Several years ago...
"Leaving so soon?" Emily asked her.
"Huh? Oh yeah. It's just... it's so late," Falcon laughed. "We've been hanging out the whole day."
"Carpe diem, little birdie, stay with me a little longer."
"There's always tomorrow?" Falcon offered, and Emily's nose wrinkled at that. The sun had fully set, casting the sky in an orange hue as it sank down in the sea and the stars appeared in the night sky. Like the cards Emily had. Star patterned.
"You don't know what you're missing if you keep going on for tomorrow, instead of today." Emily tugged her hand, and Falcon hesitated. Her hand was warm, and it filled her with yearning for something.
"I have to go..." Emily fixed her with a look, one of total sadness and of something Falcon could not name.
"Stay? With me? Please?"
"I'm only 12."
"Weird kid. I'm only 14."
They laughed a little, and Falcon hesitated. "Okay, I'll stay a little while longer."
-
"Local cyber-menace Raptor has been deemed dangerous. Do be careful. Save your passwords."
The television in the background droned on and on, and Rex took no mind of it, typing away at his computer.
The glow of the television and the computer screen were the only sources of illumination in the room, casting eerie shadows of the furniture around him. The family picture was face-down. Bloodstained uniform lay abandoned on the floor. He did not return to school.
It cast a tired glow on his face, highlighting the dark shadows under his eyes. His eyes were bloodshot, half-closed with near exhaustion. A shattered lamp lay on the floor next to his bed, unmade, not laid in since the first night he came home. The door was left ajar, frigid air drifting out from air conditioning. A thick layer of dust covered everything else he did not touch. His face felt crusty, like the tears had dried on his cheeks. He had abandoned his glasses. They were blurry, anyways. His lips were chapped, mouth half-open and slow, laboured pants came from him.
His eyes slipped shut for a moment.
Ping!
His head jerked upright as he resumed typing, taking a slow glance at the television which became a slow blur of colours as his eyelids got heavier and heavier. The drone of the television became white noise as his head dropped.
The moon hung high in the sky outside his window. Stars shining in almost mockery as he drifted off.
"You are such a failure."
"Rex."
"What are you doing?"
"Rex?"
"Weak."
"Rex!"
-
"Mommy?" Rachel asked. She looked around, looking at everyone.
They were all dressed so fancy... so specific! So pretty. There were so many white flowers. But they looked so sad.
YOU ARE READING
Memory Lane
Teen Fiction"The truth hurts, memories definitely hurt but we all still try to hold onto them. Maybe one day it'll be okay. It's not okay now, but we will get through this. We will get through all of this, like we've done before." Meet the strange cast of a wac...
