The Floaters [cake au] ✔

⌛➄ : tattoos ⌛

Chapter 5: tattoos.

The next few days, I spent an awful lot of time alone with my hands stuffed in my pockets, walking around the ethereal land and thinking about my life, everything that I'd done wrong.

Sitting in my usual spot by the lake, I thought about my parents. Two loving people whose son had failed in every way possible. He had a drinking problem, a small drug addiction, multiple tattoos and they didn't even get to see him turn eighteen before he was hurled into a coma. At least my sister had turned out better – she was now on her singing path, travelling far and making a living unlike her idiot brother.

My mind drifted to the last conversation I'd had with her.

"Cal, please stop drinking. You'll damage your body beyond repair," she warns, running her hands through my curls. "I'm worried about you, I really am."

I sigh, rolling my eyes. "You don't really care, do you? I'm already a failure, nothing's going to change that."

"There's this thing called the future. Just because you made a mess of the past, doesn't mean you can't still succeed and do well for yourself. Will you try, for me?"

A tear crept out of my eye and I quickly wiped it away, afraid that someone would see me and ask about it. I missed her, a lot. I missed everyone. I wanted to be home and apologise to my wonderful parents, and thank them for giving me life.

All of a sudden, I remembered that place Luke had told me about, the fountain where you could listen to your real body's surroundings. Although it was very late, I felt desperate to hear my parents' voices, and stood up immediately, trying to navigate myself back to a central area where there were people. I'd gathered a bit of money from doing small chores for Jenna, but added together I had no more than one stone.

"Erm, excuse me, do you know where the fountain is? The one that you can hear voices?" I asked a random passer-by, who had bloodshot eyes and scruffy hair. He glared at me, showing me his cracked and black teeth as he replied.

"No such thing!" he slurred, pushing me. "There's no fountain here! Get out! Go away! Move!" he roared, shoving harder with each word. I was eventually tossed to the ground by this drunk dude and he landed a few fists on my face and jaw, nothing that I hadn't felt before.

Suddenly, he was dragged off me and I heard most fists, grunts and even yells. With much difficulty I groaned and sat up, my hand reaching up to my jaw where I wiped off blood. Surprisingly, it didn't actually hurt as much as I'd imagined, with the result that I could easily touch my wounds without wincing.

I noticed that the tall dark figure punching the drunk guy was actually Luke, and turned away, embarrassed. I couldn't face him, not after what I'd said. That evening I'd been so frustrated at myself and yet I was too cowardly to find him and apologise.

"You okay?" he asked, looking over and kicking the guy one last time before dusting his hands and walking towards me.

"Y-yeah."

"Sure?"

I nodded, clenching my jaw. "I'm good, I promise."

He acknowledged that and stood up, ready to go. "Why are you wandering around at this time of night anyway?"

"I could ask you the same thing," I shrugged, shuffling over to lean on a bench and look at the grazes on my arm that were slowly disappearing.

"You first."

I sighed and said, "I was looking for the fountain you told me about. You?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"Come over here," I demanded, using my hand to gesture. Once he was sat down next to me I leant my head on his shoulder instinctively. "Are you missing your family again?" His head moved gently, indicating that he was indeed missing them. "Me too. I feel awful for putting my parents in such a state. You know, I was quite the rebel. My parents hated that I drank so much, and that I smoked. I never got to appreciate them until I got here and realised how hard life would be without them."