LIGHT

Chapter 7

Rain drops sent from the skies eyes couldn't wash away this feeling; the feeling her eyes gave. Riley almost saw me—the real me. The me I needed her to never find found her. And that's what I needed cleaned, whisked, washed away like the deepest stain. Because now, I was marked with much more than simple guilt. Life altering fear clothed my bare truth.

I was almost left completely exposed.

Good thing Zeal left when he did, even if his escape burned me. But having her here inside an almost life ending moment was firing my insides just the same, taking my thoughts through a poetic tsunami of words and waved ways of thinking. Vince, the talker, chatted her up long enough for me to finish drowning myself in shame, until my focus finally found shore.

"So, uh, do you guys ever plan on coming back down stairs? Your mom is actually the one who sent me up. She said she'd prefer I go, because she wouldn't be as nice as me. Your mom truly hasn't changed, Zain. Still a feisty one."

Her hair swayed the front of her face. She was talking; I could see her lips moving. But sound never found me. Watching Riley reach for my brush to tame those wild strands stole every sense. And the pounce atop my bed, as if we never left the sandbox and play-date dates, made me cringe in the best way.

"Well...uhh...Zain? It really all depends on how Zain's feeling. That smoothie really messed him up."

"Vince," my words attacked, but my memory rescinded the calvary. I forgot about our little Smoothie King ruse. Why'd I have to be the lactose one?

"Aw, poor baby." Her words split my prior embarrassment in two: one half shame, one half utter and complete appreciation. "You still haven't fought off your old arch nemesis, Mr. Lactose, huh?"

Now, my sound was muted. I felt my lips moving, smiling and carrying on. But I couldn't hear a thing. But by her very readable body language, I could tell she found me amusing. Funny, even. The entire fifteen second conversation was like watching an old black and white film. Sound couldn't bring more life to what I was experiencing. Riley was laughing and joking, and I think light flirting with me while teetering the edge of my twin sized mattress. Where was this confidence coming from? Was it real? Was this?

I stole a glance to the closet door mirror just to make sure, seeing my reflection clearly. That was a good sign. Because to see that haunting, shimmering metal glare stare back at me would only confirm my suspicions of this moment being too good to be true. And as scary as it may have been to admit, I'm glad Zeal came back. I needed to be reminded of the Rules of Reality taught to us as children: Metal glare, always beware. Reflections remain the one true plain.

"Ok. What is happening right now?" Vince asked, sending a ruffle of film tape zip lining its way into my imagination, sucking me from the theater featuring me and Riley's fifteen seconds of fame.

"What are you talking about," the lamest comeback of all time just spat out of me.

"Yea, Vinny. Don't hate just because you can't relate to any subject not containing a rare crystal, sorcerer, or made up fairytale world."

"Oh, sister, you have no idea..."

"Um, ok," I jolted, interrupting whatever Vince was about to hint at." "Lets rejoin the party, shall we. There's gotta be some cake left, right?"

#

There was no cake left. Literally, the only thing that could've made this night bearable was devoured, like a bread crumb stranded in front a mouse hole. And to pour even more salt on the wound, Vince was in a frenzy over the chaos hiding in the shadows around us.

"Mirrors, Zain! They're hiding in the damn mirrors!"

I tried not to laugh. It didn't work.

"Shadows, I could handle," he continued. "Shadows make since. But mirrors...I don't understand. At all!"