted to die."
"No. You shouldn't say that..."
He grabbed my hand in both of his, his eyes still brimming with tears.
"But I did. I was all alone in the world. I had no one. Nothing to live for."
He looked up, and my green eyes met his brown ones.
"Neither did I. That's why when I saw you, I signed up to be your angel. I wanted to try to make sure you were safe and happy... I didn't want you to suffer like I did. But I've failed you..."
I hugged him tightly. "You didn't fail me. Thank you. So much. For watching over me."
He pulled away and looked at me. He smiled, then got up. He walked towards the door, then said, "Well anyway, we should get going..."
"Where?" I asked, getting up and walking towards him.
"Home. Will you come with me?" He held out his hand.
I stared into his eyes uncertainly, not sure what to do. Finally, I grabbed his hand, and he pulled me into a hug once more.
"I promise, you'll never be alone again. Not in this world, or in any other."