Rapunzel
" Right here, Jack." I leaned forward, my face nearing the spotless windshield of Jack's car in order to clarify the location. Among the heavy abundance of trees and earthly foliage, a road sign, hazardously green in color, emerged to display what the upcoming exit would hold.
Jack let out a chuckle, his blue eyes darting repeatedly to the words written on the sign. "Who names their restaurant 'The Fireplace'?"
I shook my head, preparing myself to hear another one of Jack's criticisms of all places related to heat. The forest began to recede away from us as the curved road of the exit path came into view. I pressed my forehead against the glass of the passenger door window, the surface surprisingly warm. "Probably someone who wanted a cozy atmosphere."
He scoffed, the prominent shakes of his head visible from the corners of my eyes. "Seems like--"
"Torture, I know," I finished.
"Actually, I was going to say something worse," he said. " But you know I don't curse." Then, he looked at me, worry creasing his eyebrows together. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," I replied immediately. With a hesitant glance in his direction, I added,"Why wouldn't I be?"
Something, an emotion I couldn't place, darted over his face, becoming a shadow that replaced his bright features. He looked away from me, his eyes strongly fixed on the smooth road that continued to lengthen in front of us. "No reason," Jack said, so quietly, a chill raced all the way up my spine and neck in order go crawl into my ears and open them wider.
I miss it, I thought. I missed the feeling of your arms around me. Of your fingers brushing away a loose golden strand from my vision. Of your palm against my chin, so light and quick it feels as if a snowflake had remained without dissolving for a few previous moments. I missed all the times you would sneak up around the back of my house and pretend to be a bird to let me know you were there. I missed the surge of happiness when I knew I was your girlfriend.
"Rapunzel." In an instant, my thoughts removed themselves from my mind, and I found myself idle in the passenger seat of Jack's car, the restaurant casting its large exterior above us. Jack was waiting for me to leave.
"Oh. Sorry," I muttered, grasping the small, leather body of my handbag before pushing the door, my shoes producing a dull thud against the paved surface of the parking lot. "See you later," I said, the words rushed and clipped since I had managed to remember them right before the crack of the car door closing.
Jack smiled, lifting his hand in a wave before pulling out of the lot, the white and cheery face of his license plate dancing for a few lingering moments in my mind.
He didn't wait for me this time. His keys, with all of its clunky and exorbitant array of chains and souvenirs, had remained in the ignition, powering the subtle but noticeable roar of the engine. Jack didn't have any final words to say.
Is he that glad to get rid of me? I wondered, turning towards the front doors of The Fireplace that Jack loathes so much.
No. He was just uncomfortable, because he knew what I was thinking.
Jack knew me too well.
Elsa
"Hello, ladies." The secretary behind the smooth yet cluttered office desk seemed to perk up at our presence, the mascara-coated lashes that sprouted from the slanted outer edges of her eyes rising to scrape her eyelids. Her lips, joining her eyes in their fashion statement by glimmering in a fresh sheen of ruby lipstick, curved upwards, producing a smile that was evidently more genuine than on a normal day. She rose both of her arms, enthusiasm causing her to flit her nails up and down in a spontaneous manner. "Welcome! I believe you're here to take those tests, correct?"
YOU ARE READING
Branches of Our Tree
Fanfiction"Elsa, don't ever think you're alone. After all, we're all branches of a tree. And that tree belongs to everyone. That tree is our tree." For Elsa's entire life, she had lived safely within the thick, brick walls of her home, Arendelle Manor. Lesson...
