「ABSENCE」 TMNT 2012

22; Zombie

The sun had risen high overhead, reminding Leo to check the time. It must be around noon. When he looked down to check his phone, sure enough, it was twelve twenty-four. He'd been sitting in the same spot for an hour and a half.

    The view was spectacular. It offered a clear picture of the business going on below. Times Square was close by, and a Subway station lay just ahead. Though he preferred to sit on the tallest skyscrapers so he could see more, he liked finding new spots to hang out, and this one wasn't disappointing him.

He breathed in, enjoying the peace the city brought him. The whole atmosphere was calming to him, and he longed for days like these when he could go out by himself. It brought him comfort and refreshment.

    The wind was low. He heard it before he saw it. Footsteps. The door opening. He wasn't alone, and he had to hide. He jumped to his feet.

    Over the breeze, someone gasped. "Mikey?"

    Confused, Leo turned around. There stood Elly, yoga mat under one arm and a gym bag on her other shoulder. She looked miserable, to say the least. Her hair, knotted and tangly, was pulled back into a hastily done up bun atop her head. Purple circles lined her under eyes like she had drawn them on with a Sharpie, and her eyes themselves were puffy and tired-looking. The rest of her wasn't much better, as her clothing was thrown on and draped lazily around her body.

    She squinted at him and shaded her eyes as the sun beat down on their heads, calling, "What are you doing here?"

    "I should like to ask you the same question. Do you live here or something?" He suddenly remembered this being an apartment building.

    She nodded yawned. "I'm staying with my parents until I'm ready to go back to college." She let the door close behind her, took a few, slow steps, and set her bag down some feet away.

Leo followed her to the spot where she began unrolling her yoga mat. "How are you doing?" His shadow fell over her as she worked. The closer proximity ended the need for yelling across the roof at each other.

"I'm adjusting well enough. Thanks for asking."

"Sure. You're healthy? Your family's well?"

"We're doing great. Things have been much better lately."

    This was the most Leo had ever heard Elly speak, and she wasn't as jittery as the first time they'd met. Either she was high, or she thought he was someone else. She did look pretty out of touch this morning as she fumbled around with her workout equipment, dropping a five pound weight on her toe and knocking over an open bottle of water.

    "Are you okay?" He asked, partly out of worry, but mostly of amusement.

    She sprawled out on her back on the mat. Her face scrunched up when the sunlight made contact with her eyes. "Never been better."

"Are you sure about that?" He arched an eye ridge. "What did you do last night?"

    "I . . . went out . . ."

    Leo nodded, his assumptions proving correct as she reached up to rub her eyes.

    "With my parents for dinner. Then I played Mario Kart with Lucas."

Never mind. Maybe Elly wasn't that type of person after all.

"How late did you stay up?"

    She sighed, trying to remember the last numbers she'd read on the clock before turning in. "Probably around eight."

    "A.M.?!"

    Propping herself on her elbows, she squinted up at him. "Yeah?"

    "You mean to tell me you pulled an all-nighter?"

    She nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Yeah."

Never mind again. Maybe she was that type of person. Irresponsible, irrational.

He squatted down to be at a closer eye level. "Why would you do something like that?"

The look on her sleepless face told him she thought he was a dimwit. "Because it's a weekend?"

    "But that's unhealthy," argued Leo. "How often do you do this?"

    "What? Stay up all night?"

    "Yes."

    "I'm not sure. This is only the second weekend I've been back, so I guess we'll see." She shrugged and sat up, crossing her legs.

Leo shook his head. "You're gonna die."

She scoffed. "I won't die. Sleep is for the weak, Mikey," she said matter-of-factly.

    "It looks like you're already dead. I thought you were a zombie when you first came out." He stood and turned to leave as she gaped at him. "Oh, and by the way, I'm Leo," he called over his shoulder.

    He chortled to himself as he crossed the roof. Overtired Elly reminded him of overtired Donnie; delusional and out of touch with her surroundings. She should be careful, or she might fall off the building.

Just as he reached the edge, something tugged on his hand. Elly glared up at him. He noticed the crust that had formed at the inner corners of her eyes, and rubbing them had spread flakes to her eyelashes. She was a comically unattractive sight.

"That was rude," she told him, just in case he didn't already know.

"My sincerest apologies."

    Another yawn escaped her. "What's your name again?"

    He frowned. "Leonardo. I introduced myself the other day. Remember?"

    Her brows furrowed in thought. "Yes. But why are you here, anyway?"

"I was just out for a morning run and ended up here."

"I thought you were your brother."

Leo nodded. "Yeah, I figured that out."

    "I did wonder why he'd come to visit me during the day, though. Usually he comes at night." She plopped down and scooted up to the edge, dangling her legs over the side.

    "What do you mean, usually? He's visited you before?"

    "Yep." A yawn. "He says he wants to make sure I'm okay."

"And you let him?"

A long pause. No response for a few minutes. "Mmhm. Why wouldn't I?"

He shrugged. "I just . . . thought you were afraid of us."

She went silent. When Leo looked down at her, her eyes were closed and her head was slightly tilted.

He poked her shoulder. "Elly."

    "Hmm?" She peeked one eye open. When she saw him, the other one followed and she screamed. "What are you doing here?!" She shuffled away and scooted back.

    Leo sighed, straightening up. "You should go inside and get some sleep."

    "Sleep is for the weak," she hissed, pointing a finger at him. One eye twitched strangely.

    He walked over to her things and began stuffing them back into her bag. She watched him curiously from afar as he rolled up the mat and tightened the cap on her water bottle. When everything was cleaned up, he set them by the door. "Go to bed!" He shouted, then pulled out a grappling hook and tossed it onto another building.

    She lifted her hands to serve as a visor and watched him swing into the afternoon, forgetting all about him moments later as she stumbled back to her apartment and snuggled into her sheets.