5 Loneliness

I think this is the first good thing my father has done for me. I turn my gaze to the two-story house in front of me; it's a light purple with white details. I look around and see a well-kept garden with topiaries shaped like animals. I walk toward the main door, and when I enter the house, I see a living room with red sofas, a coffee table slightly lighter than the sofa, and a giant television mounted on a beige wall. In front of me is a staircase leading to the second floor. I look to the left and see a door, but since it was closed, I couldn't see inside. I hear Roger arriving with my luggage, and I look back and ask where the room is.

"The bedrooms are on the second floor, young master. Your room is at the end of the hall to the left."

I thank him and run up the stairs to finally get some rest. When I reach the second floor, I see five doors lined up in a corridor. I start moving toward my room, open the door, and find myself in a white, asylum-like room. How I hate the color white; maybe because I'm albino, I've grown tired of it. The white walls with a bed covered by a gray sheet, a gray wardrobe, a gray desk...

What a depressing room. I look ahead and see a door that probably leads to the bathroom, so I walk over and enter, only to be confronted by my reflection in the mirror. Tall, VERY white, with white hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes... What a horrible color. I hear Roger entering and leaving my luggage before he exits and closes the door. I go to the suitcase, grab my scissors, and return to the bathroom.

"This damn long hair is annoying."

I start cutting, feeling the urge to cry as I finish the mess I've made.

"Damn it..."

I'll have to call someone to fix it, but I'll leave that for tomorrow. Right now, I just want to sleep. I take a quick shower and return to my room. I look at the white walls... How they irritate me. I cover my head and try to sleep.

"It looks like it's going to be a month of complete solitude. I wonder if he's thinking the same thing..."

I whisper as my vision darkens until I finally pass out.

* * *

The night was dark and silent, but inside Noah's head, the storm continued. He tossed and turned in bed, trying to push thoughts of Ravi away, but the image of the boy wouldn't leave his mind. Something about Ravi's fragility attracted him in a way he couldn't understand. There was something broken and yet incredibly strong in that boy that fascinated him.

As he tried to settle in, exhaustion finally overcame Noah, and he fell asleep. The dreams came in flashes: images of Ravi hurt, his mother's cruel expression, the emptiness in his own eyes.

Noah woke up to the sound of knocking on the door. He looked around, somewhat disoriented. The sun was already starting to rise, illuminating the white room in an almost cold way.

"Mr. Noah?"

The nurse's voice echoed in his head as she opened the curtains.

"Breakfast. Your physiotherapy starts in half an hour."

Noah sighed and sat up. In the reflection of the turned-off television, he noticed his deep-set eyes and tired expression. "This can't go on," he thought as he ate the tasteless hospital food.

After eating, the nurse helped him into the wheelchair and took him to the physiotherapy room. And while the therapist assisted him, the only thing he could think was, "It's strange how much better I'm treated here than at home."

After spending hours on autopilot, he was told that he was done and could return to his room.

Sitting there in silence, listening to his own heartbeat and breathing, an unbearable feeling of loneliness began to take hold of me. I felt myself sinking into a black hole, my lungs refusing to process oxygen, my hands starting to tremble, and my strength slipping away—"am I going to die?"—I felt my vision darken. I didn't have the strength to call anyone. So this is how someone feels when everyone abandons you.

Then, deep in my memory, a voice echoed. I think it congratulated me.

That's when I remembered—I'm not alone yet.