The next day Craig walked up the peeling white porch with a smile on his
face, he had forgotten a book at the Sterling's and gladly went back to
pick it up, anything to see Marilyn again would make him happier. He found
himself thinking about her nonstop, which scared him half to death; here he
had a great girlfriend and he was falling for another girl. He rang the
doorbell and stared at the glass inlays on the door, trying to draw Marilyn
to get there faster...
A tall man opened the door; clean cut, neatly dressed, and a void expression to his dull, brown eyes. "Can I help you?"
"Yes, is Marilyn home?" Craig asked politely.
The man looked shocked, as if he was surprised that anyone would want to see Marilyn, "No. She's not in."
"Oh. I left my History book here last night, I was wondering if I could go and get it."
"You can go up to her room and look for it if you want, but her door's probably locked." The man let Craig in, scratching his head and shrugging slightly, "You know where it is?"
Craig nods and begins to walk to the back of the house. He stepped into the brightly decorated kitchen and turned right, taking a large step and starting up the steep stairwell. Craig found it odd that her... father didn't know whether or not her door would be locked; locking your door isn't a random thing. When he did get to her room, it was locked. Craig sighed and headed back to the first floor.
After some searching, Craig found the adult that let him him, "Do you know where Marilyn is?"
He shook his head, "How should I know?" He looked up from his newspaper and across the living room to Craig.
"You don't know where she is?"
"She's only my step-daughter." Mr. Sterling half spat, "Try the park or something, that girl is always taking pictures or drawing disgusting shit at parks."
Craig remained silent for a moment or two, blown away that any parent would say something like that about their daughter. He muttered, "Thank you" and left the house, deciding to walk to the park instead of ask Joey to drive him; figuring that he'd have a better chance of spotting her that way.
Marilyn wasn't at the park, she was actually at a deserted field five blocks away from it. From the road, Craig could see Marilyn holding a camera to her face, facing a large dead tree planted in the middle of the dead brush. He began to walk towards her, "Hey, Marilyn!" He called, but got a hushing motion from her hand as a reply. When he got to Marilyn, he watched as she soaked everything in; trying to get the perfect shot.
She took the picture seconds before a large, black crow took off into the sky. Marilyn placed her camera into her messenger back and took out a thick book, "Came looking for this?"
"Yeah," Craig smiles, "Thanks." He takes the book from her.
"No problem."
Craig looked around the desolate field, "What are you doing here?"
"Thinking, mainly, but when I saw the tree... I had to get the perfect picture from it." She explained, holding a hand out in the tree's direction.
"Why?" Craig asks, looking over at the tree, "It's dead and ugly, who would want to take a picture of it?"
Marilyn placed her hands on Craig's shoulders, turning him so that his face and body was facing the tree, "Look at it."
"I am looking." He stated matter-of-factly.
"No. Really look at it." Marilyn directed.
Craig huffed and looked closer at the dead thing. The tree was near black with age and menacing looking, some of its branches reaching up toward the sky while others where twisting down to the ground. There was a knothole in the middle, left side of the upper trunk that closely resembled an eye, one that was filled with torment.
"Do you see it?" Marilyn asks, almost breathing down his neck as she, too, stared at the tree.
"What am I suppose to be seeing?"
Marilyn walked around Craig so that she was by his side, "It looks like souls in a way, souls trapped in purgatory. See those branches?" She asks, pointing to the branches reaching to the clouds, "Those are arms reaching to Heaven, while the others are drawn to Hell. And the crow only made the tree more of an eager piece of art."
"What do you mean?"
"The crow's a sign of Satan." Marilyn explains, but then she laughs oddly, "I'm freaking you out aren't I?"
Craig smiles, "Only a little."
~*~
The week brought kids back to school, most moaning because they were having such a great weekend. It was lunch hour, many students flooding the school yards; wanting to enjoy the warm, sunny day as much as possible. Spinner spits out another joke about Marilyn, which seemed to be the day's activity. Craig rolls his eyes yet again, but soon found himself in the spotlight, "So, Craig, what's it like working with the blood sucker on the History assignment?"
"It's fine." Craig answers, when in truth it was great. He didn't know why, but he was scared of what his friends would think of him if he told the truth.
Jimmy smirks, "Speaking of the devil." He points over at Marilyn, sitting on the curb behind the picnic table the boys are sitting on. Easily they can overhear her conversation; something they do a lot of.
Marilyn runs a hand through the back of her hair, strengthening any weak spikes, "You think I'd do something like that, Slade? Well I wouldn't, which helps jack squat about what you did.... How long?.. How long, GodDamn it!.... And you think I wouldn't find out? What do you take me for?..."
"What do you think's going on?" Craig asks in a whisper, getting shrugs as answers.
"I'm just naive, right? What was I thinking when I thought that you, of all people, wouldn't hurt me.... Bull! You cheated on me, the distance doesn't matter because you've been with her before I came here!...." Marilyn hisses, pulling a chain from her neck and throwing a Death's head necklace into the road, "It's over. I should've done this a long time ago......... How dare you. If you ever say anything like that to me again, you better be wearing a cup!" She hangs up her cell phone and watches as a car drives down the road, crushing the necklace as it drives over it.
~*~
Spinner grinned as he flipped through the tv channels, proud with an idea that came into his mind. He was used to not saying anything until people asked him what was up, but today he didn't want to hold it in, "I have the greatest idea ever."
"Yeah?" Craig, Jimmy, and Marco said in unison. Their boy's night was a bust, everyone was trying to find something interesting and fun to do.
"How would you like to take a bet?" Spinner asks, looking at Craig.
"A bet? What kind of a bet?" Craig tried to remain calm.
Spinner hesitated, "Marilyn just broke up with her boyfriend, right? If you take the bet, you'd have to....." Spinner's voice faded as he spoke, Craig tuning out yet acting like he was listening; there was no way he'd not be able to take the bet... whatever it was, he'd have to do it. In his mind there was no other option.
A tall man opened the door; clean cut, neatly dressed, and a void expression to his dull, brown eyes. "Can I help you?"
"Yes, is Marilyn home?" Craig asked politely.
The man looked shocked, as if he was surprised that anyone would want to see Marilyn, "No. She's not in."
"Oh. I left my History book here last night, I was wondering if I could go and get it."
"You can go up to her room and look for it if you want, but her door's probably locked." The man let Craig in, scratching his head and shrugging slightly, "You know where it is?"
Craig nods and begins to walk to the back of the house. He stepped into the brightly decorated kitchen and turned right, taking a large step and starting up the steep stairwell. Craig found it odd that her... father didn't know whether or not her door would be locked; locking your door isn't a random thing. When he did get to her room, it was locked. Craig sighed and headed back to the first floor.
After some searching, Craig found the adult that let him him, "Do you know where Marilyn is?"
He shook his head, "How should I know?" He looked up from his newspaper and across the living room to Craig.
"You don't know where she is?"
"She's only my step-daughter." Mr. Sterling half spat, "Try the park or something, that girl is always taking pictures or drawing disgusting shit at parks."
Craig remained silent for a moment or two, blown away that any parent would say something like that about their daughter. He muttered, "Thank you" and left the house, deciding to walk to the park instead of ask Joey to drive him; figuring that he'd have a better chance of spotting her that way.
Marilyn wasn't at the park, she was actually at a deserted field five blocks away from it. From the road, Craig could see Marilyn holding a camera to her face, facing a large dead tree planted in the middle of the dead brush. He began to walk towards her, "Hey, Marilyn!" He called, but got a hushing motion from her hand as a reply. When he got to Marilyn, he watched as she soaked everything in; trying to get the perfect shot.
She took the picture seconds before a large, black crow took off into the sky. Marilyn placed her camera into her messenger back and took out a thick book, "Came looking for this?"
"Yeah," Craig smiles, "Thanks." He takes the book from her.
"No problem."
Craig looked around the desolate field, "What are you doing here?"
"Thinking, mainly, but when I saw the tree... I had to get the perfect picture from it." She explained, holding a hand out in the tree's direction.
"Why?" Craig asks, looking over at the tree, "It's dead and ugly, who would want to take a picture of it?"
Marilyn placed her hands on Craig's shoulders, turning him so that his face and body was facing the tree, "Look at it."
"I am looking." He stated matter-of-factly.
"No. Really look at it." Marilyn directed.
Craig huffed and looked closer at the dead thing. The tree was near black with age and menacing looking, some of its branches reaching up toward the sky while others where twisting down to the ground. There was a knothole in the middle, left side of the upper trunk that closely resembled an eye, one that was filled with torment.
"Do you see it?" Marilyn asks, almost breathing down his neck as she, too, stared at the tree.
"What am I suppose to be seeing?"
Marilyn walked around Craig so that she was by his side, "It looks like souls in a way, souls trapped in purgatory. See those branches?" She asks, pointing to the branches reaching to the clouds, "Those are arms reaching to Heaven, while the others are drawn to Hell. And the crow only made the tree more of an eager piece of art."
"What do you mean?"
"The crow's a sign of Satan." Marilyn explains, but then she laughs oddly, "I'm freaking you out aren't I?"
Craig smiles, "Only a little."
~*~
The week brought kids back to school, most moaning because they were having such a great weekend. It was lunch hour, many students flooding the school yards; wanting to enjoy the warm, sunny day as much as possible. Spinner spits out another joke about Marilyn, which seemed to be the day's activity. Craig rolls his eyes yet again, but soon found himself in the spotlight, "So, Craig, what's it like working with the blood sucker on the History assignment?"
"It's fine." Craig answers, when in truth it was great. He didn't know why, but he was scared of what his friends would think of him if he told the truth.
Jimmy smirks, "Speaking of the devil." He points over at Marilyn, sitting on the curb behind the picnic table the boys are sitting on. Easily they can overhear her conversation; something they do a lot of.
Marilyn runs a hand through the back of her hair, strengthening any weak spikes, "You think I'd do something like that, Slade? Well I wouldn't, which helps jack squat about what you did.... How long?.. How long, GodDamn it!.... And you think I wouldn't find out? What do you take me for?..."
"What do you think's going on?" Craig asks in a whisper, getting shrugs as answers.
"I'm just naive, right? What was I thinking when I thought that you, of all people, wouldn't hurt me.... Bull! You cheated on me, the distance doesn't matter because you've been with her before I came here!...." Marilyn hisses, pulling a chain from her neck and throwing a Death's head necklace into the road, "It's over. I should've done this a long time ago......... How dare you. If you ever say anything like that to me again, you better be wearing a cup!" She hangs up her cell phone and watches as a car drives down the road, crushing the necklace as it drives over it.
~*~
Spinner grinned as he flipped through the tv channels, proud with an idea that came into his mind. He was used to not saying anything until people asked him what was up, but today he didn't want to hold it in, "I have the greatest idea ever."
"Yeah?" Craig, Jimmy, and Marco said in unison. Their boy's night was a bust, everyone was trying to find something interesting and fun to do.
"How would you like to take a bet?" Spinner asks, looking at Craig.
"A bet? What kind of a bet?" Craig tried to remain calm.
Spinner hesitated, "Marilyn just broke up with her boyfriend, right? If you take the bet, you'd have to....." Spinner's voice faded as he spoke, Craig tuning out yet acting like he was listening; there was no way he'd not be able to take the bet... whatever it was, he'd have to do it. In his mind there was no other option.