The Power Of Night

The Water

Delaney examined Carter's mud slathered persona. The porcelain stature once of status and purity was now caked in dirt dried to his shape.
Delaney's laughter now rang through the current of the vast river.
Carter made a face.

"What, is there something on my face?"

He gave her a white smile that blazed against his dull body.

She turned away from him as she gazed upon the water.

"Why'd you bring me here, Delaney?"

Carter says, his voice full of wonder.

A lot of things went through Delaney's head when she heared that. First she wanted to joke saying, it was her turn. After the adventure they went on together. She had to bring him someplace.

He gaze shifted to the bridge on high levels above them, and then back down to where they stood.
She'd made it. All the way down here, through the night almost. Staying down here seemed like a possibilty that could last her forever. The night, the boy, her spirit.

But when the feeling came, Delaney hated herself for it. The feeling of doubt. She didn't know if this would be her last night, and if it wasn't it wouldn't be her last attempt.

She stared at Carter covered in mud, he was the one who took her here, past the fear. It was just like how she wanted. Her and him.
Her vioce spoke in rhythms.

"
The level water is like a plate of glass.

Whether its half full, or emtpy, i ponder.

I still stand away, here dry on the grass.

Because I wanted you with me
when my feet touched the water. "

She let her poet consume her, examining the truth within. This river would always be there, waiting, what it was waiting for exactly all depended on Delaney.

She turned back to Carter, that appeared to be reading her open pages.

Without a warning, he pulls her into a hug, filling all the empty spaces of her surface. It wasn't forced, because for once Delaney was excepting it. She rested in the boy's arms demolishing the goosebumps that used to grow arcross her arms.
Like holding a pile of fresh clothing, straight out of the dryer. The warmness overwhelming, bringing clensing heat, washing out the dirt. Despite that they were both dirty at the time.

Delaney rested her head on Carter's chest. She listened to his heart beat. She didn't process the uneven rushed drum as it pounded without rhythm.

She heard his laugh as it percussed. The way it would waver and hop around out of joy. She heard the rumbling of his kind nature through the heart.
This heart was going to put up a fight, just like Carter did. He could've given up the many times Delaney dismissed his actions, her stubborn legs that led her down a road one was bound to get lost on. He persistantly showed her the way out.

The river was like a glass of water indeed.
Was it half full or half empty, while pondering, Delaney just hoped the idea wouldn't drown her.

"Delaney?"

Carter's voice vibrated, much louders as his mouth aproached Delaney's ear closer that the normal distance.

"I'm here." She whispered,

Trying not to let the sleepiness that had just arrived overcome her. The she was held in Carter's arms, could've caused her to doze off at any time. Her eyelids fluttered awake when she finally put a name to this feeling, she wasn't tired, she was at peace.

"In the car, you said you'd found something you wanted to stay for,"

The words struggled to find a place in the night air, the way they were place seemed long awaited and almost rehearsed. So much that Carter must've expected the reply he wanted.

Delaney mumbled as she recelected.

"Was that thing me?" He asked calmly.

Delaney allowed herself to think. Think about everything. Up til tonight, her life had been complete crap. She got up, went to school, complained, and came home. This wasn't particularly bad, it was just , meaningless.
She had no one, Carter told her she was wrong, and he prevailed.

Somehow even if it still didn't all make sense, Carter made it seem okay.

"Yes." She answered him.

His pained sigh surpised her, not the response she expected.

"Delaney if you're going to stay, you have to stay for yourself. It's the only way to always please yourself."

At first she flinched at his comment, but it came from no harshness. He was right. She had to come to terms woth herself. Living isn't selfish, as long as she could assure herself that much it would all be okay.

" I sure hope so,"

She breathed out heavily into his sweaty T-shirt , their skin with only that thin layer between.
This was pleasuring, and exhilarating.
She wanted everything to be just like this.

"But I don't know if I can." Delaney gritted her teeth.

Bitting through the pain that she felt, and would always feel.
She did her best to embrace what was infont of her, of what held her.

Carter's arms tightened around her, pulling her close. His lips brushed her forehead, not forcefully. Just waiting. Resting against her, just incase there was a chance she would want to kiss him.
She could feel his small breaths comforting her against her sweaty brow.

His whispers whistled back,

"I do." He pulls his head away to look at her.

He rubbed her back, releasing her as heel kneeled down to the river.

"It's like you said, Delaney." He runs his hand through the water.
"It's half empty or half full, don't let yourself drown under it. You're too strong."

Delaney observed the boy with his hands swimming in the river.
She was strong, he'd said.

She was right about him.
Delaney wanted him with her when her feet touched the water, she didn't need to jump this time.

For once she didn't dwell on her sadness, her frozeness had started to melt as the atmosphere changed.

She sighed with a full smile absorbing the night.
The air that she breathed, the sky full of faded light. There was a power in this night, one that had to be endured in order to be felt.

She laughed and reached down to the river and soaked her hands.

She felt the water run right through her, as if she another dip in the river.

Carter turned his bright face as his rosy cheek upturned into a long awaited grin.

Delaney smiled back at him, all of him, the mud and all. His little dimples when he curled his lips, the lines in the corners of his eyes that only showed when he was smiling. How his cheeks started to burn red when he talked to her.

This time Delaney saw it coming, this time she was ready.
Carter's neck inched foward as his eyes ingaged straight into hers.
But she knew.

Before his lips so much as brush against hers, less than tiny peach fuzz on the upperlip pecking for a second, Delaney sent a splash of cool river water to soak him.

With a jolt and a surprised fit of laughter, on instinct Carter reaches down his arm and sends a splash of water right back.

Within seconds the two mud covered kids had drenched themselves into water blasting warfare.

Throwing water like amo , explosions of laughter crashed into each other as the mud washed off with every grenade.

Carter looked to Delaney's playfull face in the midst of the action, she sent him a mistivious grin along with a handfull of water.

Carter whipped his neck back to her as drops of water rippled of his strands of hair. His eyes saying,
I'll get you next time.

Delaney defended herself once more in a wet frenzy. She laughed.
Every fall ends with a splash.