Fever Dream Red

28

It seemed that I had pushed everyone way except for Danny. I figured that I had beeter find him.

I got let out of the silver cell with dissaproving looks and sly mutterings.

I stood there in the heavenly hallway and wondered what I should do now.

I could escape. But I knew I couldn't. I lacked the courage, the ability and the sheer emotional strength. I wouldn't last two minutes out there. The world was cruel even without humans in it.

I debated going back to doing nothing. The idea of that didn't appeal to me much either.

If I went back, how long would I be doing nothing? I couldn't do that for my whole life. I could almost see the weary path of my boring life stretching out before me at age fifteen.

I decided then and there that I wouldn't let that happen. I wouldn't be normal. Why should I be when the world wasn't?

I smiled wickedly, giving myself a main character moment. I sashayed out of the place with a pop in my stride.

I walked down to the beach withput the same sadness I always moved with.

I sat there on the sand that was once calm, fiercely thinking. I had to sort out a way out of that place. But how could I when everyone was so bought in to what Nick had to say?

I decided I would find someone who agreed with me. I figured that there must have been someone.

So I asked around.

I didn't need to ask Inez because I knew her thoughts on the matter already. We weren't really on speaking terms either. I would have to sort that out someday, but that day wasn't it.

I was a master of procrastination.

I then asked Lily, which I knew would be tricky. I also knew I couldn't just straight up ask her. She could blab to anyone. I just decided to ask her if she enjoyed living there. It was suspicious, but it wasn't so suspicious that red flags arose.

I found her on the gardens. She was sat crosslegged, knitting again profusely. She was still wearing one of the many white dresses she owned. I guessed that even Nick couldn't discourage her from wearing what she wanted.

I asked her and she simply shrugged in reply. I turned to leave when she called after me.

"Why are you asking?"
I mirrored her shrug. "Just wondering."

Lily looked at me through narrowed eyes. I must admit that my excuse was a poor one. It would have to do.

I then asked Aggie. She was sitting on the bench reading her romance book and drinking a fancy cocktail. She gave me a confused look and cursed me away.

I guess life at The Base wasn't so bad for her.

I then had to ask Sunny. I knew I would have to apologise, and I knew it couldn't wait. I found her eating a piece of lemon cake in the cafeteria. The cake looked really nice., so I firstly grabbed some before sitting at her table.

She gave me a bemused look, her arched eyebrows narrowing together. I pretended not to notice her look.

"I never knew they did lemon cake." I commented, taking delight in it. The cake really was good.
"You're too focused on caesar salad, that's why. What's so great about it?" Sunny asked me with a hint of the bemusement that was etched on her pretty face.

I was just glad Sunny was speaking to me again.
"The chicken." I laughed heartily, covering up my mouth so Sunny still had an appetite.

"Do you like living here?" I asked Sunny quietly.
Sunny sighed in reply.

"It's okay. I mean, we have freedom, to an extent. We can swim, read, play. It would be nice for a vacation, but even a holiday becomes tiring sometime. It's just..too much. I keep thinking about what's going on outside. I long to see it."

Sunny cleared her throat and her musical laughter returned.

"Don't tell Nick I said that, though."
"I feel the same way. I can't help wanting to escape." I nodded.

I left Sunny with her cake that she could return to eating after I had left.

Next I looked for Doug. He was always deflated nowadays, after his... mistake.

I found him where he usually was, in the shade in the gardens, watching Alfie paint next to him. They were inseperable.

"Heya!" I greeted them in the upbeat way I always greeted Doug.
"Hey, Finny. How's it going?"
"It's going great, actually!" I smiled.

I dropped the act.

"Kidding, obviously."
"Still no news of Danny?" Alfie turned around from his painting to offer me a glance of sympathy.

I took the chance to glance at the painting behind him. It was a view of the gardens, with its tiers and sandstone palette. You could see the vague figure of Lily in the centre of the lawn, and Aggie huddled in a corner.

It was a beautiful painting.

"Sadly not." I solemnly said.
"I'm sorry, kiddo. I'm the one who's messed everything up."
"Yeah, well. It had to be one of us, didn't it." I patted him on the back as he giggled.

"Makes sense that it was you though, doesn't it?"
"Finny..." I could hear Alfie's warning tones, so I stopped teasing Doug, however fun it was.

Me and Doug watched Alfie in silence for a while, before I asked him.

"Do you like living here?"

Doug shifted his gaze to the floor awkwardly, and Alfie caught his gaze just before he went under. It was a sharing of guilt.

"Does anyone?" Alfie declared bitterly.
"The only ones who seem to are Aggie and Eli. They both practically thanked me." Doug added.
"Eli spoke to you?"
"And I survived!"
"I don't know why you all act as if Eli is a monster." Alfie interrupted.
"I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that he has a stick stuck in his-"