A DARKER CITY

chapter two, the truth, but not the whole truth

"I can't believe you!" Athena shouted. "you about gave us a heart attacks!"

Morgan was Ramona's saving grace. "Athena, calm down. She didn't go far. She was just getting some fresh air."

"on the wrong side of town! Do you have any idea how much danger you put yourself in!?" Athena couldn't be stopped once she got to going. She was riled up now, on anger and just cruelty. "what do you have to say for yourself?" she stomped her foot on the ground.

"careful, you'll break your heel." Ramona said. It wasn't meant to spur her older sister on, but it must have. She went off on another tangent, which somehow reeled around to how Morgan needed to be more careful with the family fortune, and then that faded into something about her looking for a job for some reason or another.

Ramona took the opportunity to leave. This was Morgan's problem now. She stepped out into the garden, taking a seat on the concrete bench by the apple tree. It was quiet here, it was always quiet uptown. She missed the sounds of the city, and the sights. And that boy.

That thought was crushed as soon as it had arisen. It was stupid to hope. "Only those who hope fall victim to despair."

She laid down on the bench, not minding the cold of the concrete or the uncomfortable feeling of her head hanging off the side of the bench. The sky was a beautiful blue, it was shaping up to be a very nice morning, which would fade into a lovely day.

Or it could fade into a terrible day. Who's to say? Certainly not her.

"Ramona! Where are you?" Athena hollered from inside. That was something she'd never do in public, scream like that, she said it was unladylike and distasteful. Maybe that's what made her so much more attractive than Ramona.

She stayed silent, but rolled off of the bench, her dress sliding up her shins as she did. Maybe if she was on the ground the blacks and browns of her clothes would blend in with the dirt and Athena wouldn't see her. That was the plan at least.

The plan was foiled, of course, when Athena came out into the lawn and saw Ramona laying in the yard, on her back, pretending Athena couldn't see her.

"get off of the ground, ro."

"no, I like it here. You always said I should get outside, become one with nature and such."

Athena sat down on the bench. Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks were blotchy. Ramona didn't take much notice of it, an emotional sister crying was not a big deal, and Athena didn't like to be questioned. She had a book in her hand. The book was old, with tattered pages and a faded red cover. It was a book of love poems; which Athena had been adding to recently.

"following in Morgan's steps in becoming a writer?"

"I suppose."

The conversation was dull. It bored Ramona to the point of staring up at the sky and counting the birds. 1. 2. 3. Athena said something about how she adored love and couldn't wait to find a man. 4. 5. 6. 7. Ramona contemplated telling her sister of the boy she'd met. 8. 9. it was better not to. No sense in getting her sister riled up about how no boy was good news and about how Ramona tended to lean towards boys their parents wouldn't have let her talk to. Now she was free, and that was almost a relief. Almost.

"what about the boy in your school? The one who you wrote all of those poems about?"

"those weren't about anyone in particular! They were just about the IDEA of love." She explained with red cheeks.

"yeah? I think I might take up writing too."

Later, in her room, Ramona was hunched over her desk, passionately scribbling something in her notebook. If anyone would ask she'd say it was nothing more than some studies. But in reality, it was studies of a perfect smile and of a misty summer's morning.