Hybrid

FOUR

⫷ ARIA ⫸

Flashbacks suck. If I could erase parts of my memory, I'd do it lickety-split. Sure, everyone has good memories and bad memories, and would take them both to their graves. Maybe I'm weak, but I hate how the past weighs me down like a giant bowl of titanium metal. Is titanium even really heavy? That's something Payton would know.

Sighing, I stare longingly up at the starry sky. I'm not ready to be around people, let alone who-knows-how-many strangers. There's a reason I'd been hiding away in my old bedroom of my parent's house. A reason I wasn't ready to face.

I bang my head between the two bars of the balcony that I'm sitting on. "Expel the bad thoughts," I murmur to myself. "Think about happy things; like puppies and Jason Momoa." I squeeze my eyes at the rising sun as it erases stars from the sky. A deep breath in fills my lungs with the scent of forest, and that helps.

Moms hiding something. I'll focus and obsess on that, instead of my other problems. Yeah. Those can go on the back burner from now until infinity. This new turn in my life is much more important.

The door to the balcony clicks open behind me. "You're up early," James states. I glance back to see him leaning against the doorway with folded arms.

"I couldn't really sleep," I mumble.

He pauses, but I pay no mind to him and, instead, focus back on the rising sun. "I've had a little change of heart. Up for a road trip?"

My head spins around quickly to face him, nearly enough to have me fall onto my back. "You're bringing me home?"

He smiles at my reaction. "Temporarily. Come on. We're leaving in ten."

I watch him leave and wait until I hear the door click before I start getting ready. There really isn't much to do to get ready, considering there's nothing here for me. Thankfully, there is an unopened toothbrush and paste in the bathroom. I also take a quick shower, subconsciously humming to myself in the process.

I get to go home. I can get answers. Good.

⫷⫸

"So tell me about yourself," James decides to break the silence after turning the radio down. We're on the road back to my hometown.

I'm sitting with my legs pulled close to me. I'm wearing an outfit borrowed from someone else in the house; red high waisted shorts and a simple white t-shirt. My elbow is rested on the opened window and my haze is focused on passing trees. I've always liked the forest; there was just something about it that drew me in.

"Like what?" I reply, mostly distracted.

"Favourite colour? Favourite movie? What you want to do with your life?"

I let out a laugh as I look over at him. "That escalated quickly."

"Well?"

"Favourite colour is blue. Favourite movie; definitely Les Miserables. What I want to do with my life? Well, I want to be a singer. Or an actress. Maybe both."

James glances over at me. "Seriously?"

I nod once. "Couldn't be more serious."

"Oh yeah," he says as if he remembers something. "You're a good singer."

"How did you..." My voice trails off... Right... He must have heard me sing when he was creepily snooping through my house. That causes my guard to rise up again and I hug my legs closer to me.

Catching my response, James heaves a sigh. "That... okay, I'm sorry about kidnapping you. It honestly wasn't on my agenda for the day."

"I doubt that," I mumble under my breath.