Desert Children (Killjoys)

The Last of All The Rides We Take

I was woken at 11 AM which wasn't a normal time for me to wake up. I was used to getting up at 7, the time they always woke us up at in the city. Ghoul was already dressed and shaking my shoulder. I was embarrassed that I had slept so long. I rushed to the bathroom to take a cold shower. I shivered as the cold water hit my skin and scrubbed soap into my gross hair.

All I could think about was how nervous I was. I was afraid that the people I met would hate me. All of the people I had encountered during my stay used lingo I didn't understand and laughed at me when I asked them what it meant. I was so socially awkward. Most of the killjoys had big personalities. They were bold and brave. I couldn't call myself a killjoy because I really didn't deserve it, yet. I didn't know if I could ever fit into my new life.

Overwhelmed, I stepped out of the small shower and dried off. I looked into the old mirror. That small, shy girl was still there looking back at me. Despite all of my training and the muscle I had gained, I was the same as the first day I had locked eyes with Ghoul. I had an almost flat chest and my eyes were a sad sea foam green. They were nothing like the dazzling forest green eyes that Ghoul had. I found myself suddenly extremely self conscious.

I made sure I was alone in the room before I grabbed my clothes and rushed to the safety of the bathroom to get dressed. I tried to brush the tangles out of my wet hair, but failed miserably. I gave up and went to get myself something to eat, my bare feet making the old wood floor creak.

There was laughter from the entertainment room and Ghoul was standing in the kitchen counting beers. Kobra walked in from collecting firewood into a large pile outside. Even he had a slight smile on his face. Everyone was cheerful today.

Poison walked into the kitchen with a beer in hand.

"That's where the other one went! What the fuck Poison?! You get to go out and buy more for tonight including the vodka that 'went missing' " Ghoul made air quotations with his fingers.

Poison laughed and grabbed the keys to the Trans Am off of the kitchen counter. "Will do."

"Hey no drinking and driving!" Kobra yelled after him, making them both laugh and Ghoul smile.

Ghoul noticed that I was standing to the side, just observing them and made small talk to include me.

"How does it feel to be one of us now?" He asked, leaning against the counter.

"One of you?" I asked, confused.

"You know, like part of our little clan." Ghoul offered me a beer to which I declined.

Jet walked in at that moment. "You mean part of our coven?"

Ghoul laughed. "We aren't a bunch of witches."

Kobra spoke up. "What you mean is part of our family. And I won't ever consider her family."

It went quiet in the room and the good vibes were ruined. I could feel a heavy weight in my chest. I left the kitchen and wandered down the hallway aimlessly until I hit the end. There was a door with a sign that said PUSH and showed a picture of stairs. I decided to be rebellious and go exploring into the great beyond.

Once through the door, I did indeed find stairs. The air was musty and hot. It was dark and hard to see. I found a railing for the stairs and slowly climbed them until I hit another door labeled PUSH. I found myself staring at a long hallway like the one downstairs but vacant and stifling. There were cobwebs everywhere. I tried to avoid them as much as possible. The door to each room was opened revealing old mattresses and ugly furniture. Bored, I went back to the stairwell and went up another flight of stairs. This time, the door was labeled ROOF with another PUSH sign. I came out onto the roof of the inn. It was a bit blustery out, but still extremely hot. I stood at one end of the roof and looked out at the desert.