Barely There

Chapter 3 - Second Meeting

She unlocked the door to her apartment and plopped down on the worn couch. Picking up her decorative throw pillow, she pushed her face against the soft plush and screamed. The muffled cry rang around her apartment, bouncing off of the walls.

Silence ensued.

She fell into the softness of the couch, surrendering to her exhaustion.

The sun gleamed through her windows, casting golden veils over her room and her olive-toned body. The warm air enveloped her further, begging her to fall into a deep slumber. The light danced as her eyes fluttered closed, the light was glowing red behind her lids.

Her stomach roared.

Leda groaned, interrupted from a dreamy, peaceful sleep by her stomach grumbling. She stood from her spot taking a second to awaken fully. She walked to her kitchen as the sun decided to resume the sleep without her, setting in a cherry red and pink sky. As she reached toward the handle of the refrigerator, she heard the faint sound of what seemed to be rap music. Although the sound level started out as quite moderate and manageable, it increased to a loud headache-inducing caliber.

"You gotta be kidding."

Faint laughter and boyish yelling leaked through the thin walls and the apartment shook with every beat. Soft ticking sounded from somewhere deep within the room and Leda tumbled towards her room, hoping to stop the headache from beginning.

Practically running into her bedroom, she shut her door and took out headphones. She adjusted them on her head and winced as they tugged on her hair, tearing a few strands. Her hands shook as she attempted to log into her computer and her mind felt scrambled when she tried to finish the spreadsheet from earlier that day.

Giving up, she threw herself on the bed and shut her eyes tightly, wrapping herself in layers of warmth.

Darkness followed.

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Somewhere, the short handle of a clock struck 10:00.

The music seeped through her walls, shaking the entire room.

Her head was pounding and her mind felt muddled with the music. The loud noise passed through the overused headphones so she had resorted to hiding under the cover, like a small child, to drown out the noise. Frustrated, she suddenly stood up, wincing from the pain. She stomped towards the door, plotting fiercely as she moved into the living room. The noise increased the closer she walked. Grabbing the cold, metal knob, she yanked the door open to see the apartment door across from her fully open.

Inside the portal, she could see a sea of people dancing. Laughter echoed from multiple directions. The blue light poured out of the crowded apartment flowing out into the hallway. The stench of alcohol seeped out with the light reaching her nostrils. Her nose scrunched up in disgust, wrinkling the edges around her eyes. She stood frozen on the lively scene, until she heard the deathly screech sound from farther down the hallway.

A wrinkled creature emerged from the darkness. Her eye sockets were stained black and her skin was melting on her skeletal face. Her hair stood in small, white tufts and she struggled with every step. A frown was carved onto her pale face and the youthful brunette shivered as she watched the woman scream at the party goers in the hallway.

"All you damn good-for-nothings come here too often! Go get a life and let me live in peace!"

Her brown eyes shifted away quickly before the old woman's cloudy ones noticed her staring in the doorway. The white-haired ghost moved towards her and gave her a toothless smile with the frown still present on her forehead. Her croaky voice shrilled out even through her breathlessness.

"All a bunch of damn low-lifes aren't they Lena?"

"Leda."

"What's that Lena?"

"Never mind."

The woman's bulging eyes twitched as she stared at the still rather lively party. She moved suddenly, her joints cracking loudly, and struggled into the apartment.

The tired brunette stared into the realm, looking into the blue-tinted darkness.

She saw a small shadow of light and strained her eyes to make out the details.

Creamy skin.

Dark hair.

Muscular build.

Light blue eyes.

She let out a soft breath as he walked closer, leaning against the wooden frame of the door.

They stood opposite each other in the doorways, separated by obligations, experiences, expectations, the past, and everything in between life and death.

A humored smirk danced on his lips and his blue eyes stared into her coffee-colored ones before traveling down her body. He traced the lines and curves of her figure as he painted them in his mind, sketching an art piece worth millions.

His skin gleamed with sweat under the bright lights of the hallway and the slight breeze that moved out from the apartment carried the smell of alcohol pouring out from under his skin. His brown locks were messier than that morning but still neat in his drunken state and his all black outfit contrasted against his pale skin, his muscular arms tugging at the thin fabric of his shirt.

His eyes moved back up again, scanning her face.

She lost herself as she slowly let an uninvited smile overtake her face, her dimples protruding through her skin. She laughed like a goddess, the sound echoing and swirling around the dense air before reaching his already perked-up ears.

He held his breath for a mere second as the sound faded out.

A flash.

Then he stammered back into the darkness, poisoned by liquor.