Chapter 1:

Depths Of The Sea

Faulty Defectives


-6 years earlier-

"I'm gonna be late for the swimming competition, crap! I have to run. Oh no the stoplight's red. Though, there doesn't seem to be any cars so what the hell." Right then and there, during the blazing summer of June is where I made the greatest mistake of my life.

*Bam*

Beep... Beep... Beep...

"He woke up! Quick, call the doctor!" I woke up hearing the voice of my mom telling my dad to call the doctors. The doctor spoke to me and bearing bad news,

"His left leg... He might not be able to walk again." A truth so hard to bear came ramming at me. I looked at my fractured leg and couldn't move it no matter how hard I tried.

I realized then that what the doctor said was true but still chose to disbelieve. Because the fire of a young soul I had within me back then burned bright and made me falsely believe I would walk once more. I started secretly walking at nights in the hospital so I wouldn't get caught.

I started practicing walking with my right leg while using my hands to grasp the wall and support me. Although I was limping, I was making progress.

But the bad luck I thought was already over and didn't think much of at first, taught me a lesson on realism that night. I caught my parents holding a piece of paper as my mother cried and was in deep stress. My guess was it was the hospital bill.

I came back to my hospital room and slept in total silence. I hated my legs for not being able to work and I was frustrated, "Why couldn't I have waited for the green light? This all wouldn't have happened if I just..."

Not long after, the hospital released me and my parents took me home. They pretended everything was okay and I wanted to believe them, but I couldn't bring myself to feed on their desperate lies. I caught them fighting when I arrived from school on my crutches.

"We don't have enough money for this! The plan was for him to get a scholarship, but because you pushed him to chase an unrealistic dream this happened."

Enough... stop...

"Our son just got into an accident and this is what you say?! We'll make it work somehow. He could-"

Please... Just stop!

"And how the hell do we do that?! We already used all our savings just to get his leg treated."

The endless waves of painful words that torment my ear, stop... just stop. I've had plenty enough, why was I dealt such a gruesome fate? These cries of my parents, I wish it would all fade away into the abyss.

However, foolish as it may sound... somewhere deep inside I had a faint hope that our family would move on from this and we'd be happy once more. Somewhere deep inside, I had hoped that this was all a dream. But it didn't even take a month for what I've feared to come...

"Let's divorce." My selfish mother handed my father divorce papers as he hesitantly took them with a tired look. He'd just gone back from his 12 hour shift at the hospital and this was what welcomed him.

He certainly looked sad but so exhausted he couldn't even cry. I was there as he gave in to the requests of my conniving mother who celebrated in front of him. I was there disgusted by the happy look in her eyes and terrified that I'd be under her care from then on.

I couldn't speak let alone voice my opinion to them. I had no right, not when I was the root of their problem. I felt my voice being swallowed by the deep dark waters and couldn't utter a single word and so I stayed silent and shielded my ears from all their noise.

It didn't take long for my mother and I to leave the house, we moved to an apartment in a nearby city where my mother so boorishly introduced my new "dad". The divorce proceedings just ended that day so I knew immediately what was happening.

Her materialistic and self-centered nature is what drove her to become the lowest of the low. She desperately clung to him stripping herself of the pride she meticulously upheld with my real father.

Her voice becomes high-pitched as she tightens her throat to seem more appealing to the man. The picture of my loving and caring mother shattered before my eyes. Disgusted with my mother and angry with myself, I decided to lock myself up in the room they have given me.

My new father would continuously mistreat my already broken mother. He constantly cheated on her while my mother turned a blind-eye.

Once, I called him out for it, "How dare you cheat on mom?!"

"Haha son, where'd you even get such an idea?" His horrible attempts to cleanse his hands angered me. He made my mother look like a used toy.

And so... I fought.

"You animal! I'll kill you!" I let go of my crutches as I jumped him and jabbed his face. My fingers felt like they broke after that punch but maybe it was because of adrenaline that I felt no pain.

"Why you little brat!" He sent me flying with a punch to my gut. Despite the rushing adrenaline, I felt that one. My body trembled from the jolt of pain

My mother reached the scene and was confused as to what happened. She went to my aid by helping me up while asking my "father" what had happened.

"Boy, you and your mom should go back to that lousy father of yours. I have no time handling a psychotic kid like you. How dare you accuse me of cheating, I run this house, you ingrate!" His face turned serious as my jab on his face continued to swell. I clenched my hand and grit my teeth and wanted to punch him again for insulting my dad.

My mother stopped the situation before it took a turn for the worse. Once again, she held her head low while clinging onto him, "Of course you weren't cheating, we believe you honey. Maybe Hiro's just stressed from his school and is seeing things. Now let's just all calm down and cool ourselves off."

My feelings of anger turned into pity and anguish for her. I nodded in agreement to what she said and walked away slowly to my room. Inside my room, I was so tired from standing that my feet hurt and I fell to the ground.

In a burst of anger, I started hitting my legs and shouting as tears fell from my eyes, "Work! Work, damn it! You're my legs, aren't you?..."

This debilitating sorrow quelled my heart until it ached, making me unable to even feel it beating. I loathe the life I've been fated for. But I am too selfish to let go of it.

Perhaps I still hope for a better end to my tale. Therefore, I continue to cling. Even to this day. 

Joe Gold
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Chowrites
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Jeriks RN
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