You're on your own, kid - Taylor Swift
"I hosted parties and starved my body, like I've be saved by the perfect kiss."
Chapter fifteen
Carrisa
"Pick up, pick up, pick up." I begged as I glanced at my phone. I stood outside the motel building. The huge red neon sign lighten my whole face. The sound of a car's horn took me by surprised as I stood outside the motel. The man lowered his window, he made a peace sign, pressed against his mouth and stick out his tongue.
"Hey," he called me out.
My eyes widen, I raced to the motel's lobby. Waiting outside seemed as terrifying as being inside. "Please, pick up." I begged as I rang Ellie and Gwen in turns, but neither of them answered. It seemed logical since it was 3 a.m. and no alarm could wake up the heavy sleeper Gwen was. I hoped Ellie would, after calling her for the fifth time. The man at the lobby stared at me blankly, probably used to see unlike characters.
"God dammit." I hissed as I went straight to voicemail. I paced back and front trying to think straight. What should I do? What should I do? I tried to find some sense inside my head. I couldn't shake the feeling that I had to intervene. But I didn't know what to do, I didn't know where to find her...the motel's structure was bizarre. You only had one entrance to the building, once inside, they were about seven small houses with a garage for door. No other entrance. I had lost Serenity the moment she entered the motel.
Wait, her live location! I glanced at my phone, it was still on. I tried to zoom into the map, but the location wasn't as clear. My breath grew agitated. It was as if the air wasn't enough to fill my lungs. My chest hurt.
"Carrisa?" A voice asked. I jumped.
I frowned confused, "Aiden?" I asked between breaths, Aiden stood in the middle of the lobby. A girl behind him, I tried to figure out where I knew her from. But it was hard as she was facing me backwards.
"What are you doing here?" Aiden's voice brought me back to reality.
I could no longer control my breath. My eyes watered and my chest tighten. "Aiden," I could barely speak. Aiden's eyes widen in fear. I couldn't breath. Aiden rushed towards me. The girl behind him noticed and turned. At the sight of her piercings, It instantly hit me.
"What's wrong?" She asked him unaware of my presence.
"I don't know what's wrong with her," he said as people's attention around us started to perk up.
"S-Serenity," I tried to speak between my uneven breaths. "I-I n-need," I said as tears streamed down my faces and my whole body shook.
"Carrisa, relax!" Aiden shouted, his voice was loud enough to make my heart skipped a beat.
"I'm sorry," I said as this only made me cry harder.
"Don't do that, you piece of man. She's having a panic attack," piercing girl said.
Aiden's face seemed to panic. "Well then how do you stop it?" He asked.
"I'm on it," she said. "She's going to fucking ruin everything if they kick us out." Piercing girl read him some exercises to call me down. Aiden tried them as she walk him through them.
"Carrisa," Aiden's voice was clear enough to catch my attention fully. I stood there frozen by his tone, he approached and settled his hands gently at my shoulders. His very intense green eyes settled upon mine. "First of all," he said calmly, "I need you to calm the fuck down." I nodded silently at his words, sniffing and trying to breath normally. He placed my hand upon his chest as we counted from 1000 to zero. I felt my breathing settling and slowing gradually, I felt my lungs finally working.
"Okay," he said "Try to explain me what's wrong."
My breathing immediately raced again, "S-Serenity," I said. "I feel like she's in trouble."
"Okay, okay," Aiden noticed it clearly agitated me. "Let's go back to those numbers okay, again, 789, 788, 787." He glanced back at piercing girl. They exchanged looks.
"Where's your sister? Do you know what room she might be?" She asked somehow violently.
"I-I got her location," I said as I showed her my phone. She took it out of my hands and glued her eyes at the screen.
"What are you doing?" He asked her sounding almost as if he was giving her a warning.
"You think that might be him?" She asked.
Aiden seemed confused for a moment, he glanced over at me. "What you're gonna go around knocking doors until he comes out?"
"No, of course not." She said as she called the elevator. "You wanna save your sister? Let's go." Before I entered the elevator, I felt someone pull my hand, I looked back. I felt myself flustering as I came to realization Aiden was holding my hand. He made a sign with his head. I frowned and followed him.
We were in the middle of the staircase next to the emergency door. Aiden searched for a smoke alarm, "Here's the plan, as soon as people start exiting the motel, we locate your sister and you both get out of here before Alexis finds you." Aiden took out his pack of cigarettes and a lighter. "Here," he said as he placed his jacket on top of my head. He placed them next to the smoke alarm and lighten up his cigarette. We waited a couple of seconds before the alarm went off. Water rained upon us, we rushed out of the emergency door. A choir of gasps and screams mixed with the sound of the alarm echoed through the building.
"But how are we going to find her? Alexis's got my phone," I said worriedly.
"Yeah, but you know what she looks like and Alexis doesn't." He said as he directed us to the parking lot. "Beside," he said as we reached his motorcycle. "We got my bike." He got on it and then reached his arm out to help me get on his motorcycle. He drove off. I tried to locate her by the color of her hair and her outfit. My eyes widen, I feel my heart dropping a hundred meters down into a bottomless pit as I spot a blonde hair laying in the floor.
"Stop, stop!" I shouted on top of my lungs as I launched myself toward Serenity. She's puking her guts out. I helped her stand up, but she can hardly walk. "God," I hissed thinking of all the possible outcomes that delivered her current situation. I look for any sight of blood or anything that could be alarming. "Are you okay?" I asked her.
"I-I wanna go home," She said as she started puking again. "I wanna go home," she cried.
We approached Aiden's bike, people gathered around in the most unsettling ways possible. Some were half dressed, some only towels covering them up. The sound of the fireman's alarm made Aiden rush us into his bike and ride away.
"Where to?" He asked.
"Umm," I said as I tried to grab a whole of Serenity and keep her from falling off the bike. "Can we go somewhere is not my house?"
He nodded. We seemed to drive about fifteen or ten minutes away. The setting didn't get any better. It wasn't so far from the motel, we were driving between the limits of our town and heading to the nearest city, which was King City. We stopped in a neighborhood, which houses were all the same dead red color block. There was barely any public lighting.
"Oh, no. It smells like sewer." Serenity said, "I-I'm going to–" Serenity couldn't finish the sentence as she continued to puke again. I grabbed a hold of her hair, "I'm so sorry," I mouthed embarrassed Serenity was puking out in Aiden's porch. "I'll clean it up afterwards" I promised.
"Carrisa," Serenity managed to say after. She laid herself on the floor.
"Wait, let's go inside. You're soaking wet from the fire sprinklers." Aiden approached, he helped carry Serenity. We had to use stairs to reach Aiden's apartment. We entered through a window. Aiden's home was a very small one floor apartment. It was surprisingly organized and it smelled like lemon zest. The kitchen was next to his bed, the paint of his wall was coming off due to humidity. His lights sometimes glitched. Everything was one color, his bed had navy blue bed sheets as well as his seats and his sofa. His sofa was very old and pretty beat up. We laid Serenity into the sofa. Aiden handed me a bucket and a sweatshirt.
"Here," he said. "You stay with her I'll go clean up downstairs. That's actually my neighbor's porch."
"I'll go help you," I said.
"No, you stay here. Your sister needs you."
I sat in front of the couch where Serenity laid, I stroke her head softly as I held the bucket next to her face.
"I'm sorry, Carrisa." She said softly. "I'm sorry." It was probably still the alcohol talking. "I just-. I--It hurts. It really does. Please, make it stop. I wanna get off."
Serenity's words hit me like cold water. I feel like I have been living with a stranger for not ever noticing that kind of thoughts Serenity had inside her head. I feel guilty and a poor sister for not noticing before. I can't think of the words to say. All I do is hug her tightly as she bawls her eyes and pain out.