His mind wasn't his own. He wasn't the only one. He was ruled by thoughts that served only to take down his world. This was why he wasn't given a handbook to life like all the rest... it was because he wasn't normal.
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The shadows were taking over him.
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One by one they wrapped themselves around any space that wasn't occupied or pushed themselves inside. It didn't matter how hard Sheldon tried to think about something else... they were going to hold him against the world.
CRYCRYCRYCRYCRYCRYCRYCRYCRYCRYCRYCRYCRYTHATSALLYOUEVERDOCRYCRYCRYCRYCRYCRYCRYANDPITYYOURSELFANDACTLIKEYOURSOMEKINDOFMARTYTHATDESERVESMOREINLIFE-
There was nothing he can do about it.
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"Sheldon..." she was still there "Sheldon, listen to me..." why hadn't she left him? He doesn't deserve someone... he doesn't deserve anyone, "What you hear isn't real... what you hear isn't true..." they're as true as they can be. They are as real as the life that he had gone through. "Listen only to my voice..." voice... it wasn't long ago when you didn't have a voice.
It was then soft arms circled around him... arms that felt so warm... had a presence as warm as the sun. It felt like his mother was there with him once again.
"Your mother loves you..." whispered her voice, foreign and new. Her breath was tingling his ear as she had rested her chin on his shoulder. She was so close.
Sheldon gasped and choked as if he wasn't able to breathe, his arms struggled to push her away. His head shaking rapidly to tell her, 'no'. He couldn't open his eyes. He couldn't see the world that he had sullied.
He was weak, he couldn't get her away, not when she was holding him so tightly. "You little sister will love you..." she added softly.
SHEWONTBEABLETOLOVEABROTHERWHODOESNTBELONGINHERPERFECTFAMILYYOULITTLERETCHDONOTFORONCEEVENTHINKTHATITWOULDEVERBECOMESOMETHINGYOUWOULDBEABLETOHAVE-
"Your Aunt and Uncle loves you!" she said a little louder this time, her strong voice making the ones inside of his head waver. She hugged him tighter... he was shaking so much. He was mumbling low, incoherent words.
"Mn-n-n-th-fshh-" a gasp "I don- no-n-n-n-no plshhno." he refused to open his eyes.
"Even your father loves you, Sheldon!" She buried her face into the crook of his neck, ignoring the strong grip he had on her arms, ignoring the nails that were starting to dip into her flesh. "Sheldon... Sheldon, shhhhhh..." she caressed his head softly and nuzzled his cheek, her other hand rubbing comforting circles on his back.
Sheldon sobbed. He hated feeling this way. He hated feeling miserable. He hated being held in someone's arms while he cried staining tears... he hated it as much as he loved the warmth and the love that he felt.
"Listen to the rain... listen to me." she said as she not once feigned to comfort him.
The rain? Was it still raining?
He could hear it. He could hear the thousands of taps the drops of water made as they collided with the ground. The schlops and splashes of footsteps. The whirrs and waves of cars driving over puddles. He could hear the wind blowing through.
"Breathe..." she whispered, "Follow me." he could feel her breathing in and breathing out... and slowly, he started to mimic her movement. "Doesn't the rain sound nice?" she said. She was smiling. He knew because he could feel its form on his bare shoulder.
Yes. The rain sounded beautiful. Every single sound flowed together like the waters of the river... every splash every tap orchestrated to a beautiful and calming melody.
"Open your eyes, Sheldon. Look at me." she adjusted her position and pulled herself slowly away from him.
And he did. If there was one thing more beautiful than the sound of the rain... it was her. His glasses had fallen somewhere, but he was close enough to see every feature of her face... every curve, every crevice.
He can count the hundreds of freckles that littered across her face... see those sparkling brown eyes... and tuck in the stray of curly red hair that fell upon them.
"Better?" she asked with a smile. A bright smile that fit on her features oh so well.
It was then he noticed that the voices had left him. There were no more shadows. He could see the room better. There wasn't anything out to grab him.
"Y-yeah..." he croaked, his voice still hoarse. He grunted in surprise when she resumed hugging him as tight as she could. "W-what...?"
"It's alright to be selfish, Sheldon. It's alright to want something every once in a while. It's alright for you to want to be loved... it's alright for you to want to be happy. It's alright for you to want a hug every once and a while. It's alright."
Sheldon stayed silent, his mind focusing on every single word.
He had yet to return her hug.
"There's no need to be ashamed of being sad, Sheldon. You are only human. Be sad... cry! Cry when you want to! There is nothing wrong with expressing your emotions! It's alright to care about others, but you shouldn't forget about yourself! Love yourself more often! If others don't like it, then don't care! It's your life, not theirs, and you deserve to be happy!"
There they were, on the floor of a hospital room that he had yet to know of. He was leaning against the bed's edge, a ginger-haired girl's hold starting to form bruises around his arms, and her breath hot against his neck.
Sheldon breathed in a shaky breath, and his limp arms started to move. Meanwhile, the girl smiled when she felt them circle around her waist. Sheldon dropped his head on her shoulder, hiding his face.
Her smile never wavered, even when she felt her clothing absorb wet tears.
Let his tears wash away his sadness. Like the rain upon the dry land... they would relieve a heart that has been closed for far too long.
She pulled away from him and held his face, making sure that they both made eye-contact. She could see his furrowed brows, his unfocused eyes, and hear his sobs and hics.
"Your whole world is about to change..." She said, her thumb gently moving against his cheek. "You will meet many people... people who will come to love you if you just let them. Greet each and every one of your loved ones with a smile as bright as mine." she grinned.
Sheldon felt calmer with her presence... with her, he was at peace. He had peace. "It's... it's not that easy..." he didn't break eye-contact. He was sniffling, tears still softly streaming down his face even when he tried to stop them.
"Nothing is easy in this world, that's why love and kindness exists," she said, her smile still has bright as ever. "When you face the world's shadows... don't forget that there are people who love you. Remember, Sheldon." she stood up from the ground, her hand lingering on his cheek until they parted.
Sheldon looked at her, panic flooding through his chest. "W-where are you going?" he stood up along with her but watched as she backed away slowly.
"I wasn't supposed to cross that road, Sheldon..." she said, her smile mixing with sadness, "I wasn't supposed to speak to you. I was supposed to have you feel happiness without making contact. That's my purpose in this world."
"No, what!? You can stay! You can stay here! There's nothing keeping you away. You have to stay here!" Sheldon yelled, his eyes wide with panic. "You can't just leave after all of this." his voice had switched to a whisper.
She didn't say anything. Just turned around and opened up the window, allowing the wind to burst through the room and the rain to pour upon her.
"I just heard your voice... It was just now I've felt how warm you can be," he said in desperation. "Just now I realized that you have the most beautiful freckles on your face. I know we haven't even known each other long... b-but..." he went forward and grabbed her hand. "With you, I feel calm! With you, I know that I would be able to feel peace! With you, the voices go away! Please!"
She didn't turn to meet his eyes, nor did she struggle against his hold.
Sheldon shook his head in denial, "I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOUR NAME!"
With those words, she faced him. Her face unreadable. She held his hands and brought them close in order to place a soft kiss upon them.
"Eirini."
Sheldon switched and held her hands firmly, making sure not to let go. "Eirini..." he said, "Eirini, please don't go." he couldn't help the little shake that made its way into his voice.
"There's always love in this world, Sheldon... I'm not going to leave. I'm still going to stay with you in memory." she glanced at the rain that caused her hair to dampen, "Remember me in the rain... remember me across the road... remember me in the forest... remember me in nature's beauty. I will stay with you." Eirini looked back at him and grinned, "And remember that I love you."
"I-I... I..." Sheldon shook, unable to accept the fact that she was going to disappear from his life forever in just a few seconds. "Eirini... I... I..."
"Shhh... there's nothing to say." she pulled away from him, going closer to the rain. She sat on the window, and looked at him one last time, and said in a whisper, "Bye..." and leaned back to let gravity do the work.
There's nothing more to say............... Is what she said, but Sheldon still had so much to tell her.818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngwQFgF9yp
As fast as he could, he grabbed a hold of her hand and pulled her back up before she was able to fall any further.
"THANK YOU!" he screamed as he held her close to him one last time, it didn't matter that she was soaking wet, "Thank you for everything! Thank you for being there for me! Thank you for making me realize everything! Thank you for teaching me what I needed to know! Thank you f-for giving me- giving me life's handbook," Sheldon released an awkward laugh that was mixed up with a sob, "Thank you for saving me... thank you for loving me." 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9TPh9hRHe4
He looked at her brown eyes one last time, his own filled with sorrow, and so many other emotions. She was looking at him in shock as if she hadn't expected him to catch her, but soon, that feeling of surprise turned into happiness. She let out a beautiful giggle that sounded like soft chime bells, and Sheldon couldn't tell anymore if those were tears streaming down her cheeks or rainwater.
There was still one more thing that he had to tell her.
"I l-love you too!" he shouted as loud as he could. He wanted her to hear this, he wanted her to know that her feelings were returned. He wanted her to know that she had changed his life. That she was something that couldn't ever be replaced in his memories. She had left an impact that could never be erased. 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWFkXETZq4
She leaned in close and pressed both of their foreheads together, her eyes were closed, but she did not say a word. 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cYBlO8Pz0
Sheldon must look horrible right now. He wasn't what you would call a person who looked good when they cried, no, that was only for the movies. He was crying his eyes out while making hiccups and sobs, and to be honest, he sounded pathetic. He closed his eyes in hopes it would help the tears stop flowing.
But it was then he felt warmth not only around his shoulders but also on his lips.
However, the moment he opened his eyes, the warmth was gone. "E-Eirini?" he said a bit out of breath because he had been crying and because of the sudden rush. The warmth was gone as fast as it came. 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwArfRqH5c
Eirini looked at him just as always, her eyes sparkling and a beautiful soft smile on her face. A smile that belonged there forever.
Suddenly, he was being pushed away.
Sheldon watched with wide eyes as her body slowly fell from the hospital window. Watched as she slowly disappeared from his sight. He had wanted to grab her hand one last time, but he wasn't able to reach her.
And as if time had finally resumed it's regular course, Sheldon banged on the edge of the window to find Eirini at the bottom... however, what he saw was a beautiful flock of butterflies disappearing one by one.
Below them, a garden of orchids.
Blank... motionless... heartbroken...
Sheldon fell to his knees, his hands growing white with how hard they gripped the window's edge. He let out a harsh shout of frustration. 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4ZkFSP7lX
"Alright students, let's welcome a new year of class." said a teacher who stood in front of a sea of teenagers, each seated on their own respective chairs. "We have a new student with us, so make sure to give him a proper welcome. You may come in."
The door opened, and a boy with tanned skin and dark hair walked in. Everyone whispered among themselves. He wasn't looking at them, and instead was facing the ground.
"Introduce yourself."
The boy breathed in his grip on his bag's sling loosening and turned to look at the people he will be spending many years with. His new gray glasses fit perfectly on his nose, and his brown chestnut eyes glimmer with a new shine.
He gave them a soft wave, and placed a bright grin on his face, a grin reminiscent of someone dear to him, and said in a voice loud enough for all of them to hear...818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ExDMHBkN3
"Hello, my name's Sheldon Alfloyd." 818Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYYc4mz63v
