First Light

64 daisy chains

Tuesday 10th of May 2022 (the following week)

Marlo:

Today is a slight dip in the warm weather we've been having, as I wake up to rain today before class. It's drizzle, though, nothing too heavy, but it stops me from going to skate during my hour break between classes because I know it has been raining for hours now and the floor will be too slippery for the wheels.

I message Faye to see if she's doing anything. Her's is a 2 hour break, with her second hour at the same time as mine.

I'm with Gia but she says ur welcome to join us:)
We're in the main hall cuz Gia + rain = big no

I find them easily enough as they are right by the doors of the hall, sitting in front of one of the huge windows that overlooks the grounds. I know Faye's happy that they managed to get one of these spots because she loves watching the raindrops run down them.

"Hi, Faye," I smile as I lean down to hug her so she doesn't have to get up from her seat. "Hi, Georgina."

They smile at me and Faye pats the stool next to her for me to sit down. Her nails are a purple grape-shade in colour that are on-theme with the long, flowy, purple skirt she has on that nearly reaches her ankles. Her hair is up and pulled-away from her face today in some sort of bun/pony-tail situation and I can't stop myself from kissing her on the cheek as I go to sit down. I'm happy that I'm able to see her face more today.

"You look really pretty." I say as I drop my bag down on the table.

This gets me an embarrassed smile from her that only makes the grey clouds look even greyer.

That's when I notice the flowers she has in front of her, daisies to be exact. Some are connected together by their stems, but the rest are lying in a pile.

"I'm making daisy chains." Faye explains to me.

"She makes them all the time when she sees them." Georgina adds.

I look over to her side of the table, to her non-existent pile of daisies. "What about you?"

"It's too fiddly for me," Georgina replies with a sigh. "I can never manage to do it."

"She's been helping with the slits." Faye says, and I'm confused until Georgina waves her long nails at me.

"They're basically little knives." Georgina says.

I laugh. "Yeah, I can see that."

Faye turns to me. "Did you want me to make you something? Like a bracelet? I'm making Gia a crown right now."

I smile. "Yes, you can make me something."

"Alright. You're going to have to wait though, until I finish with Gia's."

I nod, pulling up Netflix to pass the time but I catch myself looking back at what Faye's doing every so often. She's very engrossed in her work, quick and precise with threading the daisies through each stem, and she puts the circle on Georgina's head every so often to compare the size. Once she is finished, Georgina immediately goes to place the daisy crown on her head, and Faye turns to me.

"I better go and get some more for you." She says with a smile.

"Oh, Faye, please don't go out in the rain." Georgina replies.

Faye's smile is on the verge of a laugh. "It's not acid, Gia."

"It might as well be," Georgina looks at me, pointing at her hair, which is a pastel-purple colour. I don't know if her and Faye matched intentionally, but either way it's sweet. "Do you know how long it took me to straighten this wig?"

I laugh, not expecting her to want me to actually answer, but she's staring at me in a way that kind of terrifies me, completely straight-faced.

"I don't know - a long time?" I reply.

"Yes, a very long time. I'm not about to let the rain ruin my hard work."

"Well, my hair is up, so it'll be fine. I'll only be a minute." Faye responds.

"Your makeup, Faye!" Georgina calls out but it's too late.

After a few seconds we both see Faye, now outside, seemingly oblivious to the rain falling on and around her. She picks up the edge of her skirt so it doesn't get soaked by the ground as she leans down to pick up more daisies. From what I can see from her expression, she is focused in a way that makes her look even more attractive. Georgina, meanwhile, is sighing and tutting. I am trying not to laugh at this.

"I genuinely don't know what goes through Faye's head sometimes. You'd think she was a woodland creature or something."

I know she means it as a joke but I often feel the same towards Faye. She is a bit like a woodland creature.

Faye returns after a couple minutes, small water droplets on her face and her bare arms. The rain had made her hair even more curly, and it has brought out the smell of the products she uses on it. She sits back down on her stool and drops the pile of daisies she's picked for me on the table, her rings clinking against it.

"Did you want me to teach you how to make one?" She asks.

"Yeah, go on." I smile.

She shows me how to pierce a slit into the stem with my thumbnail, which doesn't work out too well as I manage to squash the first few. It turns out to be a lot more difficult than it looks because of how thin they are.

"Maybe I should just stick to you making them." I say with a laugh.

Faye rolls her eyes at this, but lets me give up. She places the daisy chain bracelet onto my wrist once she's finished. I squeeze her hand as a token of gratitude. I wish there was a way to preserve flowers forever, because I know that even though this is something that only took about 5 minutes, it is still something that she made and therefore deserves to be kept pristine.

+++

Wednesday 11th of May 2022

Faye:

The sun has gone down a while ago and it is very cold or at least I feel cold, my hands shaking. My jeans are damp from earlier's rain and I wonder if I should've checked the wall before I sat down. I guess it's because I hadn't cared too much, especially as the ones I'm wearing today are dark, anyway. It's not like anyone could tell the difference compared
to when they were dry.

I came out here to smoke initially, try and clear my head for a bit, but the cigarette is long forgotten in my hand, long gone out. I hadn't bothered to relight it. I had felt sick after the first couple of drags, an intense feeling of disinterest coming over me. I know that's why I didn't want the rest of it. I can't remember the last time I didn't finish a cigarette. I usually smoke it up until it's barely there, so stumpy that the end burns my fingers a little.

I wonder if I should put it out properly, make sure it is squashed against the wall and then bin it and go back to my room, but I don't want to. Not at the moment, anyway. I am disinterested in that, too. Besides, it's giving my hand something to hold, something to fiddle with. I haven't touched my phone the whole time I've been out here so at least the cigarette makes me look like I'm actually doing something, to other people that have walked past me, I mean. Instead of just staring off into the distance.

I don't know why I care what people think of me, if they think I'm strange if they were to see me just sitting and staring off into nothing. It's not like I know any of them, or will see them ever again. I guess I just hate being perceived.

I wonder if I should call someone, like Gia or Marlo, to get them to come out and stare with me. Except I'm disinterested in that, too.

I think back to two months ago, when Marlo and I did the psychology experiment. Perhaps I should've given "pausing time" as my preferred ability, because I wish I could do that right now. This way, I can sit down on this wall in peace, interrupted, without being noticed or perceived by anyone, and I can stay as long as I like.