Equals

Chapter 6

Somewhere New

 

          “Azurite, hey wake up! Come on, we’re going to that uh…place, remember?” I open my eyes, expecting to be back at home, but I’m in my new room, in my new home. Michael keeps pounding on the door. I slip on my new, “Hideout” jeans and soft t-shirt, and fix my hair, and slip on sneakers.

          “Okay! Geez I’m coming, calm down!” I’ve never been a morning person. “Could you knock any louder?”

          “Haha, sorry, but I don’t want anyone following us. This place is extra special.”

          “Okay, I’m hurrying, just give me a minute.”

          “You look fine, come on let’s go!”

          “Ugh boys are so impatient…ok let’s go…”

          “Haha well girls take forever to get ready for everything."

          “Do not. Anyway, where are we going?”

          “I told you, it’s kind of a surprise.” After about four or five miles, we finally get there.

          “A tunnel...? You brought me five miles, to see a tunnel?” I almost start to laugh.

          “Not a tunnel, a station, a train station.”

          “What’s so special about that? There’s lots of ‘em.”

          “This one’s different. A long time ago, back when our ancestors were alive and used these things, there was an accident, and two trains collided, and the entire inner part of the station collapsed, probably with people inside.”

          “Whoa…c-can we go in it?” He smiles.

          “I knew you would like it. Let’s go.” Inside it’s extremely dark, cold, and damp. Every now and then you hear another part of the tunnel coming loose, a light fixture falling down, a brick slipping out of place, a perfect way to keep you on your toes.

          “So what do you think? Cool right?”

          “It’s…exhilarating. I mean, there are so many opportunities! You could rebuild this, you could explore it, find bones and other things that haven’t been seen for hundreds of years! I mean, just look at it! It’s enormous. So many mysteries, wondering if people were in here or out when it all happened, how the trains collided, what’s down there if you could find something…too bad there’s a huge wall of rubble in front of everything.”

          “We could move it, with machines. I mean think about it, if we get just the right stone, it could all fall and we’d be free to explore the entire thing.”

          “Yeah, and just the wrong one, and the entire thing could collapse on us.”

          “That’s why I brought you here; I wanted to see if you could find the positives and negatives, in this. You really do see things exactly like I do, and take things seriously, but you still see the fun in it at the same time. It’s not an easy thing to do, Azurite.”

          “Somebody has to do it. Somebody has to stay serious.”

          “And Madison isn’t that person.”

          “No, I-I guess not. Hey, shouldn’t we be getting home? It’s going to get dark soon, and the walk home’s gonna be long.”

          “Yeah, c’mon, let’s go.” We walk home slowly, talking more about the tunnel, the city, what I think, what I don’t think, his life, how he’s never been to a city, he’s always been here, basically learning everything about each other. By the time we get home, everybody’s asleep in bed, we walk down to a corner on the road and say goodnight. “You know, you really are amazing, Azurite.” I blush.

          “I’m nothing, really. Just a bunch of ideas put together with skin and bones.”

          “No, I mean, you’re smart, you have ideas, and you’re beautiful.”

          “What?”

          “You’re smart.”

          “No, that last thing…what did you say?”

          “You’re beautiful, Azurite.” I take in a small gasp of air. That’s the best thing a person can say to another person in the city, considering everybody is considered average, beautiful is…almost impossible.

          “How am I beautiful…What with my frizzy brown hair and dull, brown eyes? I’m average—barely.”

          “That’s not what I think."

          “Am I more beautiful than Madison?” The moment I let the words come out I want to take them back in. It’s a horrible, cruel thing to even consider asking. After all she’s done for me, after she became my friend, the first person to trust me, all I think about is if I’m better than her. Michael knows this too, his mouth is open, and I can see he’s trying to find the right answer. “I-I’m sorry, that wasn’t right…you don’t have to answer.”

          “Yes.”

          “No, you don’t.”

          “No, I mean, you are.”

          “I’m what?”

          “You’re more beautiful than Madison.”

          “But…but you and her are—“

          “Friends, we’re just friends. I know she likes me, but…I don’t know. The fact that she can’t take things seriously, that she thinks this place is fun-land, I couldn’t handle it with her. She’s a perfect person…as a friend.”

          “Oh.” Is that all I can say? We’re basically bashing her behind her back, and I hate myself for it, but he really is only answering my questions honestly."

          “Well, now you know what I think about you. Will I see you tomorrow?”

          “Yeah, t-tomorrow...” I start to walk, but my shoes slip on the road, he catches my arms and my lips touch his. I almost pull away the instant they do, but I really can’t. Instead I stay frozen, he slowly holds my arms tighter, and I put my arms around his neck. It’s strange how far the kiss goes, but I don’t stop it. In the city when you’re sixteen and under, and you kiss somebody, it’s just an innocent thing, something you’ll forget about it once you’re the ultimate beauty and move on to be a caregiver…but this counted. It wasn’t some silly fake kiss, it was real, and it counted. Once we let go, I don’t know what to say to him.

          “I-I…I really have to go…” He tries to get a better grip on my hand, but I shake him off and run home.