1 There was no place for me here
"There isn't a fucking star in the sky !" He shouted .
Ezekiel Cooper stood on the rooftop edge of the building where he had lived his entire life, gazing at the starry night sky above.
The wind was whipping his hair wildly and his heart was heavy with resentment and despair. He couldn't help but ponder what might have happened if he hadn't fallen asleep that day, the day that changed his life forever.
Ezekiel's hand made a sharp sound as it connected with his cheek, the stinging sensation jolting him back to reality.This was his reality - a far cry from the dreams he had envisioned for himself.
He ran his hand through his messy hair and let out a heavy sigh. How had he ended up here?
As he looked up, he couldn't help but feel a deep-seated sense of regret, knowing that it was his own fault that his brother Nathan was gone.
He wished he could blame someone else for his negligence, but he knew in his heart that it was his own actions that had led to the tragic loss of his beloved younger sibling.
Ezekiel longed for someone to be there for him, to listen to his pain and suffering, to offer him a sympathetic ear.
But he also knew that his version of the story was corrupted by guilt and self-loathing. He didn't know how to make sense of the whirlwind of emotions that were consuming him, and he felt utterly alone in his grief.
He thought back to the day that everything had changed. Ezekiel had been tasked with watching over Nathan like always, as their parents were out of town for the day.
Ezekiel had been exhausted from a long night of studying and had decided to take a quick nap. But when he woke up, he found that Nathan had drowned in the bathtub, a tragic accident that could have been prevented if he had been more vigilant.
In the hospital, as Ezekiel looked into his mother's tear-filled eyes, he knew that she blamed him for Nathan's death. Her accusations cut him deeply, leaving him feeling like a monster, a failure, and a murderer.
His relatives had to intervene as she lashed out at him, hitting him in her uncontrollable rage.
Days later, Ezekiel was still haunted by his mother's words, the unspoken blame of his relatives, and the crushing guilt of his own actions.
He couldn't shake the feeling that he was responsible for Nathan's death and that he had failed his family in the worst possible way.
As he stood on the rooftop edge, Ezekiel felt his heart beating slowly and heavily in his chest. He closed his eyes, feeling the wind whip around him, knowing that he couldn't run from his past or the weight of his own grief.
The rain continued to pour, drenching Ezekiel to the bone. He stood there on the rooftop edge of the building where he had lived his entire life, pondering what might have happened if he hadn't fallen asleep that fateful day.
Regret, resentment, and despair washed over him in waves, and the fact that it was his fault gave him nightmares every night.
He wanted someone to be there for him when everything happened, just to listen to his nonsense.
From the beginning, he was not greedy at all; he only wanted someone to share his corrupted version of the story.
But as he raised his face towards the sky, he kept his eyes closed this time, sensing that something was wrong with his heart beating. It felt too heavy for him to carry around, and his beats were getting slower each day.
Ezekiel Cooper was the son of Jasmine and Stewart Cooper, and the big brother of Nathan Cooper whom he killed mercilessly a week ago.
The guilt of his actions weighed heavily on him, and he couldn't shake off the memory of his brother's pale blue skin from when he found him in the bathtub.
It haunted him for days, and no amount of help could ease the impact of that picture on his soul. He knew he had messed up this time more than he ever did in his whole life.
A few hours ago, Ezekiel made sure not to leave anything behind, no letters, no diaries, no emails, nothing. He wanted to disappear just like that, without any drama.
No one was going to be on his side, no one was going to remorse him or even cry over him. And when he came to that conclusion, he was so calm about what he wanted to do.
Ezekiel was a 17-year-old boy, with dark long hair that he tied up in a band, blue eyes, pale skin, and crescent-shaped eyebrows.
He was tall, much taller than his friends, but his body was not that muscular. He was not interested in sports activities all over the years because he was too focused on his studies.
It was his last year in high school, and most of his classmates were pressured with getting good results to get the required level for the colleges they dreamed about. But the amount of pressure he had was much bigger than anyone else.
Even when Ezekiel was the number one student in his high school, his parents were never satisfied with that achievement. In fact, they always found someone to compare him with, someone who could speak another language more fluently than him, gain more awards in school activities, be more suitable for the most precious colleges in the country.
"I was never enough," he thought. At this point, there was nothing that was going to hurt or drag him down further.
He was already at the bottom of his life, and he didn't know what was going to happen next. Perhaps there was nothing, or maybe there was a constant hell for him to be tormented for eternity. However, he was not scared.
At least he was not going to see those looks of pure hate anymore. They say that his parents were just angry because of what happened to Nathan, but he was not sure that this was the case.
Ezekiel's heart was heavy with guilt and remorse as he stood in the pouring rain, the drops falling heavily around him like tears from the sky. His mind was consumed with the memories of his little brother's death, and he knew that he was the one to blame.
The image of Nathan's pale blue skin haunted him, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake it from his mind.
As he contemplated his actions, EZekiel was overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness. He knew that what he had done was unforgivable, and the only punishment that could possibly suffice was his own demise.
But even as he prepared to step into the void, he couldn't help but wonder what awaited him on the other side.
"Will he wait for me there?" he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible above the sound of the rain.
Ezekiel closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the cold air filling his lungs and sending a shiver down his spine. He wondered if Nathan was there, on the other side of the portal, waiting for him with open arms.
But even as he entertained the thought, he knew that it was just a fantasy, a desperate hope born from his own guilt.
He traced the scars on his face with his fingers, each one a painful reminder of his own inadequacy.
"It's not a big deal," he whispered, trying to convince himself that he was doing the right thing. But deep down, he knew that he was wrong.
"There was no place for me here," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Ezekiel suddenly felt a force behind him, pushing him . He stumbled forward, his heart racing as he felt himself losing his balance.
At that moment, everything seemed to slow down as he fell into the void . He felt a rush of wind and the world around him blurred into a haze of colors and lights.
It was like nothing he had ever experienced before, and he felt both exhilarated and terrified at the same time.
" What is this …." He wondered as he entered something that looked exactly like a portal ..
The portal was a breathtaking sight, unlike anything Ezekiel had ever seen before.
It was a swirling vortex of colors, each hue blending seamlessly into the next. The colors were constantly shifting, rippling like waves in an ocean.
The center of the portal was a brilliant white, so bright it was almost blinding to look at directly.
As Ezekiel gazed at the portal, he could feel a strange energy emanating from it.
It was like a humming, buzzing sensation that he could feel all throughout his body. The energy was pulling at him, beckoning him to step forward and enter the portal.
The air around the portal seemed to shimmer, like heat rising from a hot surface. As Ezekiel approached, he could feel the warmth emanating from the portal, as if it was a gateway to another world filled with sunshine and warmth.
The sound of the rain pounding against the pavement seemed to fade away, replaced by a faint whispering that seemed to be emanating from the portal. It was a soft, soothing sound that seemed to be calling his name.
As Ezekiel tentatively reached out a hand towards the portal, he could feel a strange force pulling at him, tugging him towards the swirling colors. He hesitated for a moment, but then with a deep breath, he stepped forward, feeling himself being enveloped by the pulsing energy of the portal.
Suddenly, everything went black, and Ezekiel felt himself hurtling forward through an endless void. The sensation was disorienting and terrifying, but he gritted his teeth and pushed on, determined to see where this portal would take him.
