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August quickly sat up as they gasped for air. Their hands were clutching their chest as they felt an aching sensation. Beads of sweat poured down their face as they attempted to steady their breathing.
After a few minutes of battling with their desperate gasps for air, August's breathing returned to normal, and they fell back into their creaky bed. Their thin sheets were damp with sweat due to their latest nightmare. Amazing. They could still feel the pain in their chest, but it wasn't as great as it was before. Their thoughts were consumed by their nightmare; the nightmares never simply went away when August opened their eyes.
August's descent into the horrid edges of their mind was interrupted by the soft light that shone through the tiny window that was across the room. As August turned to fully register the light that had saved them from exploring deeper into the dark shadows that had enveloped their mind, they saw what they always saw when they woke up, the mist. The mist was purple and red with specs of white that seemed to glow, almost like the stars August would see out of their small window. The mist was shallow this time around which August was grateful for.
August sighed as they sat up and shifted their position so their feet touched the floor which was consumed by the mist. As soon as their feet touched the floor, the mist climbed up their legs. August clenched their fists as they looked down at the mist that was slowly covering their legs.
“Stupid mist,” August muttered.
With a rough kick, the mist dispersed from August's legs and quickly faded from the room. The room was now back to its normal, empty self. The walls were covered in beige paint that had started to peel long before August was moved into here. With the absence of the mist, August could see the dark oak floors which were covered in dust. The dust seemed to never go away no matter how many times they cleaned the floor. Safe to say the room wasn't the best, but what do you expect from an orphanage in a poor town?
Now that the mist was gone, August turned their attention back to the window. The sunlight that shone through the window was the only lightsource now after the light bulb in their lamp died and was never replaced. No one dared spend too long with August, so it made sense no one wanted to take the time to replace the light bulb.
After a moment of hesitation, August got out of bed with a loud creak. They flinched as they felt the cold planks of wood. As time crept towards the winter months, it had been getting colder, and by no means was the orphanage heated.
They slowly made their way over to the window. Sounds of laughter could be heard as they crept closer, which made them quicken their pace.
They cautiously looked through the window to see the woods that surrounded the orphanage. Kids were throwing a ball that was slightly torn, playing with a jump rope that looked like it was going to snap any second, and playing hopscotch with sticks to outline the squares. Anyone who had grown up in an average home would feel bad for them, but August envied them. How they wished to be those kids enjoying the sunlight that beamed down on them even if it was a cold day.
As they continued to watch the kids below, August leaned closer to the window and put their hand to it. The window was colder than the floor, but August was too invested in watching their peers to care.
“If only,” August whispered as they leaned closer to the window.
The sound of a rock hitting the window broke August's daydreams of being normal. Their eyes widened and they stumbled back. They fell onto the cold floor as they slowly recovered from the shock. They knew the kids thought of them as a freak, but August didn't think they would throw a rock at the window they were peering out of.
The sound of laughter increased significantly, which August assumed was because of the rock that had just been thrown at them.
August should have been mad at the children, but they weren't. They were more frustrated with the mist, the way they looked, and everything about themself. August didn't have it in them to hate their peers because they hated themself too much to hate anyone else.
“You're laying on the dusty floor?” A harsh voice growled.
August quickly got up from the floor. Dust covered their grey, oversized clothes that they desperately tried to brush off. They didn't need to look more pathetic than they already were.
“I simply fell and hadn't gotten up yet,” August stammered quietly as they avoided eye contact. If only they didn't sound and look so weak.
“Look at me when I talk to you,” the voice hissed.
August looked towards the voice that came from the doorway. Standing in the doorway was a tall, lean man with brown hair that had strands of grey mixed in. His hazel eyes bore into August from behind his round, green glasses. Calling the man scary was an understatement.
“Sorry, ummm.” August paused as they searched their memories for the man's name. The man was new, so they hadn't learned his name yet. “Sorry, sir.”
The man just rolled his eyes and tossed a tray of food on the ground. The food slightly spilled onto the floor.
August was about to ask for something to clean it up with, but the man had already slammed the door closed.
Just another person August couldn't hate.
August silently walked to the tray and ate the food that was still on the tray. It was cold and soggy. They could tell it was leftovers from yesterday, but it was still food. They didn't really have the option to complain.
The day continued on like every other day, August cleaned the dust from the floor using an extra bedsheet. They knew it wouldn't do any good, but it kept them busy. Sometimes August would hear the sounds of the other children and the vague sound of music. August would hum and dance around their room along with the faint sound of music. It was a sad existence, but they didn't feel like they could complain. At least they were still alive, right?
August saw the sun sink slowly, and only then did they realize something. They turned to the tray that still laid on the floor. The caregivers hadn't given August lunch or dinner. Sometimes the caregivers would forget lunch, but they hadn't forgotten about both before.
A growl from their stomach made August frown. They wandered towards the door and pressed their ear against it. There were no sounds to suggest that the caregivers were around.
“Hello,” August called out.
August knocked on the door. They felt selfish for causing such noise, but they were hungry.
When August was only met with silence, they reached for the door knob. They doubted it would be unlocked, that would be dangerous for the people in the orphanage, so they were completely shocked when the door squeaked open.
The hallway ahead was dark and cold. August hesitated as they debated whether to continue forward to find some food. Another growl from their stomach pushed them forward.
As August made their way through the empty halls, the only sound was August's small feet hitting the floor. August had a strong feeling they were being watched, but when they looked around, no one was to be found. Soon, the sound of footsteps became overwhelming, so August began to hum to themself. They didn't necessarily know the song's name, but they had heard it through the orphanage walls, and it radiated a sense of comfort.
August was focused on their humming, but the sense of being watched kept increasingly. They had looked back many times beforehand and found nothing, so they didn't see any point in looking back until they heard footsteps that weren't their's.
With fear building in their heart, August quickly turned around to see a group of five kids.
“H-Hello,” August said nervously with a weak smile. “Nice.. Nice to see you guys. I was just… I was just getting myself food because the caregivers forgot to.”
The group of kids said nothing as they walked slightly closer. The group consisted of five kids of varying ages. The eldest one was a tall girl with black hair that ended around her waist, and the youngest one was a boy with brown hair that fluffed up around his shoulders; he looked around three years older than August.
The group crept closer, and August knew something bad was about to happen. August turned and attempted to run, but they felt the back of their shirt being pulled. Everything happened so fast; a fist to the face, a foot to the gut, and the taste of copper filling their mouth. August gasped for air and everything was fading to black. As August slowly lost consciousness, they couldn't help but think why the group of kids did this. Deep down August knew, and despite the pain, they couldn't hate the kids; they had no room to hate anyone but themself.
August’s eyes sprung open as they felt someone kick them. The caregiver from earlier was standing above them with a look of disgust.
August's body ached and they felt warm liquid in their mouth and nose. Everything was hazy, and August's hand shook as they reached out to the caregiver's leg which had just kicked them.
“Don't put your disgusting hands on me,” the caregiver barked as he pulled his leg away. His eyes narrowed as he looked down upon August.”Look at you, pathetically laying on the floor.”
“Kids....kids attacked me,” August stammered. They struggled to even speak with the blood in their mouth. “Everything hurts.”
“Serves you right,” the caregiver scoffed. “You were told to never leave your room!”
“But you didn't give lunch or dinner. I was hungry, and I just wanted to eat!”
“Don't blame me,” the caregiver roared as he kicked August.
August groaned as the caregiver's foot made contact with their stomach. Their body shook, and they felt like their body was on fire.
“How dare you even imply that this is my fault! You selfish child! No wonder you're so unlovable and pathetic! The only thing you're good for is to be a punching bag,” the caregiver hissed as he kicked August yet again.
“Stop,” August whimpered, “please.”
Despite August pleas, the caregiver continued to shout and kick them. August opened their mouth in an attempt to get the caregiver to stop, but instead of words, a purple and red mist poured out of their mouth. It was the same mist that they had seen countless times before.
The mist shot out and spread through the area. It crawled up the walls, and August could barely see the caregiver now. As the mist became thicker, August heard whispers, and they desperately put their hands over their ears.
“What are you doing? Stop! STOP THE VOICES,” the caregiver screeched as he stumbled through the mist with his hands over his ears.
August tried to get up, but their legs felt like noodles. They crawled towards the wall and used it to help them stand up.
The caregiver leaped from the mist and grabbed August's hair.
“MAKE THEM STOP!”
The caregiver shook his head aggressively like he was trying to shake the voices out of his head. The whispers in August's head were getting stronger, and they knew they had to escape.
Instinct took over, and they shoved the caregiver away. The man stumbled back and clawed at August's face as he fell. His head slammed into the wall before he slid down it, so he was hunched over. He whimpered before slamming his head against the wall again.
August quickly looked away as the sound of the caregiver slamming his head against the wall continued until it suddenly stopped.
The whispers in August's head turned into screams before the mist dissolved. As the mist vanished, August saw the caregiver. The sight made them want to puke, but despite their disgust of the scene, they limped over to the lump body. August reached out their hand towards the caregiver before they heard doors opening and footsteps getting closer.
August felt adrenaline surge through their body, and they began to run. They ran through the hallways as they heard screaming erupt from where the caregiver's body laid.
The cold wind made August's face sting as they realized the caregiver had given them a long cut under their left eye. They reached up to touch the cut. They felt blood get onto their hand while they continued to run through the halls trying to find the exit.
Soon, they saw the tall doors that led outside, but it was closed. August slowed down and desperately looked for the locks. There was so much screaming throughout the halls.
With a click, the door unlocked, and August slammed their body against the door. Despite the pain throughout their body, they ran through the woods.The screams continued, but they slowly started to fade as August ran further. So much pain, and it was all their fault. The only one they could blame and hate was themself.