By: JR Monday
Lights flickered on and off every few minutes in the nearly empty subway car. All was quiet save for the snoring homeless man and businesswoman reading a newspaper. The observer laid back comfortably spread over a few empty seats, her black felt fedora rested on her stomach instead of her head which was adorned by pink hair; cut short to chin level. Her blue eye's shifted from the ground of the subway to her scuffed black boots and she sighed deeply.
You were discovered in an alleyway.you lost a lot of blood from what seemed to be a blade wound to your back.
Her mind shifted back to reality and she clutched the camera tightly in her hand. It was a need to capture everything on film that drove her to pull the lens cap off, focus, adjust for the light and snap a quick shot of the subway car. She knew why she did it, it was because her mind had already given up valuable information to her and she could afford to lose anymore.
We're doing all we can to locate your assailant, could you please give us your name?
.Ma'am?
A small girl pulled at the sleeve of the young photographer's black sweater. She smiled at the child and than continued to study her surroundings with a preoccupied gaze.
"Could you take a picture of me?" Asked the little girl.
She slowly snapped out of her reverie and smirked, she pointed for the little girl to take a seat and readied her camera. The process was the same.the right light, the right focus, and the right photo. Click. And it was done. The little girl giggled and hopped off the seat.
"My names Amanda? What's your name?" Her blonde curly hair bobbed as she spoke.
"My name." She looked down at the floor.
Deeper. You have to go Deeper.
UTENA-SAMA!!
She had stalled for a moment. "My name is Utena, it's a pleasure to meet you." They shook hands.
The subway decelerated to a stop and Utena stood. "This is my stop." She told Amanda. "Maybe I'll see you around sometime."
"Bye, Utena!" Waved Amanda as her new friend left the subway car.
*****
It had been a long day for Utena, the last day of classes always ended with a bang that she decided to avoid like the plague. She instead decides to stand in the back of her classes and shoot pictures of joy and sadness. Teachers were the only ones who show many mixed emotions on those last few days. Relief, exhaustion, joy, and other emotions that said for some classes, "I'm glad to be rid of your." And for others the expressions meant, "this was the best class I've had all year."
It didn't really matter after all of it was over though, Utena would just take her pictures. Sigh. Make it through another day--the last day--and go home with her new set of 8 credits. Home was a small house, which was crowded by city-planted trees and the neighboring houses.
The house itself was not hers, it belonged to a man that saved her life a long time ago. Mike was his name; he came from America when he was 18. He married but his wife died during childbirth. Mike's son, Daniel, and himself had never gotten along so they never talked and one day Daniel was killed in America. He was a innocent victim of a gang shoot out. Mike was a photographer and like a father to Utena. She tried her best to live up to the kind of person he was. Charming, respectful, fun and considerate. Ever since her waking in that hospital bed she had been making an incredibly slow recovery mentally. She didn't connect with people on the same level anymore.well she never really knew if she ever did but she did know that something inside her was missing. He just helped her move along quicker and she was very grateful towards him.
She placed her camera and keys down on the small kitchen table and checked through the small stack of mail.
Hands covered her eyes from behind and she grinned as someone whispered into her ear,
"Guess who?" The voice was female and smooth like a baby's skin.
Utena chuckled quietly and put her own hands over her invaders. ".Maybe.. Queen Elizabeth?" She pulled the hands off and turned around in another girls embrace.
"Oh look at that, its Wakaba." Utena smirked with her reply and wrapped her own arms around the girl idly.
Wakaba was only a few months younger than Utena. She was shorter than the pink-haired girl and her auburn hair was tied back into a simple ponytail. She had a smile that could light up the night's sky and add cheer to anyone's daily agenda.
"You're sad again, aren't you?" Wakaba asked and hugged Utena close.
"Not as much anymore. I made a new friend today."
Wakaba giggled and looked her lover in the eye. "What was it this time, a can?"
"Her name's Amanda." Utena smirked.
Wakaba was surprised.a new friend? A new friend that was a girl? No. This wouldn't do.
Utena easily picked up on Wakaba's jealousy and added, "She was a little girl I met on the subway."
"Well.I suppose that's better than, a house plant and a black cat." The smaller girl winked. "Which reminds me, that plant needs a trim."
Utena shook her head. "I don't want to screw it up. Its fine the way it is."
Utena looked down at the ground with a blank expression on her face.
I'm losing her again.. Wakaba thought and brushed pink bangs from her lovers face; she placed her hand on Utena's cheek and pressed her lips softly against the pink-haired girls.
"Take it outside, you two." A low male voice killed the silence in the room and the two girls broke apart.
The man who entered the room was unbelievably tall; he sported a thick graying beard. Wakaba always thought of him as a type of large bear that literally just woke up out of a very, very long nap. He made his way over to the coffee machine in the corning of the kitchen.
The two girls had broken apart a bit. Wakaba looked up at Utena admiringly.
"Are you coming with me to the gardens this evening? I want to introduce you to a new friend of mine."
Utena thought about it for a moment. She didn't want to go see flowers, she never really remembered liking them that much. Except for her plant-which was cleverly named "Henry the first". Something jogged her memory at that particular moment.
"I promised to go with Tsuwabuki to a fencing seminar of some sort. Some big fencer is supposed to be there."
Wakaba forked an eyebrow and skeptically remarked, "I honestly don't understand why you hang around that little boy."
Utena shrugged and added, "He's just a good kid."
"So you're going out tonight?" Mike asked than took a sip of his coffee.
"Yeah, in about an hour actually. Can I-"
"No." Mike interrupted. "No report card, no borrowing the car. And don't give me that look, it was your decision."
Wakaba laughed softly. "I've got to go, I've got a friend waiting for me. I'll see you two later."
With that, Wakaba kissed Utena and left the house.
"Ah, young love." Mike sighed sarcastically and left Utena leaning against the counter with her arms folded across her chest.
Lights flickered on and off every few minutes in the nearly empty subway car. All was quiet save for the snoring homeless man and businesswoman reading a newspaper. The observer laid back comfortably spread over a few empty seats, her black felt fedora rested on her stomach instead of her head which was adorned by pink hair; cut short to chin level. Her blue eye's shifted from the ground of the subway to her scuffed black boots and she sighed deeply.
You were discovered in an alleyway.you lost a lot of blood from what seemed to be a blade wound to your back.
Her mind shifted back to reality and she clutched the camera tightly in her hand. It was a need to capture everything on film that drove her to pull the lens cap off, focus, adjust for the light and snap a quick shot of the subway car. She knew why she did it, it was because her mind had already given up valuable information to her and she could afford to lose anymore.
We're doing all we can to locate your assailant, could you please give us your name?
.Ma'am?
A small girl pulled at the sleeve of the young photographer's black sweater. She smiled at the child and than continued to study her surroundings with a preoccupied gaze.
"Could you take a picture of me?" Asked the little girl.
She slowly snapped out of her reverie and smirked, she pointed for the little girl to take a seat and readied her camera. The process was the same.the right light, the right focus, and the right photo. Click. And it was done. The little girl giggled and hopped off the seat.
"My names Amanda? What's your name?" Her blonde curly hair bobbed as she spoke.
"My name." She looked down at the floor.
Deeper. You have to go Deeper.
UTENA-SAMA!!
She had stalled for a moment. "My name is Utena, it's a pleasure to meet you." They shook hands.
The subway decelerated to a stop and Utena stood. "This is my stop." She told Amanda. "Maybe I'll see you around sometime."
"Bye, Utena!" Waved Amanda as her new friend left the subway car.
*****
It had been a long day for Utena, the last day of classes always ended with a bang that she decided to avoid like the plague. She instead decides to stand in the back of her classes and shoot pictures of joy and sadness. Teachers were the only ones who show many mixed emotions on those last few days. Relief, exhaustion, joy, and other emotions that said for some classes, "I'm glad to be rid of your." And for others the expressions meant, "this was the best class I've had all year."
It didn't really matter after all of it was over though, Utena would just take her pictures. Sigh. Make it through another day--the last day--and go home with her new set of 8 credits. Home was a small house, which was crowded by city-planted trees and the neighboring houses.
The house itself was not hers, it belonged to a man that saved her life a long time ago. Mike was his name; he came from America when he was 18. He married but his wife died during childbirth. Mike's son, Daniel, and himself had never gotten along so they never talked and one day Daniel was killed in America. He was a innocent victim of a gang shoot out. Mike was a photographer and like a father to Utena. She tried her best to live up to the kind of person he was. Charming, respectful, fun and considerate. Ever since her waking in that hospital bed she had been making an incredibly slow recovery mentally. She didn't connect with people on the same level anymore.well she never really knew if she ever did but she did know that something inside her was missing. He just helped her move along quicker and she was very grateful towards him.
She placed her camera and keys down on the small kitchen table and checked through the small stack of mail.
Hands covered her eyes from behind and she grinned as someone whispered into her ear,
"Guess who?" The voice was female and smooth like a baby's skin.
Utena chuckled quietly and put her own hands over her invaders. ".Maybe.. Queen Elizabeth?" She pulled the hands off and turned around in another girls embrace.
"Oh look at that, its Wakaba." Utena smirked with her reply and wrapped her own arms around the girl idly.
Wakaba was only a few months younger than Utena. She was shorter than the pink-haired girl and her auburn hair was tied back into a simple ponytail. She had a smile that could light up the night's sky and add cheer to anyone's daily agenda.
"You're sad again, aren't you?" Wakaba asked and hugged Utena close.
"Not as much anymore. I made a new friend today."
Wakaba giggled and looked her lover in the eye. "What was it this time, a can?"
"Her name's Amanda." Utena smirked.
Wakaba was surprised.a new friend? A new friend that was a girl? No. This wouldn't do.
Utena easily picked up on Wakaba's jealousy and added, "She was a little girl I met on the subway."
"Well.I suppose that's better than, a house plant and a black cat." The smaller girl winked. "Which reminds me, that plant needs a trim."
Utena shook her head. "I don't want to screw it up. Its fine the way it is."
Utena looked down at the ground with a blank expression on her face.
I'm losing her again.. Wakaba thought and brushed pink bangs from her lovers face; she placed her hand on Utena's cheek and pressed her lips softly against the pink-haired girls.
"Take it outside, you two." A low male voice killed the silence in the room and the two girls broke apart.
The man who entered the room was unbelievably tall; he sported a thick graying beard. Wakaba always thought of him as a type of large bear that literally just woke up out of a very, very long nap. He made his way over to the coffee machine in the corning of the kitchen.
The two girls had broken apart a bit. Wakaba looked up at Utena admiringly.
"Are you coming with me to the gardens this evening? I want to introduce you to a new friend of mine."
Utena thought about it for a moment. She didn't want to go see flowers, she never really remembered liking them that much. Except for her plant-which was cleverly named "Henry the first". Something jogged her memory at that particular moment.
"I promised to go with Tsuwabuki to a fencing seminar of some sort. Some big fencer is supposed to be there."
Wakaba forked an eyebrow and skeptically remarked, "I honestly don't understand why you hang around that little boy."
Utena shrugged and added, "He's just a good kid."
"So you're going out tonight?" Mike asked than took a sip of his coffee.
"Yeah, in about an hour actually. Can I-"
"No." Mike interrupted. "No report card, no borrowing the car. And don't give me that look, it was your decision."
Wakaba laughed softly. "I've got to go, I've got a friend waiting for me. I'll see you two later."
With that, Wakaba kissed Utena and left the house.
"Ah, young love." Mike sighed sarcastically and left Utena leaning against the counter with her arms folded across her chest.