A Bloody Beginning

• Winnie Qin, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2022

Alex POV
It started with the fighting. It’s always the fighting. Alex was sick of it. He had nowhere to go. His home didn’t feel like a home anymore. Plates flying across the room and smashing on the floor. He didn’t want to deal with this right now.

Alex POV
He barely got any sleep, as usual. Alex dragged himself out of bed. Before heading out the door, he took a cereal bar and made sure not to wake his dad who was asleep on the couch.
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As he finished gathering his books, Alex started making his way to class. Alex was just about to step into the room when a blond came stumbling into him. “Ow! Watch it!” Lucas shrieked. Alex wanted to roll his eyes. “Oh, sorry” he said in a sarcastic tone. And with that, he left.
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“Come in and sit down everyone, we have a lot to catch up on today.”
“Sorry! Sorry! I’m late!” Alex knew that voice. That annoying, squeaky voice. “Miss Miller, please sit down.” Their teacher scolded. “Hey Alex, how are you~?” Destiny cooed. Alex decided to ignore her.

Lucas POV
Sitting there, listening to the ticking of the clock. Paying minimal attention to the rambling of his teacher. His textbook was filled with nothing but scribbles. No wonder he was failing the class. Other than in maths, he was doing fairly well in other subjects. The best grade he’d ever gotten was a C+ in art. Lucas called that a win. It’s better than the consecutive F’s he has in every other subject.
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“And that’s when I tell him ‘You owe me $1.50, you better pay up’. That guy was so annoying. I’m never going back to that store ever again.” Lucas complained to Jamie. “Wow- that sure was an interesting story. Would you look at the time! If I don’t hurry, I’ll miss rugby practice! It was great talking, man, see you after school.” And with that, They were off. “Psch. Rude” Lucas rolled his eyes and went back to eating his sandwich.

Alex POV
His earliest memories of his parents were them screaming at each other. Divorce papers scattered on the dining room table. From what he knew, all of the fighting was dad’s fault. Staying up late drinking, going to nightclubs, cheating on his mother, abusing her and manipulating her into staying with him.
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Wonder what the house will look like this time. Alex thought, while opening the door. Why is it so quiet? This is certainly unusual. As his foot met with the ground, he stopped. A metallic smell hit him. Blood. And lots of it. Smeared across the walls, table and in a pool on the floor. With an unconscious body laying inside of it. “MUM! CAN YOU HEAR ME? IT’S ALEX! PLEASE, WAKE UP!” Alex cried. “Ah-” Alex looked at his hand and legs. Cuts everywhere. He was so focused on his mother, he didn’t notice the shattered glass on the floor.