Vagabonds, Snakes, and Voices

Chapter 1

  "Ready to head home?" Waylon leaned over and said in his warm husky yet mellow voice. A voice too deep for a teenager that fascinated my ears and was poetry worthy.
   Of course I wasn't ready to go home. I was too busy enjoying the mini adventure in his beaten up truck. His truck smelled of his parents smoke and memories. Memories far older than us. I've insisted on him buying a new vehicle so my smell of pearly white flowers and his musk scent would blend together and illuminate the new truck.
   Staring out the tinted windows I see the sun tinted leaves showing its autumn and I look over to my color lacking skin in the rearview mirror. Waylon was the sunset compared to my complexion. He was tanned and golden from working on his family farm. We had matching dough brown eyes. His nose a lot smaller than mine. Our wide smiles and dark pink lips matched as well.
   "Teva." He said sternly.
I was awoken from my daze and looked over at him with widen eyes. I hadn't realized we had stopped and parked.
   "Just a little bit longer" I whisper while pretending to quiver.
   He sighs heavily and turns the key in the ignition. The engine sputters and he tries again and again. I'm secretly excited when he gets out and grabs the tool box from the truck bed. The longer this takes the longer my adventure lasts. He lifts up the hood and starts doing what he calls "man's work".
A couple minutes later he gets climbs back in, the toolbox missing from his hands and heads in the opposite direction of my house. He takes a road I know well and heads towards his house where his parents will be working in the fields.
   On the other hand my parents are in two separate places. One my mother is taking her afternoon nap and two my father is somewhere I don't know. He's not allowed to contact me until I contact him. And considering his criminal background I think I'm perfectly fine not knowing him.
   We stop at his house and he walks over to my side of the truck. Opens the door like a gentleman and helps me out. I stop and stare at our feet. My beaten up sneakers next to his round toe cowboy boots. His feet almost twice the size of mine.
(Or at least it seems that way in the boots he's wearing.)
   We walk past the field where his parents are and I put on a fake smile. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Harrison," I call out while waving. They wave back and we reach the porch. His grandfather sitting smoking in his old wooden rocking chair staring at the newly planted Black Star Amsonia.
   Waylon takes my hand and leads me to the oldest barn. The Harrison's own a large amount of property that was owned by Waylon's grandfather (four generations back).
   The barn is lit with a beautiful vintage chandelier that doesn't work and the working lanterns. Tonight was Halloween and this is how we were going to spend it. A picnic and pie at the barn table lit up by the lantern and candles. A little too country romantic for this holiday but I would love to dance.
   He seems to read my mind as he wraps his arm around my waist and slowly twirls me around the barn that seems to go on forever. As the song continues and we dance I fill his head with the idea of running away like I've done a million times before.
    Other's memories seem to bore me and I'd like to make my own memories. I want to run away and sell his old truck to get a cheap car. With the cheap car and extra money I want to buy property and build a house. I wouldn't mind living out of a car and tent while building our very own house.
   He shakes his head. And recites about how he loves it here and how this property will forever belong in his name. I fire back with how new scenery and a better situation will help my hallucinations.
   We're silent and while very close become mentally distant. We always argue about this but my urge to run grows and grows. My annoyance for him grows and I demand to go home. He rolls his eyes and continues to dance with me.
    He swings me over his shoulder and grabs a blanket. We lay on the blanket under the stars.
I crave so deeply to be a luminous star. Each star is independent, holding itself together in its own gravity, absorbing light and reflecting it for our wide eyes to gaze at   The gravity of the star is absolutely perfect, without it the star would continue to collapse. And with that in mind
I strive to have a perfect mindset like the stars gravity so I can keep myself held up.
    As we lay I see a snake slither and wrap itself around Waylon's arm. My eyes enlarge and my jaw slowly drops. All around me I hear whispering growing louder and louder. The noise drown my ears and my surroundings swallow me. The sky spirals down towards me and the blanket suffocates me.
"Teva?" He questions, "Are you alright?"
"S-snakes.... V-voices"
He ignores me and holds me tightly. His forehead pressed against mine and lips against my nose. My eyelids get heavy and I slowly drift away.
   I woke up earlier that morning feeling quite feverish. I almost felt bad for staying away from home for so long but, it's not like mother would care anyhow.
   My velvet skin next to his strong firm skin felt reassuring. I nudged him awake and stared into his drowzie heavy eyes. I trace his cool skin and delicately rough facial features.