As Darkness Fell

SUMMARY: When Karina Chang told her boyfriend she wouldn't be 'seeing him again,' she never knew how true her statement was. ((Rated T for Violence and Dark Themes.))

When I told my now ex-boyfriend I wouldn't be 'seeing him again,' I never knew how true my statement really was. After all, I was only fourteen, an eighth grader. I was young, naïve, and I had the rest of my life in front of me before it happened.

No, I didn't die. I was close to death, though, that whole March 2005. I'm sixteen now, and it's been two years, but I remember everything so clearly.

I wonder now, that if I had waited just a couple hours, or until the next day, or next week, that maybe I would still be like how I used to be. Normal.

It's funny how hard it is to remember life before… it happened. I wish I could, but all the details are murky. The only thing that's always clear in my mind is well, it.

For the first year or so, I hated my ex for what he did. But now I pity him, I really do. I found out more about his home life, and it helped me understand why he did what he did.

But it happened because of me. Sometimes I think If only I hadn't broken up with him… but I know I had to.

Perhaps I was too cruel, the way I broke up with him, my approach. After all, he was my first boyfriend, my first kiss, and… my first break-up. I only broke up with him because I just didn't feel anything for him anymore. I thought he felt the same way. I wanted to stay friends, but I guess to him that wasn't enough.

I broke up with him on March 14, 2005. A month after we got together, a normal amount of time for a junior high relationship. We first became boyfriend and girlfriend on Valentine's Day, and we were going to 'celebrate' our one-month anniversary. Maybe I shouldn't have broken up with him then, but I thought, better now than never.

So when I saw him, in between first period English and second period math, I told him, "I'm sorry, but I don't think we should be together anymore. I just don't feel the spark anymore. I'm really sorry, D. Maybe we can still be friends?"

I admit that was a cruel time to break up. I didn't leave him much time to swallow any tears he might've had. But I just wanted to get it over with. My friends knew I was going to do it, and they agreed with me that it was better to do it earlier, as opposed to later.

I remember him staring at me, the holding back of tears clearly evident in his eyes. "I can't be just friends with you, K."

"Oh," I had replied. "I'm sorry."

He looked away.

"It's been a great month, Denton, I really mean it. You've been really sweet and really fun, and I'm going to miss you. I'm sorry we can't be friends…. I guess this means I won't be seeing you again."

I had looked down as I said that, and I looked back up into his eyes when I was done.

"No," he answered. "You won't."

I should've paid attention to him more carefully when he said it. He had a dangerous look in his eyes, but I was too saddened by the bitter tone of his voice. So, I whispered a soft "Goodbye" before turning around to talk to my friends.

When I reached them, I must've had a sad look on my face, because they all assured me that breaking up with Denton Leverstein was for the best. I couldn't get rid of this horrible feeling inside of me, though. And worst of all, I couldn't figure out what it was. Did I feel something for him after all? Was I wrong to break up with him? Is this pain? Regret?

It wasn't until later I learned what it truly was… fear.

oOoOoOoOo

After school, same day. I had broken up with Denton a mere five hours ago. I was walking home, and my house was the farthest from the school out of all of my friends. For the past month or so, Denton had been walking home with me, but now that we were no longer together, I felt the emptiness of his presence.

I sincerely wished Denton and I could stay friends, but I understood then that it might be too painful them. I soon learned how painful.

I had just said goodbye to my friend Addison and was a block or so away from my house. All of a sudden I heard a voice softly say, "Karina?"

I turned around to find Denton looking at me.

"Denton!" I said, shocked. "I thought you didn't want to see me again!" I wasn't exactly tactful back then.

He stepped closer to me, his hands in his pockets. "Well… I thought about us, Karina. And I just want to see you one last time."

The way he looked at me then scared me. I started backing away slowly, but he kept on coming forward. Shakily, I asked, "Denton? What are you doing?"

He didn't answer, but instead kept on getting closer and closer to me. I noticed then he didn't have his backpack, but mine was still on my shoulders. With one last look at him, I turned around and began to run as fast as I could toward my house.

Denton easily caught up to me (he was a fast runner) and grabbed part of my backpack, effectively stopping me. He whipped me around forcefully.

I was dead scared. I wanted to scream for help, but I couldn't make myself speak.

"You think you can just drop me like that, Karina?"

I shook my head frantically. He ignored my protests.

"You think that after a month of me doting on you, giving you presents and kisses and love, that you can just break up with me? Just like that?" He snapped his fingers. I was still shaking my head, but he just laughed coldly, mirthlessly.

"Well let me tell you something, Karina. I am Denton Leverstein. And I'm sorry to tell you that you cannot just break up with me like that." Denton snapped his fingers sharply again before slapping me on the face.

I held up a hand to my cheek and feeling the throbbing pain, I whimpered pathetically.

"Not so bold now, are you, Karina?" Denton asked cruelly. His lips curved into a twisted smile.

Finally I found my voice. "HELP!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "SOMEBODY HELP M—" But before I could finish my sentence, Denton's arm was clapped over my mouth and I writhed as he held me tight and whispered in my ear, "I promise you, Karina, that you will pay for hurting me, and you will hurt as much as I do right now."

I bit his arm hard, and he muttered a curse as I pulled away. This time I ran towards Addison's house and screamed as loudly as I could, "HELP ME! PLEASE HELP ME!"

I flung my backpack to the ground on the way, which cost me a few seconds, and I could hear Denton's pounding footsteps behind me. It made me run faster, but not fast enough.

He pushed me to the ground so that I fell, hard. I could feel the pebbles on the cement sidewalk had scratched my face and I felt blood pouring from many places.

I weakly tried to get back up but Denton kicked me back down again. He then rolled me over with his foot so that I was on my side and proceeded to kick me, repeatedly, in the stomach. Every single time his foot made contact, I groaned from the pain. After a while I couldn't hold in the tears any longer and I started crying. I could feel the blood in my mouth as tears rolled down my face and I winced from the pain. After what seemed like forever, he grabbed my arm and pulled me up roughly. I could barely stand.

I bent over from the pain, but Denton pulled me back up and forced me to look at him.

"You won't be seeing me again, Karina," he whispered scarily. "I'm going to make sure of that."

With one arm, he held me so I was standing straight, and with the other he punched me. In the nose, in the mouth, but mostly in the eyes. Again and again. So much I couldn't open my eyes anymore. Soon darkness had fell upon me. I had fainted.

After I fainted, I don't know what happened for the next four days, that's how long I was out cold. The rest of the story of my beating I learned from my friends, and the police, who gave me Denton's confession.

I believe Denton kept on beating me up for awhile after I fainted. I don't think he realized I had fainted until he shook me (or so I've heard he confessed, later) and thought I was dead. He dropped me on the ground, shocked by what he had done, and ran away to his house.

I don't know how long I lay there, but I knew that Addison came out later so her mom could take her to her soccer practice. She saw a figure lying there, a backpack (which she noted look a lot like mine) a few feet away. She cautiously approached the lying figure, scared. She rolled me over so that she could see who I was. Seeing me, Karina, she screamed and ran to her mother. Immediately Mrs. Liu (Addison's mom) called 911 and once assured that an ambulance was coming she called my parents and explained to them what happened (in a panicked voice). It took them awhile to understand her but once they did they immediately left work to go to the hospital. The ambulance came and took me, and Addison and Mrs. Liu drove after to make sure I arrived at the hospital safely.

oOoOoOoOo

When I woke up, my parents and my older brother and sister were in the hospital room with me. I couldn't see them clearly, in fact, I couldn't see anything clearly. I had perfect vision so I assumed it was just a temporary effect from the beating. I later learned that it was anything but temporary.

I could hear their voices. Seeing my eyes open, they flew to my side, at least, that's what it sounded like, seeing as how I couldn't see properly.

"Karina, honey, you okay?" I heard my mom ask.

"Yah, I'm fine, Mom. My vision's just kinda blurry."

"Probably just a temporary injury from the beating," I heard my dad say.

"Yah, most likely," my older sister replied. "Did you know—" My sister's a brainiac, but I could tell she was just covering up her worry. It was my older brother who cut her off.

"Who's the punk that did this? I'll do the same to him…"

"No, Kyle," my mom said sternly. "Don't do that."

"Who did do this to you?" my brainiac sister, KC (Kayla Cecilia) asked curiously.

My parents didn't know I had a boyfriend, but KC did (we're pretty tight) and I think Kyle figured it out.

"It was… Denton…" I whispered.

I heard KC gasp.

"Denton Denton?" she asked.

"Yes," I answered.

"Why?" she asked.

"I told him we should stop being friends…"

I think she was the only one who got what I really meant.

"Why'd you do that, honey?" Mom, of course.

"I just didn't think it was working anymore…"

"I'm going to go find that kid," Kyle growled.

"Actually, you don't have to," a voice boomed.

We all turned towards the voice.

"Hello. I'm Officer Chase, and Denton Leverstein just admitted to assaulting your daughter. He's probably going to be in juvenile hall for the next year or so."

"That's it? A year?" Dad demanded.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid so."

I heard Dad shoot out of his seat.

"A year is not enough for what he did to Karina."

"I understand, sir, and I fully agree. However, the law states—"

"I DON'T WHAT THE LAW STATES. THAT RAT—"

"Dad," I whispered softly.

He paused in his tirade.

"It's alright. I… I… I forgive him…"

"Why?" Kyle demanded hotly.

"Because…"

"Because she understands why he did it," KC finished.

I nodded.

oOoOoOoOo

On March 31, 2005 I was released from the hospital. I had been gone for a few weeks. There were rumors spreading around school, I knew, for both Denton and I were absent. Only my friends knew the truth. But they didn't know the whole truth.

When I had first woken up, on March 18 or so, I couldn't see properly. After awhile, the doctors discovered that I was…

Blind.

Blind. I couldn't see. Not anymore. I'm not sure if that was Denton's intention, but that's how I was now.

The good part was that I finally got a dog.

Too bad the reason for getting Kori, my German shepherd guide dog, wasn't so good.

The school administration agreed to let me say my goodbye to my friends, and to my school, before I would go to a school for the blind.

They had an assembly just for me. I was touched, I really was. I still am. No one knew what the assembly was for, and I doubted that any of them cared. Maybe a few.

When I stepped onto the stage though, I heard the collective gasp and a few "She's back!"s.

"Hi everyone," I announced. I doubted they noticed my gaze wasn't focused on anything except what was in front of me.

"In case you don't know, my name is Karina Chang. I'm… I was… an eighth grader here. I have some friends, a few enemies, and just others who dislike me."

"The point is, this is the last time I'll be seeing all of you. Well, actually, I can't see you. Because I'm blind…"

"The reason why I'm blind doesn't matter. The point is, I will miss everybody, even the people I hate. I hope you all become what you want to become, and that you take good care of yourselves. And don't make stupid choices."
"And that's all I have to say."

There was deathly silence. The only sound was my clattering down the stage. My friends came up to me (I could tell it was them), and I hugged them goodbye.

And then I left.

oOoOoOoOo

As I said, I'm sixteen now, a sophomore at my new school. I made some friends, and it's been cool. I haven't talked to my old friends in awhile.

KC's a senior now. She's stressing about college and stuff.

Kyle doesn't need to worry; he's already at UC Berkeley.

Denton? Denton got out of juvenile hall last year. I haven't seen him, or rather, met with him. I haven't heard anything of him, except that he got out.

Me?

As darkness falls outside, I realize I'm not bitter anymore at being blind. I don't care.

Because I know that my darkness has already turned to light.

A/N: This is not based on anyone I know; it's only semi-based on a nightmare I had. I know the writing gets kinda crappy (haha) but do please review. :D