Phantom ~ [Simon Ghost Riley]

XIII. Face in the sand

The sunlight hits the left side of my face, causing the insides of my eyelids to glow which inevitably wakes me up. I open my eyes and silently curse at the tiny window that, of course, only lights up my bed.

I check my watch to see that it is around 6 am. A reasonable time for me to get out of bed.

The bed surprisingly doesn't creak when I get out of it. I try not to, but my eyes can't help but wander over to Ghost's bed.

A slight feeling of disappointment washes over me when I find that he isn't there.

I head over to one of the bathrooms and freshen up a bit after which I put my hair into my usual braid. I quickly brush my teeth and change into black pants and a black long-sleeve top. Before heading out, I quickly put on some sunscreen. I'm not high maintenance and I don't usually wear makeup, but sunscreen is the one thing I'll never not use.

I make sure I look at least half-decent one more time before heading out of the bathroom. I place my stuff on the bed, too lazy to neatly put it away right away.

I make my way over to the kitchen where I find Price sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in one of his hands.

"Good morning, Captain," I greet him.

"Good morning, kid. Sleep well for the first time?" he asks.

"Decent. The beds are pretty hard, but it's alright."

"I thought so too, but it's gonna have to do. I'm sorry," he says.

"It's fine. I don't really mind," I reply kindly, "Captain, do you mind if I go outside for a little."

"Be my guest," he says, "Stay close, though."

"Will do," I smile before heading out.

I once again shove the same random shoe as last night in between the door and let it fall half shut behind me.

The morning sun warms my face immediately. I close my eyes, enjoying the quietness for a moment.

"You don't sleep for long, do you?" a voice cuts through my calm moment.

"-See, now it's just not funny anymore," I reply, startled by his presence like almost every time he suddenly decides to speak up.

I turn to face him. He's in the same spot we were in last night.

"I enjoy it," he says, his voice gruff.

I step towards him and sit down beside him. He's still only wearing the balaclava without his hard skull mask, though he has changed into a long sleeve. He has the sleeves pulled up slightly, causing his tattoos to peek out from underneath his shirt.

I can now finally make out some of the details, though it's unclear what the whole thing is in its entirety. It does suit him, though.

"I like your tattoos," I say, "Can I see a bit more of it?"

He hesitates for a moment before reaching over to pull up his sleeve higher. The sight of his forearm nearly puts me in a trance. Veins run along the base of his arm, causing the tattoos to have even more texture to them. The tattoo itself is incredibly detailed, and I quickly spot some skulls.

"Very nice. When'd you get it?" I ask curiously.

"When I was 23, I think," He says after thinking for a moment, "Have you got any?"

"Just one. It's on my rib so I'm not gonna show you," I smile.

"Fine," he says as he looks out in front of him, "But will you tell me what it is?"