October Air

You're A Pretty Human Being

    The doors, that were at least double the size of poor little Echo (I was described at petite) swung open to a mostly empty front desk and lobby. The woman behind the counter was reading a celebrity gossip magazine and her pale complexion stood out against her heavy eye liner. She popped a hole in her bubble gum as I walked in. She kind of rolled her eyes too. What a sweet lady, clearly.

     "Uhm hello, I have this paper..." Though my words didn't mean much I did my best to play it off. She snatched the paper with what looked like disbelief. I hadn't read what it said, it could be something I didn't think it was. She handed it back and said, "third floor, be quiet as you go." She got back to her magazine right away as I invited myself down the hallway. It was awfully quiet for a late Friday night, usually there was at least a few drunk teenagers getting pulled in

     Looking through every room I finally found one, the label on the door said "ADOLESCENT FEMALE: Kidnap Victim, DO NOT DISTURB" but I was going in anyway, I even had permission... Sort of. I quietly opened the door, turning to close it before looking on the bed.

     A weak greeting was whispered from the bed, it was Lilliah, not her twin. I could tell by the tiny scratch on her collar bone where I hit her with a dark gun about a year ago. She looked like she was in terrible pain, still smiling though, like she was trying really hard to look okay. She was good at that, after all she had been through.

     "Oh sweetheart," I said back. She looked terrible, her arms were covered in dirt and scratches from someone's nails, her eyes were swollen from crying. She noticed me staring and said, "Oh, those are from Darcy, she was trying to help... her fake nails are pretty long, heh heh." She giggled and looked away. "I know you want to know what happened. Be quiet for a minute." She lifted herself up on the bed and opened the window covered in bars. She breathed in the air that smelled like bonfire smoke.

     "Hmm, I really love stars, they remind me of you... So Echo," she continued. She looked into my eyes and squirmed uncomfortably at my cold look. "You know how I was adopted. I got a chance to meet my sister, my twin sister, I couldn't put down that offer. Please don't be mad..."

"Why would I be mad?" I hissed back. To be honest I was, I was upset she kept even that much from me but I let her finish.

     "Well, her and my dad, who kept her, were in town, and even though I didn't want to see my dad he came too. He followed Darcy, she didn't know either. He just tried to take me back, he wanted to meet me. Echo, he isn't well. He has to go to the mental hospital soon, just like how mom wrote to me when I was a kid... I was going to go. I don't know how much more time I have to meet my father, you have to understand. Darcy wanted to stay here with me, when Dad grabbed  me she tried to get him to let go, She scratched up his arms. Echo why are you crying?"

     I was only crying a little bit, the rest of the tears of the day may as well fall. I was surprised she noticed, I was hiding my face. I was sad she was willing to leave me alone. I was sad we hadn't talked much in days. I was sad I couldn't help her through this. I was sad her dad wanted her sister first, and not lovely her. I was sad her dad now decided to come around for a relationship, now that he would be leaving again. I was sad she thought it was okay to treat herself that way.

     "Echo, he needs both of us, Darcy and me, he's going to go to a hospital, so he doesn't hurt anyone else. He just... he loves too much, he loves like an angel, that's all."

     I got up from my hard chair and left without a word. I knew that Lilliah should be alone for a while to sort out what she was actually feeling. She doesn't even know her father but she's ready to leave and pretend it's what she wants. What she's always wanted/ Now that her family just shows up after she needed them the most. That was so frustrating, but I wanted to be supportive. If it was what she wanted, I'd just stay out of it.

     Everyone has a secret that would break your heart, but some secrets don't let themselves be told in my experience. I went home, the shower still running. I thought about how Lilliah just wanted to be loved, and maybe that's why she was willing to be friends with anyone and let her heart be broken for a while if she got what she was craving. It didn't make sense to me. Maybe it was good her dad was being locked up, if he tried to kidnap her, if he thought that was what was right.

     My parents had just gotten home, both very late, so I wasn't found out. My body shook with fear for Lilliah, that she would be making bad choices for herself. If her curiosity was peaked, just like mine could be. I shook because I could be persuaded just as easily. Maybe we all wanted to be persuaded. I fell asleep pondering the nightmares that could be made real.

*Song is No One Said It Would Be Easy By Cloud Cult