5 – Uncomfortable

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After tonight Maya felt like she needed to recharge her batteries for a whole week straight but she learned long ago that going out with Abby and Alice was a long term commitment. The kitchen in the diner down the road closed at 11 but they wouldn’t be kicked out until after 12 or whenever the coffee ran out. As usual all attention was on Abby. No one expected a show like that, even Cory who had been playing with Abby on and off through most of her musical endeavors.

“So, Abby, now we know why we haven’t seen much of you lately,” Zena started. She was always the first to speak up when no else would.

“Hey, yea, guys that was great. If you ever need anyone to design anything, hit me up.”

“Stow the sales pitch, Kyle. “All work and no play…”

“Work is my play.”

“Whatever happened to art school, Kyle?” Zena once again bringing up the question no one has asked yet.

“Oh, you mean art on demand? That just wasn’t for me.”

“Couldn’t hack it, huh?”

“Zena!” Lottie and Zena were two very different kinds of friends. Zena had no problem calling someone out and Lottie would be there to comfort them and encourage them to keep moving forward. They were good cop and bad cop. Tough love and northing support. Kyle was used to it but that doesn’t mean he always enjoyed it.

“I see you haven’t changed one bit, Zena. But she’s right. I always had trouble working at someone else’s pace. I burnt myself out trying to keep up.”

“Wait, so are you back? Like back back?” This both excited and concerned Lottie. On one hand, seeing one of her best friends again was great but at what cost? She would rather see them excel than see them every day.

“Yea, Grandma stored all her sewing stuff in my room when I left but it’s got a bed and place for my laptop and that’s all I really need right now.”

“Except for a job.”

Abby and her crew had been politely quiet during their friend’s reunion. Meeting new people was always great, meeting their baggage at the same time definitely was not ideal.

“How do you feel about retail?” Abby chimed in. There weren’t many jobs you could get with Abby’s preferred skillset. While she was outgoing and great with people she refused to put in the time for something she was not absolutely, one hundred percent, devoted to. The only things she put that much attention into was her friends and her music. So she has bounced from one major retail chain to another since high school, changing only when she moved. She did exactly what was expected from her job and nothing more. Because of this she held some clout with her superiors but never enough to advance her position too far. This was her job, music is where she put in the real work.

“Ha.” Zena laughed.

“It can’t be that bad, right?” Kyle asked Lottie.

“It comes with a sweet vest…” Abby added, a hint of sarcasm in her offer.

Maya sat quietly throughout the entire exchange. Anything more than two people was too much for her. Trying to fit in a conversation between all the praise for Abby and Cory and the playful insults Zena and Kyle were hurling at each other was too daunting a task to attempt. Alice, on the other hand, had no problem navigating through all the chatter. She would easily switch between questions about the future of the band and stories from the trio’s childhood. Alice was always good with this sort of thing. The people thing. Maya was good at the sitting back and quietly observing those around her thing. That was her thing. She wanted to watch the story unfold around her much like in her books and TV shows. She was merely the viewer for which these stories o place for. Being part of a story was not in her interest. She was afraid of what her role would be in such a story. The loner. The freak. The outcast. It’s much better watching from the outside she would think to herself. Its better this way. Better for everyone.

NEXT CHAPTER

4 – This Just Might Work

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The music was over for a full twenty seconds before Maya came to. She could still feel it in the air, her bones vibrating with the energy it released over the crowd. She let it out with a long exhale. Her eyes had not left the stage since Abby started her set. Now that the music had died down the lights came back and the crowd began to disperse she could hear Kyle’s voice beside her. Her attention snapped back to her immediate vicinity to see that she was alone at her table with him. Alice, Zena, and Lottie must have rushed the stage once the band began to play. She was still smiling to herself when she came to, the music still fresh in her mind. Kyle was laughing now. It must have been something he said. When Maya realized where she was and that there was this stranger standing next to her talking her smile immediately faded. Kyle didn’t notice though. He was still telling his story as he faced the crowd smiling and nodding his head to greet Zena, Lottie, and Alice as they exited the crowd.

“HOLY CRAP!” Alice yelled as she approached Maya. “Did you see that?”

“Yea that was…”

“That was something else.” Zena responded in Maya’s placed only to get elbowed in the side by Lottie. “I mean, it was great, it was just unexpected.” She was covered in a layer of sweat and her hair was slightly disheveled. It was a normal look for most people but anything less than perfection was unusual for Zena. The smile was a strange addition as well. Zena usually got enjoyment from either something witty she said or at the expense of others, oftentimes those two went together. An outside force making her smile was not the norm. An outside force was a great description of what Abby just created on stage.

“Oh, we gotta do that again. But until then,” Lottie leaned over onto Kyle, wrapping an arm around his neck, “When are gonna see you again now that you’re back?”

“Well as I was just telling Maya here, she seemed pretty into the idea of all of us going out after this. You know, to catch up.”

“Wait, what?”

Alice and Zena eyed Maya in confusion but Lottie just smiled and said, “Let’s do it” as a guy covered in sweat and looking exhausted approached them.

“Well?”

“You killed it, Cory.” Alice answered the young man who had just walked up. Cory had been an on and off again band member with Abby depending on what kind of project she was looking for. “Where’s Abby?”

“In the back, staving off all her new fans.”

“What about your fans?” Zena chimed in.

“It doesn’t matter how good a guitarist you are if you’re up there with Abby.”

“Cory, this is Kyle. We go back forever. We’re all grabbing food after this, you guys in?”

“Sure thing, I’m just about to pull the van around and load up our gear. I think the other guys are gonna stick around and check out the other bands but I am beat.”

“What about Abby?”

“You know her, she loves the spotlight but only if she’s on stage. I think she’ll want to avoid the attention out here on the floor. I’ll ask her but she probably wants to bolt. She’d rather hang out with you guys than these other bands anyway.”

Maya looked at the crowd gathered around her. She was used to dealing with any two of them at a time but all of them gathered together in one place was a bit much for her. And they just kept growing. She only kind of knew Cory from school and now Kyle was thrown into the mix as well. Despite her anxiety, the dampness in the air created by hundred concert going strangers, and the nearly deafening background noise it all still felt right. It felt like home. It was a feeling she was still getting used to. A quiet comfort among the noise. She felt like she could get used to this. Her phone suddenly vibrated.

“Abby’s outside.” She finally spoke up to her friends.

“Let’s go.” Alice yelled. Lottie whooped and grabbed Kyle by the arm, Zena looked longingly back at the crowd as the next band was about to start as she followed them out.

“Yea, this just might work.” Maya said to herself, gathering her things, and trailing behind her friends.

NEXT CHAPTER

3 – Flannel

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Abby had been in a variety of bands throughout her pursuits. Often she would just perform solo in small coffee shops and college campuses. Maya didn’t mind these kinds of shows. Shows where she could relax, have a cup of coffee, and show her support for her friend. But of course this was never Abby’s dream. She dreamt of a band. And she often had one albeit with a rotating cast of performers she either met at school or at shows. But this is the first time she had a brand new band. “This one is different,” she would tell Alice and Maya. That was all she told them. They were barred from rehearsals which was also something new. They were so used to Abby having her friends and fellow musicians over for jam nights or just showing up to parties and the band members congregating to some corner and turning the party into an impromptu concert. This was the first time her two roommates were going in blind. Or deaf, in this case.

Maya found a small circular table opposite the bar to avoid the venue’s patrons and far enough back from the stage to make room for the rowdy concert goers. Ideally she would have loved to watch from the side of the stage but Abby told her it wouldn’t be possible for this show and she could see why now. The place was packed. All of Abby’s work had paid off. When she wasn’t at rehearsals she was working her butt off promoting the show. She had been purposefully holding back any previews of the music to build hype for tonight. Maya recognized some of the others from Abbigail’s circle of friends and even saw some folks she hadn’t seen since college, politely returning a wave as they passed by her.

“I will abandon you when the set starts.” Alice informed Maya upon seeing the table she had picked.

“It’s okay, go, have fun.”

“Chill out, I’m not gone yet. They don’t go on until eight.”

“Well this is definitely different.”

How Zena and Carlotta found Maya and Alice was a miracle as more and more people began to pack themselves into the building. Zena was dressed to the nine as usual. Maya assumed the reason she worked at Mag’s was for the employee discount. Carlotta was there for the discovery though, always digging in to vintage stock and pairing them with the new arrivals like an endless experiment with her as the test subject. Some of her ideas made Maggie chuckle and said that it looks good on her but don’t go trying to sell that look to any of the customers.

“I like it.” Chimed in Carlotta, wide eyed and taking in the crowd.

“I may have to take a page out of Maya’s book and just chill back here all night.”

“Oh, come on, your outfit will survive a little sweat.”

“It’s not just the sweat I’m worried about,” Zena said, eyeing a passerby decked out with spikes and studs coming out from just about every article of clothing he was wearing.

“Well then me and Alice will just have to hit the dance floor alone then.” Even though Alice’s conservative appearance was a stark contrast to Lottie’s the two got along better than most. They were often mistaken for sisters. Twins even on occasion. Two sides the same coin. Alice with her conservative, loose fitting yet still attractive clothes with pristinely natural straight hair and Lottie with whatever color she had chosen most recently for her hair and the oddly paired articles she had acquired from the discount racks at work. But there they would go chattering about this or that, often even finishing each other’s sentences.

“I don’t think this crowd is ready for our sick moves.” Alice responded sarcastically.

“Oh they won’t know what hit ‘em.”

“Oh god,” Zena exclaimed while scanning the crowd. Amidst the sea of flesh and black leather stood out a lonely figure of color headed right their way. “I’d recognize that flannel anywhere.”

“Oh my god, Kyle!” Lottie exclaimed, arms outstretched, embracing him as he approached. “What are you doing here? It’s been forever.”

“Oh, you know, just getting a lay of the land. Doing some promoting for an upcoming show.”

“Still making flyers with your Crayolas, Kyle?” Zena asked, eying the open envelope nearly overflowing with identical papers.

“Oh, Zena,” He said, draping his other arm around her shoulders. “I’ve missed you too.”

“Guys, this is Kyle. The three of us were inseparable from the first grade.”

“Unfortunately.” Zena chimed in.

“Until he betrayed us and went off to art school.”

“Well yea, about that…”

“Deets later, Kyle.” Lottie said with a concerned look on her face. “Tonight is for fun. And friends. This is Alice and Maya.”

“A pleasure.” Kyle said, politely taking their hands.

“How’s it goin’.” Replied Alice.

“Hey.” Maya said in her usual sheepish manner, barely making eye contact, instead focusing softly on their hands as they made contact. This was her normal tactic for meeting new people. Especially boys. But there was definitely something different going on behind the scenes in her head with this introduction. She would have to investigate further later. She was always this analytical with her emotions. She was afraid of them. This was her way of staying in control.

Kyle knew right away that there was something special about this girl. His heart began beating faster and it was becoming hard to breath. Be cool. Be cool. Be cool. He reassured himself. He often let his emotions carry him away and that usually led to buffoonery on his part. But luckily the lights went down and everyone’s attention turned to the stage.

Maya would have to dig into her feelings later. Abby was standing center stage now with a single spotlight on her, her band silhouetted beside her. And then the music began to play.

NEXT CHAPTER

2 – The Bulletproof Girl

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“You’re late.”

“I know.” Maya didn’t even stop to look at her roommates. Fear and frustration were flowing through her veins and she knew they would notice the moment their eyes met. They always notice. It’s a side effect of knowing each other for so long. But there are still parts of her life Maya keeps closed off from them. And they know this. They learned long ago that Maya doesn’t like to talk about her past. They know she lost her parents and that she grew up in a group home. She always told them it was too boring to be story worthy. All this is true. What she hides has nothing to do with how or where she grew up but it is a good misdirect. She was afraid that if they knew the truth, if they found out how truly weird she really was, that just might scare them away. And whether she likes it or not, Alice and Abby have been good for her. Losing them would destroy Maya.

“Told ya, you owe me five bucks.”

“Um, no. I agreed with you. No way would I take that bet.” Neither Abbigail nor Alice were surprised by Maya’s tardiness. They expected it even.

“I’ll be ready in ten.” Maya closed the door to her bedroom behind her, leaning back on it and letting out a deep breath. It took all of her self-control to compose herself as she walked from the front door to her room. She didn’t want to let on that anything out of the ordinary had happened. She dumped her bag onto the floor and pushed off from the door, dropping the spent bullet she had clenched in her hand this entire time into the trash can by her desk as she made her way to her closet. She just stood there, the door to her closet wide open, taking in her choices but ultimately decided that changing wasn’t worth the hassle. Stopping once more in front of her door to catch her breath and compose herself. Okay, let’s get this over with.

“Ready.”

“You didn’t even change.”

Let’s keep it that way. “Please, I look great already. Need help carrying anything?”

“Cory’s got all the gear. All I need is my guitar.”

“Then let’s go!” Alice seemed even more excited than Abby. This is the first big thing the three have them have done in a long time. There’s always lunches and dinners, and hanging out around the apartment but the three of them going out at night is a rare treat ever since Alice started up with this new band. Coordinating around the three of their work schedules was hard enough but now with practices thrown in there Abby has been pretty scarce. But they all knew it would be worth it in the end.

Abbigail is the only one of the three with a car. Both Alice and Maya work within walking distance and all of the restaurants and shops they frequent are in the same neighborhood. It was one of the reasons they decided on the building they did.

Alice and Abby were always talking and Maya was always listening. Maya preferred it that way so without even thinking about it Maya walked to the back passenger seat of the car, moving Abby’s guitar over to the other side, and sat down. They had met freshmen year of college. Abbigail and Maya shared a dorm room and May and Alice shared some classes. Maya was there to learn, not make friends but Abby had something else in mind. They didn’t share many interests and weren’t in any of the same classes but there was something about the other that they both agreed on. Maya felt like she was the tagalong when she went out with Abigail and her other friends but Abby quickly shut that down.

“They’re the tagalongs, Maya. We’re the power duo. They’ve got nothing on us.”

But Abby was still there pestering Maya to invite some of her other friends out with them. Maya kept to herself in high school and even though they had very similar lives, she just didn’t connect with a lot of the kids she grew up with. College was her way to get away from it all and move on with her life.

Alice was the complete opposite. College was where she wanted to be but she was living in the past. She still kept in touch with all her old friends at other schools and even though she wanted to make new ones she was afraid that she came off as trying too hard. She was right. While everyone else in her dorm and classes immediately clicked, Alice did not. Not with her roommate, not with her study group, not with anyone. Not even Maya. But what Maya and Alice did have in common was time. They both had plenty of time so when study group was over they were the ones with nowhere else to be. So as everyone else blew off Alice’s pestering for further study that left Maya. And Maya just could not come up with an excuse fast enough to deter Alice. So that’s how the two of them started their extended study sessions. Those sessions turned into meals and it was at one of these meals that Abby just so happened to find them. She wasn’t there for any particular reason. She had just come back from a lunch with some of her friends and her classes were over for the day. Abby somehow did that a lot. While everyone else lacked free time Abby lacked classes. The upside was she had plenty of time to study. Not that she needed it. She spent most of her time out with people or staying in with Maya. She didn’t seem like the kind of person that needed alone time but Maya knew the truth. She was on all day but when she needed to recharge all she had to do was put on some headphones or head off to one of the practice rooms with whatever instrument she was teaching herself at the time and she would be good for the rest of the day. She was on her way to one of those jam sessions when she decided to cut through the cafeteria. She didn’t recognize Maya at first, only seeing the chatty girl sitting across from her. Even though she wanted Maya to find more friends she knew that she was spending most of her time alone. Abby accepted that that was just who Maya was. She didn’t reject company but she didn’t go out seeking it either. Normally she would run into her doing whatever it is she was doing by herself. This is why she didn’t recognize her that day in the cafeteria. Perfect! She was never good at hiding her excitement.

“Heeeeeey, Maya.”

“Abbigail.” Great, I’m not going to hear the end of this. It wasn’t that she was hiding anything from Abby, it was just that she wasn’t as comfortable as her roommate at bringing up events and details in her life. So, yes, she might have made a friend in Alice but she didn’t know how to explain that to anyone even Abbigail.

“Hi, I’m Alice.” Alice politely extended her hand. She assumed Maya had to have other friends but she had never mentioned anyone. They only ever really talked about schoolwork. Alice would sometimes ramble about one of the many things going on in her head but it was mostly a one way conversation but Maya never looked bored or tried to blow her off so she continued to tell her stories.

“Abby. So are you coming with Maya to the concert tonight?”

“Ummmm…”

“Just say yes, she’ll just pester me until you come out with us. Abby’s my roommate by the way.”

“I can’t believe you did that.” Maya told Abby later that day.

“Yea you can.”

“You’re right. I wasn’t that surprised.”

They’ve been together ever since, each adding their own unique flavor to their group dynamic. Abby with all the flash and flair, Alice and her nigh nonstop mouth, and then Maya who was just Maya. Always in the background. But if you look hard enough you can find some unexpected stories hiding in the background.

NEXT CHAPTER

1 – The Worst Day Ever

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

This is going to be the worst day ever thought Maya. Tonight is the big night. Abby’s first show. Well, with this band at least. Abby has had a lot of first shows but this was the biggest one yet. People were starting to know her name. People were Maya’s problem. The very thought of all those people has wrecked Maya’s entire day and she wasn’t even going to be the one on stage. Normally she loved coming to work. Getting a job at Maggie’s shop was perfect for her. She only had to answer simple questions based on Maggie’s instructions and show the customers where to find whatever they were looking for. Maggie got all the attention even when she wasn’t in the room. That’s why people came here. For Maggie. Affordable style curation with a mix of new and vintage clothing. Maya loved watching her work and just hanging out in the background, stepping forward only when called upon. Just helping out was enough for her often even predicting what Maggie would say, jotting down in her notes before she even had time to finish speaking. But today was different. All she could think about was tonight and when she started to think about anything that caused ripples in her simple and well planned life it consumed her. She found herself staring off into nothingness far more often than usual and would often miss something Maggie was saying to her, apologizing profusely once her attention snapped back to reality. The nerves and anxiety were too much for her. On one hand she wants to support her roommate and friend but on the other she would rather avoid going out ever again. This isn’t entirely true but when a night out includes a loud club with overwhelming amounts of people Maya’s hermit mode goes into overdrive. She has stocked up on frozen pizzas, cereal, milk, and has a backlog of TV shows she want to catch up on just in case she comes up with a legitimate excuse to stay in. Maybe I’ll have some bad fish for lunch or sprain my ankle on the way home. Maybe I’ll get hit by a car! She excitedly thinks to herself, imagining the bedrest and lawsuit money. Who am I kidding, I wouldn’t sue anyone. Her daydreams are interrupted by the chime of her phone.

“4 MORE HOURS!!” Many would read this text in a tone of excitement but Maya knew what it really meant. Abby can feign confidence for days, weeks even, before a show but in those hours leading up to it she becomes a nervous wreck. This is her first gig with the new band and even though she is overwhelmed by nerves right now she will do just fine when the time comes for her to take the stage. She always does.

“Just got off work. On my way home now.” Alice, too, understood the true meaning of the text.

“Another two hours for me. Should I just meet you guys there?” Maya still had to close up the store tonight. Maybe I can work late, she wonders to herself.

“Nope.”

“Absolutely not.” The two replies came in instant succession.

“No way you’re backing out of this one.” They knew her too well.

“See you at home then.” Alice and Abigail were the perfect roommates for Maya. They accepted her for who she is but they weren’t putting up with any of her nonsense, pushing her when they knew she needed it. Tonight she needed it.

“I guess I’m not getting hit by a car then.” Maya says to herself as she puts her phone away.

Six o clock came quickly. A little too quickly for Maya. She walked her slowest to the door to turn over the open sign, hoping some well-meaning customers would wander at the last minute. No luck. They were all being far too considerate. Maya hadn’t even made it back to the front counter before Mags came out and started cleaning up the front.

“Maggie I can—“

“Why don’t you take off early, Abby’s big show is tonight isn’t it?”

“How did you—“

“Zena told me. Go on, support your friends.”

“I can stay and help—“

“No. Go. And give my love to Abby and the girls. Wish her luck for me.”

Maya slowly sauntered to the back of the store to get her jacket and bag then stopped at the door before leaving.

“Are you sure you don’t need any—“

“Go.” Mags was practically pushing her out the door now.

“Alright, see you tomorrow Maggie.”

“Mags.”

“See you tomorrow Mags.”

Maya looked up to Maggie. She was the perfect boss for her. She looked at Maya and not only understood who she was but also saw all the potential she carried within her. There was no other reason she should be working here. While Maggie did most of the curating for her customers she still relied on her employees to expand on the selections she had made, or to help out with those who couldn’t afford the full style consultation from Maggie herself, or who were just here to pick up a few items. ‘Traditional shoppers’ they called them. And while Maya did possess a casual eye for style this wasn’t a career for her. It was only a job. A job she loved for a boss she admired and coworkers she got along with but still just a job nonetheless. She would have loved to stay late today. Anything to avoid going straight home right now.

 “LET GO OF ME!”

Well, almost anything. Sometimes our wishes coming true aren’t always a good thing.

The noise was coming from a car parked on the street up ahead. The streetlights had come on but it wasn’t dark outside just yet.

This is not what I need right now. Maya thought to herself. But there was no way around this.

The car was parked between Maya and her building. There were no back alley routes or streets to cross to avoid the situation. She ran her fingers through her hair, straightening it out and tucking it into the back of her shirt then reached into her bag for a pair of sunglasses.

“Hey!” she shouted as she approached the car. The passenger door was open and a woman was halfway out of it, her arm gripped by the driver. A man. Probably a boyfriend. Maya didn’t care.

“Let her go.”

“Mind your own business.” Other, much less polite, words were used but Maya blocked those out. She did not have time for this.

“You’re in the middle of the street. You made this my business. Now let. Her. Go.” She was leaning on the open door now, her head hunched down to better see the driver. Putting herself between the man and the woman, their entwined arms stretched out beneath Maya’s, her figure was a line she didn’t want him to cross. She was hoping this would be easy but she could tell now it would be anything but. She was right. Maya was so focused on staring him down in intimidation that she didn’t see where he pulled it from but there was now a gun pointed directly at her. He must have loosened his grip on the woman when he reached for it because she was able to finally pull herself free but she was still there, standing right behind Maya, frozen in shock.

“I do not have time for this.” Maya said as she put her hand over the barrel of the gun with the sternest look on her face. “Get. Out.”

The man almost smiled. Then he fired.

NEXT

Prelude – The Best Day Ever

Today is going to be the best day ever. We are taking the train out to the country. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a real family day out. Dad says we’ll go on a real proper vacation real soon but today is good enough. I wanted to go to the beach but Dad said there would be too many people. He wanted to get away from the city and I don’t blame him. My face was glued to the window the entire train ride out here watching the sky become clearer; as the tall buildings and noises of the city faded into the distance so did Mom and Dad’s fighting. It had been a tough couple of months. Dad was working all the time and Mom was making her own sacrifices to keep the family afloat. But that will all be over soon. Dad promised. I see the way they’re holding onto each other, looking out the window, watching the world passing by them. It was nice. It was nice to see them sitting in comfortable silence. Much better than the silence that usually follows one of their fights.

“We’re slowing down!”

“We’re almost there, Maya. Just a few more minutes.” Looking back I didn’t recognize the worried look my mom gave my dad when he said this. I was either too young or too excited.

There was a car waiting for us at the train station but I wasn’t ready for another long ride so soon after the last one. I could see the fields across the road and it took every ounce of self-control to keep myself from bolting right then and there. Every part of me longed for freedom. Instead I ran circles around the car as Mom was loading our bags and Dad had stepped into a shop to grab some last minute supplies for our picnic. I had lost count of how many laps I had made when he finally got back. And again we were off, my face once again stuck to a window, completely in awe of all the green. It was everywhere and I just wanted it to swallow me up and fill in all the bland colors of the city.

My feet were moving before the car had even stopped. Mom looked back at me smiling as the tapping of my feet on the floor turned to pounding.  We stopped and I was gone.

“Not too far.” My mom yelled after me.

A loud whoop and wee was all I let out as I looked back to see her setting up some chairs as Dad was making lunch. We were supposed to eat first but all I wanted to do was run and get lost in the tall grass. Just being able to run outdoors and not be worried about the air quality or running into someone was the greatest. I could run through these fields forever.

“Maya! Lunch!” But I wasn’t ready just yet. Only a little bit further and I would be at the top of the hill. I desperately wanted to see the horizon in the distance, the open land stretched before me showing off it’s beauty to anyone willing to leave the city behind and give it the tiniest bit of attention. It had all of mine. It’s all I looked at the whole train ride out here. I could see so far. I wanted to see further. The city was where I grew up but this… this was something more. Just a few more feet now and I would be at the top. Now that was on higher ground I could see my parents below me waving for me to come back.

“I’m almost there,” I yelled back. “Just another minute.”

And there it was. I could still see the city from here. We had traveled for so long and yet I could still see it. Always there waiting for us. And then it wasn’t. Instantly replaced by the brightest light I had ever seen. Then the light was gone and I was no longer on the hill. For the longest time this was the last thing I remembered from home. Years later little bits and pieces would come back to me. Mostly in dreams. Every night I was flying. Further and further until one night I finally hit the ground, landing back on the grass at the bottom of the hill. For years this was the moment I tried remembering the most. The moment that I passed from one world to another. I don’t know if the blast knocked me out midair or if the force of hitting the ground that made me lose that last final image of my home.

I couldn’t have been out too long but the bright midday had been replaced with a darkness that can only come in the latest of nights. Only darker it seems. The kind of dark you get when you go camping. Even this far from the city I expected at least some sort of glow in the sky.

“Mo…” I began to cry but my throat was the driest it had ever been. Every part of me was sore but I managed to sit up anyway.

“Mom?” I finally managed to squeak out. A few more coughs and then, “Dad?”

Where were they? I wanted to cry but no tears came, just empty, dry sobs and the occasional cough. Still sore, I stood up, testing my legs. I had broken my arm once about a year or so back when I fell while climbing the side of our apartment. That pain was worse but this wasn’t concentrated to only one part of my body. It was all over. It hurt to move. It hurt to breathe. But I could stand and if I could stand then I could walk. What I couldn’t do was lay in a field alone all night.

Everything looked different at night. The hill didn’t seem so high anymore and when I looked back in the direction we had set up our picnic I didn’t see any sign of my parents. No chairs, No car. No Mom. No Dad. I couldn’t even find the path we had driven to get here. I followed where I thought it had been and eventually made it back to the road but it too was abandoned. In one direction was a straight shot back to the city and somewhere, the other direction, past too many twists and turns for me to remember was the small town with the train station. In the end it didn’t matter which way I would decide on because before I knew it I saw lights coming down the road.

It slowed as it pulled onto the shoulder, its lights now blinding me. I heard to door creak open and the sound of someone stepping out onto the gravel.

“You all right?” I still couldn’t see anything. I backed away. My parents had given me the whole strangers talk many times but this was an emergency.

“Hey. Hey, little one, what are you doing out here?” The figure was now face to face with me, kneeling right in front of me. She didn’t seem like a stranger. She was youngish, probably in her twenties, but to my childish eyes she seemed so much older. She was an adult and at that moment I needed an adult very badly. My throat still hurt and my voice was hoarse but I eventually got some words out.

“I can’t find my parents.”

“Out here? What were you doing out here?”

“Picnic.”

She stood up, looked down the road, and cursed to herself.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get this all sorted out.” She pulled out her phone and dialed then looked over at me as if she just remembered I was there. “Let’s go wait in the truck, we’re gonna freeze out here.”

I hadn’t even noticed the cold until she said something. “Mmhm.” It looks like we were both unprepared for this situation.

“Hank?” She yelled into the phone. “Yes, I know about the lights. Listen Hank, I’m out here on my way into town and there’s this kid wandering up the highway. Yea, a kid. A little girl. I don’t know. She said she’s looking for her parents. Look Hank, there ain’t no one out here. Well I want you to send someone to pick this kid up. No I’m not—I know you got yer hands full but this isn’t—Alright. Alright. But you owe me Hank.” With that the conversation was over.

Turning her attention back to me she put on a fake smile but I could see it in her eyes. I was her problem now. But I didn’t want to be anyone’s problem. I just wanted my mom and dad.

“Hey sweetie, things are a little crazy right now with all the lights out and all. My friend is a police officer and he says I should take you there to the station. Maybe your parents will be looking for you there.

The police. Finally some sense. I wanted to find my parents but I couldn’t see three feet in front of me out in the night and this woman was no help at all. Maybe she was right. Maybe my parents would go looking for me there.

They didn’t.

NEXT CHAPTER

Bonus: Flying

I am constantly rearranging my priorities when it comes to what I want to work on next. Some things that I plan on being short stories end up longer, some projects miraculously get merged into a single stories, and my desire to write exciting, fun adventure stories gets sidelined for the more emotional character driven pieces. That last one shouldn’t come as much of a surprise seeing that that is what I prefer to read and watch it’s just that the fun stories are more of an escape that doesn’t involve the sometimes scary world of introspection. So today I wrote about flying.

Flying is a lot more like scuba diving than parasailing. It takes work. It takes muscles you didn’t even know you had. But it’s calming. I mean, as long as you’re wearing earmuffs. That’s one thing you never hear in those movies- the wind. Imagine the windiest of days. Now imagine going against that wind. At almost 100 miles an hour. It. Is. Loud. Yet oddly calming. All you hear is the muffled sounds of the air rushing past you. No street sounds or the cacophony of crowds. Just you, the clouds, and the brightest you’ll ever see the sun. Another thing left out of those movies. But I guess the hero doesn’t look as cool with giant sunglasses and earmuffs. Well, maybe the sunglasses (I’m looking at you, RDJ).