Nature's Prudence // {McLennon}

Julia Dream

John closed his eyes softly, walking amidst the empty street with his hands hanging loosely at his sides. His hair gently tickled his cheeks, as the cold wind danced with his locks.

The scenario seemed pleasant and peaceful, but the truth of the matter was that he felt so, incredibly nauseous. The realization that he truly was lonesome, and very insignificant nipped at his heart.

He rubbed his temples with the tip of his fingers, not being able to exert much effort. Just an hour earlier, he had been feeling blissful. Tranquility and comfort engulfing him in such a lovely embrace. He soon found that Julia's ear splitting shrieks seemed to grab that sense of tranquility in a chokehold, tightening it's palms around it and then brutally demortalising it.

They were exiting a coffee shop, it was their haven, a place in which they would birth memories, such as sketching each other from across the table jokingly, competing on who would create the funniest drawing. John had learned to bask in the warmth of the yellow, fluorescent lights and the smell of bitter coffee and hot croissants. The sound of forks and plates, giggles from people, and loud conversations as well as hushed ones had grown on him.

Him and his mother possessed a lovely, and yet complex relationship. He never lived with her, and he never really knew the reason as to why that happened. But they would meet and hang out a lot, they seemed to have a lot in common, but then Julia's motherly instincts would kick in and she'd ask him some sort of a question that would embarrass the life out of him, which would usually result with her hysterical laughing and cheek pinching.

The second they exited the doors of the cafè, he heard this horrid noise that caused his movements to come to a halt. He looked beside him and widened his eyes, dropping to the floor and looking around him while holding his mother's head between his hands.

He was breathing rapidly, and beads of sweat started to roll down his forehead as he stared at the gunshot wounds, applying pressure with trembling hands.

Julia's cheeks were stained with tears as she let out a strangled choke, looking at John with an empty stare that made him release yet another scream of agony.

People had started to gather, and policemen were soon detaching him away from his mother.

John didn't scream, he didn't fight against their tight grip, for the nails digging into the skin of his arms were nothing in comparison to the despair that was threatening to impair him.

He heard the voices of men penetrating his ears, as well as a sharp, strained ringing, as they asked him questions in a hurried and rehearsed manner.

He collapsed to the floor, feeling the pebbles on the pavement scratch at the fabrics of his jeans, feeling his head throb as it falls and lands on a person's foot, feeling the person jerk his foot away and then shutting his eyes, his palms facing the sky.

-

John felt consciousness travel back to him the second his fingers twitched. He sat up with a gasp and felt his aunt rush to his side, grabbing his shoulder with one hand and placing her hand on her chest with the other.

"You're awake!" She exclaimed, and John stared at her, horrified. A blanket of silence was draped over the room, as the two stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity.

John's eyes were screaming out the questions his lips wouldn't dare voice, and Julia understood, fear tugging at her heart as her lips shaped themselves into a frown.

A tear slipped out of her eye, burning her skin as it slided down her reddened cheeks, and John lowered his head, staring at his wavering fingers.