I kicked off my shaggy shoes as they landed in two exasperated and heavy thuds near the door, capsized. I sat on the wooden chair, which had creaked with exhaustion. The sunlight peeped into the windows, the curtains half-drawn. The milieu was so dreamy that I needed to fight off the urge of yawning and climbing my way back to sleep. No, I had something better to do. I shucked my sweaty school shirt over my head and shrugged on a blue sweatshirt. Slipping a pair of converse on, I gave out a yawn, checked if my phone is still in my jeans pocket, and stood up, limping a little.

"Mum, I am swinging by Leah's place. Just for your information," I yelled without looking at where I expected mum to appear from. There was no reply. I waited for a couple of seconds but was too impatient for more time wasted. I slammed the door shut as I stepped out to the cool slap of wind.

I took out my cell, searching for 'Recent Contacts' on the screen. Leah Imhart's number was easy enough to find. Black clouds were ominously rolling in and I wasn't fazed by the idea of anymore outdoor activities. A few rings and Leah's reassuring voice came through, "Hello? Javion, is that you?"

"Leah, thank god. Are you at home? Can I just come over to, you know, hang around?" I timidly blurted out.

Leah didn't seem to have noticed, "Sure, sure, why not. But are you in a safe shelter? It is about to hail, I wager."

I was a block away from her apartment, ambling up the path and kicking up gravels, "Yeah, if you come out… wait, no. Don't come out, I am coming. Just wait." I broke into a jog and continued up the cobblestone path.

I was greeted at the lobby by Mr. Gravston, who had been fraternizing with a lot of the residents here, including Leah. The air was stagnant and my cheeks were flaming hot and for once, it wasn't out of embarrassment or heat. I could still feel the pounce of icy and relentless air scratch my face as I entered the lift, which had the heater turned on a few minutes ago and after the icy scratches came the hot punches. It felt warm after the icy torture. I pushed the button 'L30', and instantly, the silver lift door closed with ease. The lift had just a few spot lights and the tiny chandelier hanging precariously on the ceiling looked as if it was about to fall on my head. I saw my own reflection in the tinted mirror, to enhance the beauty of the darkness of the lift but all I could see was my own beauty which wasn't really true. I didn't look that good that particular day, though. My straight dark hair, with some draping over my face, was unkempt, my blue eyes, which had reflected as black, were droopy as layers were forming. I regretted not combing my hair properly before meeting Leah. The lift stopped abruptly with a 'ding' and I swayed gently on my feet. Stepping out, I thought of what could possibly happen to me if it really started hailing. Before I even knocked, Leah opened the door with a wide smile. The eyepiece. Her smile faded, "Javy! What happened to you?" Her eyes scanned me from head to toe, eyeing my bruises.

"Got beaten up by some punks at school," I shrugged.

"That isn't happening to my boy, get in," Leah waved as I forced a tiny smile. A strong smell of cupcakes filled my lungs and I heard my stomach growl reluctantly as soon as I walked in, my hands in my pockets. Leah had light blond hair, green eyes and a great sense of humor. She ushered me to her room, tiptoeing past her parents' room. The door shut silently behind us.

"Phew, so, what are you here for, risking your life in the possible hail?" Leah opened her drawer as I sat on her bed. She took out some bandages, a bottle of alcohol and cottons.

"I want to talk to you about something," I slurred.

"Go on," Leah said as she poured a large amount of alcohol onto the cotton and dabbed my wound. I writhed a little in pain as the gash was huge and drops of alcohol dripped into my wound.

"Can I stay here for a week? My parents are divorced," I stuttered.

"Wait, what? Why?" Leah was my friend for a lifetime and there wasn't a moment without her there. Relying her on that might help. I gave her a look and she just kept dabbing my wound.

"OK, in one condition," she took a ragged breath, "I am in your grade, if you get bullied you should inform me like you did last time. I love bashing them up one by one. I knew you since you were in kindergarten. We are good friends, by the way, we protect each other and don't say that I am lame but that is what friends are for anyway."

I laughed soundlessly. "You are too weak, as a boy. I am petite, but you are seriously weak. I am even stronger than you," Leah sniggered. I wanted to laugh back but the alcohol stung too badly.

"Leah, are you talking to someone in there?" Leah's mother must have been out of her room and eavesdropping.

"Oh, it is nobody. I put my iPad on speaker," Leah put a finger to her lips, glancing at me and at the door frantically. She gestured for under the bed.

"I think I heard a boy speaking to you. Leah, open the door! Who is it? Leah!"Her mother pounded on the door. Leah got out her iPad and pulled me down to hide under her bed. I hardly fit but managed. My injuries were screaming and every muscle was tensing.

Leah's mother burst in and I could hear Leah yelp and her mother swept me out. She was huger than me as she pinned me to a corner, "Oh, you. Again. You should stop annoying my daughter," She never liked me in the first place, since I almost burned down her house when I was ten.

Leah was crouching at the corner of the room, trying to just stand up, "He wasn't annoying me, mother." She managed to spit out the words as she lunged towards me and just tugged her mother away with force. She slammed the door shut. I could hear loud and brutal swearing outside as Leah was leaning towards the door, heaving, relieved. I knew that her father passed away when she was born in a car accident and her mother also had some mental problems since her husband died. Leah had been handling everything on her own and her mother just came to stay for a week or she would have lived on her own.

"I… am sorry," I stuttered.

"It isn't your fault. It is just my mother. It isn't the first day you know her," Leah looked up to me, "I need to talk to you."

I was staring down at my shoes but met Leah's eyes, and nodded.

"I am leaving town. Don't expect to see me anymore," Leah sniffled. I was sure I heard wrong.

"Leaving? Are you kidding?"

"No, just informing you," Leah muttered.

"I can come with you."

"No. You would have to give up school and soon, you wouldn't be the same again. I want a new life, to restart, no one knows and I would love you, the only person I am close to, to know."

"My parents are divorced. I am coming. You think I actually care about my education?" I cried out.

"You should. You are only sixteen-"

"Well, too bad, because you are fifteen, worse."

Leah sighed deeply and tipped her head back, allowing her loose hair to flow.

"How are you going to get out of town, though? Transport?" I asked.

"The car that mother is going to dump a couple of weeks ago."

"You are driving?"

"Yeah, got a problem?"

"Your safety, well, duh."

Leah leaned down to picked up the cotton and the tipped over alcohol bottle with alcohol pooling under it. She placed it gingerly on her dresser and stood beside me.

"I know. But I could no longer stand this life," she said dismally.

"What makes you think that the other life is better?" I asked.

A pause. She shrugged, "I don't know. I want an escape."

I turned to her to face her, "I am coming with you."

"One word: no. I am telling you this, not to ruin your future," Leah crossed her arms over her chest. She let go and reached for her pocket and fished out something to dangle in front of me.

"This is a car key," she said as I saw the metal of the key reflect vaguely everything in the room behind me.

"No way are you going alone."

"You can live here when I am away. I don't care, as long as you pay for the government stuff as if it is your own house. I am not coming back. Do whatever you like, just not under my name," Leah shrugged once more.

I held her shoulders and shook them, "You are not going if you are, I am coming along. You are my only friend." Our parents knew each other like best friends, Leah hated me when I was five, she thought that I was annoying, like every boy would be but I turned out to be the boycotted one, the only one not making any friends in the school because of my socializing skills. She accepted my 'friend request' and I found out her special features. Leah never screamed for famous celebrities or artists and since she was petite, she loved jumping up and down fences, hopping over gates like a horse and swinging on water poles near her house down the ramp. The oblivion of mine to the world was growing bigger and bigger as I grew up. She was the only person who stuck up for me when I got into trouble; she was my only friend.

Leah opened the door and pushed me out of her room, sighing. Inevitably, I could only run back home and ponder over the problem for a better and cleverer ploy.

I knew that Leah was going to leave town in a week, that was when she could have enough time to pack up and her mother was setting back off to Leah's maternal grandparents. I needn't falter, I was going. My dad had a son, as old as I am, but his other son had a different mother. My mother was planning for a trip to Brisbane, as someone employed her there. I was left alone to decide either to live with my obnoxious 'brother' or to move to Brisbane. Wait, there was one more way, move with Leah. It seemed great.

I was lying down on my back and with my arms behind my head, staring at the blank ceiling. My room was as tiny as an average toilet. I looked to my left and saw a black bag under my photo albums. I was practically sleeping in a bunk, the top bunk for the rest of my stuff. I rolled out of bed and thought about whether I should give escaping with Leah a try. The idea seemed wilder than anything. My white T-shirt, which was beneath my sweatshirt, was sticking to my back due to sweat. I was wearing black shorts and as for my wrist; there was a few stringy bands which were made by Leah as friendship bracelets. I knew that if I lost my only friend, I was hopeless. I must take action and not a second should be lost.

It was midnight. Tomorrow was the day of eclipse and the fiendish moon only had a curved edged left, like an illuminating smile of a demon. I wondered if it was laughing at me for having such an inexplicable, imprudent and flippant plan. But there was no more ways left for me in my life. I was dressed in cowboy jeans and two straps holding it up and crisscrossing at the back, even if holding up the jeans wasn't necessary and it was only for fashion. I had a pure white long-sleeved shirt in under the straps and in my hands was the dodgy bag, which made me look as if I was about to execute something that would be on the news tomorrow.

I came up to Leah's apartment. Although all lights were off, I knew that that girl was up to something. It was fortunate how the apartment parking spaces weren't designed with a garage door and I could see a beaten up van, unperturbed, parked in the space which had Leah's unit number printed on it. The boot of the car was open and I just snuck into the half-full spot. It tang was strong and it smelled like an old musty car with that drafty smell. There was a lift right next to the car, leading up to the flats and units. There was a loud ding and I could see Leah, dressed in a black tank top with blue and tattered shorts, with a pair of fashionable shades. Absent-mindedly, she shut the door of the boot of the car without noticing me crouched at a corner.

The door opened, the car vibrated as she sat in, and the door shut. Leah tried to revive the engine but it just kept spluttering as I heard curse under her breath with annoyance. The reluctant and retired engine finally gave in and Leah immediately stomped on the accelerator, making me stagger. The streetlights of the night street peeped into the car window, pristine white sometimes, or yellow. I knew instantly that I was taking a huge risk here, as fifteen minutes soared past. Thinking of a way to show up and not give Leah a heart attack, I accidentally lost my balance as I was fumbling in my bag for a drink and a thump was audible.

Leah slammed on the brake. She was humming to the song on the radio but she instantly turned the volume down. She must had looked into the rear mirror at a certain angle, "Javion Hesbil? Come out this instant."

I tilted my head up to see her shaking her head, "Oh, my god. How on earth do you think I am going to get you back? Dude! I am driving through hills and valleys and all I could do is drop you off near some sheep."

"Don't then. I am not going back," I said. She had taken off her shades and her eyes were luminously green.

"I am going to make a stop at the Gas Station near the Blue Mountains. Did you bring any money?" She was holding the back of the seat next to her, pulling her back to face me.

I nodded, once.

She released her grip on the thin fabric which was about to tear as I hopped to the seat next to her.

The Gas Station was nothing like the one a city boy would get used to. There was a half-dangling sign saying, 'Gas Station' and there were only a few exasperated lights trying to light up the dark. A man, dressed in filth came over to us as I winded down the window. He was rubbing his grey napkin, which I believed was white in the first place, in his hands as if he had just been fixing a damaged car.

"What is up, lads?" he had a cigarette in his thin mouth as he grinned at Leah flirtatiously.

"We want our tank filled up," I replied.

However, the man seemed to be waiting for Leah to answer. She also noticed, "You heard him."

The man snorted and started introducing us to different sort of fuels as he said that we looked like ''L' platers'.

I got off the car, filled it up with unleaded petrol and shut off the lid. Leah was looking into my bag, giving me a fifty dollars note and telling me to buy a bottle of Coke, water and chips with snack bars. There seemed to have no one in the vicinity and the door of the store easily swung open. A metal smell filled my lungs. I could feel my trachea retract and my chest tightened. There were shelves around the store and packets of chips filled the empty shelves. Dust particles stirred as I picked a packet off the shelf. The snack bars were dusty and I clipped it up like a specimen in a laboratory. The water was chilled and the Coke was luckily not expired yet. The man who talked to us near the petrol-filling station was behind the counter, giving me the dagger look to choose quicker. I hugged everything to my chest and gave it to the man and paid for the petrol and the snacks.

When I got back, I found out that Leah must have brought a make-up pack along with her. Her eye shadow was purple as she winded my window back up. I passed Leah the snack bar but she didn't seem to mind the dirt and popped the thing into her mouth, returning me the wrapper which I dumped onto the backseats. Sheep and cattle were common in the area we had to stop for them every now and then. We still had a hundred and sixty dollars left in our wallets as Leah stopped at a motel. We said nothing on the way.

The person managing the motel greeted us, especially Leah, with a wide smile.

"What is your name, sweetie? Staying…?" the man had a broad smile but also cunning.

"Oh, Lira," she lied warily, "staying just overnight."

"Your boyfriend?" the man asked without looking up from his IMB computer.

"No," Leah laughed, waving a hand, "brother. Jax."

"Ah. A good-looker!" the man smiled again, which made me squirmed on the inside with unease.

The man gave us a non-smoking room as we settled down.

"I hate giving strangers my real name," Leah moaned once the man was out of the room, which only consists a wooden bunk, made-up just in the nick of time. It was obvious that the previous person didn't take good care of the walls or the carpets of the room.

"Great, Lira, like the name," I complimented, taking out the bottle of water which could last us for a day more.

"I need the toilet. Want to throw up," Leah groaned as she clutched her stomach.

"Homesick? Carsick?" I scoffed.

"I am serious, stop kidding," Leah cried.

"Go, then," I murmured.

There was a door in between the toilet and the room and I started checking out the new contraptions around. There wasn't much, a packet of coffee beans, two mugs and a few extra sheets, which I didn't expect to show up in a this sort of motel. There was a water dispenser near the sink and it was half-full. I couldn't think of anything smart or wise to do either than pouring myself some beverages. There were even diced up lemon in the container, which was above the water dispenser. I used the mug, which was a teensy bit brown and worn down. However, the water was foul and I had to spit the liquid out. The ceiling was covered in grime and mold, waiting to be scraped off. I couldn't imagine a day in here, without important company, like me as mine shot off to the bathroom once she came in.

I had never lived in a motel before and this was the most absurd idea that my brain had ever suggested. I wondered how my mother would react to see me out of my bed; out of town. I smelt like sweat and a cool shower topped my wish-list. The rush of water from the bath made me shudder slightly with envy, reminding myself what sort of trouble I got myself into. It was seven in the morning and if I didn't choose to follow Leah, warm water would be tumbling over my hair and comforting me. It lead to the apprehension of my mother, who might be at home weeping for her son whom she thought was lost or kidnapped, and unexpectedly, she would be finding him in the middle of Blue Mountains, heading towards Bathurst. Or worse, in a motel with Leah. I sat on the bed, leaning against a pillow and waited for Leah to come out.

At seven-fifteen sharp, she stepped out, leaving wet footprints and warm air billowing through, dressed in a white and fluffy robe.

"Ah. It feels so nice. Javy, oh, Jax, you have got to try," she chuckled and took her clothes, which was heaped up near the bed, "get in. By the way, there are creepy crawlies in there. You can get rid of them if you like. I am getting changed so get in. I have big plans for tomorrow."

The wooden door was creaking with tiredness and the hinges were all worn down and rusty. I shut the door quietly before I spotted a slug making its way up to the yellowish tub, which was still wet from the previous bath. There were tissue papers that were pretty useful for picking slugs up and flushing them. Everything in the bathroom didn't look too appetizing to me. Bathrooms were supposed to emit refreshing aurora like lavender or peonies. The bath tub had a yellow brim going around it and mold or fungus was obviously enjoying its stay there. I had no idea how Leah managed to take a bath. I stripped off my jeans and my shirt, wondering if they had lukewarm water if I jumped in straight away. I heard a scream. A high-pitched scream which sent a jitter through my spine. I was shirtless, in only my shorts. Going out would be an embarrassing scene but Leah was out there. I took the embarrassing way. The man downstairs was cornering Leah as she tried to send kicks to his shins. He didn't notice my presence.

"You are not Lira. I don't believe you. You stutter. I don't know if that boy is your brother or not but liars aren't welcome in my home. You are not welcome. Leave with that boy now or else," the man was pointing at Leah as he pointed to the door.

"I am not leaving, I have nowhere else to go," Leah screamed and as a result, the man raked her over the cheek. I was utterly agitated and I launched, landing myself on him. My unexpected blow pinned him heavily to the ground. We wrestled like mad Siberian tigers as I sent fearful kicks to his stomach. There was a fruit knife that has just fallen next to me and was rusty. As I reached for it, the man took the opportunity to pin me to the ground. He kicked vigorously and tried to bite me but I ducked. I didn't want to stab anyone but in self defense, I had to at least break the rule and gash him deeply. After combating a while, the man wasn't reacting.

"Stop!" Leah yelled, amid the brutal fight. I came to my senses, tumbling back. The man didn't move, didn't budge. Leah rushed towards the man, placing two fingers on his neck to check his pulse. "Faint. G-gone. The man is dead," Leah couldn't bear to look up to me. There was a trace a blood trickling down the man's left corner of his mouth.

"No. It can't be. I couldn't even hurt a fly," I muttered.

"How could you? How could you just kill the man?"

"He was hurting you!"

"You killed him."

"It was accidental."

"Nothing you do, is accidental."

I drew a sharp and acute breath, "I didn't mean to do that."

"I know. But the second day you come with me, you become a perpetrator, is that what you want?"

"What are we going to do now?" I hid my face in my hands.

"Hide the body and hope no one discovers," Leah sighed.

"What? That is a crime, though! I am going to have criminal record!" I yelled. The door of the motel room was shut and I didn't think anyone could hear me outside and no one would bother to even eavesdrop on us.

"You already have one," her face was pale and pasty and color drained from her face, "although I had no idea how you just did that." She was obviously too speechless to think, same as I was, brain dead. I opened my mouth but no sound came out, forming an O. Leah was shivering, clutching to her robe, which was still fastened around her body. She was staring at the man's face, placid, facing upwards. I backed away but stumbled, falling over a knocked over chair, which gashed me on the arm.

I sprinted into the toilet, put on my jeans and my clothes and staggered out.

Leah was also dressed, in a new set of clothes, a pair of pink shorts and a matching cotton top. I gaped at the man, and once I looked at his chest, it was slightly rising and falling, slightly.

I fell beside him, ignoring the pain shooting through my arm. He saw me but it wasn't with hatred. "Bandages! Leah!" I yelled over my shoulder to Leah, who had just been aware of what was happening.

"Where is the first aid?" Leah opened different drawers frantically, squealing whenever a crawly bounces out.

The man, who was now laying motionless on the ground, was now trying to mouth something to me.

"N-No… first… aid," he spit out with every single last ounce of strength mustered.

"No, don't die," I held his shoulder tenaciously and shook it gently. His eyelids were slightly open. "I am so sorry. No, don't die," I screamed. The dying man's eyelids, again, fluttered and his eyeballs rolled back and the eyelids sealed firmly shut.

"He is dead, Jav. Face it," Leah said dismally, unaware of the already-dismal atmosphere.