Reaper's Touch

Hex: Together Again

Hex was clutching the note in her hand so tightly it had become damp with sweat and soft as toilet paper. For the tenth time in five minutes, she unfolded the worn edges to read the address once more. Why was she nervous? They had just talked on the phone last night. Not like they were strangers.

But, of course, things were different now. Maybe things were so different they didn't have anything in common anymore.

As the L-train rumbled to a stop, Hex shouldered her bulging backpack and slipped through the sliding doors into the cold, bright afternoon. The butterflies in her stomach swarmed with the first step toward the apartment building. She knew these streets like she knew his face, and each block unlocked a new memory. Her heart throbbed his name. Adam, Adam, Adam, Adam. She spun the ring around her finger once more and pressed the diamond into her palm until the pain distracted her.

As she approached the unknown apartment building she pulled her phone from her pocket and texted, "I'm here."

The reply came quickly. "Take the stairs elevator broke."

Hex sucked in a deep breath, attempted in vain to smooth her wild curly hair, and straightened the backpack on her shoulders.

The numbers on the doors were counting up, and she followed them with her eyes as she ascended the darkened staircase. As she rounded the corner of the last landing she saw a blond woman standing just above and blocking her path. The woman was young and very pretty, her long hair hanging loosely behind her shoulders. She wore a simple black sweatshirt and bootcut jeans. Her feet were bare, and she was covering one with the other to warm them. Her face lit up with a huge grin.

"HEX!" shouted the woman, jumping down the few steps that were still between them.

"Ember!" Hex cried as they embraced each other.

The two held each other for a long, long time. All the fear, anxiety and nerves left her, and Hex couldn't hold back the tears that stung her eyes. She had imagined this moment for years now but had never anticipated it actually happening. After all, the last time they'd seen each other she hadn't even been able to say goodbye, let alone ask about where to find her should they ever get separated.

That cold autumn night began to materialize in her mind's eye. There was the CLACK CLACK CLACK of their cheap plastic high heels as they ran, so loud it drowned out the shouting voices of the cops that regularly patrolled the area, arresting prostitutes on sight. Hex had felt a rough hand grab her cold, goosepimpled arm while Ember ran ahead, and as the frigid steel of the handcuffs snapped around her skinny wrists, she knew she couldn't call out to her, couldn't even tell her goodbye. If she did, Ember would get arrested too. Hex could do nothing but watch her best friend disappear into the inky darkness of the city, not looking back, thinking this was like all the other escapes they'd made, sure she was still with her.

"You look amazing," they both said to each other at the same time, the only difference being the F-word that Hex impulsively inserted before the adjective.

"Sorry!" she gasped, clapping her hand over her mouth.

Ember laughed. "Cricket's out with West. You can let all your F-words out if you want."

"I got them out on the bus coming here actually."

Ember ticked disapprovingly and shook her head.

"Not out loud! On paper!" Hex said defensively.

Unit 302 was small but homey, full of soft lamplight and modern art. The building was old, and it was obvious the owner had sliced and diced it every which way to create as many units as possible. The result was a slightly angled, triangular "kitchen" consisting of a stove, fridge and sink. From there, the linoleum floor gave way to scuffed wooden planks that looked ancient. This "living room" space housed a sofa and TV, which, with the assistance of a white rug, then melded into a bedroom with a queen sized bed and baby crib across from it. This "bedroom" had the honor of possessing the apartment's single window that looked out over the city. There was one other doorway to their right where Hex could see the closet-sized bathroom. It was much smaller than she'd imagined, and yet it was worlds bigger than a jail cell and hundreds of mansions more luxurious than the concrete beneath a bridge.

Ember immediately began apologizing. "You'll have to take the couch, sorry... it's really small. We almost have enough to move to the suburbs. And we know Cricket's old enough for a little bed. Just a little more savings and-"

"It's great," Hex interrupted, taking her backpack off and tossing it on the worn sofa.

She took a second to admire Ember's organizational and decorating skills. There were countless shelves, drawers and nooks where everything from toys to clothing was stuffed. A few knick-knacks had obviously been shoved away hastily while other messes were allowed to remain in the open. Plastic dinosaurs hid in the plush threads of the bedroom's white rug like they were stalking prey in a prehistoric grassland, and toy cars of all sizes were spread around them haphazardly. The art that hung on the walls was the typical stupid stuff that Ember loved, like canvases just painted black and gray or a splatter of yellow paint surrounded by a red circle.

"Coulda painted that shit in kindergarten," Hex said, pointing to a nearby painting consisting of various shapes in blue and gray tones.

Ember laughed. "Fuck you."

"I thought you said to get your F-words out on the stairs," Hex smirked.

"Not when you piss me off and insult my decorating tastes!"

A pot of water was boiling on the stove, and Ember left her side to stir it. Hex touched the nearby wall next to the door. Countless layers of paint created a soft lumpy surface under her fingertips.

"How old is this building?" she asked curiously.

Ember shrugged. "Old I guess. 1920's... maybe even earlier."

"Adam would say-"

"It's haunted," they both said at the same time, and then started laughing.

"It's not! At least I don't think," Ember said.

"Did you ever hear anything about Gus?" Hex asked curiously.

Ember shook her head. "Not since that night when the cops took him. I think he said he was from California originally, so he's back there if he's anywhere."

"I know you and Jesse are history, and good fucking riddance... but do you know what happened to him?" she asked next, treading carefully.

"I do," Ember said.

"Is he dead or what?"

"Not yet. He's still on the streets. I see him sometimes. He's pretty bad off," Ember said quietly.

"Has he seen Cricket?"

"Once or twice."

"Does Cricket know-?"

"That he's his dad? No. I don't know when he'll know. Just not now. He calls West 'daddy' and we haven't corrected him. It..." Ember paused and shrugged. "It works. For now."

"Don't blame you," Hex mumbled.

"Hex?"

"Hm?"

"Those were some crazy years. Dark years. I... I don't think I really wanna talk about them. You know?" Ember asked.

Hex's heart squeezed in her chest. Those years were all she had. She carried them like an infant. What was there to talk about if she couldn't talk about those years? "Yeah. Yeah... I get that."

"Things are so much better now and..."

"Yeah. I know. Sorry I asked."

"I'm proud of you for getting clean," Ember said kindly.

Hex smiled. "You too."

"It was all West. Couldn't have done it without him..."

"I hope I get lucky and fall into a great life like you did," Hex sighed, realizing only after she'd said it that it sounded kind of mean.

"You will. Things are already better. We're together again," Ember said.

Hex nodded. "Yeah. We are."