The Power Of Night

The Markers

They flew faster than they could fall. Upward soaring with a downward spiral.
That's how Delaney would describe running away with Carter.
Delaney's sneakers skid to a stop. Carter followd soon after. Her breath was heavy, racing the only way to catch it.
Carter bends over catching his breath. His hand is clenched over his chest, with beads of sweat lining his brow.

"You okay?"

Delaney exhales to the heiving boy. Where was the start athlete that she was familiar with? Was it just the adrenalin that had gotten to him? Or was he shaken from getting caught?

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

He breathes unevenly. Delaney glances at the heart on her wrist.
They're stopped in the middle of a neighborhood, the streetlights just starting to glow bright.
After Delaney lets Carter cool down,
" so, what next?"

She says trying not to sound too eager.
Carter looks around putting his hands on his hips

"Well, no car, so what's close by?"
They start to walk along the sidewalk.
All the lights in the houses were turned off for the night. It seemed like the only people awake in the world were them.
Within their search for liveliness, they talk. First about nothing, Carter favorite breakfeast cereal, Delaney's first hamster named Hershey, and their annoyance with the word "Olive oil"
Of how it made them reminisce of nostril burning afternoons being forced to cook with mom.
The weirdest thinh for any two people to have in common. Then they fall quiet. The only sound their footsteps on the cool sement.

"I'm sorry I made you get off that bridge." Carter says out of nowhere. Swallowing , waiting for Delaney's response.

She said nothing.
She didn't understand why he was apologizing.

"I just mean that it was your decision, and all. And if you wanted to-"

"Carter, you did the right thing. Even if this might be the last night of my life, it's still okay to try to help me." She cuts him off.

She hadn't meant to say help. Did she need help?

"If it were me, I would've wanted to go another way." He says staring off into the night.

"Like how? " Delaney asked

Carter shrugs.
"Not to die for me only, no offence. But to make a difference somehow, to be remembered."

Delaney knodded. She remember how with her feet, stand on the edge of the bridge.

Delaney didn'twant Carters pity any longer. She didn't understand his strange sorrowful tactics.
She adverts her eyes from all sorts of him, turning to the drive ways for visual.
"Look," she points "someone left their chalk out"
On the concrete side walk doodles and drawings made by children asorted from flowers,topeople, to unknown sketches (they were kids ,not artists, after all.)

She sat herself on the pavement,tracing her fingers rhrough the powder that was left. Delaney couldnt remember the last time she'd drawn with chalk.
Carter joins her on the drive way.
"Delaney, i think i have in idea of how to make up for our insubordinate behavior."

He says taking a chalk stick in his hand.
Delaney reaches to her left and grabs the nearest piece.

" I don't think they'd miss two chalks, right?" She askes wearily

Carter stands himself up he holds a yellow chalk.
"We're in the chesterfield park neighboorhood." He discovers, looking around.
Delaney just then realized it too. Neither of them resorted there, but atleast have of the school did.

Carter starts to walk down the block.

"Where are you going?" Delaney asks him.

" Bradey Sakmar's house, tonight is the last night after all, "

Delaney follows after him. She couldn't help but feel a little disapionted. Tonight was HER and Carter's night. Not him and his buddy from the football team's.

They took a left aeound the block. Most of the lights in the houses had tuened off for the night.
But then there were the few,
The few that shined on. Mostly just not ready to believe summer was comming to an end.
Everything comes to an end.
Delaney says to her self. These people needed to get with the program.

"Here we are." Carter says, stopping in front of a green house with a silver car outside.

Delaney knew who Braedy Sakmar was. He was a big defensive lineman for the football team, he played varsity his sophmore and junior year, and definitely wouls this year as well.
He was in Carter's triple season.
Now that Delaney had seen his house, she thougjt as if she knew another side to him.
The door he walked through every evening to get home from school, the freshly cut lawn that he probably mowed himself-
But Delaney had never said a word to him, yet she tought she knew him better than most people.
Your house says a lot about you.

"What now?" Delaney asked Carter.

She one hundred percent expected him to let himself in the Sakmar house with out even a ding of the doorbell. Maybe they were that kind of friends.
Delaney never had any that good.

Instead he kneels down to his driveway, holding hos yellow chalk.
He wrote

Thanks for always having my back on the field, the hallway, and everday life.
You're the best person in my life.
-Carter

He wrote a message.

"Wow, almost broke free of the bro talk!" Delaney exlamed

"Yeah, couldn't make it too sappy, it's his driveway."

She smiled and looked at the message.

"Okay, now you." He tells her.

"Im not even friends with Bradey-"

Carter cuts her off

"Not with him, anybody! Who would you want to give your last note to?"

Delaney thought for a while.

"Erin Tellis." She states

Carter holds up car keys. The silver van flickers it's lights.

"You have a key to Bradey's car?"
Daney exclaimes.

Carter gives her a sly grin.
"Yeah, we're bros" followd by a chuckle.

Carter drives them to Erin's house.
It was strange how he knew where everyone lived.he had been popular, more than Delaney realized.

The doors opened.

Again Delaney made judgements about her living.

She grabbed her purple chalk.
She and Erin were never friends, but Erin was kind.

You gave out the light, the likeness and kind.

To the one who was known to be darker.

Though you fought through her deterring mind.

You've been given thanks from the Markers.

---------------
Wow you made it to chapter 8 congratulations! I should be congratulating myself too because I never thought I would get this far, and I'm just glad I did because I'm proud of how my characters have developed and this story developed so I just hope you guys keep reading and comment if you have any questions or statements, and vote if you like this chapter!

- makegr8music