Sydney
I had been changed into the orange jumpsuit and a white ribbed tank top. My feet were in black slip-ons and white socks.
Before they were about to drag me to my own self-deteriorating torture chamber, I begged for a phone call.
When they had let me have one and was ready to listen in on the other end. I suddenly didn't know who to call.
Iggy was the first person to pop into my head, but he was busy saving the world, the world was more important than I right now.
"What time is it?" I asked a officer at the desk.
"Ten twenty two." He says, glancing at me. I nod, the gang should all be together still.
"Thank you," I mumble and with trembling hands I dial Jude's number. The phone rings and Jude picks up, with a cautions. "Hello?"
At the sudden voice of a familiar, loyal friend, I start to feel overwhelmed,
"Jude! Jude! Oh my God! Hey!" I shout into the phone, voice hoarse from my previous protests.
"Sydney! Hey! What's wrong? Where are you calling from? Why'd you leave so early? What was wrong with Duncan?"
All of a sudden I feel to sick to tell them, what would they think of me?
To be a friend of a criminal. Their mothers would be ashamed.
I start to tear again.
"Jude you have absolutely no idea," I mumble, my voice quavering.
"Put me on!" I hear voices in the background shout at Jude. And soon Maya is on the phone.
"Sydney! Are you-Hey!"
"Hey Syd come on, tell old Trav what's up?"
"First let's get something down, please don't overreact. Like it would be friggin' sweet if no one hit me."
"Deal. Now please tell us what's wrong!"
I sigh and sink to the grey floor.
"I've been arrested, I'm calling from the police station. That's why the number was unrecognizable."
A painful silence comes from the other end. Before I hear a shriek and people scream in the back, "What's happening? What's happening!"
"Dammit, Trav! Put me on!" I hear Ally screech and a fumbling with the receiver.
But Travis remains on the phone.
"Hello?" I ask. "Please don't hang up!" I beg.
"Is this a joke?" He asks, sounding a bit scared yet offended.
"No," I say and start to feel the hit of warm water on my face.
I wipe it off and toughen up.
"I'm sitting in the county prison. I've. Been. Arrested." I pick at the black polish on my nail.
"YOU'VE BEEN ARRESTED?" His voice booms back.
I see the man monitoring the conversation flinch.
"SHE'S WHAT!" Voices in the back shriek, Maya hyperventilates.
"Give me the goddamn phone!" I hear Chandler bark in the back, and soon the phone is being transferred.
"Sydney! Sydney! Please, please tell me this is a joke," He begs, his voice suddenly seeming distant and far off.
I knock my head against the white brick walls.
"I wish I could," I barely whisper.
"Listen, please," I plead, "I don't know what I'm up against okay? And tomorrow I have a lie detector test and a trial. Call my aunt. She has the visiting hours. Please guys, you have to believe me! I would never do this!"
"A Polygraph!" Travis yells in the back, and the phone is taken back.
"Yes, please calm down, I have nothing to hide."
Lie.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
Lie.
"Look I love you guys so much, please I didn't do this. You have to trust me. I love you guys."
"I love you too. We all love you. We all will still love you. We're pulling through this with you."
"Travis, I love you so much, okay you have to trust me. Tell everyone I love them too. I have to go. My time is up."
Truth.
[][][][][][][][][]
I roll over on the cot in the dark cell. Alone. Here in a prison cell. My prison cell. My breaths are uneven and full with horror.
Better you than Iggy. I think. Better you than Iggy.
The orange sleeves are rolled up. I wish I knew what time it was.
Now that you're in here, your out of my way, you know. That slimy voice seethes into my ear.
And now that you're out of my way, I can get rid of them once and for all.
I clamp my hands over my ears. Not wanting to hear those ugly words from the mysterious voice who refused to shut it.
I lightly whimper.
1.
2.
3.
Just count, Syd, count.
4.
5.
6
7
8
Counting keeps me from thinking.
9
10
11-
I'm interrupted by a whisper.
"Sydney." I sit up.
"Sydney." I glance towards the bars and hop up.
"Iggy!" I mouth and silently rush towards the bars blocking me from my escape. "Iggy, why-what-how? How did you get here?"
"Hey you," He only says, his eyes staring longingly and I grab his hand and place it on my cheek so he can see me.
"Oh thank God," He says and hugs me through the bars. He's still so tall I only reach his abs, but I squeeze him tight. Not wanting to let go. I lay my head on his chest and listen as he breathes in and out… The warmth emanates into me.
"How'd you know I was here?" I whisper. "How'd you get here?"
"The roof had an emergency top door. And I got your mind-message," He smiles. I lightly laugh.
"Actually it's on the news."
"It's on the news?" I nearly cry, but his hand shushes me.
He nods.
My shoulders slump.
"Oh no!" I whimper, "I'm done! I'm ruined forever! Duncan doesn't even want anything to do with me."
"Listen to me! I'm sure he doesn't. Your not ruined! And you won't be stuck here. Tomorrow morning I'm paying your bail." He pulled out a huge wad of crumpled bills. I take it and count it.
"Eight hundred isn't going to pay it off, Iggy. This is barely a fifteenth of what they want for me!" I say, shoving the money back to him.
"But I'll keep saving and Dr. M is going to be in here in no time. We aren't going to let you stay here."
I sigh and duck my head, ashamed that I was in here in the first place.
"Listen it's bad enough I'm here, and you have to leave if that catch you-"
"Then I'll be with you! And listen to me, don't you think less of yourself Sydney! I still love you! Even if I may hate myself!"
"Hate yourself?" I ask. "This isn't your fault, Ig." I say, my face twisted.
"Yes it is! If I hadn't revealed myself to you! If I had just let you be like Max said! If I had never returned to you!"
"If you never talked to me again then I wouldn't be yours, would I?" I retaliate.
"If you never saw me again, you would probably have been caught by the Erasers at the Saint Chavers event."
"If you had done like Max said, you couldn't do this." I jumped up and stood on the bars as my lips my his. I closed my hands on his cheeks and his held my waist close as he softly kissed back.
"Your right," He smiled, nuzzling his nose against my face.
"But still, Syd, look where you are!"
"Better me than you."
"No, not true-!"
"Yes true! You're the one in this relationship who possesses the abilities to save the f-ing world, Griffith. Do I look like someone who could do that? Me a 100 percent human with no wings, and no supersonic strength or hearing or whatever?"
"You could still do it," He says, looking me in the eye, hand never leaving me.
"Not fast enough, and in the end I'd be to weak," I wince.
"That can't be true," He says and dips down, smashing his lips against mine.
I smile and dig my face and bury in his gray t-shirt.
He rubs my back in our warm embrace.
I finally lift my head up. And grip his arms tight, making him look at me.
"Okay listen to me, you have to get out of here. Visiting hours are tomorrow in the morning for me."
He smiles, "I'll come see you," He leans down to kiss me and I almost slap him in frustration. I cover his mouth and his eyes flick open, looking at me confusedly.
"No," I simply state. Nearly glaring at him in the dark.
"You have to leave. You have to go as far away as you can as fast as you can. Get as far from any civilization as possible. And whatever you do, don't fly there!" I instruct
"What? Sydney? Why?"
"I have a polygraph in the morning…" I mutter under my breath.
"A what? Sydney what are you talking about? Your worrying me!"
"I have a lie detector test tomorrow," I hiss now both upset and urgent. "Their gonna make me spill and without a doubt everything about you and the flock will come out. And that means that their going to want to meet the fabulous freaks who destroyed a beloved New York building and the lives of twelve erasers or more like twelve innocent victims. If you leave now, I will be able to say I don't know where you are."
His eyes are unreadable.
"Sydney, you know you can't say anything!"
My gaze shoots up at him, mouth agape.
"You think I'm going to tell them on purpose!"
"No, but they might not ask!"
"Oh get real, James. They will find out! No matter what they ask it's just going to lead to the flock and Itex. Their going to find out and soon you're going to be behind bars like this!"
The air in between us and our words of our verbal fight heat up intensely and I can feel the tense-ness of him on my shoulders.
He doesn't say anything obviously remembering the times he was behind bars like this.
"Iggy…" I whisper, letting the anger deflate from my eyes. He doesn't look at me, but instead drops his hand.
"It's called a lie detector test for a reason. As in I can try, but I'm going to be caught in the end. I can't stop this."
He doesn't move.
I grab his hand again, and lace his fingers in mine.
"Promise me you'll leave?"
He looks at me, and meets my eyes.
"No."
I roll my eyes.
"Iggy!" I want to yell.
"I'm not leaving you again."
"Oh damn straight you will! You were going to be gone anyway!"
"But I rather be in here with you than in stupid Antarctica again!"
"I'll never forgive myself!"
"But that-"
"Listen to me, James Griffith. You have to leave and you have to leave now. I don't want you in here again!"
"I won't go without you!"
"If you love me you'll do this!"
Silence. We're frozen from the flames of the fight.
He gazes at me somberly. Longingly. And I watch as he strokes my hair and my cheeks.
Then he leans down and kisses me with that dangerous feel.
When suddenly what splits us up, but footsteps.
"You have to go, someone will catch you!" I whisper, pushing softly on his chest.
"But-"
"Iggy! Please!" I plead silently.
"Okay." His eyes slowly die from the pupil to the whites. As he takes a last stare at me. Somewhere in me I know, for a fact…
He will never see me again.
"Goodbye," I whispered, on the verge of a meltdown.
"Goodbye," he said simply and turned.
He started to the middle of the hall, before whirling around again.
"You know I really fell in love you," He says, raking his hand through his red hair.
"Me too," I whisper, " I really fell in love with you too."
He smiles sadly and I'm left to watch as he releases his wings, wide and large, and takes off, next thing I hear is the clatter of metal and his flapping away.