A/N: First off... Thank you SO much! For all the reviews, alerts, favourites. I was quite touched really! And relieved that you seemed to enjoy the twist plot! I can never stress enough of happy your reviews make me feel! I litteraly can't stop smiling everytime i have a new one! So, thank you for taking the time to leave one :) Special thanks to Portamento ;) For the long nice one! You're too good to me miss, if anything, you're the one who's too nice.
Second thing I wanna say is that this is a bit shorter than what i've gotten u guys used to. This is mostly because i consider this a breather. No so much a filler, but a necessary ''pause'' between the last chapter and the next. Give Naomi some time to adjust if thats possible... hahaha :)
Fair warning: You might not enjoy every single sentence in this chapter... Just saying.
I've got nothingelse to say really, except; read and hopefully enjoy :)
Disclaimer: I shall not speak the name of the lord in vain. But he owns skins. I do not.
Manifolds
Chapter 4:
I think I must have been staring at Effy for a tad too long because she lifted herself from the couch and quickly reached me, putting her hand on my shoulder.
"Are you okay? Naoms did you test some new stuff on yourself?" she asked me worriedly.
What? Tested some new stuff? What the hell was she talking about? I could hardly grasp anything at this point. I could feel my heart racing in my chest, my brain working rapidly to try and figure things out. One thing kept repeating itself in my head though.
"We haven't seen or talked to Emily Fitch in 6 years..."
How could that be possible? Emily and I were together. I mean we still were. Yes we had a row, but I don't think we had broken up. And even so, that was yesterday, not 6 years ago. Effy narrowed her eyes before locking her gaze with mine. As I peered into her crazy blues, I couldn't help the sinking feeling. There was no hint of humour in her eyes. She wasn't playing a stupid joke on me. Effy meant exactly what she had said. But how could that be possible?
"Sit down" she ordered me before pulling me to the couch.
I was so dazed that I did sit down. I think I was stupidly staring in front of me for a while. I can't be too sure. This whole situation had unnerved me. There had rarely been anything that I didn't understand in life, so when I didn't, I didn't like it.
"Wait here I'll get you something" I think I heard Effy say before she left my side.
I don't know how long I was staring at the yellowish traces on the wall in front of me for, but suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. I turned around to see if Effy would get it, but when I didn't see her coming out of her room, I got up and walked slowly to the door. A second knock was heard and I slowly opened the door and was faced with a revoltingly fat sweaty old man. I had never seen him in my life and just the smell of him could have made me vomit. I cringed a little as he opened his mouth to speak. Wow. That smell was plain foul.
"Hey there beautiful! You Eva? Your add said you were a brunette yeah? Well I guess blonde is fine too. As long as your mouth works properly, I'm good." He slurred taking a step towards me.
I felt a wave of sickness engulf me as he put his hairy arm around my waist and grabbed my ass with his free hand. I put both my arms on his chest to push him off and gave a little yelp. Okay, I was freaking out. Full fledge, completely, fucking freaking out. Like panda style. Only worse. What the fuck was going on?
As the man struggled to get me closer, I heard Effy walk back in the room.
"Leave her alone" she ordered and the man thankfully listened to her.
I was about to push him out of the flat when Effy added:
"I'm Eva, come here."
My jaw hit the floor as I saw the man make his way towards Effy. He went to put his arm around her waist but she extended her arm and made him stop. I had to give it to her, there was an aura of powerfulness around her and you just had to comply to her every wish.
"You pay up first" she spoke in a cold, but clear voice.
"How much?" the man asked unfazed, getting his wallet out.
"Complete?"
"Oh yes darling"
"500 quid"
The man looked inside his wallet and handed Effy a shit load of cash. She counted it slowly before nodding to the man and placing the money securely in her bra.
"Go and wait for me in there" she said pointing to her room.
The man didn't need to be told twice. My friend walked slowly towards me handed me a pill before saying:
"Sorry about that. You know how they get sometimes. Anyway, take this yeah? It'll make whatever shit you took go down better."
And with that she followed her "guest".
I think if I had been JJ, I would have fainted at that particular moment. Or possibly 5 minutes later when I started hearing moans from Effy's bedroom. I felt my whole body shake violently and I had about two seconds to dash to the bathroom before I retched all over the toilet. This was completely surreal.
When my stomach was emptied, I left the bathroom slowly. Jesus this place was disgusting and I won't even go into details about the smell. As I made my way back to the living room, I heard the fat man through the thin walls
"Oh yes, that's it. Get it all"
At that moment, I realized it was too much. Running back to "my" room, I grabbed my wallet and ran out of the flat. I ended up in a shabby looking building and after a few seconds, I was outside. I ran to the closest corner and checked the street name. Relief washed over me as I realized I was still in Bristol. I was in Easton, fuck me. I knew the housings were cheap around here, but it was mostly because this was the most deprived area of the city. I now knew the other reason why it was cheap, it was everything but sanitary. At least this apartment building was.
I felt tears coming to my eyes and started running again. I didn't stop for a long time. I don't know exactly how long I was running for, but all I wanted to do was forget. Forget about this fucked up situation, forget about what I'd heard. I didn't get it. Why was Effy saying that we hadn't talked to Emily in 6 years? That didn't make any sense. Yet, I was positive that Effy hadn't lied to me.
When I stopped running, I realized that my feet had led me to a park I had never been to before. I walked slowly through it and found an old bench. I sat down for a minute, grabbing my head between my hands. I tried relaxing, but I could already feel the beginnings of a very bad headache coming. I felt a shiver run down my spine and I realized I hadn't taken the time to grab any shoes. Wow. I had to look like a complete lunatic hadn't I? I was wearing basically what looked like a pyjamas, had no shoes on and was sitting on a bench park, my eyes red and puffy and my hair a mess. Oh and I possibly smelled of vomit. Real classy.
I sighed deeply and took my cell phone out. I opened and checked my contacts. I must have checked them all one by one about ten times before I came to the obvious conclusion. There was no Emily Fitch there. As I checked my contacts again, I realized I didn't know most of the people in there. I mean…
Helena 3
Jenni xxx
Kate sex
Sexy Lauren
I couldn't help but wonder who the fuck were these women. Apparently I had had good times with them if I took their names seriously. Christ... But what was freaking me out even more than those names was the fact that, along with Emily, none of my close friends were in there either. There was Effy, even "Eva", but there was no Cook, no Panda, no Thomas, no JJ and no Katie. I really started losing it again when I realized there wasn't even a "mum" or "Gina" in there. I felt my eyes fill with tears again and I couldn't stop them. I wept on that bench park for I don't know how long. This could not be happening. I had to be dreaming, right? I felt like the victim of a cheap fucking sci-fi movie.
"They should cry more in those movies" I thought. Because this situation was absolutely terrifying.
I didn't know what to make of this. As I thought this, I realized there were a lot of things I didn't know. I rubbed my eyes, trying to get rid of the tears. I got up; there was no reason to remain seated here. I walked for a few minutes before deciding what to do next.
I ended up deciding that the first step I had to take was to confirm a few things. I had to know if this was real. I had to try and understand. So, I started walking solemnly towards what should have been mine and Emily's flat. It took me a while to get there and my feet were killing me and had started bleeding slightly. I walked slowly to the door and knocked. I took a big breath as I prepared myself for what would happen.
I heard footsteps from inside and seconds later a handsome man was opening the door. He looked me up and down, clearly surprised. He smiled tightly, but politely. At least he hadn't been disdainful. My heart was beating exceptionally fast in my ribcage.
"Hi, can I help you with anything?" he asked me.
"Hum... Well I was wondering... Would there be an Emily Fitch living here by any chance?"
God I sounded like such a tart. I must have looked like it too because the man raised his eyebrow questioningly at me before shaking his head.
"No, there isn't... sorry."
I nodded and started leaving slowly. Before I was too far he called out to me.
"Are you... okay? Do you want me to call an ambulance or something?" he said pointing at my feet.
"Oh no, it's okay... thanks..."
I felt so utterly ridiculous, that I started tearing up again. I had never been pitied in my life and there I was making a complete fool of myself and looking like a basket case. I walked to a nearby park before falling to my knees and crying again. I don't think I had ever cried that much in my entire life. This was a complete nightmare. Nothing made sense. One conclusion kept coming to me, but it felt so ludicrous that I was having a hard time accepting it.
I lifted my arm and pinched the skin quite hard. It did hurt a lot. I sighed. I really didn't like how mental my conclusion sounded, but I guess I didn't have any other. Fucking hell I was in an alternate universe.
I closed my eyes and started praying to whatever was out there to make this one stupid big dream and have me wake up in a hospital bed with Emily by my side.
Emily...
Just thinking about her made me want to cry even harder. I would have killed to just be in her arms at that moment. I missed her so much I could hardly stand it. I missed her smell, I missed her smile, I missed her laughter, and I missed the feel of her skin, especially against mine... I missed everything really. I couldn't stay in this place (whatever it was) forever. I couldn't stand the idea. I mean what sort of life had I been living here? Not only was Emily not a part of my life, but nearly none of my friends were either. And the only one that still was... Effy... God what had happened to her? If my heart hadn't been completely broken already, I think it would have broken again. I hated seeing her like this, so... fucked up. And if what I had witnessed was anything to go by, she was… well an actual slag.
When I opened my eyes, I was still in the middle of the park on my knees. A few people were giving me weird looks too. I could also see some old woman with a phone to her ear giving me frighten looks from her flat window. Well wasn't that just tops? I got up and started walking again. There was only one place left I wanted to be. I don't remember much how the walk there went, but I remember hoping desperately that I'd find what I expected there.
When I got to my destination, the sun was slowly setting. As I looked at the familiar blue door in front of me, I felt my eyes fill with tears again. I really needed mum to be there to be quite honest. I don't think I could have supported to go back to Effy's (and my…) place that night. I didn't particularly feel like sleeping in the streets either. I must have look a right state though as I, again, took a deep breath before knocking on the blue door.
I heard footsteps before the door was swung open. I felt a wave of relief wash over me when a tall bearded Kieran appeared. He gaped at me his eyes comically wide.
"Hello, is mum home?" I said my voice feeble and broken.
He didn't say anything to me, but turned around and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"GINAAAAAAAAAA"
I think I felt her first, then, it was her smell that hit me and then, finally, I saw her face round a corner and step in front of me; my mum, Gina Campbell. Her eyes were as wide as Kieran as she looked at me. God I didn't even want to know how long it had been in this "reality" since I had last seen her. I was petrified that she'd close the door in my face and tell me to fuck off. I opened my mouth to say something, but was cut short when my mum leaped at me, threw her arms around my shoulders and gave me the most crushing hug I had ever experienced. That did it for me and, yet again, I wept like a child.
Mum dragged me into the apartment and sat me on the living room couch. I felt myself curl next to her and I rested my head in her lap. She kept brushing my hair back and kissing my temple, making shushing sounds and rocking me slightly.
"What's happened to you?" she muttered quietly in my ear when my crying eased a bit.
"I don't know..." I replied truthfully.
Because really I had no idea. I was just genuinely relieved that no matter what shit I had pulled on her, she hadn't rejected me.
"Can I stay here tonight" I asked her closing my eyes and inhaling her scent.
"Of course you can sweetheart" she replied and I could tell there was a soft smile on her lips.
I felt the tension in my body ease and I let out a huge breath I hadn't even realized I was holding. As mum traced soothing patterns on my cheeks, I completely relaxed and fell into deep slumber.
Here is the part where I first want to say: I'm not British! So the "opinions" expressed about Easton… are actually straight off Wikipedia! I had nooooo idea what to say and well I do hope I didn't make any people from Bristol mad! I'm sure there are lovely places in that area and if it makes you feel better, I personally live in a sector of Montreal that is judged very shabby! I just wanted to make it feel a bit more real.
That being said, what did you think? :P Ps: the fat sweaty old man is a rip off from Lily Loveless who always says she'd rather kiss a girl than that! And his last line was probably the hardest to write. The idea of it grosses me out, which was, obviously the point. Anywayyyy, have a lovely day, thanks for reading and reviewing :D
