Stains

The Beginning of the End

She woke up on what felt like a bed of feathers. Her hand grasped below it at the touch of someone else's. She couldn't open her eyes, she was far too afraid to, but she didn't mind laying like that, in blind comfort, for just a little bit longer. She could hear the rain outside whipping away at the tall building, but she couldn't help but love the serenity washing over her body.

The person next to her stirred to life, but only woke for a second to hold her hand back and reach out for her. She felt the sensation pulse through her body and let herself feel comfortable. "Did you sleep?" The other person asked. She could hear the rasping morning voice over everything else. A sense of concern mixed with exhaustion covered their voice and she imagined them saying it standing up and awake.

"Mostly." She said back. Her voice sounded just as tired, but happy.

"Every time I woke up, you were already awake." The other person said reaching out to touch her face. A slight touch, a tickle of skin against her cheek tracing the side of her face softly. Smooth nails ran elegantly over her and touched her hair and she felt shelter above all. "I wanted to say something but I was exhausted."

"You slept for nearly 12 hours." She laughed lightly.

"I don't know how you get three hours, I couldn't do it." The person said. She imagined the smile on their face as they said it. A grin would stretch lightly over their face and their lips would part their honey-colored skin revealing the white teeth behind them. Small dimples would form at the edges of their mouth and their eyes. Then, they would hide the smile with a smaller side smile where their lips would pout and push to one side.

"You just push through." She said yawning. She fell asleep again and heard the lulling noise of her name beckoning her back to life. "Maaaaaaarrre." They said softly like a siren calling its prey, "Maaarreeee." They said again softly and sweetly. "Maaarre. We've got things to do today." Someone said. It was less sweet and unlike the soft voice she'd heard before. Her settled mind alarmed itself. "Mare!" Someone yelled and she kicked to life like a drum. She woke up against a car window with her back against the corner between the door and the seat. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and came to reality. There was no soft bed, no sweet voice, no lovely person. There was rain and sleet beating against her car, but it was not soothing or pleasing.

"You slept for three hours, you should be good," Johnny said. He was an older man with a weird scar running down from the top of his forehead to his eyebrow and stopping right above his eye socket. He was a black man with freckles as dark as moles and yellow-tinted eyes. His hands shook slightly and his eyes slowly blinked.

"Has the kid done it yet or is he just gonna run off like the last one?" She, Mare, asked grumpily. Her brain pounded lightly against her skull and completely wiped out the idea that she was in a bed comfortably snuggled up in a big blanket on a bed of feathers.

"He's getting there. Julien forgot to tell them who was coming so they're trying to make sure he's not some random ass kid." Johnny said sipping on coffee.

"Wait," Mare said annoyed,"-so this whole time we've sat here, he hasn't even set foot inside yet?" She asked completely exhausted and firing herself up.

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Don't they know our car?" Mare asked.

"Listen, it's the kid's first time, let him get through this."

"No, I'm tired and the sooner we get this done, the sooner I can send Greg to pick up and we can all go home."

Johnny gave her a side look like a father would give a rambunctious child right before they were in trouble. The look of 'keep it up and I will wear you out with my belt'. "You know you're not going home any time soon." He said.