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It takes me a while before I find Ralphie (mostly due to the fact that my feet feel like they're going to shatter at any moment).
He's sitting out in the hallway, facing a crystallized window.
Two vibrant gold curtains are on either side, rustling from a draft. Ralphie sits on a rustic orange rug, his knees drawn up to his chest. He rests his chin on his knees, eye intensely focused on something outside.
But there's nothing there besides a blank sheet of black.
I watch the silk curtains for a moment, as they shift between deep oranges and bright yellows, and tug his coat around me. It smells like an elegant perfume that I'd imagine be named in something French.
"Can't sleep?" I question, walking up behind him.
He doesn't respond, or even glance back.
"Not surprising in this situation," I continue, curling my toes in.
He doesn't say anything so I simply sit down next to him, making sure to position my legs so that the robe covers all of my skin. Even from here, there's nothing that I spot outside the window, just the pitch black raindrops as they splatter against the glass.
"So where did the cat go?" I say.
Ralphie leans back on his palms, tilting his head lazily. He considers me for a second, then drawls, "What cat?"
"The cat that was by our bedroom earlier," As I recall the memory, it grows fuzzier, torn between my dreams and reality. Did I just confuse it for my imagination? "Did you - I - nevermind. Why did you come out here then?"
"Like you said, I couldn't sleep."
"And you think a nighttime stroll is the best idea in this situation?"
"I needed another place to think."
"Think about what?"
"I'm waiting for the sunrise," Ralphie crosses his legs. "Have you been counting? It's been eight hours since we woke up. Even in the longest of nights, there should be some sign of day."
I turn my attention to the window, where the orange curtains drift peacefully, the only color in this black and white landscape.
"The sun always rises," I say, unsure why my voice sounds so weak. "Maybe the storm is too big for us to see it."
"I don't think that's the problem."
Lightening flashes, casting the room in white shadows.
It highlights Ralphie in a paranormal glow.
With his suit, tie, and colorless features, Ralphie resembles a prince that stepped out of a black and white photograph. Nothing, besides his hair that falls in front of his eyes, is out of place or provides any clue about his identity.
I curl my fingers into the rug beneath us.
"By the way," I say. "You never answered my question earlier. Is Ralphie a nickname?"
There's the tiniest movements of his lips, as they quirk up briefly. "Why are you so concerned about my name?"
"Since you keep avoiding the question."
"Why is your name Vivre?" He asks instead.
"What?"
"Let's trade. A question for a question. Why is your name Vivre?"
"I asked mine first."
He smiles patronizingly. "Don't be childish. Answer my question first, unless it's an uncomfortable topic for you."
"It's not."
"Answer it, then."
"My mom - she fell in love with my dad dancing to a song called La Vie en Rose, and they decided to name me after that," I say. This story isn't anything special, but it feels strangely intimate revealing this to him. "That's all. Nothing special."
Ralphie watches me with hooded eyes. "They couldn't have named you Rose instead?"
"They wanted to be unique, I guess."
"Rose fits you better," He runs his eyes over my body, soaking in each detail. "It matches your red hair, at least."
"My hair is orange. Wait, that's not the point. Stop trying to distract me. Is your name really Ralphie?"
"No."
Before I'm able to process this, Ralphie sits up. Even in this position, he towers over me. In a graceful movement that makes me flinch, he reaches for my hair, tugging through the strands until they're released from the bun.
My curls explode in an orange wave, settling around my shoulders. I gawk at him as he twirls one around his finger. "Looks red to me."
"What the hell -"
Before I can continue, a dead body smacks the window.
Lightening flashes.
|| X ||
Things You Learned in This Chapter
1) Ralphie is not Ralphie's name.
2) The sun hasn't risen yet.
3) The silver cat has mysteriously disappeared. Or did it even exist in the first place?
