Stained

Silent

“I must create a system or be enslaved by another man’s.”

-William Blake

                I woke, feeling disconnected from the earth. An emptiness that only that earth could fill. A heart ache only the ground could cure. I briefly wondered if Avery felt this when he was in the air, but the thought was quickly pushed out of my mind when I remembered where I was and who I was with. A plane with a man who was probably going to try and kill us.

                I looked at the other four people who were sitting near me, and only Ash was awake. I wanted to ask her if she ever actually slept like the rest of us, but her voice cut me off.

                “Chance, do you think we’re going to die here?” Her voice was just barely above a whisper and I felt my gut sink at the thought that we could.

                “Well, if we do, I think it’d be an ironic way for you to go. The woman who controls the wind fell to her death instead of using the beautiful wings she has to save herself. It would be a sad story.” I breathed in deeply and looked out the window to find dark water below reflecting the stars and moon. “It really is amazing how water can make the sky appear to go on forever.”

                “I looked out right after I woke up and thought the plane was upside down.” She laughed quietly.

                “Well that just proves that I’m smarter than you.” I smirked and watched water rock gently below us.

                “Yeah, whatever Buddha.”

                “That was cold.”

                “It’s okay to cry, sometimes ugly people have to. I wouldn’t know the feeling, but I here it’s important to cry when you’re disappointed in yourself.”

                I rolled my eyes and pressed the back of my hand to my forehead and put on an over exaggerated hurt face. “Oh no, my feelings. I am now emotionally unstable, whatever shall I do?”

                Ash snickered at that and silence fell back upon us.

                We sat there for a few minutes in the silence that surrounded us and seemed to be louder than a child screaming in my ear. How did this happen? Since when did silence become so loud? Or is the fact that it’s real silence? Perhaps that’s it. Maybe it’s because we’re always surrounded by a lot of sound we ignore. Then again, is it considered silence if I continue to fill my head with such loud thoughts?

                I cleared my throat just to make a noise, but unwillingly woke Nic and Avery up. They both had their knives drawn and were on the edge of their seats, poised to attack whoever had come near them.

                “Calm down, I was clearing my throat.” I raised an eyebrow at the two of them, but didn’t blame them. I would have done the same if it had been me, and I knew Ash would have too. It’s how we’d been trained. Always believe that someone will attack you, because even if they don’t, you’ll always be prepared. That idea had been pounded into our heads from day one, and had become one of the few things that kept us alive.

                “Sorry. Nightmare. They get you on edge.” Nic licked her lips and avoided eye contact with me.

                “Yeah, I know the feeling. What was it about?” We weren’t going anywhere, might as well make small talk.