The Night Skies ~ Avengers

CHAPTER 5: JESS

2 years ago

I leaned against the rough bark of a tree in the park, trying to find solace in the cool evening air. Just a day like any other, but everything felt so heavy at home the pressure, the suffocating feeling of being trapped.

This park had always been my escape, a place where I could breathe without the weight of expectations on my shoulders.

As I stared up at the sky, admiring the way the colors shifted as the sun dipped below the horizon, I heard a soft sigh.

My curiosity piqued, I turned to see a girl on a nearby bench, her dark hair catching the last glimmers of sunlight. She was staring up at the sky, looking lost in her own world. Something about her drew me in, and I felt a need to reach out.

"Mind if I join you?" I asked, my voice casual, though my stomach was knotted with nerves.

When she looked up at me, surprise flashed in her emerald eyes before softening into a smile. "Sure."

At that moment, I felt something shift inside me. We began talking about everything and nothing at all, and I found my words tumbling out.

I can't explain why I felt so comfortable sharing my thoughts with her; maybe it was the safety of the night or the way she listened as if I were the only person in the world. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I belonged somewhere.

~~~~~

1 year ago

I sat perched on a weathered wooden bench, my eyes trailing over the flow of students leaving the grand school of Midtown High across from the park.

Busses stood lined up blocking the view of its entrance, as hundreds of students had to find their way home during rush hour.

New York would never seem more alive than when the sun cast a glow on a high school, that had just let the bell announcing the conclusion of the last period ring.

The chattering of students almost drowned out the sounds of the honking cars, having to avoid hitting an absentminded student. Among them supposedly was Daphne Parker.

I wasn't surprised in the slightest when I was told that she attended the school for the most gifted children in New York.

The way in which she spoke using as many words as she could, and the way that she always carefully observed her surroundings with a curious look in her eyes, gave the fact that she was somewhat of a genius away pretty early on in our friendship.

Therefore it also didn't seem weird when I'd find her reading on the same bench in the park after school everyday. It seemed to be the only time when she did not observe the world around her but closed herself off and jumped in another.

Her eyes would be fixated on the ink and she'd always have her earbuds in.

I got used to her patterns and her ways and got to know her. It's how I always seemed to find her and she'd usually be surprised, oblivious to the patterns she had created herself.

Though her ways became known to me, she didn't share much about the personal details of her life which made my longing to know the stories she held behind closed doors greater.

She had created a protective shell around herself, shielding herself from the outside world, but I had to figure Daphne out.

"Jess! Fancy seeing you here." an enthusiastic voice lifted me away from my thoughts. I looked up and saw Daphne standing in front of me.

A smile was painted on her face, and her hands resting on her backpack straps. The sun shining on her back accentuated her warm presence, as she stood out against our gray surroundings.