Transformers ( Bayverse ) - I Bleed When I Fall Down

7 - Downpour

Fay sighed, staring out her bedroom window. The rain was coming down in buckets, and even though it was midday, the sky was dark. It had been a few days since the encounter with that weird man on the street, the inherent blow to her knee against the light pole, and meeting Randy, Optimus’s “friend”. She still didn’t know what to make of all that, but at least her knee felt better.

She shrugged, figuring now was probably as good a time as any to take off the bandaging that had been applied. It was getting curled up around her knee, anyway. It was soft and gauzy, so she grabbed the top and tore down, the wrap tearing off easily.

As she’d expected, a nice bruise had formed on the skin, bright blue.

Fay sighed. But at least nothing serious was wrong. A bruise was liveable, just a tender spot for a few days. Tentatively, she reached a hand down, pressing against the skin to test how sensitive it was going to be. It was sore as her thumb grazed over a few spots, but it wasn’t bad. Until she grazed a needle-point fine spot in the center, and a jolt ran through her leg at the pain.

“Son of a-! Ow!” She exclaimed, jerking her hand away. “Must’ve ruptured a capillary,” she mumbled unhappily, recalling information from biology. The capillaries were where the oxygen moved from blood to muscle, organs, etc. They were small bundles of interlocking blood vessels, where arteries changed to veins.

She took a deep breath, deciding not to aggravate it anymore. Charlie would be home from work soon enough. But what would she do in the hour and a half until then? Her poetry book sat on the desk, but lately, her urge to scrawl down words didn’t come as naturally as it used to. It was a small, leather-bound thing, gray with flower-shaped indents that she’d colored with markers, some solid, some designed. A few were left blank, and the others were either ones she’d wanted to make right away, or were symbolic for someone she cared about.

Her mother was one of a pink design, a concealed heart in the center. Two green vines reached around the spine, setting off all the other colors of the small notebook. A few flowers stood for teachers and people she didn’t talk to much anymore.

And of course a single flower on the back, covered in purple lines and a golden solid behind, was resemblant of Charlie. She was colorful and bright, despite some of her own troubles. Even more impressive was how Charlie, despite her ability to geek out over guys, worked in a factory, and came home filthy every day. She also loved things like mudding, which Fay understood to be driving down in the mud with a truck, the goal being to kick up as much mud as possible, four-wheeling, repairing cars . . . Charlie was all over the board.

That’s why Fay liked her so much. Charlie was sweet and fun and could easily brighten your mood, but when it came down to it,she was always there for you and wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.

‘Hm . . . Dirty . . .’ Her mind spun a little. Certainly there was plenty of mud and muck out in this weather. And maybe that was what she needed. A little something . . . to just be herself, well, a less mature version of herself. Even more so . . .

She wanted to feel the rain. It always made her feel better. Like it would wash everything away. It would block out the dreadful sunniness of that day . . .

Fay’s mind was made up. She was going to the river. It was small, but bigger than the one at Tivilly Island. Only twenty feet across or so in most parts, and the spot she usually went to ranged from a few inches deep to knee-deep. Her assailant at Tivilly Island had attempted to drown her in less, and while she was wary, that was on the other side of town. Rock River was just a block or two away.

Fay paused for a moment. So maybe it wasn’t too safe. But she decided she needed this right now. Everything was a mess and she just wanted to feel . . . calm again. Without some creepy stranger coming up to her and saying “You’ll pay” or “Apologize for my truck”. She rolled her eyes at the thought of it, grabbing a key and heading out the door, leaving her shoes behind.