The Art of Learning to Breathe

T e n

I slip off my shoes and threw them to the other side of the hallway which make me instantly sigh in relief as I stretch out my aching toes. Maybe I really should have listened to mum when she advised me to get the size five rather than four just a couple of weeks ago when we had a mother and daughter day out, it was pretty rare for the two of us to spend time together so just a day out with either one of my parents was like a dream come true.

I walked through the darkness of the house, unable to see anything but the little hints of where I placed my foot as I jogged up the stairs. I had always found it particularly hard to run up the stairs, even after living in the house which I had came to know like the back of my hand, each step seemed to feel different each time. So, now you can imagine the difficulty of just walking upstairs in the darkness that surrounded me. Sure, I could simply turn on the light with a flip of a switch but I'm just extra and I have to do everything different to everybody else.

Just as I am about to reach the top of the stairs, I loose my grip on the bannister and my left foot slips making me appear in a weird position and a loud smack to echo through the silent house as my fragile body collides with the devil.

"Fuck," I grumble and mumble as I pick myself up from the position I landed on and sat on the staircase with a moan of pain leaving my mouth. I slide down the rest of the stairs carefully and decide that switching the light back on would be a far more intelligent idea than deciding to run in the darkness. Not one of my smartest ideas, especially since my clumsy self decided to prove that point directly.

Brightness appears and I instantly squeeze my eyes shut tightly and place my hand over my face, acting as if I was the Damon Salvatore without his daylight ring, dramatic, I know. What can I say? I just love feeling as if I'm an actress in a movie, a character in a book or even a dancer in a music video. Sue me.

Seconds passed and I finally moved my hand away from my face and opened my eyes wide. The only problem was my eyes didn't shape into wide circles in order to adjust to the light.

No, no. It wasn't that, not at all.

Instead, I grabbed the home phone instantly and began to roughly tap on the numbers laid out in front of me making my mind swirl and the familiar taste of barf was felt at the back of the throat making me feel like in a few seconds my body would go into automatic destruction mode making both my mind and my guts spread across the beige carpet that laid in the hallway.

My lungs ached as I began to realise that I had stopped breathing. In larger panic, I pant harder as I try to regain my lost breaths.

Finally, the noise of the call awaiting to be received rung in my ear drums as my head pounded. Desperately, I clutched the phone head in fear that it would be ripped away from me, and this time, not by my imaginary demons. My heart rate sped up and tears formed in my eyes as I desperately tried to calm myself down.

"999, what is your emergency?" A voice asked.

"I-I," I say trying to take a breath as I pant in panic,"Somebody has been in my home," I reply and pause for a second or so, "and it looks like that person was certainly an unexpected guest."

My eyes scan nervously the thick, scruffy red writing that covered my whole living room wall as I coldly reply to the questions being fired at me. The temptation of getting closer to the writing ran right through my veins but I instantly shake off the ridiculous thought and decide to timidly sit in the corner of the hallway, and deciding that rocking my body from side to side like a baby being to sleep seemed like a much more calming idea rather than rising my nerves even more, making it a possibility that they would blast through the roof like a rocket in the sky.

'Filthy rich liars," was spread across the wall in messy red writing making me wonder if the crimson that had now taken over the wall that had once been painted neatly in an icy white colour was coincidental to have been used or perhaps it is symbolical? I bit my fingers in anxiousness as the man behind the phone call replied with a short, "please stay calm, Miss, we'll be there as soon as possible," before hanging up on the line leaving me alone. Or maybe not so alone after all. Either way, my hands shook in terror and quiet sobs escaped my mouth as I continued to rock my body trying to reminisce the days my dad once lulled me the same way I was now doing as he read me a night time story just before I would go to sleep.

I searched for my long lost comfort for a while but no matter how hard I rocked or how loud I sobbed as my mouth screamed a cry for help, it just didn't seem to come. Would it ever? God, I can't even tell anymore, I think as another tear slips down my cheek followed by many more making me feel like a waterfall of loneliness once again.

Once again I am alone.

Once again the world is getting back at me.

Once again I question if life will ever get better.

Once again a tear slips down my cheek.

Once again I am unhappy.

Any theories or thoughts?

This weeks update was pretty short, I am truly sorry about that but it had to be that way. Once again I am truly sorry but don't worry, the usual lengthy updates will be back next week!

The dedications goes to spicedbroccoli , thank you so much for all the votes and comments you have been leaving!

Please remember to vote if you enjoyed this chapter, all it takes is to press that little star below on the bottom of the page! Hope you all enjoyed and I will be back very, very soon! I hope that you all have an amazing day.

QOTD: What would you say are your best personality traits?
AOTD: I'd say I'm a very hardworking person, I'm organised, responsible, kind, fair and I guess somewhat creative. I don't know about the last one, I guess it's a varied judgement, haha.