THE NEXT FEW DAYS WERE MORE OR LESS OF THE SAME. Running around the most boring places of Riverside and turning them into their own little animal kingdom where the strongest primal forces were laughter and confrontation. On bicycles, they'd speed through Riverside's black and white landscape and add colour the only way the knew how: tagging buildings with quotes and hashtags and shouting random things at strangers like, "Now, kiss!", and Naomi's favourite: "Impeach Trump and you'll never see us ever again!". It sort of reminded her of the world she and Ben had created in the equipment store when sadness swelled and desperation dripped, except, with the Guise those things didn't exist. Pride flourished and ecstasy exploded. A bad thought could not exist without being immediately outed like a candle fire being drowned by a tsunami.
And, truthfully, Naomi didn't think she had been happier.
Tonight for example, under the twinkling light of a defective lamp post, the Guise were outside Mission Inn Hotel picking the back-door as if they simply forgot their key.
It was only a few minutes before the thing clicked open at the Bull's will and let all their rushing bodies inside.
But they were only privy to a few steps before pausing to inhale the glimpse of heaven that was The Mission Hill Hotel. The Monkey sucked in a sharp breath.
The Lioness decided against telling them that she had actually been here before. A few times actually. Her father sometimes got free weekends for his entire family, a benefit from his dentistry. Much like her however, the Tiger didn't seem fazed. He was busy scanning the huge lobby, making quick decisions and calculations before he said, "Masks off. Hoods up. Look casual and follow me."
Swiftly, they did just that, huddling forward and avoiding eye contact with the actual hotel residents. But, since the fall of his mask, Sully eye's were still wide with magic. He only barely drifted along with the rest of them, his real intention being to spin and spin until he had taken in every intricate quality of the hotel lobby. His open mouth finally uttered words."This place is beautiful!"
Chyna shushed him. "Shut up!" she hissed.
"What? It is!"
Sully wasn't wrong. The Mission Inn Hotel was luxury at its finest. The expanse of the imitated marble floor reflected the chandelier lights like glass but the refraction was immediately hushed quiet by the blood-red, cotton-stuffed corduroy sofas and ottomans. The sparse lobby also held four swivelling golden columns stretching for the high ceiling making everyone look that much smaller, especially the lone group of teenagers concealing their masks and skipping toward the elevator.
As they moved, Saint caught the strange glare from the single lady at the front desk. He flashed teeth and waved harmlessly. She smiled back, but it hardly ever reached her cheeks. Her shoulders stiffened and her eyes narrowed. She was on to them.
Cairo suddenly feigned a recollection of some distant memory. Following Saint's narrative, he jogged over to the lady at the front desk, just close enough so she could hear him but certainly not within the periphery of the surveillance camera hovering on the wall behind her. "Hi, I just remembered," his voice was higher a few pitches and his expression was immediately relaxed, "can we actually have some towels brought up to room one-o-seven, please? My dad took his to the pool by accident yesterday and lost it and now we're kind of out." This time, the lady eased and uttered a kind word before quickly picking up her phone.
Saint hit the elevator button just as Cairo re-joined them.
"I almost didn't recognise you," Naomi told him.
Cairo shrugged. "I wasn't always the way I am now." He didn't look at her but his voice had sunken back into the low grovel she was used to. "These people have no idea how privileged they are."
For the first time, their exchange wasn't bitter. She continued their conversation with that energy. "What were you then?"
Cairo slipped his hands into his hoodie pockets. "Naive."
When the doors pinged open just then, the shaft was thankfully empty.
"Heads down," Saint commanded as he led them inside. One by one the Guise tilted their chins to their chests and when the elevator doors closed, they quickly re-emerged their masks and snapped them back into place. The Bunny pressed the button for the 30th floor and uttered an instinctual, "going up?" the smirk clear in the slick of her words. Glancing up, the Lioness wondered if anyone was currently watching the security footage of the elevator and if they did, what they were thinking.
When the doors gave way again, they revealed a long hallway that seemed to stretch forever. But it was a forever the Guise willingly ran into. Clasped between the bodies of the Fox and the Monkey, the new Lioness didn't know what she was speeding toward. The hallway seemed almost monotonous as framed paintings blurred past them but she hardly had the chance to slow either when the Tiger reached behind him and grabbed her hand. His mask faced her, shadows running across the design like angels racing out of heaven. "Come on!" he screamed, tugging her forward until they were leading their small stampede directly into a wall. With her hand in his grip and the pace in his step, the Lioness had no other choice but to blaze forward alongside him. But no choices made the decision all the easier especially as the wall at the end of the hallway seemed like it would welcome them with open arms.
So, they ran for it. But, at the last moment, the Tiger yanked her backwards. He halted at the last door of the corridor to their left and dragged her inside after the rest of the animals. Now, their laughs and heavy breathing were echoes against four far concrete walls. The Lioness saw the reflection of the water shimmering against the ceiling before she even caught the wide expanse of a pool consuming the floor.
The monkey, still energized, was jumping up and down excitedly while uttering streams of 'oh my god's and 'damn's as the rest of them looked on, their heavy breathing slowly beginning to subside. The Lioness dropped her bag next to her feet and stepped across the tiled floors to peer into the deep blue pool. It waved back at her, from the depth as far as she could see to its surface. She knelt down and dipped her hand in.
"Perfect," she heard the Tiger say behind her. The animals immediately took to the four walls.
The water against her skin and the wild animals circling her reminded her of that time in the rain. When she had discovered her father's infidelity and The Guise came to comfort her. The feelings then resurfaced too and she quickly ran back to take a spray paint can from her bag. At the steps of the pool, the first entrance, she shook it and tested it on the white tiles. It worked. So she wrote:
'The truth is, in this world, we choose our family. The broken and defeated of Riverside, I choose you.'
She took her time to make sure the letters were big and bold, as if when you read them you'd almost be forced to shout them, like there was no other way to digest the message than in its bulkiest, rawest form. By the time she looked up, everyone was done, except the silent Fox. Her drawing of a shark ripping through a skyscraper took up much more of the wall than it looked like she initially anticipated.
The Tiger came around to her after scribbling, 'I'll tell you what freedom is to me: No Fear.'.
"Nice," he said, smiling when he saw Naomi's.
"Nice yourself," she replied, glancing over his shoulder to take in his words staining the wall. "Who said that?"
"Nina Simone. What about you?"
She glanced back at it, something in her chest swelling. "Me," she told him.
The Tiger chuckled. "Poetic," he commented. Then, he kicked off his shoes and moved over to the edge of the pool. The Bull saw. "Saint! No!" he shouted through his teeth. The feline thing smirked at the Lioness, lifting his arms like an eagle as his head fell back. "No! Quick in and out!"
The Lioness chuckled, it was hard not to. Then, he simply fell back into the pool, the water welcoming him and sinking his body to show love.
The Fox looked up briefly to watch the last splashes find their way back home. "Ew," she frowned, "do you guys have any idea how much old people probably pee in there? Pools are like toilet water."
The head of the Tiger re-emerged with wide eyes. "Cold," he choked out. "It's definitely cold."
No one had to tell the Monkey a thing. He pulled off his shirt and undid his pants. "I'm sorry I didn't catch that, Chyna. All I can hear is," he made a dramatic pause and waited till he was only in his boxers (in that time the Bunny smiled proudly), "pool party!" he finally gave out. He dashed to the edge of the pool and jumped, tucking his knees in his arms in the air before cannon-balling. The Lion half-roared, half-laughed as his friend sunk to the bottom.
With a shrug, the Lioness uttered, "What the hell," and stepped to the edge of the pool. There was a slight chill as she took her shirt over her head and discarded her pants. She inhaled and when the Monkey came swam to the surface, he screamed at her, "Get in!"
She shook off the shivers and decided the quicker she got in, the quicker she would feel clothed again. Naomi Morgan, underwear only, made a break for it into the freezing cold pool and dived in. Weirdly, it felt calming when she came back up for air, as if the monster submerged in her own chest was dancing. Not ballet, some other type of freestyle. The Bunny had jumped in right after, but she was fully clothed.
"You guys are gross," the Fox hissed. The Bull boringly began packing their things and moved over to her, ignoring the splashing and swimming taking place in his periphery. "Are you done?" he asked.
"Buzzkills!" Lia shouted. Sully mockingly made buzzing sounds after them.
"Almost," she responded to the Bull, keeping her attention on him.
"Come on! The water's fine!"
"You know what, Naomi, I expected a lot better from you." Everyone slowed into stillness as Cairo walked over. He folded his arms and flared his nostrils. "This is exactly how we get caught. When we're too reckless and doing unnecessary stuff like this we're just begging for attention. Just wait, one day everything we've worked so hard for will be—" It was too quick for him to stop. His tablet was grabbed from his fingers. Then a push sent him flying into the blue depths. The conniving Fox stood smiling proudly in the spot where he was.
The Monkey cheered, raising his fists above his head. The Tiger laughed loudly and followed suit.
The Bull came up coughing. "You!" He threw his mask at her, his wet hair flopping down his forehead. The plastic thing fell right at her feet as she laughed hysterically. Then, The Bull's jaw set. He swam to the edge and pulled himself out.
"Cairo, wait!" He took a slow step toward her and she stepped back simultaneously.
"Wait, I'm sorry!"
In a flash, he raced after her and she spun away.
The Lioness laughed, starting a chant everyone echoed. "Cairo! Cairo! Cairo!" All their arms were up now and the two raced around the perimeter of the pool, the Fox in actual fear and the Bull laughing the most he had ever done since the arrival of the new Lioness. It all came to an end when he grabbed her though and swept her in his arms. "No! No! No! Cairo, please!" he edged her closer to the pool. "Cairo, please, my hair!" she punched his chest and turned her face away from the water to look him in the eye. "I can't get my hair wet!"
He paused. "Really?"
She nodded hysterically. "I swear! It will be ruined."
"Oh," he looked at the water regretfully, "in that case—" he tossed her in "—don't worry about it. You're beautiful the way you are." Then the Bull jumped in after her. Everyone raised their arms and applauded. The Lioness, for one, was weak with laughter.
For God knows how long, the crazed, untamed animals swam in that pool was splashed each other as if the world was at their feet. In a way, it was. It was at the Lioness' feet too now. The exact feet that once knew pain better than they knew anything else. A wild story of recovery. But recovery is only so far from relapse.
Author's Note
Ouu foreshadowing *jazz hands*
I just wanna let you guys know that these exams are currently murdering me. I'm honestly just trying my best to stay alive at this point. Pray for ya boi.
In other news, this week's dedication goes to the always-commenting, always-voting reader of mine quidditch19 thank you thank you thank you thank you for your comments. You've just been blazing with this book and I see you. And yes, your bio is right. Cows are indeed awesome. Remember if you vote and comment, the next dedication could be you!
You guys know the drill! The comments are open and I'm literally always reading them so drop soemthing below and let me know what you thought! Also, because these chapters are past the paywall I try to make them longer and more detailed so that you guys get more bang for your buck. Do you want me to keep them this long or do you not mind the short chapters? Let me know!
IN THE NEXT CHAPTER...
"Guys!" Lia screamed, running toward them. "Get into the basement! You...you have to see this." Looking at Lia and not seeing a smile was enough to churn Naomi's stomach. They ran down the steps and into the room. Cairo did not turn around to look at them. His eyes were too glued to the television.