He put his arm over his face as his eyes protested against the light. But maybe it wasn't just the light from the window. Maybe it was the one seeping out from him that he always tried so hard to keep in, for he knew the light would bring in the eyes. But he was a monster, people weren't supposed to see. He wanted to protect the world from this monster. Most importantly, he wanted to protect... himself.
He let out an exasperated groan before sitting up on his bed. He blinked a few times trying to process the morning. "River, come down! We're getting late", his father shouted from downstairs. "Coming, dad", he murmured before throwing the blanket that was covering him onto the crumbled pages on the floor— pieces of him, he didn't want the daylight to witness.
He glanced about his room briefly before leaving and closing the door behind him. "Geez, slow down Riv. You walk like a monster", his sister jokingly said, mocking him for coming down the stairs aggressively. He just rolled his eyes before getting on with preparing himself for school.
River was a 17 year old highschool student, who lived with his parents and his younger sister who was 11. He was a quiet teenager who used to sit at the back of the class with his only friend, Horace who was much different but very similar in an inexplicable way.
"Nightmares again?" Horace asked as he pushed on to River's shoulder with his own gently, not knowing any other way to lighten up the mood. River just sighed and leaned back on his desk looking up at the dusty ceiling fan, which made a slight creaky noise. He zoned out as the sound of other students talking and shouting became blurry.
Horace reached out to touch River's shoulder in an attempt to somehow comfort him. But before he could, the teacher entered the class, making the students go quiet.