Young Writers Society

If only she had thought first

It had been an accident. A consequence of a misunderstanding. She never meant for it to happen.

Pandora snapped back to life, shaking her head to clear the memories. She breathed. She blinked. She allowed her eyes to shut for a moment before the images flooded the black insides of her eye lids once more. Her mother was still crying and she could see her smudged face through the grubby glass.

"Mom… We only have a few more minutes." Pandora put as much tenderness into her words as she could. Her mother answered by blowing her nose. Pandora set her brown-eyed gaze towards the clock, then towards the official. He clenched his gun tighter to his chest and Pandora lowered her stare. She watched the other women talk to their visitors through the gaps in the foggy glass. All wearing the same orange jumpsuit, all chained to the leg of their chair like dogs. Pandora didn't belong here, she was too pretty to be kept in a place this soiled. But, she had thought that about her life before here too, and she would give anything to go back there.

Pandora had once been glamorous - chocolate waves of hair pinned into perfect victory rolls, berry red lipstick complimenting the pallor of her face. She had high set cheek bones and the way her eyes glistened set every man on her trail. She chose Lux. Lux was older than she was and didn't have much money, but boy were they in love. She was young when they married, only 18. They lived a tough life but cherished every moment together.

"Stop yappin' on that thing and come help me!"

"I'm talking to my mom!" Pandora hollered from the bedroom. Their apartment was small and dingy and all that they could afford. One bedroom, one bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room complete with a crackling television. The carpets were stained and the curtains didn't match but the rent was cheap. Her footsteps made the thin walls tremble.

"Do not talk about my momma that way!" Pandora's mother had not approved of Lux, she thought he had taken his baby too young. She thought Pandora was too good for a bum like him; too pretty for him too. Pandora opened the fridge and grabbed a beer. She was a sweet girl but she liked to drink. She stood by the sofa taking chugs from the green bottle. Lux got up and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Don't touch me," Pandora snapped, a soft and warning anger in her breath, along with the stench of alcohol. Lux slumped back into the sofa.

"Fine, but help me with the god damned bills," impatience lined Lux's words but they were devoid of anger, "I can't do the math."

"Always were useless with numbers." There was spite in Pandora's voice. She took a long swig of beer and stared down and the looming pile of papers on the table.

A buzz shook the room, followed by the clanging of metal against metal. The sound of chains dragging made Pandora's head ache. A guard pushed something hard into Pandora's back, signalling it was time to go. Pandora already missed the company of her snivelling mother. Once back in bitter isolation, sleep came quickly.

"I can't live like this anymore!" Pandora grabbed a fistful of bills, crumpling the red word "Urgent" printed on the top of most of the sheets. Sweat stuck Lux's blond hair to his forehead.

"You can't even provide for me!" The screaming hurt Pandora's throat, every syllable clawing to get out.

"Don't you think I've tried?" Lux's scream weren't nearly as callous, he sounded weak. A curl fell out of Pandora's perfect rolls, wisps of hair escaping. A new bottle in her hand.

"I deserve better than you and this dump!" She still looks so beautiful, Lux thought. The dim light cast shadows across her features.

"But I love you," this time Lux didn't have the energy to scream.

"You are nothing!" Pandora's words began to slur. Lux got up, tried to approach, but Pandora was like a wild beast who didn't want to be tamed. She pushed him back, hard. Harder than either of them thought she had the strength to do. Lux fell, his back slammed against the wall and he slid down the smooth surface to the floor. Pandora stared at the pathetic heap.

"You are nothing!" She punched him. His head was knocked backwards as she collided with his nose. Crunch.

"You are nothing! You are nothing! You are nothing!" Each time she brought her fist back and hit him hard in the face, her knuckles colliding with his soft profile. Crimson poured from his nose. A cut above his eyebrow, everything bruised. He coughed, the first time Lux had moved since she had stopped attacking him. He spewed blood, bubbles forming at his mouth. Lux looked up to her then, and as Pandora stared passed the despair in his eyes, she realised there was something worse than what she had just done, she didn't feel the guilt.