CHAPTER ONE
A SUNNY DAY
What an ugly thing is a sunny day. The sizzling heat touches Jericho's frail skin. How blinding the star is to his dull eyes. Like an archaic vampire, the boy winces and walks under the yellow awning of the corner store to read the directions once more.
He rubs his eyes with his tender hands and frowns at the scars on his hands. Damn it, he had forgotten to bandage them again.
Only a dozen steps onward rest another boy in a warm laundromat. He sits smiling at the marmalade butterfly that sleeps behind the entry window; humming along to the old stereo playing an Italian opera. "Èlia! I'm going to see your brother, please collect the coins from the machines!" His mother shouted in French. Èlia slopes his head backward exposing his damp neck and smiles at the feeling of the fan feathering his blonde curls.
He closes his eyes at the feeling. He leans flat on the white tiled floor, then laughs once more when Pepe--a grey tabby cat--rubs his face against his. Èlia's ears turn pink from the crisp sound of a high note the opera singer hits, he sits back up leaning on his two hands, and sings along.
Alone in the sun-glowed laundromat, Èlia felt as if he could sing as loud as he could. He never particularly cared for being humiliated. The entrance door was wide open, and even though there was a couch right below the window— he preferred the floor.
His oh-so-sweet performance was cut short by a flinch when he noticed a tall awkward boy by the entrance.
What a beautiful sight for Jericho--Èlia was a beautiful sunny day. Èlia's lean neck, the plump smile, and the song of a boy. Jericho stood flushed warm...almost desperate to invite a smile to ease Èlia's embarrassment. He stops himself quickly and replaces it with a grimace.
"You guys still offering employment?"
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ty for reading till the end! does anyone speak french btw? just so i don't butcher the language haha
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