Chapter 18: Last Chance
[Trigger Warning! This Chapter contains depictions of self-harm that may be upsetting for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.]
Eirin groaned as she opened her eyes. It was the same dull ceiling in her room, and the silence was suffocating, but not for her. Her gaze went to the picture frame on the bedside table. It was a photo of Eirin and Ava back when they graduated from middle school. They looked younger, and Ava’s smile was so wide compared to Eirin’s sheepish expression. She reached for the picture frame, but there was no strength in her hands, and her grip was loose, causing it to fall to the ground, creating a shattering noise.
The shards shattered on the floor. Eirin got up and stared at the biggest shard that fell on the picture right above her face.
’Will you hate me if I selfishly follow you?’
Her train of thought made her reach her hand out to the shard and pick it up. Eirin’s breathing grew heavier and emptiness filled her eyes. She never liked the pain, but these days, she cannot feel anything else but pain. The teenage girl stared at the sharp shard with her hand trembling while holding it.
Eirin’s mouth trembled as she grunted after feeling an overwhelming pain flowing from her arm to her whole body. Blood dripped out of her wrist after she peeled the skin off with the shard. Tears welled in her eyes, but it was not enough.
"Please."
No matter how deep she tried to cut, the feeling of gloom did not disappear, and her heart continued to ache. Her longings didn’t stop. She screamed and stabbed herself, acquiring tons of injuries on her body, on her arms, legs, and even on her belly, barely missing her vitals. She could not die as she wished.
She stared at the mirror near the bed, and she held the shard in front of her face. "Ava loved this face," she said as she gulped.
"Ei, I brought you food — Eirin!"
Bright entered the room and witnessed Eirin harming herself. He rushed to her aide, dropping the tray of food he brought the moment he saw Eirin covered in her blood. He stopped her from hurting herself any further.