Courage is an everyday thing. When we look reality squarely in the eye and refuse to back away from our awareness, we are living courage.
- Unknown
☪Diana
I awaken to soft sheets, and morning light trickling in through the blinds. Shedding myself of the remaining glimpses of a dream, my eyes are still shut as I soak in the warmth of the covers before letting my chocolate eyes see the sun's rays.
The aching in my skull ebbs and flows like a cold tide, yet the pain is always there. From the pounding in my head and the vomit taste in my mouth, I felt like I was dying.
My throat feels like sandpaper, and everything hurts when I move.
I groan in pain, snuggling my face into my green pillow. Wait, green pillow?!
"I don't have a green pillow!" I whisper, shocked. I quickly jump off the bed, checking my surroundings.
The bedroom is furnished and very well put together. On the crude pine, the bed is a hand embroidered orange cover. The walls were painted a beautiful shade of blue, while the hardwood floors have a nice maple color to them.
This definitely isn't my room.
"What the hell happened last night?" I ask, out loud.
Suddenly, I am greeted by the sweet aroma of bacon. My stomach grumbles, signaling my hunger.
"I gotta get the hell out of here," I say to, myself.
'Think Koby, think.'
My eyes land on a baseball bat that is on the other side of the room. I quickly run to it, taking it into my hands.
I brace myself, before opening the bedroom. Walking as fast as I can, I glance everywhere looking for the front door.
"Who the hell are you?" A feminine voice yells from behind me, causing me to jump.
I slowly turn around facing a young girl, who looks to be in her teen years. Her blonde hair is poker-straight and pulled back into a low pony-tail. She wears little make-up, but I'm pretty sure even without it she would still look beautiful.
"Who the hell are you?" This time it is me who asked.
"I asked first, and put the bat down."
I huff, letting the bat fall from my hands.
"My name is Diana Thompson, and I have no clue how the hell I got here."
The girl stares at me with an unreadable expression before saying, "Maybe my brother knows why you're here."
"Who's your brother?" I questioned, worriedly.
"My brother is Levi. Levi Green, does it ring a bell?"
I frown at the name.
"I don't remember meeting a Levi last night. I honestly don't remember anything that happen last night."
"Okay, I'm just going to--" Before the girl can finish her sentence, the fire alarm rings causing us both to run to the kitchen.
The girl pushes the kitchen door open and we both run inside, trying to put the small fire out.
"Where's the fire extinguisher?" I question, looking everywhere. The fire is getting bigger by the second.
"I don't know, I don't live here." She yells, searching for the fire extinguisher as well.
"What the hell is going on in here?" Someone asked barging into the kitchen. That voice, oh my Lord that voice. It's low and soft but powerful enough to send chills through your body.
My eyes land on a man who I'm guessing is Levi and I watch as he opens the closet door near the kitchen pantry, and pulls out the fire extinguisher.
He quickly uses it, and in an instant, the fire that was rising was out. He turns and looks at his sister before asking, "How did this happen and how did you get into my house?"
His sister clears her throat then looks up at him nervously.
"I was trying to make breakfast, but then I saw her." She says, pointing a finger at me. "And I got distracted asking her questions."
Levi turns and faces me and I melt.
His eyes were green- not just any green, it is that type of churning, passionate green that the ocean turns during a storm. That green color that brings hope and life no matter what has happened. And looking into those eyes, I can see it.
Everything that happened last night sinks back into my mind and I cringe at the memory. My eyes trail from Levi's eyes to his leg.
I stare at the prosthetic leg in wonder.
'He's an amputee'
Levi clears his throat causing me to snap out my thoughts and blush.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" I ask, giving him my full attention.
Levi looks at me for a moment before turning back to his sister. "Amanda give us a minute."
Amanda looks at her brother then at me before walking out of the kitchen.
"Are you okay, do you remember anything that happened last night?" He asks.
"I'm---I'm okay." I stutter. "And yes I do remember, thank you for watching over me."
Levi rubs his facial hair and looks at me intently before clearing his throat again.
"You have throw up in your hair." He says, making my face heat up. "And on your clothes---you can use the bathroom upstairs to clean up. I'll find you some clothes."
I quickly nod my head before turning around and fleeing up the stairs, back inside the room I woke up in.
I walk inside the bathroom before removing my dirty clothes off my body. I step inside the shower and the water pours down, it drips by my side, as my mind fades into dullness and everything is a foggy illusion. The sensation of the steamy water calms me; it takes my mind off of things.
I stepped out the shower, wrapping a towel around my body, before going back into the room. A plain white t-shirt and black joggers are laid at the end of the bed.
After getting dressed I head towards the kitchen but stopped once I hear whispering. Clearly whoever it was that was whispering was doing a bad job.
"Levi, for goodness grace, you brought a stranger into your home and let her sleep on your bed," Amanda whispers harshly. "She could have killed you in your sleep, better yet she could have some type of disease and now you could get it by sleeping on the bed."
I heard someone groan and I'm pretty sure it was Levi.
"Last time I checked it's none of your business who I bring into my home. Know your place as a child and stop overreacting."
"I'm telling mom."
"Amanda you and I both know that I do not care. If anything, mom would be happy to know I did a good deed."
Amanda scoffs. "She wouldn't if she knew that your good deed was done for a black person."
And that was my cue, I quickly walk away looking for the front door. Once I found it, I opened it and slammed the door shut, walking out of Levi's home.
⚡
The walk back home was quiet, which gave me some time to think. Surprisingly, Levi's house was only twelve blocks away from my apartment.
Once I reached my apartment door I mentally groaned, when I realize that my keys and wallet were inside my jacket. The jacket that I left at Levi's house.
'Stupid, stupid, stupid.'
I knock on the door and wait patiently for Skyler to answer. The door opens and Skyler pulls me into a hug.
"Where the hell have you been, Koby?" Skyler questioned, her Australian accent thick as she spoke. She is the only one who calls me by my middle name. Diana is too formal to me- it holds too many bad memories.
"Skyler, I'm okay. I'm sorry that I didn't call, I got caught up."
Skyler pulled away from me, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. I took that as my chance to walk inside my apartment and sit down on the sofa.
"Bub, what were you so caught up in that you couldn't have called?" She asked as she took a seat by me.
I sighed.
This was going to be a long morning.
Music: Redbone by Childish Gambino
I don't like this chapter tbh, but only because it's a filler chapter.
What do you think about the characters so far?
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