Mosquito

Chapter 2

Toni had been helping her mother with the furniture earlier that day, moving all of it into their house. Their house was only five rooms large and felt empty. Toni's room had only a dusty dresser, a mirror, her twin sized bed with faded pastel pink sheets, and her many pairs of long sleeved shirts and jeans tucked away neatly in her small closet. Her brown eyes scanned the room, mentally counting the outlets. Her mother had told her that, when they saved up enough money, she would buy Toni a desk and computer. It would take a while, but Toni didn't mind. Even after everything, she still loved her mother. The wind howled outside her window, reminding her of the suffocating heat. Her mother was currently trying to fix the air conditioner, leaving Toni to fend for herself. Not wanting to stay inside the room, she walked out into the small hallway that led into the living room. Her eyes fell to the small, vaguely aged couch. A frown curled at her lips and she looked away, heading for the door. She grabbed her flats that were by the door and slipped them on before heading outside.

There was plenty of grass, but it was short and more yellow than the lush green of mountain forest grass. The wind was strong, but not terrible. The heat seeped into her skin, effectively baking her. Her eyes watered slightly and she sneezed, but as she did so, her mind trailed back to something she had read about growing pepper in Oklahoma. Toni walked out into the yard, able to see for miles in every direction due to the flatness of the land. She held a hand up to her eyes to shade them from the sun. She kept walking, wanting to see something, anything, even, that reminded her of the mountains.

By the time she reached a field of tall, beige wheat grass, her feet and skin ached. She angrily screamed into the field, falling to her knees. Her fists pounded against the ground roughly, her teeth gritting as she tried to hold back tears. None of her wanted to be here, away from her cool, misty mountains, heavy snowfall in the winter, staining berries and shade in the summer. Toni's shoulders shook as she expelled her emotions into the unforgiving heat, her wavy hair gleaming brightly in the light of the southern sun.

Footsteps caused her to pause, her lip trembling nervously as she looked in the direction of the sound. It was coming from deep inside the tall grass, to Toni's dismay. Brief thoughts of whether or not it was a wild animal fluttered through her mind, but were interrupted as someone appeared in front of her through said grass. The person in front of Toni reached out a hand, their eyes sparkling deviously. They appeared to be about the same age as herself, so Toni cautiously accepted the hand, letting the stranger help her up.

"Th-Thank y-", Toni started, but was cut off as the stranger calmly shushed her, cupping her cheek in their hand. She felt a kind of electricity run through her veins, calming her dramatically. She knew her face was terribly red, but nothing in the world mattered when the stranger closed Toni's eyes with a gentle index finger, then pressed their lips to Toni's eyelids, kissing each one individually. Toni didn't open her eyes, terrified that the moment would end if she so much as twitched. A voice as feathery and soothing as a teasing, cool breeze found it's way into her ears, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Do not cry, my flower." Toni's eyes flutter open, seeing the girl before her as if it was for the first time. Her breath leaves her, and she gasps for air, almost hungrily. The mystery girl retracts her right hand from Toni's face, smiling. Toni did not know this girl, and felt confused, her knees shaking with nervousness. It was as if her rational mind had drifted away, replaced by the scent of this girl, the scent of fresh black berry jelly and rainwater. The girl before her moved her arms, holding Toni close to her, stabilizing her. After a few moments, the girl released Toni. Toni's dark eyes sparkled with wonder, looking into the other girl's. The girl was about two inches taller than her, Toni noted, needing to remember this girl. Toni's train of thought was cut off and cauterized, however, as the girl, again softly cupping Toni's face, connected their lips. Toni's mouth flowed with the taste of honey and milk, so sweet and fresh. It tasted like the forest and mountain homes she missed terribly. Toni melted into the flavor, her knees nearly giving out again. When the girl finally broke away, Toni was gasping for breath, her mouth stained with her taste, eyes asking the mystery girl why. The girl just smiles softly, a name on her tongue.

"Addie."

Toni lets out a breath, repeating the name as if it will protect her.

"Addie."

'Addie' can't help but cup Toni's face once more, rubbing Toni's bottom lip softly with her thumb.

Toni feels paralyzed as Addie lets go, walking away, back into the field. She licked her lips, cherishing the memory of the feeling of Addie's skin against her's. As soon as Addie's scent fades, Toni is reminded of the heat, of reality. Toni is reminded why she is here, and lets out a choked sob. She had just kissed a stranger, a girl so fresh that she shouldn't be allowed to exist in this blazing heat. Heat. Toni felt her skin baking once more, almost as if Addie had cast shade for her. Toni forced herself to keep herself together and she turned around, starting the journey back home.

When she got inside, she immediately went to the bathroom. She could tell her mother had fixed the air conditioning, finally. She stripped down once the door was locked, and got into the shower, making sure that the water was room temperature, not too hot, not too cold. As the water ran down her bare skin, she licked her lips once more, almost disappointed that the taste was gone. Her mind was burning with questions she didn't want to answer, her hands running through her hair and massaging her scalp in an attempt to destress. She wanted to block out memories of the girl, not wanting to admit to anyone that she could be anything other than straight. Yet, Toni's mind was flooded with her scent, the sound of her voice, and an aching memory of the taste of her lips. Toni's balance faltered and her left leg slipped out from under her, causing her to yelp then end up in a crumpled mess on the shower floor.