Porchcrawler

102 8 10
                                    

By day, my memory is forced from me step by agonizing step. Ducky has dragged me through my mother's death again and again just to see me cry. He tried to get me to travel before that, but never did I go to his lab or dare to travel into his office before she died. Ducky would open the door to the room only to see black emptiness. There was no possible way to develop memories of something that I had never seen.

By night, I sit staring at the wall. What a life I have right now. I stare at those annoying pink bunnies as I sit crisscross on my bed in my comfy pajamas Mrs. Galloway sent me. I always stop and go to sleep when the bunnies start to move off the wall. It isn't worth trying to follow them to get the answers. They move too quickly as a bunny should.

Jon brought me the bird which was a burnt orange copper color. Thank Venus it isn't pink. It took four Jons to lug it up to my room and I swear they were going to mutiny against me if I made them move it an inch this way or that for the fiftyish time. It had to be perfect though.

A day later, Jon arrived with the projector and I attached it to the bird's eye with a smile. I was finally going to get the chance to rid my world of this stupid equation I had been unlucky enough to be plagued with knowing. Jon gave me a subtle glance motioning upward and I groaned at his message. Looks like I had to keep the entire equation internal. Any recording of it would be confiscated.

So, here I sit days after getting the bird staring at the wall upside down. There was no reason to my madness except of course to look mad. It seemed to work because the Lion's concern for me grew each day. He even tried to get me out of the room a few times. Ducky stopped him each time thinking I was getting close to the edge of cracking.

As the sun set over the horizon, a commotion down the hallway distracted my deciphering. It was odd to hear any noise in the building nowadays. The yelling came from directly on the other side of my door and before I could get up to investigate, the door slid open revealing an enraged Ducky with a bloody nose. It was apparent that it was broken by the dark circles developing under both eyes. Somebody got him good. I was jealous it wasn't me but glad it happened to him.

"Take her," Ducky barked, sounding all stuffed up, as he glared at me. It sounded like a congested elephant and I let out a small giggle. "We will finish this at the base."

I sat up looking at Ducky in confusion as I rolled off the opposite side of the bed and backed away towards the window. The Lion and the other man appeared in the doorway each carrying a dark duffle bag. The Lion's eyes screamed for me to run. Wherever they were taking me it was apparent that I didn't want to go. I opened the door to the balcony without thinking and turned around barreling to the railing. I didn't have a plan or really a thought in my head, but I wasn't letting them take me away from here. Pierce was coming back to get me, I just knew it.

Before I could get my right leg over the balcony railing, a strong arm tucked around my waist and forced me backwards. I fell to the balcony floor with a soft thud and a scream. My view was now at the dark sky and the two shadowed men glancing down at me. The Lion had his arms crossed. It was apparent he wanted nothing to do with this and the other man took note of his body language before grunting and bending down towards me.

I kicked and flailed my arms at him as best I could, but my face was against his back without any exertion on his part. I was nothing more than a second duffle bag. I bounced along against his shoulder helplessly trying not to think of anything because I knew I would start crying. Crying wouldn't help me here. I needed to think.

"Mr. Galloway isn't going to let you just carry me out the door," I spat at Ducky as we approached him on the other side of the room. Ducky closed the distance between us before forcefully pulling my chin up with his hand. His face held a challenge I didn't understand. He examined my features closely before scoffing and letting my chin go and watching it fall back against his minion's shoulder.

Surviving my ScholarshipWhere stories live. Discover now