alone, together.

[6] lake

song:
growing season - love you later

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

chapter 6: lake

I opened my eyes from a once peaceful sleep and instantly groaned at the amount of pain I was in.

Yesterday, when Captain Levi and I got back to the castle, a nurse gave me stitches above my rib cage and dressed all the cuts and bruises on my appendages. I ignored the throbbing pain last night, but today it was in full force. My arms and legs were sore, there was a huge bruise on my stomach, and I could still feel his disgusting lips on my face. The Captain said I didn't have to train today, but I couldn't stand being in bed anymore, so I decided to explore the old castle.

I knew the first level had a kitchen and dining hall, and the second and third floors had bedrooms, but I had never explored the fourth floor, or whatever was above it, for a matter of fact. I gently threw on a tight black, long-sleeved shirt and some loose, beige cargo pants. I desperately wanted to cover up the wounds I had gotten.

I found the stairs to the fourth level and made my way around. The floor was a dark hardwood, like the rest of the castle, and there was the same old, musty smell throughout the hallways. This level was considerably smaller than the others though, making it easier to navigate where I was going. First, I came across a room with a bunch of old, wooden chairs. Inspecting the amount of dust piled up on each one, it seemed like no one had used the chairs in years. Fancy, homemade furniture was sort of a random thing to keep away in a tucked-away room, but I didn't question anything because, after all, a lot of stuff about the Scouts didn't make sense.

Then, after some walking, I came across a library. I remember I used to love reading, but now I rarely had time for it. I was surprised that the old Scouts HQ even had a library and that all the books were still here. The shelves were dusty all right, but the extra thin layer of dirt made it look like someone had recently been in here. Large shelves lined the walls, with books placed neatly beside one another, and there were a few cushioned chairs in the middle of the room. The library was a neat little place, somewhere serene to be alone.

Finally, at the end of the hall, there was a spiral staircase that led to the ceiling. I assumed the stairs were access to the roof, so I wearily climbed them and opened up a small, hatched door in the ceiling. Instantly, my face was met with a cool gust of wind, and rays of blinding sunlight illuminated my skin. I closed the door and stepped foot onto the roof, but I was met with a surprise.

In vases and pots along the edges of the roof, there were flowers and plants scattered everywhere. The place was sort of like a makeshift greenhouse. I couldn't deny that the nature of the garden was a beautiful sight, and I was beaming to know I found a place like this. Ivy intertwined with the fencing along the edges of the roof's platform, and daisies, poppies, and marigolds flourished in the damp soil of their pots. The green life was a nice change of scenery from the big ass trees scattered around the building. I felt calm up here, as the breeze blew through my hair, and the flowers rustled with the wind. I sat down with my legs to my chest, on the edge of the roof, looking through the black, metal fencing, keeping me from falling. I stared at the glimmering of the sun, bouncing off the lake, and the swaying of the grass, too long for its good. I stared at it all, sometimes I forgot beauty still did exist in this world.