Zane paced back and forth across the dimly lit office room. His shoes made alternating noises that both squeaked and shuffled as his mood differed with the pattern of the rain. He'd glance down, his wide brown eyes piecing together the moment, then back up at the empty wall. One photograph with your-average-drugstore picture frame held an expensively crafted portrait of Zane, alone in a white walled studio. It was actually a younger picture, but he needed something to fill the gap. Anything.
Even with the expensive texture of the canvas and the hundred dollar paints, the thing wasn't resistant to water. It was it's one weakness. Like kryptonite. Like a girl he knew.
The moisture from the day crept through the cracks in the dry wall and the crevasses in the floorboards and somehow managed to send him a well needed message. Even from across the room, he could the tiny upper right corner start to peel. Slowly, like a slow motion film it curled in on itself but refused to fully dissolve. Instead it only partially revealed the picture of a tall lean boy and a beautiful blonde girl arm in arm in front of a café he was particularly familiar with. But, like it knew he couldn't handle the complete intensity of the pain, it stopped. It showed her crystal eyes and left his face in a colored shadow. Wasn't it strange how much something as petty as water could do.
The slightest movement averted his eye from the picture nestled on the dusty shelves. He'd been too preoccupied to clean today…too busy to even pay dust a well needed visit.
A slight groan escaped chapped dry lips and a paler-than-usual face. She'd fallen back asleep for another hour as Zane hovered above her, prepared to tend to her every want and need.
Lewis had given her a natural remedy from the foods they could scrape up in the cool-room, some sort of spice and herbs kind of combination. Zane didn't understand, and probably never would. He didn't have the slightest clue to what it was, but regardless, it must've worked. It was for some purpose of reducing the swelling, he supposed, if there was any, and that combined with a little red pill from the bottom of Cleo's purse must've done the trick.
An array of colorful magazines toppled to the floor as Rikki's hand brushed across the table, looking for some sort of support to get up. Momentarily stunned from the overhead lights, she squinted into the silhouette offering a hand up. Even so, she assumed and was correct, and denied the offer.
A yawn escaped half revived seeming lips and arms were thrown into the air above her head. Her tank slipped up - Zane shoved a hand in his pocket and looked away. The cotton woven blanket now contently draped itself around her skinny ankles and danced back and forth between itself on the floor, leaving Rikki in what she had before. But, unlike before, she seemed to be in another world - maybe it was the medicine, or maybe, Zane hoped against, it was something more severe. Regardless, she was momentarily unaware of the skimpiness of her clothes and the blinding presence of a male in the room with her.
A breeze of confusion blew over her features as her brow turned into a tiny wrinkle. The boy that wouldn't give up on her had purposefully turned his back to her. She couldn't help but wonder why on earth. It was scary to think at first. Did she miss the fact that he wasn't giving her that longing look. To be honest, she looked forward to it. not only was it some sort of sick form of revenge to her pleasure, but it also gave her that rush of emotions. Maybe he was giving up. Maybe his heart belonged to someone else now and everything else she was because of him would now slowly have to fade away?
The thought gave her shivers. It was something more powerful than she could ever conquer up herself. By crossing her arms she gifted herself a little more security…her nails searched for the sweatshirt fabric that should've been there.
Her cheeks went bright red.
That put everything in perspective, that quick glance down assured her that Zane Bennett wasn't going anywhere, anytime soon, and that fact was comforting. Aside from the awkward silence now drawn up in this room because of her. The mood was low, the lights were dim, and a sheer layer of hazy moist fog has whipped into the room, too thin to notice.
Zane's throat was choked, and he tried to avert his thoughts from Rikki for half of a fourth of a split second, if even humanly possible. Only in the dead of night did his dreams sometimes take him away from reality. They always happened the same. Only on extremely bad days, did his mind somehow know to cheer his up. They gifted him the reoccurring dream night after night…
It was in the mountains. Sure, I've been to Hawaii and The Rockies, but these mountains were different. These mountains were smaller, quieter, and they were green. I'd never seen this shade of green before in my life. It was almost plush, like a giant stuffed bear won at a carnival, the shade was a soft color green, light pigments and everything. Only when I flew down from the tallest one and landed on the ground could I touch that green. Sometimes I woke up then. But usually the dream continued. I'd run my hands over the perfectly spaced blades of grass and feel the fur-like texture on my palm. I'd breath in the scent of it. I'd sit there quietly and enjoy the moment because nothing whatsoever could ruin it. As far as my eyes allowed green, perfect hills stood in front and behind me.
But I wanted to see more. So I rose up over the land and saw the mountain as a whole, then higher, so I saw two, then three, ten, one hundred, until I was floating in the clouds. And only there did I hear the same strange voice every time. They told me the mountains were hills and they didn't exist where I lived. They kept telling me that the grass was greener on the other side.
The other side of what?
They whispered to me. They told me the World.
And he'd always wake up. Just now, contemplating the strange perfect nature setting did he really start to realize that it was all an illusion. That here was where he wanted to be. In the flat lands. Where everything was…just…the same. Where Rikki was. Rikki.
His thoughts buzzed back to Rikki in her underwear and her little hips and the way he felt like such a pervert for watching her now. He had watched her sleep. But he didn't feel guilty. Sure he'd tell her she was cute when she was angry, or arguing, but the truth was simple. She was the most beautiful when all traces of any emotion were gone. When she was at peace with him. When he could fantasize about everything being alright and the ending of the this story still a mystery.
He shoved his other hand into his pocket as he pictured her curves and jaw-line, and her beautiful eyes. Out of nowhere he opened the door and took ten long strides to the bathroom, leaving Rikki alone to her thoughts and confusion.
*.*.*
The rain game down in gushes now, sheet after sheet of endless water, drenching the curved metal chairs on the patio and the pavement outside the doors. There were probably puddles. Most likely a thousand of them from here to the end of the street, if the whole thing hadn't been combined with the ocean yet. Tropic storms were fairly common, but none of them had ever seen, let alone heard of one so severe. At first they were frightened, as someone seemed to be directing all the water at the café. Until they realized all of the Gold Coast was like this. The news didn't say much. They didn't know what to think, or where it came from, or why it was happening, but it was.
After a while though, the fear subsided and the nerves all but vanished. The sheeting rain continued as background noise, a loud static blur from every inch of the building. It was a wonder how Rikki could sleep.
An echoing laugh rang in Lewis's ears. It was Bella's. She had taken a jug of water from behind the counter and absentmindedly toyed with the content, twisting it into shape after shape until Cleo chimed in, making the wildest of things and calling them by what they weren't. It had turned into a distant game concocted out of boredom, that'd been entertaining the trio while Rikki slept.
Cleo giggled to Lewis, grabbing his arm and pulling him close.
She kissed his cheek slightly. "This is crazy," she stated, like they didn't already know.
Bella sighed. "I'm completely the third wheel around here."
Lewis smiled reassuringly at her. He would've placed Cleo's hands back to herself, but liked the sensation too much.
"Lewis, how long is this going to hold out?"
He shrugged, running a hand through her hair.
"Let me check the weather," he switched on the plasma where the menu had recently been displayed. Channel two.
A busty woman in a black business dress stood in front of a green screen, a pixilated satellite image of the storm projected behind her. She had a deep voice and a phony tone to her. "As we can see the red is mainly focused over areas of the Australian Gold Coast. Particularly this region here," she motioned to where the group resided. They noticed something right away.
"Oh my -" Lewis started.
"She has an American accent," Bella observed.
"Which means…"
"Shit. This is national news," Zane walked up behind them and turned up the volume. "This must be live. My phone still says there's a chance for sun later."
Lewis and him made eye contact for a brief second, exchanging a glance that they both perceived correctly - downright and utter fear. This was bad. This was very, very bad. As much as they tried to lighten the mood for the girls, a silent acceptance was made.
Rikki came out of the office with a sheer layer of sweat on her forehead. "I feel so much better. Have you guys seen the weather?" She asked, before realizing why they were all glue to the T.V.
Zane answered routinely, without an open invitation. "No, we're watching Nickelodeon reruns."
"Cute," she counterattacked. "When this storm blows the café down I'll make sure you're standing closest to the broken glass door."
"If you survive I want to," he smirked at her.
A tiny smile spread on her face. There was the Zane she used to know. There was the one she'd…never mind. She focused all her energy on the television.
"There is a Severe Storm Warning. All residences are advised to stay indoors. Severe rain and potential power outages. Winds at the speed of a hurricane, though no signs of a vortex. All flights canceled. Take shelter immediately."
Half an hour later, after intense focus to the same repeated news broadcast about staying indoors, there was a pounding on the door. Then a familiar male voice bellowed some slurred words as the rain beat down on the roof of the café, drowning out any sense of communication.
Zane had boarded up the doors and windows with heavy plywood, excess from the renovation. But he was glad he did.
As soon as the knock, the voices began shouting. One male, one female, almost in terror, as they continuously knocked on the door. No - four hands couldn't produced that much noise.
The five people in the room looked at each other in horror. It couldn't be - it wasn't - It was…hail. Small ice that rained from the sky in varying proportions. They couldn't help but wonder…how?
*.*.*
School's just started. A/N…I have no idea of the general weather patterns on the Gold Coast, as I reside in the only half as majestic US. Of course I've written around that fact, if anyone could help me out that'd be great. Here comes stupid Q #1: Does it hail often on the Gold Coast. Sorry for that, ignorance at it's finest. Thanks for supporting me, means a lot!