Abysmal

{to fall}

Laura knew she was something more than special the minute she opened her deep brown eyes in the morning to the moment they fluttered closed at night. This night in particular, however, the eye that lived in a far off fog inside her skull would not shut. Images flashed before her as if she were watching an old film; memories swam and drowned in the chaos of her head. No one, not a living soul could ever watch them. She thought. They'd never be able to even be reminded of me without thinking of what I've done swimming in their small heads. Laura glanced at the clock which read two in the morning, 34 minutes before it had happened. Laura heard the echoes of the exhausted and broken house swaying around her. The air conditioning rumbled alive, and her bedroom door creaked achingly on its hinges. She looked at the window, and out at the soft velvet universe expanding beyond her realm of imagination. A paper lay on her nightstand. It was last weeks newspaper, which lay slightly unsettled and crumpled with wear as it was evident it had been compulsively reviewed. The front page headline read:
             
              KAIO ISLAND NEWS
         BOY DISAPPEARS AT SEA
Adrien Lukas was reported missing at around 3:00 am on Friday evening, local officials say. Caroline Lukas, the mother of the missing 15 year old, says he was sound asleep when she checked on him at 10 pm, and heard nothing all night to suggest kidnap or forced entry. Evidence suggests Adrien snuck out of the household through his bedroom window, which was left slightly ajar. (Story continued on page 4)

Silent ghosts of sobs seemed to posses Laura as she stared up at her lazy wooden ceiling fan. She couldn't help but mull over the memory every waking second just as the waves of a great, violent, blue tsunami consumes a town. There has to be a flaw of some kind, spoke anxious words in her head, some way the situation isn't my fault. But no medicine could cure the clench of her gut or the guilt that ate her piece by piece like a big frosted cake. Okay, one last recount to be sure, and then I'll sleep.

And so it went.

Laura Score, Laura Score, Laura Score.
Average but somehow special.
Innocent and yet guilty.
Sick but in pristine health.

She only wanted to kiss a boy on a boat at midnight. To feel the way the salty wind caressed her soft, deeply pigmented skin as she sat in a calm boat on midnight waters and kissed a boy. Not just any boy, however, Adrien Lukas.

Adrien Lukas, Adrien Lukas.
Blonde but brunette.
Casual yet charming.
Devilish but dazzling.

Laura had waited all week for Friday. They had planned on when and where to sneak out and the plan was seemingly flawless. Adrien's mother was a small mousy woman who went to bed at 10:00 pm. Before she went to bed however, she always checked on her dear son Adrien. Naturally, Adrien just had to slip out the window at 11:00 so as not to get caught. She had checked her image religiously in the mirror that evening, making sure her short black hair and dark poreless skin were perfectly perfect. She practiced her laugh in the mirror, her large eyes closing halfway and her plush lips spreading open to reveal a smile. Laura waited patiently at the end of the street, gingerly stroking her nimble fingers through her freshly pressed hair, and counting down the hollow seconds until Adrien would arrive. He sped down the old warm pavement at 11:13, absolutely beaming with his messy hair and faded t-shirt. He greeted her with a hug, and then without saying anything, grabbed her hand and started running. They ran all the way down to the cool white sand, which glided between their sandaled feet and wedged itself between their toes. Adrien was the one to spot the old boat hidden in the leaning palms by the shore. Laura on the left and Adrien on the right, they shifted and pulled the boat to the calm black water. Adrien helped Laura in first, gazing into her eyes, which were as dark as the night sky and reflecting the midnight waves that lapped the shore. The moon was swollen full, and shone as brilliantly as ever. They paddled slowly, laughing loudly and talking about things that only made sense to the lives they led. They were careful to make sure they had a faint view of the shore, but were still quite far out. They were talking about an annoying girl in their grade when they simultaneously looked up at the sky. Laura thought of the translucent glittery sprinkles her mother sometimes used on the creamy cupcakes in her bakery, strewn across blue-black icing. Constellation upon constellation danced on their over large pupils and irises. Adrien had forgotten all about the annoying girl and was now naming off the stars that shone suspended above their heads.
Laura suddenly felt very small sitting underneath the universe with this boy.

It was about 2:00 am when Adrien had kissed her for what felt like the millionth time, and they broke apart and lay next to each other rocking in the minuscule boat. Laura had begun to feel hot, like her skin was burning. It was then that she remembered it was her 16th birthday. She let her hand fall into the icy water and immediately noticed something unusual. The water around her hand seemed to glow, faintly, but nonetheless glowing. She knew she had no record of mental illness or schizophrenia, but thought that maybe she was so happy she was hallucinating. She wouldn't be officially sixteen until 2:34 am, the exact time she was born. Laura could feel Adrien's presence through her shirt, laying next to her and taking slow measured breathes. She wondered if he was asleep. She touched the water again, and was dumbfounded when again she saw the faint yellow glow casted by her skin. The environment was shifting, the winds were picking up, and Laura was growing anxious. She touched one finger into the water, and saw just the slightest sign of light emanating from it. She was feeling hotter. Sweat ran down her back and forehead and she wiped it off. Her hands felt like bright orange embers and her head was beginning to feel like it was swarming with bees. The icy water was an invitation waiting for approval in her hands. She dangled her legs over the side. Relief and coolness washed over her, but her head and rest of her body were still hot. She looked down at her feet, glowing in the water. The bees in her head were stinging her now, and she slipped into the water. The glowing was as bright as ever, and she felt her eyes slip shut and body relax. It seemed as though hours had passed, but in reality it was 2:32 when Adrien grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her back into the boat.
"Laura, oh my God Laura, are you okay? Please say something. Dear God say something please." He pleaded, tears were streaked across his face.
Laura opened her eyes and looked into his and saw the fear she felt engraved into his.
"I'm okay." She managed to say, but she was on fire again, and her lungs wouldn't work. Her skin was starting to glow out of the water now, and Adrien had taken notice.
"Laura... your skin, it's-" He tried to peel his eyes away, but the mesmerizing glow was getting brighter. Laura thought she must be dying, that this was what happened to people before they went. Her flesh was searing alive, but she couldn't smell smoke. She tried to lift her head but it wouldn't budge. 2:34 am struck, and Laura screamed the most excruciatingly high pitched scream. Adrien had begun to sob and covered his ears, not knowing what to do. Laura was writhing in pain, and Adrien had begun to yell.
"Laura! LUARA!"
His scared sobs were drowned by her yelling. Laura could feel her eyes being ripped from their sockets, her limbs being torn like paper from her body, and her head splitting into two halves as if someone were slowly cutting into it with a sharp knife. Back and forth they cut into her head like a steak, never stopping. Her heart had stopped beating. Her skin was the surface of the sun. And then the minute was over, and it was 2:35. Laura's screams came to an abrupt halt, and she lay with her eyes open, unmoving.
"Laura...?" Adrien whispered. He had tried desperately to row the boat, but with her uncontrollable shaking and lack of help had failed. His dirty blonde hair was matted to his face and covered his eyes.
Laura sat up, bewildered. The fire that consumed her had been extinguished.
"Adrien what happened?" She asked.
"I don't know, you just crumpled like a doll and started screaming and crying and shaking and," he gulped, "glowing."
Laura felt her head, which had cooled down. She looked over at Adrien, who was standing up and had a single tear rolling down his face, he was evidently terrified at what had just happened.
"Adrien it's okay." She reached for his hand, and squeezed it tightly. He did not squeeze back. She looked up into his eyes.
The light and fear had vanished.
"Adrien?" She whispered. "Adrien?"
He was limp, so she slightly shook his hand. He fell, backwards, into the dark water. He did not glow when the water touched him, but was instead engulfed by the glossy waves.
"ADRIEN!" She screamed, crying and shaking. She reached into the water, grasping for him, he was so close. But it was as though he had a barrier around him and rocks tied to his ankles, because she could not touch him. Her hands were repelled and she dove into the water after him. She tried to wrap her arms around his body, but the force surrounding him would not allow her to touch him. She had no breath to lose. She kept trying harder and harder to grab the grey body submerged in the dark glass, but was unsuccessful. Her breathe was running low. She could feel her head becoming light. She watched his body fall deeper and deeper, until she could not see it anymore.