Shards of Black Glass

New Life

We all sleep during the next few hours, then get up and work on editing the footage so we can send it in so it can air.

    All through the day we spend in Jae and Mark's room, Zak doesn't speak to me. It hurts, but a voice inside of me says that I deserved some loneliness, to make up for all the loneliness I had caused several families over the years. I concentrate on my work, sending the voice to the back of my mind.

    That night, as I try to fall asleep, I hear a knock on my door. I open it, and my heart starts to cry when I see Zak. Wordlessly, I step aside to let him pass me, and close the door behind him. I sit on my bed, cross-legged, and watch silently as Zak sits down on the end of my bed. We sit in silence for a few minutes, then Zak speaks.

    "Would you like to go to Vegas? To live there and to be close to the Paranormeon Crew’s headquarters?" he asks, and I blink at him, surprised. "Yeah," I say, and Zak looks up at me from looking down at his folded hands. 

"But," I continue, and I see Zak's eyes darken slightly,"I don't have anywhere to stay. None of my friends live in Vegas, and I couldn't ask one of you to take me in; that just seems rude." Zak looks at me, and says seriously,"You can come live with me. I don't mind."

    I look at Zak with shock, surprised that he'd offer for me, a murderer and coworker, to live with him. My heart screams yes while my mind screams no. Zak seems to sense my indecision, because he says,"You don't have to chose right now. It was just a thought. You can sleep on it if you want. Um, I'll just, uh, go now." Red creeps up Zak's cheeks as he speaks, and he moves to leave.

    Quick as a viper, I grab Zak's hand before he can move an inch. He looks down at my hand, then looks up at me. A strange light seems to shine in his dark eyes, and butterflies start flapping in my stomach. "Stay," I say quietly, looking Zak in the eye. He nods, and I scoot back to lean against the headboard. Zak climbs up next to me, putting his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close to him. I lean my head on his shoulder, and look up at Zak, thinking.

    Zak looks down at me, and our faces are so close it would be easy to close the gap. "What are you thinking?" Zak asks, staring into my eyes. I shrug and snuggle closer to him, thinking about how to phrase what I want to say.

    "Why did you offer to take me in?" I ask, blinking up at my friend. Zak smiles slyly, and says,"Because. Why wouldn't I want you in my house? It'd make it feel more lively. And besides." Zak leans closer to me, so our lips barely brush. "What else could we learn about each other while we sleep under the same roof?" I laugh lightly and roll my eyes, but my heart jumps at the idea. I lean closer to Zak, and press my lips against his.

    We lay there, kissing and laughing quietly, for what seems like a few seconds. The next thing I know, though, is that golden light is streaming into my eyes. I blink and look up and around, and notice Zak laying beside me, sleeping soundly. I carefully extract myself from his arms, and walk into the bathroom after quietly getting some clothes out of the dresser.

    I dress, and look into the mirror above the sink. A blurry face looks back at me. I roll my eyes, thinking myself an idiot, and grab my bathroom bag from under the counter. Rifling through it, I find my glasses case. I slip on my bifocals, and blink as the world comes into complete focus. The blue-and-white frames catch the light streaming in through the open doorway, refracting it. I blink at myself, surprised to see my face transformed by glass and plastic, considering I normally wear contacts.

    I walk out into the room, and lean against the doorframe of the bathroom while I watch Zak sleep. Sunlight filters in through the window, highlighting his dark hair gold and dancing across his face. I smile as I watch the deep rise and fall of his chest, thinking about what he said last night.