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The beauty of nature would always grab Alejandro by the throat, forcing him to sit and stare at it in awe. The enthralling nature of odd things the Mother Nature would do captivated him, leaving him sitting at the end of the bed and watching the lightning strike. It was a thunderstorm, but the thunder never came. Lightning struck, each bolt unique from the rest.
No rain fell, no thunder sounded. It was gorgeous. He found himself counting the time between each strike. Often, it was merely milliseconds. He thought of how those actually experiencing the storm felt.
The thought soon spiraled into thinking about Total Drama. That horrid show. He compared the hell they experienced and the joy people got from watching it to his current situation. Alejandro is currently feeling happy while those out a few miles away are losing their homes to lightning strikes. Trees could be falling and crushing people, and he sits idly, calling the storm beautiful.
A silent thunderstorm is always loud to someone. Just as the suffering he felt was deafening, others found it a humorous topic. The thought was like a tick digging through his skin. His eyes fixed on the dance of lightning outside his window. He didn’t feel guilt for his actions on the show. It was closer to shame, an uncomfortable awareness that his suffering and his thoughts became entertainment.
His intolerance for others was ratings gold. His betrayals, his anger, his lies all broadcast and fed to a hungry audience who clawed at the screen, hoping for the next episode to be out sooner than later. Hundreds, possibly thousands, likely laughed when they saw his pain.
A particularly brilliant flash of lightning illuminated the room, and Alejandro’s face hardened. He shouldn’t think about this now. He has school tomorrow. The same place he’s practically been shunned from since he appeared on the show and revealed his true nature. His loneliness had only been exemplified after the season aired. Perhaps he was the storm people watched from a safe distance.
The thought made his chest feel tight. Alejandro pushed his hands through his hair, trying to shake it off. He didn’t like this introspection. It felt too raw, too honest. He was supposed to be above this. A master of his own narrative.
Away from the cameras after his lying nature was revealed, he had no one to impress or deceive. He felt uncomfortably human. The storm was his punishment– it exists to amuse whichever gods hate him enough to leave him to his own thoughts.
Another lightning bolt stabbed through the sky, a light rumble heard after a few seconds. The storm was approaching. He let his shoulders react as he laid down onto his bed, surrendering to the divine that loathed his existence. He was a mere mortal, he couldn’t stop the storm. If it wanted to decimate him and everything he’s ever loved, he had no control. He’d leave the world to burn.
Maybe that’s what it deserves, for laughing at his suffering.