One Month Before

 I opened my eyes to the warm rays of the sun and took a few moments to consider what I would do until the next night. “Another ‘normal’ day", I said, gathering the strength to get up.

  Already in the bathroom, I splashed water on my face a few times, becoming partially awake.

   Looking ahead, I saw my reflection in the mirror with disdain.

   A young boy, with black hair reaching his shoulders, eyes as dark as inevitable darkness, and the same look as always... anguish... and hatred.

   With no options or choices, I went down the endless stairs, took a sip of coffee with a slice of bread, and prepared myself, just like that, for the day after the previous one.

   I left home toward the school, which was only a few hundred meters away, and halfway there, I let out a sigh as I came across him... Drake.

   “Good morning, Ky... nothing like a new day, right?” he asked in a loud tone, approaching and wrapping his left arm around me.

   I remained silent, knowing exactly what awaited me. My always expressionless face carried a sense of repulsion toward that boy, who had always looked at me with disgust.

   Waiting for his next move, I positioned myself lightly and waited. His fist seemed slow and easy to dodge, but even so, I allowed it.

   A punch struck directly against my face, making a crack that halted the steps of countless people around us. Some looked at me with pity, others seemed to despise me just like Drake did.

   I took a slight, almost imperceptible step back as I received his punch, allowing it to land while avoiding any real injury.

   On the ground, I gave a look that made my thoughts clear to the boy... the deepest hatred.

   “Arrogant as always... Ky", he said, watching me from above, feeling like an emperor.

   I stood up as if nothing had happened and continued to observe him, while I managed to control my emotions, avoiding any slip or impulse.

   I couldn’t fight back, so I waited for what he would say.

   “Let’s go..". he said, turning toward the school.

  “Nothing new today..". he whispered, as if he didn’t want me to hear, but I did anyway.

   During our walk along a wide street with little movement, we passed countless trees that had just begun to bloom. I felt a pressure coming from the young man ahead of me. Drake, my “attentive friend", was staring at a girl with the same cynical look he had shown me, as if he were doing her a favor just by looking at her.

   The girl ignored him, pretending not to have seen him. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like they would interact at that moment but Drake... never forgets a face.

   Inside the classroom, the teacher, who constantly watched me with sharp eyes, said, “Did everyone completed the assignment given last week?”

   I closed my eyes, cursing internally for having forgotten.

   “I will ask each of you questions related to the topic to assess your mastery", I could see his eyes passing over everyone present. However, for a brief moment, I saw him smile coldly as he looked at me... and there, I understood the situation.

   The teacher, who seemed to read my mind, left me for last.

   When he stood before me, there was a moment of silence, only for the slender man to adopt a serious expression as he observed me closely.

   “Did you complete the assigned work?” he asked, standing over me.

   I stood up and said, “No, sir... the reason for that…” I tried to explain before being abruptly cut off.

   “Don’t come to me with excuses. If you are incapable of completing such simple tasks, perhaps you should simply leave the institution. We have no need for incompetent lazy people", he continued.

   I kept my eyes closed, holding back my anger for a second and regaining my composure before sitting down again.

   “Stay after class... we will have a conversation", the teacher said, ending our exchange.

   A few hours passed, and I heard the bell, which for everyone represented lunchtime, but for me, just another ‘casual’ conversation with that man.

   Minutes passed slowly, and what felt like an eternity later, I heard the signal marking the end of lunch. A time I had spent listening to lectures, completing the forgotten assignment, and watching an adult eat in front of me without a care.

   I regretted not having had a proper breakfast and moved on to the next class.

   I had no energy left to focus on studies, so I followed the classroom changes until the end of the school day.

   At sunset, I met Drake again as we headed toward our homes.

   “Hey", he called in a complaining tone, “are you listening to me?” he shouted.

   “Yeah... what?” I asked, ignoring the part I hadn’t paid attention to.

   “Forget it... but changing the subject..". he said.

   Drake gave a slight smile and murmured words that would never leave my ears:     

   “Do you want to have some fun?”

   That had never happened before. Our idea of entertainment was obviously very different, but I knew exactly what would happen if I refused… and I didn’t want to go through that again.

   I remained silent, which Drake took as confirmation.

   We left our usual route and walked away for a few minutes. I watched the beautiful sunset, thinking I wouldn’t make it home before nightfall. Meanwhile, I noticed the absence of other people in the area, but I ignored it.

   He stopped, signaling for me to remain silent, and carefully unlocked the door. I tried to imagine why, but I had no idea.

   From the outside, it was just a small residence, but inside there was nothing—only emptiness and a few pieces of furniture that seemed unused for years.

   Suddenly, I saw Drake pull what looked like a large rug that blended perfectly with the dusty floor, but what shocked me was what came next.

   A removable block that would lead us underground. He had to use considerable strength to move it, and then pointed for me to go down, smiling “kindly".

   I nodded in agreement, and from that moment on, I knew there was no turning back. No matter what I saw or heard, I would have to face it head-on, so “that”... would not happen again.

   We descended for a few seconds, but we were already several meters below ground, meaning:

   “No one will hear us", Drake said, as if reading my thoughts.

   At last, we reached a small, poorly lit and suffocating cubicle.

   “Ky, welcome to my personal nuclear bunker, but I prefer to call it... the room of joy,” he said cheerfully, as he stepped on the last stair.

   When I reached the bottom, I saw a young girl with beautiful white hair, sitting on the floor and whispering inaudible words. What shocked me at first was not the fact that she was on the ground despite the available seats, but her bruises on the right side of her face, on her stomach barely covered, and on her exposed thighs.

   Drake then cast a look of disgust at the woman and said, “We have a guest... make the preparations".

   She offered me a place to sit and quickly moved to the corner of the room.

   I remained silent, shifting my gaze between the two, trying to analyze the situation as best as I could.

   The girl moved along, feeling the walls as if she could not see well, and retrieved two glasses filled with what seemed to be alcohol, finally kneeling between us.

   The robust young man in front of me, who also wasn’t old enough for such things, took a sip and spat in the girl’s face. “I told you to bring the best, you useless thing", he finished, slapping her across the face. I tried to ignore it so that something worse wouldn’t happen, restraining my anger.

   She ran to the other side of the room while murmuring apologies, opened a small refrigerator, and filled our glasses with another drink, never looking directly into Drake’s eyes.

   He took another sip, which slightly reddened his cheeks, and pointed at the drink in my hand, casting another look toward the girl, who had once again sat on the floor.

   We remained silent for a few moments until he stood up again. “Well... isn’t it time for some fun?” he said, grabbing the girl by the arm. “So... hic... I saved you for this moment... hic... I hope you can entertain my guest".

   My eyes widened as I understood what would happen next. I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth, trying to control myself... when he began.

   That cruel human tore her clothes from the torso, exposing the little unmarked skin she had left and I turned my face toward him, with a sharp gaze, and asked, “What... are you doing?”

   “What do you think?” he replied, without the slightest remorse.

   Without wasting any more time, I looked one last time at the expression the girl showed... despair.