CHAPTER EIGHT:
I had a dream, a good one, though it only lasted about two hours. About my childhood, and my family. My memories, with Summer, Kelsi, Kylie, Dakota, And Jazzmen, my best friends. I remember how we had done everything together at one point, from cradle to grave, we had promised eachother, I wish that had all meant something now.
We had all been sitting on the swings, after a large exam, back in Michigan, where we all grew up, it was called the "meap" test. We were all about ten elven, maybe younger. I remember cracking jokes about this guy "Kyle Lawson", He used to pick on the Way I walked, supposedly, I had a little bounce to my step, my hips swayed or something of that sort, so as a self defense mechanism, I picked on him back. They all responded in abrupt laughter, clenching their fists tightly upon the swings, their faces a beat red,and bright white smiles stretched across their young skin. I could remember Kelsi holding so hard onto the chain her hand turned numb, and a blazing red from the cold, she placed her other hand over her mouth. It got to a point where they had all been holding their stomachs, and their rosy cheeks were too tarnished to laugh anymore.
Back in those days, not everything was great but we managed, even though we were young, we stuck by eachother like a family, the only family that would be true to us, and help us pick up the pieces, We were like the six Amigos, Inseparable. In times like those, being so young, we needed all the support we could possibly get. None of out families were close, almost all of them were divorced and separated. My father, and mother, had split up when I was about three, I couldnt remember them ever being together, so it didnt bother me not to have them under the same roof. When they both still lived In New York, where I was born, I was okay, that was until my mother had decided to get a boyfriend, his name was Joe.. Being so young, my sister Ashley and I, never minded his presence, until he made us pack up and leave one day, all the way out to Michigan, I wasnt allowed to have contact with my dad at all, it was two years before I talked to him again. He had tracked us down found out where we lived. And from there, it was moving from state to state every year, I only saw my father once a year. And with that being so, Joe, thought he had the right to put his hands on me. He thought he owned me. I wa snever allowed to speak out against him. He told me I didnt have the rights, and if I said something back, which I usually responded in curses, telling him to fuck of, or that hes not my real father, he would chase me, around the house, all day, if he had to,, To get his hands on me, and most of the times beat me until i couldnt move. My mother always worked, she wasnt home, if she didnt work as much as she did, her the three kids she had with joe, and I, would not be alive because he never worked, not a day in his life. Not once in his miserable, pathetic life. So most of my time, my childhood years, threw out my preteens, I basically live with Kelsi, Her parents I liked to call my own. They did everything for me, more than they should have, and Kelsi, became closer to me, every waking moment we spent together, weather or not it was when we were toying with her easy back oven, creating forts in the woods, fleeing from black widows, or dancing to techno, just being kids, she became a part of me. And I knew, the day she moved away, what she really meant to me. WHen I was twelve, she moved to Florida, and I couldnt take it without her, so I was visiting my dad over the summer, and decided to stay there, a place where nor Joe, or my mother could reach me, I was sneaky, I played it out well, I had intended to live there all along, but would never tell anyone before I got there.
Three weeks after my thirteenth birthday, My father gained soul custody over me. Two years passed without seeing my mother, and on Valentines day, I decided I should go see her, when i went there, only for a single week, and found nothing had changed, Joe was still the same, the beatings continued, I but my vacation short, flew back to New York, and all contact had been lost since then.
The Summer or my sixteenth birthday, Kelsi, Summer and I, were reunited. Kylie, Dakota, and Jazzmen, moved July, throughout August, and September. We could all drive legally, aside from kelsi, who was a terrible driver, and swerved into several trees and roadsigns while I was in the car with her. ( I vowed to never let her drive again) But the moment I forgot that she had done all those things,she had ran over a turtle. Summer and I were the only ones laughing, as it flew in the air, bouncing off of the tire. It was quite a sight. But Kelsi buried her face in her arms and cried for days, she always had a soft spot for animals. She made us go out in bury him, told us to have some respect, it was disgusting, but I suppose she had her point. Though that whole time walking back to the car form the woods, she cried, every so often, Summer and I would exchange glances, and an unavoidable smile would take over our faces. When she saw this and got angry, she only made our craving for laughter worse, I had never seen her be so serious about her a turtle. But, oh no. it was her "Timmy The Turtle."
She always was the life of the party. This is what made her so unforgettable.
Memories like this crossed my mind, the whole time I slept. Until I could once again feel the hot sun upon my face, and i knew, times were not as they once were.
Lizard was huddled on top of me, he wasnt asleep, but he lay there like he was. I guessed it was because he didnt want to disturb me. These strange feelings he sometimes had towards me, blew my mind, he went from being one person, to another. At times it scared me, I didnt know if he was the friend or the enemy,. Even if he was both, he was more of the enemy. Its not like he was planning on letting me go anytime soon. At time slike this, I didnt know how to feel. He was playing games with me, but I no longer was with him.
He stretched his arm loosely upon the ground, and drew tiny shapes in the dirt.
"Y` sleep out here much." This question wasnt meant to be answered.
"No..This would, be a first.." I replied slowly.
"coud`n handle it anyway."
This time, I wanst taken back by his unfriendliness, at this point when I woke up, I no longer expected a "Hi" "How are you" No, not at all.
It was not his nature, nor any of theres, and to be quite honest it was certainly not mine. He backed off me slowly, I could feel a large sunburn over my face, and neck, but where he had been laying, there was no burn. I could see why. He took it in like there was no tomorrow, his skin so severely burned, and leathery. I couldn't imagine having skin as such,
"Git movin." He scolded, placing his hand on the collar of my coat and lifting me up, not roughly, but he definitely implied it with force.
I trudged up, I could feel about ever muscle in my body,fill with ache and lethargy, I just wanted to fall flat on the deserts floor. But I couldnt do that, not around him. He wouldnt hesitate to drag me back with one hand if he had to, that I knew for a fact.
"You stupid, goin inta the mines, get yerself killed."
I didnt respond. Because I knew, it was stupid, and to admit it, would be ignorant, and I didnt have time t be anything of the sort.
"You be dead, if i` werent for Goggle." He warned.
Goggle, wasnt a familiar name to me, or.. I paused for a moment. The name Goggle, actually did strike a bell, well Lizards rambled on, reminding me of how pitiful, and disgraceful my actions were, I traced the days back to the car, what I heard on the radio, "Goggle..Goggle.." I remembered now, it was them. Though I wasnt too surprised by this, how could I be shell shocked. Its not like there was any other people living out here in the deserts.
"You fuckin' dense er somethin?" He scowled sharply towards me. I didnt catch on to what he meant at first, but then figuring out, he asked me if I was a fool, or dumb, I merely shrugged. I certainly didnt want to argue with him. I've got into fights with him before, and he seems to always get something out of me, it never turns out pretty. The only pain i caused him, was that cut across his cheek, which was probably nothing to him. It was measly, and so were my attempts to further an escape with Kelsi. Trying would only lead to be bound and beaten, but by now, Ive done it so much, I expect much worse.
"Go faster."
He grabbed my wrist, and began to storm towards the test village.
"Ow!" I yelped out trying to snap away.
He twisted my arm back behind him, and I let out a silent scream, his hand slid up my wrist, and I felt like I was being burned, though I pleaded, he didnt let go, I was only able to limp forward despite my pain.
Oddly, I had the up most urge to look at him, I had no desire to argue with him anymore, as he seemed to become familiar to me, lugging me around like it was a daily routine. I'd rather have his company, than any other of the mutants. Lizard was indeed scary, and most of the times, his actions frightened me, he was by no means, hesitant to kill, or harm anyone. He did it as it came to him, Natural, If he felt offend, or impatient, he would make sure you knew, he would snap every bone in your body until you understood what he was saying. Rather than kill you on the spot. Thats just the kind of person he was. Raised on violence, becoming the center of it. There was nothing sweet about about him, from his actions, to his rugged looks. The questionable things he had done last night, and a day prior, were in the past now, even though they may have meant something to me, It meant nothing to him. What soul did he have in those frozen blue orbs? What pain could he feel beyond his battered, and burned skin? What could he taste behind that out of place jaw, and those jagged pointed teeth? Could he taste anything? Could he feel anything? Or did he only live for the moment.? He was a mystery, and he's a puzzle that I alone could not solve; Why he wanted me around i'd always wonder.
But the sad part is, the more he was around me, surrounding me with his own apathy, and anger. Protecting me, coming after me, scolding me, like I was some child, or his property. The more I felt sheltered by him, the more I hated admitting I was attached to him.
As we entered the lonely Village, cyst, toggled about, an odd walk he had indeed. He was chasing something, not a person, but a small animal, A chicken. He didnt have a weapon handy, and his brace made it harder for him to direct himself anywhere, the saliva dripping from his mouth as he straddled his arms out to reach the critter, made me fill with immense pity.
Cyst had never bothered me, he kept to himself, wasnt the nosy type like most of the others, and couldnt quite speak right, I felt terrible, he was often shoved around by the others for lacking intelligence, and a voice, but then again, none of them were truly as educated as they may have thought they were. I hadn't even finished my education, so I was certainly not one to judge.
He was a middle aged man, with large sores swallowing his face and body..In our health class, we learned about a couple things that looked like those, all from different causes, having different effects, though the main disease that we focused on that was similar to his skin condition was called Neurofibromatosis, long word indeed. Technically this disease had to deal with tumors over running your body, can cause them to swell, open, it can be severe. As expected. He had quite the case, but I imagined, with all of the "bumps" He had on his body, he had been suffering from them for quite a long time, and he paid no mind to it any longer. he, despite the others, was quite collected, not as violent, kept to himself. I found it interesting.
He fell flat on the dirt, when his supper had scuttled off clucking into the distance, his mouth slightly open as he stared blankly at the ground, until hearing our footsteps pounding on the ground he slightly turned his head, his eyes at first narrowed to me, and i looked back, but then to Lizard for a long period of time, as he seemed to shoot up a hand sign towards him, possibly because he was confused of my presence. Sign Language, always a valuable way of communicating. Lizard gave him a sneer and pointed to me, Cyst stared like he had struck gold.
"I tell you watch her. You watch her." Lizard warned before placing his dusty hands on me and pushing me slightly to the ground.
"You don move."
HE swung open the screen door of the house, and I could hear big brain heave loudly, trying hard to breathe as Lizard barged in, they conversed for quite sometime, and Big Brain through a couple of cynical glances my way, before Lizard walked into a different room, no longer in my sight. Big Brain, continued staring aimlessly at me, like he had been searching right through me, and let out an unpleasant, raspy cackle.
I looked away, he always made me nervous, the way he glared at you, so pointlessly, you could feel his eyes almost dead on you.
I clenched my fingers together, and crossed my legs facing Cyst, i couldn't help but look at him.
His eyes were glued to me, a clueless expression over his face, and yet a small dumbfounded smile, he was surly confused by my presence.
His grey eyes wandered all over me. Like he didn't know any better, He like Pluto, reminded me of a child, so lost, and oblivious. He seemed to be rather enjoying my company.
I almost wanted to smile at him back, it was so relieving to see, that there was still a slight ounce of innocence in these people, who had gone through so much, and no longer took in regard feelings or emotions. Even though he had his duties, and i'd seen him haul around bodies before, he still had character in him. He was shy, or timid at least, due to how lost he was, and that was something that these people. He was so encompassed in the moment, it was almost admirable of him, and not to utter a word to me, or a threat. Not that he could clearly make one. Also made me see, more of a "innocence". Like They only did what they did to get by.
I wanted to talk to him, but I understood he wouldn't be able to even begin to comprehend what I was getting at. my words would be feed to him. He's take it in, but give nothing back in return. Not that he didn't want to, but he couldn't. His Grey eyes lit up, as I laughed slightly, and he let out a wide grin, showing all his decayed teeth, attempting to turn his head to the side, but was stopped by the brace.
I wonder what had caused him to be this way? Or any of them? What was it that happened, something gone so wrong, that would create such a mess out of this place, create such mutations, and a undeserving lifestyle for these people. I automatically had the urge to know.
Were these people really the enemies? Or were they victims??
Big mama was eyeing me through the kitchen window, my eyes met hers, not realizing how long she had been standing there, and I saw Lizard, scoop a handful of something next to her, and put it in his mouth, it was red, dripping. Almost looking like entrails, or remains of something. She pointed in my direction, saying something, as whatever he had in his mouth dropped directly on the sink, she gave him a good slap on the chest, for dirtying the counter, and he slammed his fists down against it, beginning to yell at her, As I watched, I could tell Cyst want to hear, but he couldnt tun his head, so he faced me, feeling deprived. I felt bad for him.
"Fight,"
I said bringing my fist to my other hand.
He was confused for a moment and then gave me a subtle nod, as his eyes tried so vigorously again, struggling to make their way to the window,. By the time I looked up, Big Mama had a big smile on her face, an honest one. A sincere one, and shook her head slowly, as she began washing some broken dishes, murky water could be seen through the dusted glass.
"Where'd Lizard go?" I was talking to myself, but Cyst gave me a shrug and tried saying
"Leza" in a gruff voice almost questioning me.
And there he was not a moment later after Big Brains sudden sneeze startled me, sending me to a jump. he let out a small sigh after he did so, and not a moment after, there was Lizard, and his blue eyed, gray haired glory, hauling out?-- Kelsi.
She was unharmed. I couldn't help but let a sharp scream out of my mouth as I yelled her name, and Lizard let go of her, as she swung her arms around me, and I clasped mine in hers.
"Welcome.." A loud gasp was hear through the screen door, where big brain was, he was clearly talking, and let out another loud gasp before saying.
"--To the family." Before turning his sweaty large head away.
I didn't understand those words at first. All that mattered is that I had Kelsi, and I was holding her tight.
Lizard standing on the porch right next to us on the wooden stairs, and Cyst, with his mouth wide open giving his best effort to smile.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could have swore, I saw a small smile creased across Lizards face aswell.
Okay! SO what just happened isssssss, the girls were just welcomed to the family, which they have no idea is happening at that moment,. This is happening, because of several reasons, Lizard, who is growing fond of her even if he doesnt want to admit it himself, told big mama about what happened in the caves, how she protected Ruby, and how she was so desperate to protect Kelsi at any costs. She wasnt sure, as she was talking to Lizard in the kitchen about keeping the two girls alive, until she saw Victoria trying to explain to Cyst what had been going on between Lizard and big mama, thats when her decision was altered, and she wanted the two young girls around, because Victoria had tried to diligently to show respect to the family. I will definitely explain why, and all this, n that in the next chapter, I havent wrote in a bit so I wanted to post something quick and not keep you guys waiting too long. Stick along, and you'll understand fully in ht next chapter,
Hope you enjoyed!
