Alias

Tarron

         This guy is definitely not from around here. Blonde hair, blue eyes, clear skin, five foot six. He’s from Caim. He’s keen and cautious, and very agile. He slipped off of a five story ledge and managed to stumble away with only a few bruises and a busted up knee. This guy is suspicious. I fall asleep wondering, why didn’t I just let him die?

        In the morning, I see that the guy’s awake and staring at the one flickering light bulb we have. I sit up and say, “Morning.” He nods and says, “Morning.” I toss him an apple and he bites into it gratefully. I smile and sit down by him. We sit in silence until I turn to him and say, “You’re from Caim, aren’t you?” He looks at me surprised. “Yeah. How’d you know?” I shrug. He stares at me solicitously. I laugh and say, “What?” He smiles and turns away, but I see the red rush to his cheeks. He just blushed. I shake it off. No big deal. Not at all.

 I smile and drag him out the door.

        We get to the marketplace and we walk around, buying different packable foods. We buy a couple sandwiches for lunch and sit by the lake to eat. I throw a bit of bread to the ducks and say, “So, Blondie, what’s it like in Caim? Is it like here or what?” He swallows and says, “Yeah, basically. We have a bit more, though.” I smile and nod. We finish our food and lay back in the soft grass. I stand up and say, “Watch this.” I pull off my shoes and step into the lake. I feel around for the shallow parts and step on them. The guy looks up nervously and says, “Be careful. If you slip, it’s, like, twenty feet deep.” I wave it off and say, “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Just a second later, I slip in the sand and sink deep in the cold, black water. I try to swim, but it feels like my arms are made of stone. I feel my breath leave my body, slowly but surely. I scream, but no one can hear me. I reach out my hand, but no one’s there to take it. I cry silently as I begin to feel lightheaded and dizzy. See you soon, Mom, I think. Then, everything blacks out.