The Deep Prick

~Chapter 10~

In Linens and Moonbeams motel, Caroline and Grace jumped up and down on the motel room bed, while "I'm Alive" by the Hollies played on the radio. Clashing floral wallpaper, floral bedspreads and caramel colored wood paneling, brought the girls back to an era they never lived in. Yet the 1970's décor had them feeling far out and frolicsome in the indoor flower fields that took over the classic vintage walls and their fresh new minds. They jumped, they laughed, they danced like little blossoms. Their sadness over Oliver's lack of existence in their lives, was nonexistent. They were not distracted by his voice and a certain rhythm of bliss was taking over their bodies. It was a good rhythm, a rhythm that kept their petals strong and blooming. And like a flower; water was certainly necessary to keep them alive and well.

Grace and Caroline did find the water. They swam deep down into the deep end of the motel pool. Their pistols sat on the pool floor as the girls indulged in the serenity of the deep swim and began to release handfuls of glitter into the pool, like magic. They continued to keep sanity in their ears, as Gemma Hayes' "Don't Let Them Cut Your Hair" played on their tiny radio on the diving board.

~When we were younger, we wanted to be mermaids. We would bring handfuls of glitter into the water, pretending our mermaid tail had just magically disappeared. Glitter in water was like pure euphoria to our minds. It was a way we found relief from the loudness above. Now as we're older, from time to time, we like to drown our pistols. We'd watch them just sitting at the deep end, as if they took too much water into their chamber; never to awaken again. After our parent's death, Grace was never the same. She never enjoyed the waters magic like I did. The obvious reason being - she was there when my mother and father drove off that bridge.

Grace was seventeen at the time, and biking on the side of a quiet road after coming back from school in Connecticut. She biked calmly on an empty bridge, looking down at the water below. She stopped riding at the sight of the water releasing mysterious bubbles to the surface. A white rose then floated to the surface and Grace didn't hesitate to jump in the water, letting her bike fall loudly to the ground. Grace swam down deep into the murky river water. The water was so cloudy, it was hard to make out what was two feet in front of her; but somehow, she managed to see something that she hoped she wasn't seeing. She found our parents car, sinking to the bottom of the river. She swam down fast to the car and looked through the driver's side window, and there, still sitting in their car seats, were our parents; so very still, almost serene and not breathing. Grace floated there, frozen with fear, but confirming in that moment, that our parents were in fact no longer alive.

What's great about water, is our senses are weakened under water. We hear less clearly, see less clearly, touch differently and smell nothing. The water also hides so much. The surface is what reveals the truth. I'm hiding my tears at this very moment, they're streaming out like waterfalls, but no one could tell. Not even Grace. ~

Grace gradually swam to Caroline, who's eyes were closed tight. Underwater ripples massaged Caroline's whole body and allowed her to float. Caroline released air bubbles from her mouth and Grace swam with the bubbles, as they floated to the surface. As Caroline's eyes were still closed, the complete stages of tranquility were interrupted by Grace, pulling Caroline up to the surface quite forcefully.

Caroline surfaced quickly, breathing in air, and wiping away the wet hair off her face, "what's wrong?" she asked.

Grace pointed to the motel parking lot, at Rowan Sanders, who parked and exited his car like the moment slow-moe'd and lingered there; all for Caroline to fully understand his presence.

Caroline whispered, "Rowan," as she watched Rowan lean against his black Porsche with his foot cast and taking out a cigarette from his denim shirt pocket to smoke.