Rain's P.O.V.
To be honest, I didn't get much sleep that night. Or for a few nights afterwards. Pierre might have confirmed all of our worst fears at the Valley Fair, but… This was Pelican Town. Everyone knew each other. A tight knit community. This wasn't something you could just bounce back from. There was a certain unspoken trust between everyone in town, and even if we didn't always get on, that was the standard to stick to. And Pierre… he shattered that standard. So no, I didn't feel sorry for him, but I couldn't help feeling a little responsible.
Watering the crops, pulling the harvest, feeding Lyra - all morning, no matter what I was doing the only image in my mind was the shattered remains of Pierre's grange display on the pavement, each and every time followed by a gut wrench. Really, though, it was stupid of me to feel bad, wasn't it? It was kinda… justice, wasn't it? Is it okay for me to think like that?
That mental conflict went on for days. I had purple lines under my eyes, my hair was reminiscent of a bird's nest and my face looked glum no matter what I tried to do. And, a certain someone pulled no punches in letting me know it.
"Jeez, you look awful." his cynical voice said factually as soon as I walked through Marnie's front door.
"Good morning to you too, Shane," I replied sarcastically. "How's Marnie doing?" sure enough, she won her ribbon in the end, but that didn't mean I forgot the hurt in her eyes when she looked at Pierre. They were good friends, but now?
"She's been keepin' busy, mostly," Shane sighed, hands in his pockets. "I think she's bothered by what's happened but hell if she'd admit it."
"Oh… Where is she?"
"I think she went out to town to pretend to be too busy to talk about her problems."
"Hmm… Maybe I'll see her on my way up the mountain." I headed toward the door.
"Well, if you do, try and talk some sense into her." he rolled his eyes. "She's barely been sleeping and won't talk to anyone properly."
"Oh, you don't say…" I know that feeling… "I'll talk to her if I see her. See you later!"
"Later."
I headed out to town where, sure enough, I could just see a brown tuft of Marnie's hair from over the top of Lewis' picket fence. Upon closer inspection she was planting sunflowers in the mayor's garden. "Hey, Marnie!" I hurried over to her.
"Oh, good morning, Mira!" She didn't even look up. "Lovely day, isn't it?"
"Uh… Yeah… Listen, I was wondering if you had a second to talk-"
"Oh! Do you hear that? Sounds like the kettle's boiled!" She scurried into Lewis' house with a newfound urgency. "See you later, Mira, dear!"
"Uh… bye then…" she left me standing perplexed. What now… Oh! I reached into my pocket and pulled out the packet of cigarettes that Sebastian left at the fair. Returning it to him was the entire reason that I left the house in the first place. I figured it'd probably be pretty difficult to get hold of cigarettes in the Valley, so he was probably missing them. I started to head toward the mountain. Hopefully he's around. Walking past the abandoned community centre, I finally reached the top of the hill where Robin's house stood. Uncharacteristically, all of the lights appeared to be off. There was no sound coming from inside, either. I knocked on the door - no answer. "Hello?" I called, a little confused. "Robin? Maru?" Still nothing. I slowly turned to walk away when I heard the garage door rattle open. "Mira? That you?"
"Seb?" I walked over to the garage and, sure enough, it was Sebastian. His face was covered in oil and a beautifully polished black Yamaha motorbike was standing in front of him.
"Hey." He wiped his face with a cloth. "If you're looking for my mom, she's in the Saloon."
"Wha- already?!"
"Yeah," he sighed, "Mom, Maru and Demetrius are all going on holiday next week. They won't be here for Spirit's Eve. Guess they're having one last night of fun before she goes into full Momzilla control freak mode about it all."
"I see…" I giggled, rubbing the back of my head. "But, actually, I was here to return these." I held out the packet of cigarettes.
"Oh, my smokes… I've been looking for these." He reached for the packet and his hand met mine. "...You got anywhere to be?"
"Oh? Um… No, not really." My voice was a little shaky. Sebastian averted his eyes thoughtfully as he slipped the cigarettes into his pocket.
"You wanna… Go for a ride with me?" He placed that same hand on his motorbike. "There's room for two."
"W-what, really?" I was surprised - I'd never been on a motorbike before. The thought of it honestly scared me a bit, and apparently that showed on my face.
"Don't sweat it," he laughed quietly, "I've got a spare helmet."
"Well…" I thought about it. I trusted Seb not to get me into any danger, so… "Okay! Sure!"
"Right." He handed me a blue helmet and slipped a black helmet over his head flawlessly before getting onto the bike. "Hop on."
"O-oh, yeah." I clipped the helmet onto my head and, struggling to get my short legs over the seat, clambered onto the bike behind Sebastian. He started the engine and the bike hummed to life.
"Hold on tight."
"Huh?" I didn't see any handles, or a seat belt. "To what?" Sebastian looked back at me like I'd just said something ridiculous.
"To me."
"Oh… Oh, r-right…" Jeez, what is wrong with me today…?! Hesitantly I wrapped my arms around Sebastian's torso, his baggy hoodie clinging to his body as my arms pressed into him, and his scent filled my lungs. Wordlessly we rode out beside the train tracks, the wind racing past us. What a liberating feeling it was, too - to be moving so fast that no one can catch up to you. I was finally beginning to understand him.
We rode over lush grasslands, dry desert areas, and finally we hit real, solid ground up high on a cliff. Sebastian slowed the bike to a halt and dismounted, helping me to do the same. He pulled his helmet off, his fringe flopping back down over his left eye. He then turned toward the end of the cliff and we walked to the very edge, staring into the distance. The city. Skyscrapers were just visible, the now purple-pink evening sky glimmering against their luminescent windows. "I like to come here sometimes, just to think." He finally cut through the silence. "I dream about life in the city a lot."
"You… Do?" The city… Huh… I felt a little harrowed. City life always felt so meaningless to me, as if I was just another faceless brick in the wall.
"Yeah." He lit a cigarette and put it into his mouth. "...I feel like there's so much opportunity waiting for me over there. Dreams. Aspirations."
"Aspirations…" My mind couldn't help flicking back to what Shane told me. About his best friend. About his lover. His aspirations, his happy life… How it all fell to pieces. My stomach churned.
"Hey, Mira…" The faint glow of the city reflected in Sebastian's eyes. "When you look at the city… How do you feel?"
"I…?" How did I feel? Honestly, looking at the city just made me feel awful. My former life, Shane's happiness… The city took things away from us both. Things we could never get back. To me, it wasn't a place of dreams, but… Sebastian looked so hopeful. A hope shone in his eyes that he'd never find in the Valley. "I feel… Kind of sad." Sebastian turned his head to look at me, and I exhaled. "...Looking at it gives me kind of a strange, sad feeling."
"...Yeah." He smiled sweetly. Genuinely. "I think I know what you mean. I feel like there's so much waiting for me over there, just out of reach. It makes me a little sad, too."
"Y-yeah…" That's… Not what I meant at all. But listening to Sebastian talk about his dreams made me feel strangely warm inside.
"I'd like to move out there soon, actually… But… I don't want to go alone." He turned his body to face me, and drew in close. "Do you know what I'm saying… Mira…?"
"I- I…" My voice got stuck in my throat as Sebastian caressed my cheek with his hand.
"Mira…" His eyes drew me in as he cupped my face in his hands, our chests touching, my body trembling. His nose touched mine as he came closer, and I closed my eyes.
…
The ride back to Pelican Town was a silent one. Other than the hum of the engine, of course. The wind had settled down and the tranquil night sky arched over us in an amethyst swirling paragon. Crickets quietly chirped in the fields as we approached the end of the train tracks and descended back down to the house. We slowed down and I carefully climbed off of the bike, removing my helmet and staring at the lines in the dirt where we'd driven through the mountain. "...I'm sorry, Sebastian." I whispered. He didn't say a word. He just continued to wheel his bike into the garage. The atmosphere between us was so heavy I probably could've cut it with my sickle.
Up on the cliff, as he drew in to kiss me, I pulled away at the last moment. I couldn't. It's not like I didn't want to, I… I guess… But something held me back. Something stopped me. Something… Pulled me away from that possibility. For some reason it just didn't feel right.
Sebastian took his helmet off and placed it in the garage before quietly closing the garage door. He leant against the outside wall of his house and lit a cigarette, staring into the distance silently.
"Well… It's getting dark. I'd better get going." I managed to say at last.
"Okay."
"Okay…" I started to walk away, feeling awkward every time a twig snapped beneath my feet. I needed to just go home and lie down, straighten out my thoughts. First Marnie, and now this - everything was going crazy.
"Wait." His deep, smooth voice succinctly cut through the air. I turned around, but still he didn't look up at me. He spoke softly, almost silently. "Mira… Is there someone else?"
"Huh…?" That's when it hit me. Up on the cliff, as I stared out at the city… And then when Sebastian wanted to kiss me… When I closed my eyes, all I could see was his face. Oh, god, slow down. Seriously? Is that what's…? I was confused, but for once, finally, I was so, so, sure. It was true. For the longest time I didn't even realise it myself, but it was real.
"Yes… There is."
Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry it's been a while, yet again. It's my half term break now though so I should be able to get at least another chapter out in the next week or so (hopefully). Thanks for your patience!
~Nyannygiri