Greeting Insanity

chapter twelve

  It was true, Emma had become extremely worried at the sudden absence of Reyna. Although, Emma had not expected Jason's sudden apprehension with her disappearance. The two young adults shared multiple long shifts, which they used to carefully observe the other. Jason noticed Emma constantly looking longingly toward the glass doors of the coffee shop, hoping to see Reyna waltz in, notebook in hand. Emma would take note on Jason's recent habit of losing focus. He would often mess up orders, his eyes clouding over, a dazed look taking over his face. Of course, the boy wasn't nearly as worried as Emma, having only just met the girl, but that didn't mean he wasn't concerned for the wellbeing of the blonde. She had been kind yet mysterious, filling his head with many unanswered questions. Emma seemed especially distraught, countless possibilities filling her head. Reyna had never gone into detail about what the HTA had done to her, but she had captured the main idea; the government does not like "crazy" people. All in all, Emma was thinking of the worst possible thing they could do to Reyna and sadly her imagination was spot on. It was currently a Friday, the month insignificant. Jason was walking to work, The Home, to open shop for the morning shift. By "morning", they meant morning, seeing as it was presently an ungodly hour of two a.m. At that precise moment, Jason was passing the park that he always did on his morning walk to the world of responsibilities. A soft breeze ruffled the bushes, the sun casting a pink hue on the sidewalk. The sun had barely risen, leaving the world in a state of stillness, a magnificent site in the city that never seems to rest. The air was slightly chilly, causing Jason to pull his sweatshirt tighter to his slim frame. Casting his gaze to the dew-covered grass at his right, a bench caught his attention. Sat on the bench, was a single figure. According to the outline, the lone individual was a young woman. Her golden hair cascaded over her exposed shoulder in loose curls. The side of her face that he could see was pale and covered with freckles, a faded handprint. As he neared the girl, her attention snapped toward him, their gazes meeting. A strong familiarity hung over the atmosphere as the two souls examined one another. Jason could have sworn he knew the girl that he stalked closer toward with each step, however, there were thousands of people in his city alone, and the minimal light distorted her appearance. Now only a couple feet stood between them, both seeing the other's face clearly, and recognizing the other. On the bench, a mere yard away, rested Reyna, wrapped in white cloth. Shoulders exposed, he could guess that she was reduced to her undergarments. He thanked the pink light that surrounded them, hiding the blush that crept toward his light cheeks at the realization. After a few moments of gawking, Jason left his wandering eyes on her untouched face. He opened his mouth to question her absence, but no words formed. Sensing his hesitation, Reyna winked and shifted her stare behind Jason's standing shadow. Following her gaze, Jason turned, only to be met with the rushing wind. Whipping around once more, he returned his eyes to the bench that was now empty. Reyna had fled, vanished. Searching the area around him and resulting emptyhanded, Jason huffed in annoyance, he was late for work. Dang it. Later in the day when Emma entered the shop for her shift alongside him, Jason wondered if he had even seen Reyna, or if it was just a fragment of his imagination. Opting to not tell Emma of the morning's discovery was a guilty path, but seeing as he was skeptical of the event, he figured it was better than worrying her more or raising her hopes, both disastrous.