holiday syndrome

5. the flight

"We run until we break free"

gif: maggie

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     MAGGIE showed up at her door step wearing a black trench coat and dragging a suitcase behind her. There was a tinge of green in her bangs and the strands framing her face. Marley gaped at her for a moment, not having seen her in a month. It wasn't unusual to go long periods of time without hearing from or seeing Maggie, but Marley hadn't realized how badly she had wanted to see her best friend.

     "Magdalene? What are you doing here? I thought you were working in Canada for six months," Marley questioned incredulously.

     Maggie gave the shaken ginger a shit eating grin and dropped her suitcase, practically jumping Marley with a tight hug. "Sorry babe, I would've called but there was this voice in my head just ordering me to get here as quickly as possible. I was supposed to leave for Canada yesterday actually, everything got all delayed with my working visa. But then I remembered you're going to New York tomorrow and I thought 'What's better than a girl's trip to America?'. So here I am!"

     Tears were already forming in Marley's eyes while she clutched onto Maggie, no sign of ever being ready to let go. "I can't believe how horrid this month has been and you don't even know half of it. I'm so glad you're here."

    Maggie pulled back and settled her hands on Marley's shoulders, giving her a strict look. "No tears, babe. You can fill me in, all in due time. But first, we have a mission to complete and you're the most important part."

     Marley wiped her slightly damp cheeks and furrowed her brows, suddenly cautious and reserved. Maggie had an interesting idea on what was considered to be a 'mission'. Most of the time that meant that she was trying to get out of serious trouble or about to get into it. She grabbed a piece of the girl's green hair and tugged at it slightly, though not painfully.

     "What did you do now?"

     "Nothing! I swear it isn't anything bad. I just need you to do something for me that is for the better good of this friendship. You see, I didn't have any money for the cab I took because I just bought this awesome coat. But turns out, the driver is a huge fan of Symptomatic and I told her that you write and your sister models for it. So she wants you to sign her valentines issue and give her your sister's number."

     Marley made an incoherent yelling noise, possibly attached to rather unkind words, and begrudgingly grabbed a pen from the side table. She shot Maggie a withering look and marched down the stairs to the front door, eyeing up the middle aged woman on her step. She faked a smile and opened the door, signing the woman's magazine and writing down one of Mack's old numbers that she no longer used. She had considered writing her current one, but Marley couldn't even recall what it was.

     Maggie was lying on the grey couch when Marley reentered the apartment, making herself at home already. The last time Maggie had even stayed the night was at least a year prior to her magical appearance act.

     "So tell me Mars, what life destroying problems are plaguing you. Who should I beat up and have you found me a girlfriend?"

     Marley sprawled out on the carpet and huffed ostentatiously, showing her exhaustion and annoyance at Maggie. The pale lilac walls of her apartment seemed to close in on her and she swore the ceiling was spinning, possibly laughing at her pain. Her reliable and generally pretty apartment had a mind of its own, never failing to either comfort her or in some cases, mock her when she was down. Anyone who had never been in the apartment would think she was insane but even Maggie swore up and down that there was something energetic about the space.