Dents

[+] Left Hand Suzuki Method

The kitchen was bleak. It was the sort of place that filled one with an unsettling feeling of growing despair equal to the time spent within it. It stunk of mold and decaying food.

A rusted toaster spat up a slice of stale, ashen bread beside a bowl filled with human ears. Stacks of out-of-date newspapers cluttered the dining table and patches of the green laminate floor. A single mangled shoe hung over the back of a chair. Garbage bags were piled six feet high beside the backdoor. The countertops had become a breeding ground for flies and roaches.

I could almost taste the putridness of it all hanging in the air. The state of disrepair was so severe that I could shower for years and still feel dirty.

"You get used to it."

A heavy baritone voice echoed from the hall. Russel maneuvered toward 2D and I, careful to dodge the piles of trash scattered over the tile along the way. I was relieved to see he was alright. The guilt of leaving him behind while Plastic Beach burned had been haunting me for ages. He was the single person we could count on while we were imprisoned beneath the waves, and we abandoned him there without a second thought.

Despite everything that had happened, none of us found the will to speak. There was so much to be said that no one knew where to start.

2D's hand tightened around mine. I sensed that he was afraid I might simply vanish if he dared to let go.

Russel, lost for words, wrapped his arms around 2D and I. His chest heaved in physical relief at the sight of us. His grip was suffocating. 2D wheezed. Russel eased up a bit, finally allowing us to breathe unhindered.

"Et's good to see yew, Russ."

"Likewise. I thought you two were dead. I didn't even know where to start lookin' for you after everything went to shit."

I could faintly hear Murdoc's vulgar screeching from somewhere outside. Fortunately, he sounded preoccupied, which may have saved our skin and doubtlessly saved my hearing.

"I'm sorry we left like we did," I said.

"Nothing for you to worry about. When Mudds said he found you both, I thought he was lying. I'm glad I was wrong."

"How did he find us, anyway?"

"A rumor, he said. Wouldn't tell us anything more than that. Asshole."

Russel shook his head, wiping clear the scowl that had overtaken his face.

"Anyway, Noodle wanted to be the one to show you guys to your rooms. She's pretty proud of how they turned out."

On cue, Noodle's thin fingers peeked around the door frame.

"Come see," she said, giddy at the prospect of showing off her handiwork.

I was curious how she would have been able to decorate a room on my behalf without knowing anything about me. I was intrigued to see what she had come up with working from only a name and Murdoc's drunken description of my appearance.

She led us to 2D's room first. It was a quaint bedroom with a tiny bathroom attached. Despite being somewhat small, it was significantly more pleasant and dignified than the murky pit he had been confined to on Plastic Beach.

A respectable collection of dated video games and VHS tapes were organized alphabetically beneath a humble television set. 

"Yew got my games?!"

"Yes. Some of - "

Noodle was interrupted by 2D hugging her tightly, mumbling about how he thought they were lost forever, and how he missed her. A twinge of jealousy cut through me. It quickly melted away in the warmth they shared. They were like family. Anyone could see that.

"Saoirse-san, are you ready to see your room?"

Noodle turned to me and took my hands in hers.

"Uh, sure. Okay. Yeah."

Noodle clapped and escorted me out of the room, leaving 2D to rifle through what remained of his media collection. We walked directly across the hall to a pine door. She urged me to open it.

I was stunned.

The interior was far more impressive than I could have imagined. 

The room was teal. The paint was still fresh, permeating the air. Ornate butterfly silhouettes outlined every wall except the back, which was composed of tan misshapen bricks. There was a TV and a PlayStation 2 in the corner by a wooden closet. Two Tony Hawk games were set beside it, as well as the first and second Guitar Hero and a plastic guitar. A dozen paper cranes hung from above the low round mattress in the center of the floor.

The sheets smelled vaguely of incense. A vivid blue orchid bobbed softly on the bedside table from the breeze coming through the screenless window. The way the space had been arranged, the certain lived-in order of it all, made me feel as if Noodle were an old friend.

She couldn't have known that I had never had a room of my own. When I was growing up, our house was too small to accommodate such a luxury. When I left for school, I shared a dorm with three other girls. To have a space dedicated to me was something beyond comprehension.

It was beautiful. It was mine.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it. It's perfect. Thank you, really."

I strolled to the window, taking the soft billowing fabric of the curtain between my fingers. 

"How did you know to do all of this? You have things in here that I didn't even know I wanted."

"I guessed," she snickered.

"Murdoc was quite unhelpful. Russel does not understand girls."

I snorted.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Very much so."

Noodle approached me, revealing a pair of shears that she had tucked behind her back.

"Are you ready? I will remove as little as I can."

I sat down on the floor in front of her. She took a long, matted lock of my hair and snipped it off.

We chatted like two old ladies in a coffee shop while she cut my hair. Her company was unusual for me, but it was greatly welcomed. I felt at ease that there was another woman in the house I could turn to if needed.

Before I knew it, she finished.

Satisfied, Noodle dismissed herself from my quarters. 2D came in her place. He quietly shut the door behind him. When he turned to me, his jaw fell slack.

"Yewr hair. Yew cut yewr hair?"

I frowned. I shut off the gaming console I had been messing with. I was having trouble figuring out how to get it to work, anyway.

"The tape ruined it. We couldn't get all of the glue out."

"Saoirse," 2D started, "I fink et looks luvly. Suits yew nice actually."

"You really think so?"

"Yeh. Et's nice."

He took a seat on the bed. He leaned back into the sheets with his lanky arms stretched behind him. I flopped on top of him, resting my head on his chest.

"So, uh... "

2D trailed off. He searched for a way to phrase his question that wouldn't sound entirely hopeless.

"Do yew fink we can make et here alrigh'?"

I winced. His worry was palpable.

Despite all the niceties like room and board, the situation had forced our hand. We had to survive here. We had no choice. If we didn't, we wouldn't be able to make it here, or anywhere, much longer.

"Yeah," I said, sounding as brave as I could, "We'll make it."