Safe Space

5%

The early morning autumn air was unforgivingly dry and brisk. Ilyssa found her throat parched and no matter how many times she cleared her throat, the scratchy irritation just wouldn't go away. She watched her feet as she climbed up the city steps, a turtle's pace.

Nausea threatened to consume her. She knew that if she dared look up, a dizzy spell would cause her to fall and redo all her hard work.

Ilyssa wondered if she would ever get over her fear of heights. There was no other choice but to persevere. Step by step, little by little until she finally made it to the top. Steel railing that wrapped around the perimeter was ice cold to the touch. Her heart pounded and her lungs felt like they were filled to the brim with burning coal. It was hard to breathe with a thick scarf wrapped around her neck.

As Ilyssa loosened the fabric, someone tapped her on her shoulder five times. Tap... tap, tap, tap... tap. Quack-diddy-oh-so. "Good morning, Liz!" Ilyssa's best friend, Fauna greeted. She tucked a strand of her sleek black hair behind her ears. Her gold nose piercing glinted in the sunlight. "Look, I changed my background!" Fauna grinned as she quickly unlocked her cracked screen and showed Ilyssa the new fictional character that decorated her phone. From the looks of it, some handsome baseball player from a popular anime. Ilyssa held up a finger indicating she needed a moment. Fauna blew hot air on her hands as Ilyssa leaned her body on the brick wall beside the city steps. It was pleasantly silent as she kept her eyes on her feet as she tried to calm her racing heart. Yellow and red leaves decorated the concrete beneath Ilyssa's boots.

An object suddenly blocked her view.

"Thirsty?" Fauna handed Ilyssa a frosted bottle of water. Ilyssa's eyes lit up as she accepted her best friend's unexpected gift. Fauna chuckled, "Yeah, I thought so." Ilyssa happily chugged the bottle of water, the cool liquid burning out the hot coals in her lungs. Did water always taste so good?

"Honestly, I don't know how you do it." Fauna glanced at the long, winding stairs her friend just climbed.

It was exhausting just to find the entrance point. Together, Ilyssa and Fauna walked the rest of the way to school. There was a comfortable silence surrounding them. Twelve years have past since they first became friends. It was crowded. Ilyssa tried to keep to herself, making her body as small as possible while Fauna squared her shoulders and strutted like she owned the place.

"Watch where you're walking, Mute!"

"Don't call her that! Asshole!" Fauna called after him. The crowded hallway started to thin out as the first warning bell rang.

"What'd you say?"

"You heard me!" Fauna called.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Really Reyes? You wanna go?"

Fauna shouted a warrior cry as she threw her purse on the floor, some of the contents spilling on the hallway. Ilyssa scrambled to pick all the items up before her peers stepped on it. When Ilyssa looked back up, Fauna had Michael Reyes in a headlock, badgering him to plead 'uncle'. His head turned a weird shade of purple as he thrashed beneath her, scratching her forearms and struggling to breathe.

Since this was a regular occurance, no one tried to stop Fauna or Michael Reyes. Instead, they contorted around them, trying to find their way to the next class without getting involved.

Ilyssa jumped as the gate to the information desk rose. A familiar face poked his head out and sighed, "Fifi's causing trouble again?"

Ilyssa nodded and leaned on the wall next to him. Together they watched Fauna wrestle a guy twice her size, forcing him on his knees as he begged for forgiveness.

"Whoa, looks like she's tearing him a new one. She doing that for you?" he asked, then laughed at himself. "Of course she is. Fifi is relatively calm, that is unless she's protecting her princess. Such a loyal knight."

Don't make it sound like Fauna's beneath me. Ilyssa wanted to say but remained silent. A pout formed on her lips instead and she hugged Fauna's purse closer to her chest. There was nothing she hated more than being unable to defend her friend.

Sobbing

Fauna fanned both her hands in her face, suddenly feeling really sweaty.

"Oh, Scooter. You're here early." She commented as she walked towards them, reaching out for her purse that Ilyssa was happy to return.

"Yup, had a make up test."

"Physics?" Fauna offered.

"Do I look smart enough to take Physics?"

"No." Fauna answered as Ilyssa shook her head.

"It was a rhetorical question," Scooter rolled his eyes.