"Adrian wake up."
The sun poured into his room as a middle-aged woman unceremoniously opened the curtains.
"Adrian you have to wake up or you will be late for school."
[Who is this woman? She called me Adrian, just like Candice and Xavier did. So it must be my actual name, or I am just reliving the memories of another person. It does not feel like it though. It feels warm, and the nostalgia is distant... but there. She seems nice, who is she? Am I supposed to know her? To remember her? And why is my heart aching so much?
I should probably let the memory take over like I did with the Blood Lord. It should not be too hard to be a spectator on my own body, but it is definitely weird. Maybe I will even remember who that woman is in my life. I doubt she will notice me like that Obsidian Giant did.]
He slightly shivered just thinking about it. Adrian - the memory one - meanwhile, just groaned and hid himself under the blanket.
"Come on mom its like seven in the morning. I can do five more minutes."
"No honey you cannot. We both know five minutes turns into thirty and then the bus leaves you behind. You cannot be late for school, especially at the beginning of the year."
"Arghh come on mom. I have been i high school forever. I can wake up for myself. "
"We both know that is not true Adrien. Now get up quickly and shower, or you will walk all the way to school. Do not make me drag you out of those sheets."
"Argh fine. You're no fun you know that?"
His mother just smiled and stood up. Her smile was so beautiful and pure, the sunlight pouring through the windows did not feel so daunting anymore. The atmosphere around her felt warm and cozy, and Adrian could feel her mother's love even by being a dozen meters away from her.
His mother was like an angel sent from above. She was beautiful and pure, but Adrian sensed something was wrong with her. She looked unhealthy pale, thin and fragile, with most of her bones showing from her chest which was exposed due to her nightdress. She had a shaved head, and looked very unwell.
But the Adrian in the memory knew exactly what was wrong with her, and so by default, his spectator counterpart did too. A few months back, her mother was diagnosed with Stage three cancer, and it was getting worse everyday. But because they did not have enough money, they could not afford her treatment and the doctor had to let her go.
Adrian hated seeing his mother in this state. He had scraped off enough money to at least help her continue her chemotherapy treatment at home. He worked hard during the school holidays and would continue working hard still, on the weekends.
The mother in question meanwhile stood up and headed to the door and stopped a few steps before exiting. She tried to speak but her voice cracked so she kept quiet and left. She warmth and love left with her, leaving nothing but depression and sadness behind. That is how Adrian was feeling.
He sighed and reluctantly stood up from his bed. He headed towards the curtains and pulled them back together, plunging the room into shadows again. He showered in a somber mood, brushed his teeth and got dressed. He looked at the mirror to make sure nothing was wrong and what he saw... actually surprised him..
Adrian was not at all bad looking, but he was not exactly handsome either. His features were strangely beautiful, with onyx - magnetic - eyes that enthralled you the more you looked deeper in them. He had white hair and high cheekbones, surely many girls would kill for a girlfriend like that. But that is not at all how Adrian felt...
He was repulsed and disgusted by what he saw on the mirror. He saw an ugly, selfish bastard that failed to secure the love of his life. He saw a incompetent fool that failed even the easiest school subjects. He saw a punching bag, and he actually believed it. He saw a nobody. Adrian felt everything from the memory of his past. The pain felt, the disappointment, everything. Tears streamed down his cheeks.
After a while of breaking down, descended the steps to have breakfast with his mother. They live alone with each other so there was not other family member to join them. Adrian sat down the table across his mother. He buried his face on the food and started eating, hiding it from his mother. But she saw it nonetheless.
His face was pale and his eyes were red and swollen from all the crying. His mother just looked at him and said nothing, not wishing to hurt his pride. He was a growing young man who was going through puberty, so she did not think that pressuring him would do him any good. Instead, she showered him with as much love, affection and attention she could, making sure that he felt loved, seen, appreciated, ...enough.
They enjoyed breakfast and soon it was time for him to go. He gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, and started running towards the bus - that was totally driving away by the way. After some time of running, the driver stopped, letting him in after he ran for like ten minutes. He was quiet all the way to the school.
He did not even bother greeting his schoolmates, choosing to seclude himself at the backseat corner of the bus. He had a lot to think about. How he was going to manage this month? How he was going to deal with his schoolmates? What he would say to his friends? How he would look at Candice? How long he would be able to maintain her mother's treatment?
Why was he still going to school? What was the point?