Titanium Promises

Ten

I spent the entirety of last night preparing. I stuffed my PE duffel bag with clothes and other necessities, and threw in a notebook just in case. I obsessed over packing mostly because I couldn't sleep. The entire time my mind kept repeating the sound of the gunshot in my head until my ears began to ring. Eventually I found rest, but the dreams were filled with pain and suffering.

It's the horrible screams that jolt me awake.

I wake up in a cold sweat, my blankets sprawled out on the floor. My head throbs, and I sit there for a second, holding my head in my hands, before I suck in a breath and get up, not risking being late. I grab the fake permission slip I found online off my desk and shove it in my pocket along with my pen. I wrap my duffel bag around my shoulder and go downstairs.

Silvia's awake and by herself, sitting on one of the chairs behind the counter, so Dad must still be asleep. She looks away from her newspaper temporarily to smile at me as I walk downstairs.

She points at a pile of toast on the counter. "Help yourself." She looks back at her newspaper, only for a strange look to come over her face. She glances back at me. "Why are you up so early? School doesn't start for another two hours."

I swallow. Silvia doesn't deserve to be taken advantage of like this. "I have a week-long trip with my school." I pull the slip from my pocket and hand it to her. "Could you sign this permission slip for me? I trust you as a guardian."

She doesn't look convinced at first. Her eyes dart from the permission slip to me, back and forth, until she finally takes my pen and signs it. I go to grab it, but she pulls it back shaking her head.

"Have some breakfast first," she says, pushing the plate of toast towards me. "You need the energy. Plus, the food might be terrible at whatever camp you're going to." She pauses for a moment. "And thank you, Reid, for letting me do this for you. Your father will be so happy."

I hide the guilt lurking in my chest by grabbing a piece of toast. "Thank you, Silvia."

A car honks from outside, and Silvia gives me a look.

"My friend's picking me up," I explain. "He lives just down the street."

She sighs. "All right. You stay safe and have fun."

I smile at her before opening the front door and stepping out into the morning fog. The car's headlights fill the wet air with an orange glow. I suck in a breath as I walk over and open the door, stepping inside and letting the car's heater warm my frozen fingers.

"Good morning," Luke says. He changed his earring today. Instead of a cross it's a safety pin. His rings are still on, and he twists one of them nervously with his thumb. "Have you figured everything out?"

I nod. "I got the permission slip signed, and I called the school to say I was sick. How about you?"

"I called the school, too, and bought the plane tickets. Our flight leaves at eight. Are you okay to leave now? I don't want to be here any longer than we need to be."

"I agree with that."

The traffic on the way to LAX is light this early in the morning, so we get there in record time. Luke pulls into the parking complex and puts the car into park. We get out, not saying a word to each other as we grab our bags and lock the car. Luke goes to a kiosk to pay for parking while I keep watch, flinching at every person who walks by.

I get a text and bite my lip when I see it's from Rebecca. Are you at school today??? Please don't say you're doing a ditch day without inviting me first.

I'm not skipping, I reply, fumbling with the keypad. Something came up, so I'm not going to be at school for a little. I'll be back soon, I think.