Fly High | ✅

10 | Dark water

◈A D R I A N◈

I couldn't sleep a wink.

Not with Boy Toy out there lounging on the couch. I made sure to turn the lock, protecting me and my vulnerable innocence from his overly enthusiastic gestures.

Hah.

That was funny.

Like I gave two shits about that. I was beyond tainted, my skin marked with filth embedded under the mangled skin on my lower back. A little more dirt on me won't make a difference.

Deep in my thoughts, I unconsciously bared my skin when I pulled at the hem of my t-shirt, revealing a strip of skin. The tinted window unfailingly caught sight of it and reflected them back into my eyes, burning the image into my retina like an iron brand. Dark memories started swarming over my head like annoying bees buzzing, reminding me of my flaws and shortcomings.

Stop!

I tried holding back from drowning too deep into reminiscence. I needed pain. Needed something real. I dropped to my knees, the rug cushioned my fall. Digging my blunt nails into my skin, they slowly pierced through the epidermis until little pearls of blood surfaced. Like a thousand red threads clutching onto my mind, they pulled and pulled until the pain finally yanked me out from dark waters.

My hand flew to my throat as I panted, drawing fresh air into my lungs. That was close.

Too close.

The front door opened, followed by a series of footsteps. My ears perked at the muffled words leaking through the gap below the bedroom door before silence fell and the door shut again. I breathed out in relief, my adrenaline level dropped to a safe level now that I was alone once again.

My skin was damp from the panic attack earlier, making my grey shirt darkened at the chest area. I cautiously avoided any reflective surface this time around. Tugging at the hem, I pulled it over my head before flinging it to join its fellow comrades on a pile at the corner of the room. Striding towards my closet, I picked the nearest sweater and shrugged it on. The sweat had evaporated, leaving my pores open and vulnerable to the autumn chill as I shivered.

Glancing around the room, I looked for any sort of entertainment to keep me sane. My gaze landed on that crappy laptop I salvaged from the thrift shop. It reminded me of something tedious still waiting to get dealt with.

For the first time, I've actually sat down and tried Googling what the Inverness was all about. I couldn't get past the first word without yawning. I didn't understand half a word Shakespeare wrote in the books. Just because I have Google now didn't mean it's capable of translating alien language.

I raised the white flag, decided to call it a night. Kelly can handle the hard work. All I needed to do was reciting whatever was written and maybe blink a few times to show some emotions. Simple as that.

Climbing up my bed, my head relaxed and fell on the pillow, the softness gently cradled my skull and slowly lulling me to sleep. I fumbled for the sheets and pulled them over my head, praying for a dreamless sleep.

✴

"You're late," Logan glanced up from underneath a car propped up on a jack.

"You didn't exactly specify a time," I countered with a hint of harshness.

I admitted I was a little butthurt that he didn't remember me from the rooftop. Like a child, I could only hope that my immature actions would leave a deeper impression than me standing on the brink of death.

"Testy," he replied and pushed himself away from the car, sitting up on the creeper. "Let me guess, your momma forgot to buy your favourite cereal?" he teased.

My frown deepened. I hated it when he brought her up. As if I'll sulk over something as trifling as cereal.

"Move," a gravelly voice boomed beside of me, making my heels twitched. A lanky man peered down at me from the boxes he was carrying in his arms. His brow ridges were inked with black patterns that I couldn't fathom. One of them raised as I stayed unmoving.

"Ah. Bones, you came at the right time," Logan's hand curled around my upper arm and pulled me to the side to make way for Bones. "I need your magical fingers on the battery jumper. It's acting up again."

Bones just grunted in acknowledgement and settled the boxes on the hood of a beat-up sedan. He then strode over to the corner and laid a palm on the surface as he leaned closer and placed his head on his palm. Like a stableboy calming down a jittery mare, he whispered soothing words to the machine.

I looked up at Logan, waiting for him to explain that weird scenario unfolded in front of us. He just smirked and his shoulders raised in a helpless shrug. "He's in his element. Let him be. Now, you-" his hand curled around my upper arm and pulled me to the other side of the workshop, "-will clean this up. Throw whatever that's useless," he continued.

The workshop didn't look half as bad...well if you close both of your eyes. Logan had tried to salvage as much as he could and moved those that were still in decent condition to the left. The other side was a mess. Broken pieces of metal and unidentified objects lay unnoticed on a pool of grease leaking from a broken oil caddy. The windows of his partitioned office were shattered into smithereens and a sheet of plastic was taped to the frame, a futile attempt to be honest.

"What're you waiting for? We don't have all day," Logan gave me a slight push to urge me into motion before he slid back under the car on the creeper.

I grimaced when my sneakers stepped on the oil and it splattered on my pants leg. Squatting down, I looked helplessly at that pile of junk. It's all trash. I didn't understand the need to sort them out. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Eccentric Bones still whispering sweet nothings to the machine and Logan's boots tapping on the ground. I let out a dramatic sigh and started hauling pieces of metal outside and stacked them as quiet as possible by the dumpster.

✴

I was covered in grime and oil when the pile of junk was finally transferred outside. My arms felt like jelly from the strenuous activity. That was as much exercise I did in a year. I huffed out a pant and straightened my body as I swiveled to look for Logan.

Instead, I spotted Eccentric Bones dragging a loose bumper across the ground, a loud screeching pierced through my eardrums making me wince. He stepped out of the workshop and flung the metal into the dumpster before bending down and began to throw the scraps I've placed on the ground to join the bumper. The familiar sound of metal clanging against each other made my teeth clench.

My hands flew to my head and pressed tightly against my ears in an attempt to mute the sound as my legs gave away and I slumped on the greasy floor. I broke into cold sweat, like I was thrown naked in the midst of a snowing desert.

Clank!

The clanging began again, the friction between metal rubbing against each other had my teeth chattering and my spine doused with liquid nitrogen. Logan noticed my shivering figure and strode over, placing a hand on my back.

"You alright?" he asked in a low voice with a hint of concern.

His hand burned through the shirt and for once, I wanted it gone.

✈

Author's note

Hey guys, I'm wondering if I should include a song for every chapter that best describe the vibe I wanted to get through. Hmmm... Maybe I should experiment it on a couple of chapters.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this little chapter and if you liked it, consider clicking on the little star to vote :)

{Song: Comatose by Sød Ven}