Inside Out Brain Break Novels & Stories

A reminder of nights I'd been dragged out of barrooms by cuffs, dumped in cells with busted ribs and regrets bigger than my cell. And suddenly? That memory was creeping back like a bad habit. I felt like I was going to explode. So I sat up on the couch, rubbed my palms over my face, and grounded myself—because I couldn’t let this shit break me again. My phone buzzed in my lap, a reminder that the clock kept ticking. I could let this spiral. Or I could call someone.

Staring out the small window of the aeroplane, I counted each drop of rain rolling down the glass until I got to ten, only to start counting all over again. I’ve done this for the past hour, and though the action seems like a boring activity, its the only thing distracting me from the paralyzing thoughts threatening to burst out of the Pandora box within my mind. The music playing from my earbuds changes to another and the song, Oceans by Hillsong United begins with a soothing melody in my ears.

But somewhere in the numb fog of my brain, a thought forms: “Break it. Break something. Break yourself if you have to” My breathing slows. My vision tunnels. I close my eyes because it’s easier not to see what’s coming. “Okay,” I whisper trying to prep my body for what was coming next. “Okay. Okay.” I twist my wrist once— The bone doesn’t move. Twice— Something grinds. Three times— CRACK!!! A sound like a snapped twig echoes inside me. A white-hot explosion shoots up my arm and I scream against the worm out pillow by my side, the sound swallowed by the dirty fabric.

Senna I should have looked closer the first time. Sometimes your brain sees the big words and skips the small ones. I needed to go back to the records room. I grabbed a clipboard and a stack of inventory forms, making sure I looked like just another busy healer doing her boring supply check.

A sharp crack broke the silence in the living room. The bracelet hit the hard marble floor, and the gem shattered into pieces. At that instant, everything around me stood still. I stared at the broken pieces on the floor, my mind going blank. Susan shrieked and took a step back. Jason swiftly grabbed Susan's hand and anxiously checked the back of her hand and her calves. "Did you get cut by the shards? Does it hurt?" He was finally relieved after making sure that Susan wasn't hurt. He turned around and stared at me, frozen in place, my face pale.

Noa was just finishing dressing up for the rest of the class when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He barely glanced at the screen before answering. "Hello?" A familiar voice spoke urgently from the other end. "Mr. Noa? This is Nurse Caroline from Green Land Mental Health Center." Immediately, Noa's stomach tightened. "What happened? Is Bella okay?" There was a brief silence before the voice came back. "I'm afraid your sister was injured this afternoon." The world seemed to stop.Noa gripped the phone harder. "Injured how?" "Another patient suffered a severe episode during recreation hour. One of the younger patients became frightened and started crying. Bella tried to calm her down."

RENATO MARINO Throbbing. My head was pounding so hard it felt like my skull was splintering from the inside out. Every heartbeat slammed against my temples, and every throb threatened to split me wide open. If I did not get off this damn, cold floor soon, I would lose my goddamn mind. If I had not passed out cold, nothing in this world would have kept me on the floor until morning. That alone told me exactly how wrecked I was.

Twenty-eight minutes later, the patient's breathing was steady, and color had returned to his face. This time, the elders didn't just look shocked. They were on their feet. "Third, the Trial of Will." The lead elder's expression grew serious. "You will face the Illusion of Inner Demons. In this illusion, you will relive your most painful memories and deepest fears. If you can endure for one hour without breaking, you will pass." A black crystal pulsed with dark energy. The foul magic wrapped around me like a shroud, and the world dissolved. I was back in that cold, small cabin.

Harper POV I am not a toy. I repeat it in my head like a mantra as I cross campus with my chin up and my shoulders squared, like posture can hold a spine together when it’s splitting from the inside. I am not a toy. I am not a distraction. I am not something you pick up when you’re bored and put down when you’re done.

If his bedroom looked like this, I didn’t want to even see the bathroom. It was one eighty degrees from the rest of the house. It wasn’t nasty. It was just chaotic. I decided an audiobook wasn’t what I needed. What I needed right now was to put on my relaxing playlist. A little Childish Gambino, Yuna, The Verve, Bruno Mars, and Maroon 5 were all I needed right now. A girl I knew in middle school noticed I had two songs on there when I got it for my thirteenth birthday. She was nice enough to load almost fifty songs on there. Varying from Rock to R&B. I added a few more songs on there over the years.