Parental Terror {Gryphon | Blitz}

"Byeeeee."

After finishing the garment my dear parents expected me to within their set parameters, I took off from them, my brothers and sisters, from all of them as I closed the front door behind me and began my routinely walk to the District Square.

Finally.

The holidays are done and over with, we're now drawing near the middle of winter with harsher chills and more masses of white piling over everything, the pavement, houses, other buildings like ingredients are on slices of bread to make sandwiches.

God, it's cold.

But having the choice between sacrificing my warmth or my overall well-being where it depends on the people I'm around and even live in close quarters with, I will forever and always gladly forsake the former.

With a sigh, I keep walking. The prickly sensations of the cold on my skin and the soothing silence of the neighborhood I'm leaving eventually clears my head of the stresses and worries regarding my family, but when the number of houses start to dwindle for more open space and sound begins to emerge, so does one of soft crying and it instantaneously fills with negativity all over again.

This person's calling for help.

Mick--

I whip my head towards the direction of their sobs and find a boy, face buried in hands as he sits on a bench.

Oh God.

I can't ignore this.

Mick, fuck, I'm so sorry--

Shut up, don't do this to me PLEASE--

I take a deep breath to calm myself down before moving towards the boy with sympathy fogging my gaze.

"Hey...are you alright? What's wrong?"

He looks up at me, the crystal rivers streaming from his eyes never trickling to a halt. I blink and breathe out quietly before taking a seat next to him, retaining my attention on the guy as he begins to answer my question.

"I'm sorry...I'm just upset. Thank you for stopping by, though. I hope I wasn't being disruptive."

Looking at him with disbelief, brows somewhat raised and eyes slightly widened, my lips curve into a frown.

Did he really just apologize for crying?

Gulping down my initial surprise, I make sure to talk to him gently so as not to upset him again.

"Hey, you have nothing to be sorry about. Don't ever be sorry for getting your feelings out of your system, okay?" I set a hand on his lap to further emphasize my reassurance. It's baffling to me how some people such as this boy can be so modest. "Of course, and I headed towards you because I saw you were letting it all out. I can't ignore someone who shows a sign of pleading for help like that."

And an image of him flashes before me after I say this, his backside and towering height, his dark hair, he's standing in front of a fire and he slowly turns to me with a vacant gaze mirroring the flames--

I gasp softly, but quickly shake off the mental picture and return to the guy in front of me as I try to coax him into talking out his issues, what bothered him so much he was driven to tears.

"You can tell me what's upsetting you, it's okay. Don't feel like you're burdening people with your problems when you need to talk and they show they're here to listen. What's the trouble?"

When the full force of waves gushing from his sight slow to only a trickle, I exhale with relief. It's working. My words are doing some good, I am helping this boy--

"...Of course. Of course you would say that, why wouldn't you Holliday?"

I'm helping--

"I thought you understood me. I thought I found someone who listened, I thought I found someone I can call a friend...but you're just like THE REST OF THEM!"

I--

"WHY WON'T YOU BELIEVE ME?! WHY ARE YOU SIDING WITH EVERYBODY ELSE, WHY ARE YOU SUCH A FUCKING COWARD? WHY DO YOU LIE LIKE THE REST OF THEM?!"

And just when I'm about to unleash some waterfalls myself his voice puts me back at ease, gets me back on track with the task at hand.

"My parents were really mad at me because I made a mistake. I just... I had to get away from them. I can't handle when people are upset at me. It makes me feel stupid."

I smile sadly at him.

Mick smiles back.

"Hey, we all make mistakes. I know exactly how you feel."

And I wish I didn't.

"It's okay though, just think of it this way: when people get mad at you for that reason, it's because they care about you and care about your well-being. It doesn't feel good, and I know that much--but it's better for others to be upset at someone who makes a mistake than sad for the same person because they're no longer with them. What did you do?"

It's as if his tears were a sink faucet controlled by a knob, now turning the liquid to a complete stop at last as I watch the boy's expression while offering my words of advice to him. He nods, but then when he's about to speak his voice gets caught in his throat.

"I-"

I blink at him expectantly for his answer.

And in the short moments I wait for it do I see flashes of his face, his smile, his mouth moving for his thoughts and feelings which can't be heard and then his anger, his arched brows and his gaze of fire like the one he and his family had to run away from but this time he's carrying those flames in them and he's gonna swallow me whole in the heat like mom and dad tried to do to his loved ones and him--

"I just accidentally left the oven on and they got really mad at me. They told me I could have burned the house down..."

Oven. Burn. Are you burning up, Holliday? Can you not breathe in the fire you've made for yourself?

I raise my brows at him, because that's not what I expected to hear him say. "Really? That's it? Honestly, I was thinking you were gonna say something else, but I can understand why your parents would feel that way--but again, it's fine, mistakes and accidents are a big part of who we are anyway--"

Your own personal Hell that you let build from just embers to raging flames, made of nothing but your lies, your cowardice, your betrayal--

"STOP, STOP IT! LEAVE ME ALONE MICK, PLEASE FUCKING

STOP IIIIIITTTT!"

I suddenly jerked my head downwards, face to my lap, eyes squinted closed and gripping my temples with clawed hands and I scream at the mess I've made for myself--

You brought this upon yourself, Holliday Queeneth. You and your family will get what's coming to you.

Just you wait.

But he was right.

And now I can't breathe.