One Thousand Paper Cranes

Chapter 32

Jenny greeted us as we walked into the kitchen. Her pink hair, pulled back behind her ear, gave her a hint of adolescence.

"You look hungry, Sam." She grabbed a tray of cookies out of the oven and set it down on the counter next her. Her apron was covered in bits of chocolate and flour.

"I'm fine, thanks." I hovered next to Eliam and smiled over at her. "It's nice to see you again." She smiled over at me and I felt at ease, letting myself be comfortable.

"How's life out of Doverhall?" She asked. I sat down on one of the stools next to the island and laid my hands flat on the counter in frustration. Life outside of Doverhall was shit, but I didn't want to dampen the already sour mood caused by Eliam's total detachment.

"It's fine. My mom is starting me up at my old school tomorrow." Not a lie, just not all of the situation. I wasn't going to tell her anymore and she smiled like she knew I was done with the subject. She went back to scraping the cookies of the tray and waved us out.

"Go do something. You don't have much of this nice weather left." She said. "Especially you Eliam." She pointed a finger at him, the nail painted a soft purple. "You look awful. Go."

We turned out of the kitchen, my smile never leaving, and headed outside to his back yard.

"I'm going to go back to my mom, Eliam, if you don't perk up a bit." I joked, nudging him with my shoulder. His lips twitched at the corners, the first showings of a smile. I poked his cheek and smirked. "I saw that." He shook his head and set his face stern was again.

"You're cute when you pout." I laughed. His mouth twitched again, but this time he was unable to stop the smile. "Better when you smile." I kissed his cheek and walked to the edge of the porch, sitting down on the steps leading out to the yard.

It felt nice outside. Not too cold and not too hot. Eliam sat next to me, closer than how he'd been before.

"So, you're really going back to your old school?" He asked. I felt the wind lock up and ticking against the side of my face.

"Well, yeah. I don't really have a choice in the matter." I looked up at the yard. The grass was growing longer around the fence, long green tentacles snaking up around the metal.

"If I were you I'd run away." He said, picking a dandelion out of the ground and twirling it between his fingers. I watched him, fascinated by how gentle he was.

"I've thought about it." I admitted. He stopped his twirling and looked over at me curiously.

"Really?" He asked incredulously. I nodded. "Where would you go?"

I shrugged and cupped my chin with my hands. The truth was I would probably just run and keep running. It was hard when Eliam existed though. I'd have to take him with me.

I never planned on falling in love. I suppose it was just one of the side effects of living.

"I'd go very far from here. So far, Eliam, you can't even imagine it." I confessed. His smile was sad as I dropped my hands and faced him. I lifted a hand and traced the freckles on his cheeks.

"And what about me?" He whispered. "What'll happen to me?"

I kissed him, putting all the love I had into him. Letting my lips trace the unspoken words onto his mouth. Because that's what you did when you cared about someone. You gave them everything in you, every last drop, even if you needed it yourself.

Our lips parted, foreheads pressing together. Our noses brushed against one another and I couldn't help but smile at his question.

"I'll take you with me of course." I laughed. "I would take you anywhere."

"Anywhere?" He sounded young, all wide eyed and curious.

"Anywhere and everywhere, El." I assured him. He looked at me, his honey eyes sparking with glee. It was his turn to kiss me, his hands coming up behind my head and keeping me in place. His lips were gentle at first, pleasing mine in indescribable ways. The hungry, needy kissed followed, taking my breath away.

We were enigmatic. Indescribably beautiful together, the pair of us.

***

My mother was home, sitting in the living room as I stepped inside, trying to be as quiet as possible. Her arms were crossed over her chest, her face red and eyebrows narrowed in. I cursed and closed the door behind me, standing behind the couch and waiting for her to say something.

"I-" she held up a hand to stop me. I snapped my mouth shut.

"I'm disappointed in you, Samuel." She sighed. Her hand fell back onto her lap, fingers clenching at her jeans. "Please, just go to your room."

I followed her demands, my head hung low as I walked up the steps. I wasn't mad, I realized as I stepped into my bedroom. She was allowed to get angry at me. She was allowed to mother me because she was my mother after all.

I pulled out my old records, settling on Bowie who settled my nerves most times. I could feel tears against the backs of my eyes. I was awful. I couldn't even go a week without crying now. When did I become so inconsolable. Nothing was helping me.

I grabbed my post it notes off my night stand and put on the record. It crackled to life as I sat down on my bed and started folding the cranes. I breathed in through my nose, out through my mouth. Humming along to the music I pushed my worries of tomorrow away and let each individual tear fall onto the crane.

"And I can't see the water through the tears in my eyes."