Isolation | E LEHNSHERR

PROLOGUE

"I am a question to the world, not an answer to be heard, or a moment that's held in your arms."
-I'm Still Here, John Rzeznik

The basement in question was dark, and damp. There were only a couple tiny windows that showed the outside, and though there was indeed a light available down there, it was off. There wasn't much decor either, although it was clear that someone lived in the basement. There was a mattress out in the middle, although away from the two windows. There was also an end table near the mattress, which had a stack of six books, all varying degrees of thickness. And, all over the floor, was clothes strewn.

It seemed like there was no one in the basement, but then in a shadowy corner where none of the light from the moon reached, a figure moved. Once it came out of the shadows, and into the moonlight, it was clear the figure was a girl. There wasn't too much recognized about her, besides the fact that she was clearly around sixteen or seventeen years old. She was wearing a dark hoodie that had a hole towards the bottom, with the hood up. Not much could be seen about her facial expression either, considering how it was dark.

The girl was carrying an empty bowl that had a fork in it. It had the tangy smell of pork and noodles though, and the girl threw the container on the floor near the mattress. She then layed down on the mattress, and pushed the hoodie off, revealing dark black hair. It seemed to blend into the darkness in the basement.

Suddenly, she jerked up. The girl looked up at the closest window, and glared. There was a tapping noise coming from the window, which made no sense as there wasn't a tree anywhere near there. The girl made her way to the window, and peered outside. She almost screeched when she saw the chipmunk sitting outside the window, but she bit it back. She was well aware that if she made the slightest noise, the people who lived upstairs would come running down to see what was happening.

She tried to shoo the chipmunk away, but it kept tapping at the door with it's claws, obviously wanting to be let in, which confused the girl. How could the chipmunk be smart enough to know it should come in the basement? Unless it wasn't actually a chipmunk, which honestly wouldn't surprise the girl, as she had seen some pretty amazing things in her lifetime.

Deciding to take a risk, she opened the window, and the chipmunk rushed into the basement. Within seconds, the chipmunk started to grow, until standing where the chipmunk had been, was a girl. She was a little younger than the other girl, maybe fifteen. She had dirty, brown hair that was caked with mud. The younger girl was shivering from the cold, so the older girl quickly scrambled and wrapped her blanket around the other girl's shoulder.

"You okay?" the black-haired girl asked.

The other girl shook her head. "I'm sorry for intruding...I-I just have nowhere to go."

The black-haired girl simply shrugged. "It's alright. My name is Rory, who are you?"

"I'm Scarlett," the other girl responded. "You didn't freak out when I turned into a human. Why not?"

Rory laughed. "Trust me, I've seen stranger things. Anyways, you turning from a chipmunk into a girl is pretty cool."

Scarlett nodded, although she seemed a little bit confused still.

"So, you wanted in my house...er, well basement. What did you want?"

Scarlett ducked her head in embarrassment. "Sorry about that. I just needed a place to crash for the night. I've been stuck as a chipmunk for three days, and been crashing in a park. I'm kind of exhausted actually."

"Why my basement?"

The brown-haired girl shrugged. "I'm not sure. I was looking for someplace that seemed...safe. And this kind of seemed like a good place."

Rory just nodded her head. "You look tired. You can have the mattress, and sleep for a bit. Tomorrow, when my parents and brother leave for the day, I'll go up there and get a mattress for you." She smiled at Scarlett. "You can stay here for as long as you like." She wasn't going to ask any questions. If Scarlett wanted to tell her why she was on her own, then she could. Until then though, it wasn't Rory's business. That didn't mean that Rory couldn't be nice enough to let Scarlett stay in the basement. And anyways, she was craving some company, even if it meant she would be in so much trouble if her parents found out.

Scarlett yawned. "I feel like you're being too kind to me. Are you sure it's okay for me to stay here?"

Rory nodded. "Of course! I wouldn't of offered otherwise. You'll just have to stay hidden when my parents come down, otherwise we're both ended."

"If they're against it...maybe I shouldn't stay here."

Rory rolled her dark eyes, something that was hard to catch in the dark. "Screw what they think about it. I do what I want, when I want, and how I want. And my parents are the least of my concerns."

It was clear by Scarlett's expression that the younger girl had no idea how to respond to Rory's response. Instead, Rory just smiled.

"Go to sleep, Scarlett. You look like you need it."

"Aren't you going to sleep?"

Rory looked at Scarlett, incredulous. "Why would I sleep? The darkness is my daytime." She winked at Scarlett then, and then laughed. "Don't worry, I'll sleep during the day."

Scarlett looked a little skeptical, but she must of decided not to argue, because next thing Rory knew, she was laying down on the mattress, and within a couple of minutes, Scarlett was completely knocked out. Privately, Rory thought the girl must've been dead exhausted to fall asleep that easily, as it was rather difficult for Rory herself to actually sleep.

Moreover, she found herself excited for the first time in a long time. She now had a friend to hang out with, even if they only hung out in the basement. No longer would she be so lonely.