Tuesday, February 5, 2013
The moon
was high and gave light to the night. Monday sat on a swing and let her feet
drag on the gravel as she lend against the cold chain, wondering, where to go
now. She had made it to the end of the neighborhood and was now at a wooded
park with a playground past its prime. She could go home but she could go back.
Monday’s mind raced back and forth. Monday wanted to run back to a less
confusing time but she couldn’t even think of one. All she could think about
was being back in the bakery with Ezra the first day they met. She smiled at
the moment of kindness but it quickly vanished; she couldn’t go back.
Monday
couldn’t remember the last time she had been on a swing. There was a rusted
swing set at her house in Larkspur; Dion had bought it for her when he first
married her mom. Monday loved the damn thing, even if it came with a damn
price. Sometimes at night, Monday would sneak out and just swing and swing
until she final jumped off and landed in dirt. Monday could see the swing from
her window and as the years rolled by and Monday matured, she would still sneak
out at night to swing. She would close her eyes and feel her body being pulled
back and forth. Before she knew it, Monday was swinging again. Before she knew
it, she had found a happy place, where the push and pull seemed to hold her
together and not tare her apart. Monday closed her eyes and smiled.
“Monday!”
She thought she heard the wind whisper. Monday opened her eyes and looked
around. The voice was familiar and, after a moment, hoped off of the swing,
grabbed her bag, and ran. Monday ran into the wooded area next to the park and
could hear name being called loader. The Nightlings harsh voices echoed in the
dark and Monday couldn’t tell where they were coming from. The night that Pat
died replayed in her mind when suddenly she was pushed to the ground.
Monday fell
over a tree stump and scrapped her knee. “What are you doing?” She heard what
could have been Bo say, she turned to face him. He was much smaller then Ezra
and is wings had a few tars in them but he didn’t look like he was going to
kill her, instead he looked concerned.
“I can’t
stay here, I don’t want this life,” Monday said. Monday felt bad about running
out on them, but thin something changed in Bo. His eyes dared down to her knee
and Monday felt the blood trickle down. He wasn’t menacing but Monday could
start to see a change in him. The boyish charm faded as he suddenly turned.
“It’s me
Bo. It’s Monday.” Monday screamed as he pounced and knocked her to the ground,
going for the knee. Monday kicked him hard in the face, knocking him back.
Monday grabbed a fallen branch and held it up in front of her. He crouched on
all fours and growled at her. He leaped at her again and she swung the branch
at him, and knocked him back. She left her bag behind and ran from him through
the woods.
“Monday!”
She heard Ezra call out, but just thin, Bo attacked her from behind. Monday
tried to scream but it aggravated him more. He was on top of her scratching at
her and blood flung off of her arms as she tried to protect herself. He pinned
her arms down and went for her neck. Someone pulled him off of her and Monday
saw it was Jolene. Monday’s arms felt cold as her blood ran down them. Jolene
tried to hold Bo down, but with one punch, he knocked her of him.
Bo looked
around and saw Monday. She reached down to pick up the branch but it was too
late. She screamed for Ezra as Bo jumped at her again. She felt too weak to
fight back this time and let him take her down. Bo dug into her back as tears
ran down her face and she cried out in pain. Monday felt disconnected as the
pain was too much and even when she felt the weight being lifted off of her,
she was a lifeless ragdoll that Ezra rolled over.
Monday
could see Bo knocked out and Jolene tended to him and Monday could see Ezra
trying to feel for a pulse but Monday felt gone. This was different this time;
she was too cold and too broken. Ezra looked scared but Monday couldn’t hear
his screams; she couldn’t hear anything. Her eyes just flickered as she looked
up at him.
There was a
beauty to the power that the Nightlings had. She couldn’t hate them, even now.
Monday was just in awe on how it had to end. With the last bit of her strength,
Monday reached up, her arms were red and raged, and touched Ezra’s wing. It was
like silk. He looked confused as Monday smiled, “I want-”
Her world
faded to black.
The world
was bright, way too damn bright, Monday thought when she woke up. When her eyes
adjusted, she looked around and saw the brown walls of a hospital room. Monday
tried to pull herself up but yelled out in pain, her arms and back was
throbbing. Her cry did alert a nurse walking by.
“Oh good,
you’re up. I’ll let your doctor and parents know.” Monday tried to call back to
her but she already left the room. The room was quiet, the only sound she could
here was the beeping of machines from a few rooms away. Monday felt weak but
alive.
“M?”
Monday
turned to the doorway and saw a nervous woman. She was tall and wispy, with
thick brown hair that she kept pushing out of her thin face. Monday knew that
face, just like she knew the green eyes. “Mom?”
That’s all
her mother needed to rush over and pull Monday into her arms. Monday hurt but
didn’t care; there was a part of her that had longed for her mother, a part
that she didn’t know was there. As soon as her mother wrapped her arms around
Monday, the weight on her shoulders was too unbearable. “I’m Sorry,” Monday
cried.
Her mother
kissed her head and held her close, “it’s okay. You’re home.” Monday wanted to
stay like this forever, but could since a black shadow nearby, sure enough,
Monday looked over her mom’s shoulder and saw him leaning against the door
frame.
She hated
everything about him, from his towering high and bushy mustache, to his bald
egg head to his think glasses. He even wore that stupid plaid shirt with his
thick belly pocking out that was almost a uniform for him. Dion Molesy. Even
his name brought a bad taste to her mouth.
Monday
glared at him while she hugged her mother and Dion just looked at her with
amusement. Suddenly, the machine went off. A nurse came in and checked Mondays
pulse, “To much excitement for you today your blood presser is up.”
“Probably
just happy to be home,” Dion said, “or jumpy. Your attack is the talk of the
town.” Dion came over and turned the TV on. On the screen was the park that
Monday was attacked in.
“Police are
still investigating the animal attack that happened in Raven Park. So far,
animal control hasn’t been able to find any sign of an animal nearby. While
only one Victim so far, an unnamed 16 girl in stable condition, police advise
everyone to stay in doors for now. Coming up at 7-”
Monday
turned the TV off, her mother kissed her on the head, “I’m so glad you’re all
right.”
“Do you
know what happened Monds?”
“Honey, not
right now. Let her rest,” Her mother said, holding Monday tighter, “I’m just
thankful that someone called 911?”
“What do
you mean?” Monday asked.
“That’s how
the paramedics found you. Someone called 911 but when they got here, the caller
was gone. Seems weird to me.”
Monday
thought of Ezra kneeling over her and trying to revive her. Monday was glad
that he and Jolene and Bo weren’t caught but it also made her sad. She was back
home and away from the Nightlings, but the thought didn’t make her feel any
better. Monday recalled touching Ezra’s wing and for a moment, she never wanted
to leave them. She felt the temptation.
Her mother
hugged her tight and cried and Monday cried to. There was a part of her that
missed the Nightlings, but another part that missed her mother. Monday had
forgotten how good it felt to be wrapped in her arms.
Monday
staid in the hospital for two weeks, her mother and Dion held back on asking
her about where she’s been. To Monday’s horror, the police came by to question
her about the attack. Monday’s stories never changed; she was on the streets
and was attacked, but never saw what did it. The police seemed to buy it but
her family didn’t. They left the hospital, Monday on pain pills and bandaged
up, and as soon as they got in the car, Dion turned around in his seat, “What
the hell where you thinking!”
“Honey,
don’t yell. We can talk about this when we get home. Let’s just appreciate that
she’s safe,” her mother turned to her and reached out, “We’re going to have to
talk about this Monday, but let’s just go home.”
“Can we
make a couple of stops?” Monday asked: she wanted to see Alyson one last time
and maybe go by and see Ezra, she wanted him to know she was alright. Dion
shook his head, “We’re going home.”
Monday laid
down in the back seat and watched the lilacs pass by. Syringa was beautiful
city, it had its dark secrets but it had a dream like quality to it. As the
buildings passed, then the houses, the road itself, Monday longed to go back
with every miles. After an hour, the Welcome to Larkspur sign passed and Monday
sat up. Larkspur was a tiny town; the downtown was just a series of shops
around city hall. Monday missed the grandeur of Syringa.
Out passed
the town and the brick houses, they drove into Monday’s neighborhood. It felt
strange being back; the flood of memory’s made Monday’s skin crawl. Passed
Alyson’s house, with the for sale sign swinging in the wind, they pulled up to
Monday’s house. It was a little house with faded white wood panels and black
shudders, Dion patted her on the shoulder, “Welcome home Monds.”
Monday
shuddered. They walked inside to the old furniture and white walls with family
pictures scattered around. Her home used to feel homey, but that feeling was
lost years ago. The door closed behind her and she felt her mother’s hand on
her back.
“Sit,”
Monday sat on the couch, careful not to lean back. Her mother kneeled down to
where she was eye level with Monday, “I want to know what the hell you were
thinking. Your father and I were worried.”
Monday
looked down and played with her hands, her mother grabbed her jaw and jerked it
up, “This isn’t time to be quiet. I want to know where you’ve been.”
“I just
wanted to see Alyson,” Monday said. At this, her family looked ferrous.
“Why would
you want to see her after what she did to this family? She tried to take this
family apart.” Her mother said. “All of those nasty lies she spread about your
father and you wanted to skip town to follow her?”
“She dead
Monday, she dead because she was a coward for not wanting to face what she
did.” Monday jumped up and yelled at her step father, “She wasn’t a coward, you
take that back.”
“Big words
to come out of your mouth little lady, you scared this family half to death
with your antics and now you’re trying to defend that little slut-”
“She’s not
a slut!”
“Enough!”
Monday’s mother yelled, calming both Monday and Dion down. “Everyone is just on
edge right now. The important this is that Monday’s home. We can talk about
this later but I’m just glad to have my daughter back.”
Monday
smiled but Dion looked furious. Monday stood up, “Can I go to my room? I’m
tired.” Her mother gave her a little smile, and ignored Dion as she made her
way to her room. Monday’s room was at the back of the house, she approached the
and took a deep breath before going in and closing the door behind her.
There
wasn’t much to the room. The walls were white but Monday had covered them all
with so many posters of movies and music that you couldn’t tell. Each of the
posters, however, Monday had put tape over the eyes because she felt like the
people could somehow see her. There was a desk, a bed, and a dresser all
painted white but the paint had faded over the years. On the nightstand next to
the bed, were an alarm clock, a picture, and a calendar set to December 7: the
day of Alyson’s funeral and the day that Monday ran away.
Monday
collapsed on the bed and wrapped up in her ratty orange comforter. She looked
at the picture on the nightstand: it was a picture of Monday and Alyson from a
few months back. It was taken in one of the mall’s picture booth and each
picture of them making goofy faces, except in the last one where they were both
laughing. Monday remembered that day, Dion was out of town.
Monday got
up and shoved her desk chair against the door, looking it in place. She then
went and sat in the floor of her closet. Monday’s closest door had slants in it
and Monday could see into her room with the door closed. In her line of view,
Monday could see her bed. Monday stared there for what felt like hours just
looking at it, remembering that night. Alyson had snuck over in the middle of
the night when Monday had called her upset. Monday had shoved her in the closet
when she heard Dion coming. Monday sat frozen, reliving the horror that she had
put her friend through. Dion’s words rang in her ear: I’m going to teach you
right.
Monday
could feel Alyson’s ghost haunting her, she could still hear Alyson word
compete with Dion’s: how could you do this to me.
They
intertwined with each other and rose up, pounding against her head. Monday
grabbed her head, wanting to make them shut up, but they wouldn’t loader and
loader they rang together. Monday rocked back and forth until she fell forward
and out of the closest.
The silence
was the worst. The words unspoken haunted her the most. She crawled into bed
and sobbed, hoping somewhere, there was a Nightling getting rid of filth like
Dion.
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1 comments:
Good suspense, great pace. Looking forward to what comes next.
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