Multi

Chapter 6

Trigger warning: mentions of thoughts of suicide

I woke up with a yawn. I opened my eyes to see I was still in the air. Huh. That's an interesting discovery. It was comforting to know since it would be better for me to stay on the move. I then remembered that I am injured. I looked at my arms. They were now crusty with dried blood. I sighed. This was not going to be fun. I flew lower and landed in an alley. I was in some kind of city. I wonder which one. I started out of the alley when I caught something in the corner of my eye. I stopped and grabbed a broken mirror piece on the ground. My green eyes widened at the sight of my face. Green eyes! I've always had brown! How the hell does a person's eye color change?! Wait, why am I even shocked at this point? Gone was long, blonde hair I kept in a braid. It was now short and black with red tips. What skin that used to be so pale I would burn within fifteen minutes was replaced with a tan. My basic body structure and shape was still the same. That was a bit of a relief. Something was normal at least. I pocketed the broken shard. It might come in handy as a weapon. I stepped out of the alley and into the crowd.

I looked around trying to identify something that would give away my location. I could ask someone, but I felt too scared to. About fifteen minutes later, I could see a large building that looked familiar. I got closer and closer until I realized what it was: The Empire State Building. So I'm not too far from home sweet Vermont. It was comforting and concerning at the same time. I would need to put a bit more distance between myself and home.

I had planned out my day. First thing's first, I need cash. I unfortunately did not have my skimmer with me. It's a fake card reader that is used to steal the info of anyone's card when they insert it into the ATM. It also involves putting a secret camera up to get the PIN numbers. I stuck my hands in my pockets. I felt something in them. I withdrew it to see three credit cards I got from scamming. I should have known they were there. It's a habit I have. No matter what, I keep a credit card on me. I grab one every morning. However, I was in a daze and had worn these jeans three times, so I never removed the cards. This was a lucky break. I found a Walmart close by. That should have everything. I started with getting a large backpack. I got some weird looks in the store due to my shoeless feet, but luckily there was no rule against not having them. Walmart has plenty of people weirder than me. I then got first aid stuff. As soon as I paid, I was going into the bathroom to fix myself up. I got food and drinks. I even sprang for one of the hot meals they had under the heat lamps. I'm totally going up to the roof to eat it once I'm done here. I got two new outfits too. These clothes I had now were shot. While I'm fireproof, my clothes are not. I also got a hat. Whatever I can do to be incognito. I also got hygiene stuff like a toothbrush and deodorant. The cashier gave me a weird look especially since I was paying with a credit card, but he didn't say anything. I was slightly nervous that it wouldn't work, but it did. I packed everything in the backpack before going to the bathroom. I got some paper towels and wetted them before going into a stall. I took off my singed shirt and put it in my mouth to bite down on since I knew this was going to hurt like hell. I tried to be careful, but it wasn't worth it. Tears were pooling in my eyes.

"You're okay. You're okay. You can do it," I repeated like a mantra in my head. It was the only thing keeping me from completely losing it.

Once I could see skin, I pulled out tweezers. So many splinters. I shakily exhaled as I began my work. It took a lot of time, but eventually I managed to get them all out. I disinfected my arms which stung so much. I finally wrapped them with gauze. I had to admit, having my arms clean at least made me feel much better. I cleaned and disinfected some other cuts on my face and feet. I then changed my clothes, put deodorant on, and went to the bathroom before exiting the stall. I looked at my reflection. Even though I looked different, I was still the same inside. I smiled before swinging the backpack onto my shoulder and leaving the store. I quickly got a platform formed and went up onto the roof of the building. I had a great view of the city. I took out my meal and started eating it. It took a lot of restraint not to scarf it down.