Pursuer's of the Heavens

Chapter 3:Relationships: the Good, the Bad, and the Awkward

Luckily for Saria, Irene's house was located only a couple minutes away from the school by the magnetic subway, making it perfect for after-school visits and hangouts. Taking a sharp left on the street corner across from Cherry Blossom High Saria sluggishly staggered down the stairs that lead to the magnetic subway. They were implemented in Prosperita to supposedly combat the ever-pressing environmental concerns of the public. The hope was that the disuse of gasoline would clear the skies and let nature flourish like it did. Unfortunately, too many everyday use items directly opposed the use of green products and as a result no effect was had on the smog. 

The scent that drifted from the subway consisted of greasy hot dogs being cooked by struggling teenagers and a faint mustyness that consistently entered your nostrils no matter where you were. As she descended the walls around became taller and taller as they transitioned from faded brick to old, reflective metal sheets that covered the foundations for the tunnels.

Saria staggered down the stairs, clutching the side railing to keep her balance. Distant echoes of rain pattered on the street above, beginning to drown out the conversation above. Yellow luminiscients shone dimly from the ceiling, containing grainy shadows of bugs inside the bulbs, laying lifeless.
Distant music played on aged speakers, softly ringing across the subway. Saria perked her ears, intent on figuring out the song. Upon recognizing the tune, she silently groaned at what she was hearing. Mark Felley, the lead "singer" of the band Braver and Boulder. Their hit track, Love Me Like Rubies, had been at the top of the charts for six months now, and there was no sign of any let up from the radio stations that insisted on drilling it into citizens' heads.

Trying to drown out the so-called "music" she began thinking of how she could explain her condition to Irene. 

"If I say that I fell, she won't believe that. And anyways, I've already used that excuse. Oh, I'll say I walked into a table and it bruised my stomach. She'd believe that." As the ginger girl continued down the path she walked up to the platform to await the subway's arrival. The tracks lay a couple feet in front of her feet. A small, twitching rat stood between the rails, chewing a small chunk of a sandwich. Saria stood propped up against a grey pillar with the paint chipping away, resting her abdomen. Her shoes kept slowly shifting on the smooth concrete floors beneath her, causing her to keep moving her feet back to counter the friction-less ground under her. A low rumbling echoed from the tunnel to her right, growing louder by the second. The steely bullet pulled into the station and screeched to a stop. 

Upon slowing, the automatic doors located on the side of the vehicle, after some stallage, creaked open. A few scraggly middle-aged men stepped out first, laughing and joking about politics and booze. A young woman with her three small children came out next, with one of the kids pulling against her with all his might. An elderly couple hobbled out last, with the wife speaking of their dinner date later that night. Saria, sidestepping out of the way from the travelers, peered inside the compartment. Assessing what lay inside, she stepped into the car and took the least damaged chair available.

Looking around the room again Saria noted that not many other people currently resided within the car. Another scraggly man sat slumped in his chair, unconscious. 

"Probably a drunk, what a moron." Saria thought bitterly with her brow furrowed. Her facial expression didn't rest easy yet, as Braver and Boulder's music picked up again, even louder than before. Sliding into her seat she audibly groaned under her breath. This is not making my day any better. She thought. 

"Enjoying the music, are we?" A man spoke next to her. Rapidly spinning around she almost jumped backwards before realizing who the figure was. Gaverin Monroe stood there, staring back at Saria's face with a big, goofy grin plastered on his face. 

"Y-yeah, something like that." Saria responded, surprised at his sudden appearance. 

"Oh Sar, I didn't mean to scare ya." Gaverin replied. He sat on the torn chair adjacent to Saria, and took his hard hat and placed it to his side, sweat falling with it. 

"So, how've ya been? We haven't eaten together in a while." "Well, I've just been really busy, y'know?" Saria said. 

"Yeah, I get it. Hey, I didn't catch ya dad earlier today, how's he been?" Gaverin questioned. 

"He's uh, fine. We're good." Saria spoke with a hint of uncertainty in her voice. 

"He has been excited about the new Braver and Boulder album release though." A frown instantly returned to her face at the mention of the band, glaring at him with pure hatred in her eyes. 

"Aight, avoiding the subject? Nah, I'm just playing. You obviously don't want to talk, it's cool. My stop is coming up so I'll be out of ya hair in a sec. Just wanted to say hi. Stacy misses ya, by the way. She wanted me to tell ya that." Gaverin finished with certainty. Gathering his things, Gaverin stood ready at the door as it squeakily opened, leaving Saria once again alone.

The car rumbled on through the tunnel, vibrating softly along the way. Saria sat in the same seat, drumming her fingers along the worn windowsill to her side. "Attention," a mousy voice rang over the intercom. 

"We are quickly approaching Plymet Drive. Anyone who wishes to get off there must be ready in the next minute, thank you." A small click ended the message of the conductor, which signaled Saria to gather her things. 

"Why did she announce this stop? Must be because the day's ending soon." Saria thought to herself. Picking up her damaged bag she prepared herself to face Irene, with a multitude of excuses she hoped would be enough for anything she threw at her. Climbing out of the car door and backtracking through a similar process she had just done to get to the subway, with the same reflective flooring and low-quality speakers.

Emerging to the surface the sky appeared much darker than before, only still containing a trace of sunlight in the west. Streaks of orange and yellow filled this small corner of the natural ceiling, signaling the end of the light and the descent into darkness. She slightly hobbled along the sidewalk that lined around the block that Irene lived in. Memories filled her head as she traveled towards her house, with many games of hop-scotch being played here in past days. 

"I haven't played hop-scotch since I was 7, time flies, huh. Ooh, this injury. I can hardly take it." She gingerly massaged her bruised abdomen as she walked, hoping to lessen as much damage as possible beforehand. Turning the corner she instantly recognized the old house she had spent so much time at in her youth. Faded yellow paint covered the major walls of the house, with lime green shutters varying the design.

The forest green door sat square in the middle of the small porch built in front of it. In the bottom left corner of the door a small chalk doodle lay inscribed into the furnished door, with two small girls holding hands and the word Friendship written above it. The letter E in the word was written backwards above the drawing. 

The porch was handmade by Layne and a team of workers he had hired, as a wedding gift to the, at the time, newly married couple. Though it was a little worn from the years of steps made across it, it stayed as a testament to Layne's goodwill towards the Norris family. As Saria slowly creeped up the stairs they slightly pushed under her weight, creaking and shifting with her body. Reaching the door, she tapped the doorbell with her index finger, her hands feeling clammy at her future task. The door excitedly slammed open, and Saria was greeted with her best friend wildly grinning at her. 

"Heya Saria, I'm so excited to see you!" Irene exclaimed with the energy of a thousand suns. 

Sorry this chapter is a bit short lol. The next one is longer so that will make up for it. I hope y'all enjoyed this part, as it sets up some important stuff later, so even though it's short, it's still very important, even affecting the story as soon as the next chapter. Anyways, any feedback is appreciated as always. Signing out, CrazyCandles.