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‑ˏˋ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎 ˊˎ‑
𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 only word that comes to mind, especially when it involves an insect. I should have put more thought into following this butterfly, but I chose to believe I had a brain fart at that moment. Not once did I stop to realize that my eyes were playing tricks on me ― not once.
A butterfly. It might have been beautiful with the blues on its wings, but that was no excuse. I had gone against my better judgment and just hopped out a window. I was hot and sweaty, causing my bangs to stick to my forehead. And even though I could feel the sweat dripping down my back, I still trailed after the butterfly.
Sending a rock into a trashcan, I finally realized the butterfly was leading me down an alleyway. The realization had me freeze. Every time a character in a movie or comic or book was in a place like this, it never ended well. A shiver ran down my spine just at the thought. However, when I saw three lanky men standing at the mouth of the alley, the shiver turned to terror.
I dove for cover behind a full dumpster, clapping a hand over my mouth and nose for two reasons. The first was so the men couldn't hear me breathe ― basic survival skills. The second reason was the stench wafting up through the open lid of the dumpster. Just one sniff would have me vomiting.
The butterfly had followed suit, landing beside me on a pile of trash bags. I felt my panic level rise as the bags wobbled. I tried to shoo the bug away, but it stayed on its perch of garbage. I could only pray that there weren't any cans in those bags. But alas, the universe was out to get as the bags clanked to the ground.
I didn't dare move, tensing up even more when I heard the click of three guns. I forced myself to think of something ― anything ― that could help me. Just then, the butterfly that had gotten me into this mess flew past my nose and towards the open top of the dumpster.
Without giving it a second thought, I shimmied up the side of the container, halting a moment to gag before lowering myself inside. I swear, if my life wasn't at stake, I would be thrashing to get out of here, not in. Slowly and carefully, I maneuvered my way through the trash to sit under the closed lid ― just in case. You couldn't be too cautious when it came to your life.
"I could have sworn I heard someone over here," one of the three grumbled. I stopped breathing, trying to convince myself this was all just a dream that I needed to wake up from.
It was when another man spoke did I place my hand over my mouth. "Who the hell knows with you. God, you're worthless."
That wasn't very nice. It was an automatic thought; I know I shouldn't have cared, and I know that I don't have much experience when it came to interacting with other people, but at least I know the difference between showing kindness and being flat out rude.
"Whatever. Let's just get out of here," gruffed another. I waited to relax until their footsteps had faded completely.
Once silence had settled into the air, I thrashed about in that dumpster, straining to pull myself up into the fresh, clean air. I couldn't breathe in enough of it, gasping and choking. Then ― much to my disappointment ― something dangled down in my eyes. Tentatively, I reached a hand to pull the mystery object off the top of my head, gagging when the rotten banana peel came into full view.
Blue flashed in the corner of my eye before the butterfly floated before me. At this point, I wanted to throw the banana peel at the insect ― it was more trouble than it was worth. I dropped it instead, climbing out to land on my feet. The butterfly flew above me in circles, taunting and laughing at me, it seemed.
I just grumbled under my breath, taking another step towards my unknown destination. I just hope there won't be another dumpster along the way.
――――
The park was where I ended up. The freaking park, where there are people and kids and everyone in the entire town. The moment I had finally realized where I was I had jumped behind a tree. To me, the park was a place where I would go if I wanted a death wish granted. I didn't do well in large crowds, and in the summer, all of Musutafu was the one place I avoided at all costs.
I went to glare at the butterfly ― as childish as it seemed ― only to find it nowhere in sight. Cautiously, I peeked around the tree's trunk, searching for the winged insect that nearly cost me my life. My eyes widened before I ducked back behind the large, woody plant.
I had found the butterfly, but not where I expected to find it. Taking a deep breath, I slowly leaned around the tree. The butterfly had landed on the pages of a book, and it was the girl holding the book that made me panic. She had brown hair tied in a messy bun at the base of her skull, her porcelain skin glistening in the sun. She had her back to the tree, her legs tucked to the side.
The butterfly then fluttered back towards me, landing on my shoulder before taking flight once more. I gulped when it landed on the girl's shoulder, quietly shrieking when she turned towards me. I clasped my hands over my mouth, ducking behind that tree like it was my life source. At this moment, it was. I was sure she had seen me, but when the sound of a page being flipped reached my ears, my curiosity was peaked.
I breathed in deeply to calm myself. If I was going to start facing my fear, I might as well start right here, right now. My fingers were trembling in terror, but I clenched them to stop the quivering movements. I didn't allow myself to overthink this, stepping out from behind the tree to stand beside her.
A rare breeze cut through the heat, cherry blossoms floating along with it. I took another deep breath to calm a few stray nerves. It was now or never.
