Oblivion

Chapter 8 part 2

       I rubbed the sweat and grim from my skin, letting the warm water ease me into a pleasant calmness. Yellow bits of soap lay in a wet pile by the bath tub;  I had found the pieces shoved down the drain and I had picked them out. I shifted, careful not to bang my foot on the tub. When I started rubbing my skin raw with the soap I avoided rubbing to hard on the stitches. I admired Alister's stitch work; the puncture wounds weren't even red, it looked clean. Where did he learn to do this? I asked  myself, I brushed my finger tips along the thick, black thread. I sighed and sunk dawn as far as I could in the water; light shown in through the small dirty window. 

            Where did Orion go? I thought miserably. I wanted to know where he went, I wanted to know if he had gotten away and left me to fend for myself or if he hadn't gotten away.

   My thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

           "Hey Red, time to get out!" Alister called from the other side of the door.

        "Coming!" I stepped out of the tub and I was surprised how cold I felt once the air touched my skin. I stepped out onto the tile floor and pulled out one of the moth eaten towels that Alister had set out on the counter. The towel had once been white and written in gold thread at the bottom was, "The Meridian." I patted myself down as best I could, to soak up all the water, before quickly re-dressing myself in the same old, dirty clothes.

I looked back at the water still in the tub. "What do you want me to do with the water?"

       "What you're supposed to do! Drain it!"

I couldn't hold back my surprise, even when when I had my monthly bath we never drained the water, we would strain it and boil it so it was drinkable.

        "Drain it? But that's a huge wast of water!" I called back to him.

        "So what we have plenty more, we don't need any dirty bath water! Now drain the tub and get out here!" Anger and irritation pulled at my stomach. He didn't care about other people who would have killed to have this much water. So I left the water int he tub and propped the window open, I could only hope someone would find it before it became distilled.

        Alister was sitting on the moldy mattress when I walked out of the bathroom. The room smelt like old alcohol and the sharp tang of disinfected; the area on the floor where I had puked up my stomach contents, was clean and spotless. He must have cleaned it while I was taking a bath.

          "You feelin' nice and clean Red? You spent a long time in there."

I nodded, " Thank you." I crossed my arms over my chest. He smirked and pushed himself off the mattress, "Come on Red, we have a long journey ahead of us." and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

I stepped out of his grasp, "Journey? Where are we going?" I asked suspiciously, my eyes narrowed.

         "Everlost. You said the other night that it burnt to the ground but I don't really believe you so, you're going to show me." he said it so calmly as he started packing bottles of water and small bits of food inside a tattered backpack.

          "What? Why? I said it burnt to the ground and it did, how could you not believe me when I told you what happened!"

          "Yep." he nodded and brushed passed me before stopping by the front door. "Come on let's go."

My jaw clenched and I puffed out my chest, I didn't want to go on the long walk back to my burnt hometown; and there was also Orion; who no where to be seen. I can't leave not knowing where my friend was!

          "Come on, hurry up. We don't have all the time in the world!" Alister groaned when I folded my arms over my chest.

           "I can't leave! My friend is still here, I have to find him!"

            "Your "friend" left you so... come on!"

             "My friend didn't leave me!" I bristled at hi, I could feel my face glowing red.

Alister pushed off the wall and was in front of me in and was in front of me in a second, "And where did he go than?"

I groaned my teeth together, "He's just lost that's all he's probably looking for me right now. I can't leave till I find him!"

      "And we'll look for him later, after we get back from Everlost." he groaned and grabbed my shoulders, he was pulling me towards the door.

I shrugged him off, "No! I told you, Everlost burnt to the ground and it would be stupid for me to go back to its burnt down remains!"

           "Listen," He seemed to get more and more irritated every second that passed. "your friend- and I really hate to break it to you Red- but your friend is gone. I'm sorry but he is."

I was shocked and I felt anger boil up inside me, "How can you be so sure?"

Alister snorted, "I know he's gone because who really has friends in this world?"

We fell into a deep silence; my heart pounded in my chest. Anger raged through my veins; whatever he was saying was hitting me right to the core. In this world people didn't have "friends." People can't make friends with strange, new people. This world is cold and harsh, people would rather bury people in a hole rather than pull them out.

        "What are you my friend all the sudden?" I sneered at him, my eyes narrowed. Alister snorted and his lips pulled into a wicked grin, "Red, I'm the only friend you have."