Title: "A Thing of Darkness and Beauty"
Rating: T
Genre: Friendship, Mystery
Character(s): Leo, OC
Pairing(s): none
Summary: He found an unusual friend in the unlikeliest of places. AR. Set early season four.
Notes: Written for Round Three of So You Think You Can Write? in SP. Out of the three prompts provided, the picture one was the pick, not only because it looks so mysterious, but it also allows me to rework a few incomplete ideas into a better story. For right now, this will only be a one-shot, but if inspiration and desire strike later, it may result into a longer sequel.
As mentioned, this is set early in the fourth season, immediately after the Rebellion.
Hope you guys enjoy.
If taken at face value, the island seemed like another breathtaking but nonetheless lonely piece of terrain that had slowly drifted off into the Pacific. However, Leo knew better. Trekking along the stretch of beach, which was cluttered with sea debris from the high tide the night prior, he knew the place was more than just a temporary home for the migrating birds and turtles laying their eggs. Neither was this all that there was. This was his fifth visit to that still nameless place, and even with the exploring he had done, though not extensive, he could admit that there were still spots in it that he hadn't seen or been to.
After walking inland, he found the kayak that he had been using to travel further down the small lake. He loaded the very heavy hiker's backpack into the empty spot in the back and then hopped into the front. Grabbing the paddle, he began to row.
A soft, salty breeze gently pushed the boat forward, farther into the cave that seemed to lead into emptiness and oblivion. Someone who had never been there before would think he was insane for doing this. How could anyone in their right mind head towards a place where he couldn't see what was coming his way? Admittedly, he wondered the same thing when he first tried to find out what was inside, but the answer didn't matter much at the time. His mind was in a rather awful place, and he couldn't care less what happened.
As the kayak moved along, the darkness around him increased. Still, he didn't hurry. He rowed slowly and savored the silence. He loved the solitude that was offered to him. He had been lacking that all week.
He guessed it was that that drove him to that island for the first time some weeks ago. After his family moved into their new home a few miles away from there, he began craving peace. There were too many new people in that island, too many faces that he wasn't very familiar with. It wouldn't have been bad, but after it became evident to him that his stepfather and stepsiblings had willfully left him in the lurch after gaining much importance with the populace there, loneliness had begun pressing down on him. Some of the most important people in his life forgot about him so suddenly, so effortlessly, after all that he had been through with them, and that weighed so heavily on his chest. It didn't make it any better that they were so open in wanting to discard of him.
It wasn't long until he started drowning. Questions after questions pounced onto him, and every day he saw the unfamiliar faces of the people who his family deemed more worthy of their time and respect. It suffocated him.
That was why one day, after that reality hit him again, he took the key to his stepfather's then newly arrived powerboat and drove off into the sea, no destination in mind. He remembered just heading out, not knowing where to go, not caring where he'd end up. He didn't worry about the possible consequence of the gas suddenly running out and being stuck out there. He just wanted to be away from everything and from everyone.
He only saw blue and white and green for a while. The next thing he recalled was being on that beach after docking quite negligently and sitting on the pristine sands as he gazed at the horizon, desperate to anchor himself to something. The minutes ticked by into hours, though how many he didn't know. All he was aware of was that the sun had moved some distance away from the north and was on its way to its western bed by the time his brain neared clarity. He didn't go back home immediately after that, though. Instead, he decided to walk around this new refuge he had found and get acquainted with it.
It was in this small expedition that he found the lake that led into the cave. On that first time, his curiosity only took him as far as superficially examining it. Still, something strong pulled him into that darkness. Relative darkness, he should say, because about a quarter of a mile down he could see light. There was something else down there, and he wanted to see it. The thought of being isolated from the world—by choice—sounded appealing for some reason. So, he vowed to bring along one of the smaller boats from their island the next time, if he could.
When he came back to their new home that night, it became apparent to him that no one in his family even noticed that he was gone. None of the students in the academy took note either, so he didn't tell them. They didn't ask, so they didn't deserve to know.
He almost forgot about his excursion when another problem came up. Three of the students turned rogue and stirred up trouble, thus preoccupying the rest of his family again. To be absolutely frank, when it happened, he wasn't very surprised. He wasn't completely unsympathetic of those kids either. His stepfather and older siblings ran a reasonably tight ship, which worked well for the most part. However, he was confident that even he was only a string of bad days away from snapping, too, with results far less dramatic and rebellious, of course.
Residual controversy and tension after its resolution caused him to flee back to the little island. This time, however, he loaded a two-person kayak on the powerboat. His thinking may have been clearer than the first time, but he was still interested in the prospect of being alone and shutting the world out for a moment so he could breathe. The key to that was that corner of the earth that waited beyond the cave.
Even now, as he traveled through that cave, he still felt some apprehension. His imagination had the tendency to be overactive, and at times it would fill the darkness with some frightening thought of predators that clearly couldn't exist in that environment. The only thing that pushed those thoughts away was the evidence that this was his third time going through there, and he was still unharmed.
He released a small sigh of relief as he finally breached into his destination. The late afternoon sun shined tenderly on the tropical landscape ahead. The wind streaming in from the ocean gently rattled the leaves of many trees. He smiled then breathed in a lungful of fresh air.
He docked close to a huge rock where he secured the reigns of the kayak. He took off his shoes once he got out then walked further inland after slinging the hiker's backpack over his shoulder. He looked around the jagged circle of the terrain. Empty.
His smile only grew bigger. His new friend was in there somewhere, watching and listening, he knew.
To signal his arrival, he began whistling in six curt, successive tones, imitating a common Koel. They had talked about the dark-feathered, red-eyed bird the last time he was there, and while he was trying to copy its sound, he had the idea of using it as his way of making it known that it was him who arrived and not some stranger. Or, worse, an enemy. He whistled again when no one came.
On his fourth try, he was cut-off by the sound of leaves rustling nearby.
Leo spun towards it and found the girl stepping out into the open. Her wiry white hair, streaked with sandy orange strands here and there, looked tamer than it did the last time. Faint smudges of dirt and some scars were still all over her face, arms, and legs. What took his attention, though, was the familiar floral dress that she wore. "Hey, the dress fits you nicely!" he said with a grin. He nodded. "Looks nice on you."
The girl glanced down on the dress bashfully and then looked up at him.
Staring into her eyes had scared him the first time they met. They were unusual. The iris on the right was gray, and the one on the left was a honey yellow shade. Then again, maybe what had really terrified him was her act of jumping on him then pointing a sharpened piece of wood at him with a shaky hand. But, that was a lifetime ago. Now she knew he was not one of the people coming after her, and he knew she was only as different as he was.
Lowering the backpack to the ground then unpacking its contents, he said to her, "Have you eaten yet? It's probably too early for dinner, but we can eat if you're hungry. I brought tons of food. I have some more loaded in the powerboat."
"Powerboat?" she repeated anxiously. "Isn't that something that can be tracked?"
"No, don't worry. I checked. This one only has the motor." Leo drew out his phone from his pocket, secured tightly in a plastic zip bag with its battery. Smiling up at her, he said, "My phone's the only thing that can be tracked, but it's not gonna work until I put it back together. I'm absolutely off the grid for the next two days."
"The next two days?" she asked with a frown after sitting next to him.
"Yeah. I told my stepdad that I'm leaving the island to visit a friend this weekend. He didn't even care to ask any questions. He probably assumed that I was going back to Mission Creek, so he just said okay," he recalled with a grin. "I texted my mom and told her the same thing. She did ask which friend and where I'd be, so I told her it's a new one she hasn't met and that it would be close by. I told her I'd give her a call Sunday. She seemed worried, but she still said okay." He frowned. "You don't mind me staying here, do you?"
She stared at him blankly. She blinked, and then shook her head.
Leo chuckled. "Cool. You told me two weeks ago that you'd take me on a tour of this island, and I was really counting on that," he said. He pulled out a sizeable box from the backpack then handed it to her.
"What's this?"
"That is a signal jammer," he said. "Battery operated. It should cover the range of this whole island. As long as it's on, you don't have to worry about those people coming after you picking up a signal. They can't track any device. My uncle's not using it, so I figured I'll bring it here for you so you can use it. One less thing to keep you up at night, you know?"
She examined it, and from her expression he could read doubt.
As she turned her right hand, he caught a glimpse of the characters tattooed on her wrist. 6-G09. When he had asked her what her name was after she had asked him what he was 'called,' she told him she didn't know. She said she had never had a name. He wouldn't have believed her if not for her appearance then: mangy long-sleeved shirt with matching pants, both of which used to be white; face slightly sunken by dehydration and hunger. Eyes glazed with fear.
She was a girl on the run.
From what and whom, he didn't ask, but she did reveal details over time, though only very little. There were men and women after her, she said, people who wanted to take her away. They wanted to put her back in a cage. She said she was tired of it. She said she'd rather die free than live as a captive.
That was all he needed to know. When he came back the second time, he hauled in food, clothing, and an unused tent from their storage that she could use as a shelter. He had also suggested a name for her, a temporary one until she chose another – Six, from the first number of the only constant thing in her life. It was a good starting point in that new beginning she wanted to have.
"You know, my sister has more clothes that she's thinking of giving away. She said it's not her style anymore," he said casually. "Do you like her stuff? I mean, I don't want to bring you change of clothes that you don't find comfortable."
She looked up from the device. "Oh. Uh, well, yeah. Her clothes are, are nice."
"Oh, okay. I'll bring some more next time," Leo said, handing her one of the sandwiches and the apples that he had packed. "Now, I know you said that there's nothing to do here at night, so I was thinking, maybe we can watch some movies. I brought a DVD player. I think you'd like the ones I have. We can start with the animated one. Do you like those?"
"Why are you so kind to me?"
He stared at her blankly, caught off guard by the firm tone in her voice. "Well, it's the right thing to do," he said, as if it had been obvious from the start. "I can't just leave you here starving and fending for yourself all the time. That'd make me a horrible person. That'd make me a horrible friend. We are friends, right?"
She thought about it for a moment. Then, the expression on her face softened. "Is it because you're running away from something, too?" she asked. "I saw it in your eyes the first time we met. I still see it."
Leo was inclined to lie. No, he wasn't running away from anything. His life was good. He lived in a high-tech island founded by his stepfather, its young citizens led by his stepsiblings. They were rich materially. He could have whatever he wanted! What could he be running away from?
But, he knew that having many expensive, tangible things didn't amount to having the most valuable, immaterial things. He was empty in that regard, and he knew it.
"Yeah. Some days I wish I could run faster," he said. He gave her a small, sad smile.
She reciprocated it. A moment later, after unwrapping the sandwich given to her, she said, "I have never had one."
"A ham and cheese sandwich?"
"A friend."
"Oh."
"I have only seen the people in the white coats since I was little. I've never known them. They never really talked to me. You're the first person I've had a real conversation with," she admitted. "I don't know what friends are supposed to be."
"Well, they are supposed to be there for you no matter what," he explained. "You may get on their nerves, they may fight with you from time to time, but in the end they stick with you. They do what it takes to make sure you're good and happy."
"You must have a lot of friends back home."
"No. Actually, I don't. They all think I'm too destructive and annoying."
She thought about it, and a memory caused her head to hung lower. "They think I'm a monster."
"Well, join the club, sister." He took a bite of his sandwich then said half-jokingly, "Whatever. We're awesome. They don't know what they're missing. We even have our own private island." As a smile slowly came to her face, he added, "But seriously, though, Six - do you mind showing me around? If we're gonna share this place, I kinda wanna know my way around it."
She nodded. "Sure."
"Cool," he said. Then, he continued eating, his eyes trained to the skies above. The clouds were so clear, and the air was fresh. He was away from the noise and from the things that restrained him. He could breathe easily there. The best part was that he had two days to live a different life, one that was simple and happier than the one he had back in his new home. He just knew he would enjoy it.
Unbeknown to him, Six also looked forward to it. Though being alone had never bothered her, she had learned to like the company of another person, one that was even around her age. No doubt, she was still suspicious of him, but her instincts had told her long ago that there was nothing she had to worry about. He was harmless—unlike her.
She wondered then what he would think if he found out what she was and what she had done. What she had brought in that island with her. Would he still want to be her friend? She glanced at the boy with whom she had unconsciously associated normalcy and safety. Maybe she should tell him. Maybe he would understand.
She turned her eyes to the clouds, and from there she could tell that nighttime would come soon enough.
Yes, hopefully he would understand.
Just to be clear, Six is not what you may be thinking she is. If the sequel falls through, which will be set months after the series finale, there will be more clarification about what she really is.
Constructive reviews are always appreciated.