Horizon
Beta'ed and/or revised by;
Contradicting-Whispers
Heather Shadelight
My most heartfelt thanks.
— O —
2009 November 26th, Thursday. Boston, Sarah's High School, recess.
Brrt.
Sarah unlocked her phone, leaving her half eaten lunch to the side and forgetting about it almost immediately.
The usual group of people that had tried to ingratiate themselves to her gave Sarah odd looks, but she didn't mind them one bit. They had only pushed harder and harder since Rex's passing, so she wasn't in any hurry whatsoever to befriend – nor date, mind you – any of them. At all.
TayTay: camwe talk?
TayTay: please?
Sarah grimaced, lines of worry etching themselves into her face in but an instant. Most of the times Taylor reached out to her around this hour were when things at her school had gotten too dire to just endure and bear it as she usually did.
She hated it.
She hated not being there for her in any way or form other than digitally, and even then, only when she managed to spirit herself away from her tormentors.
Sarah had had Taylor try anything and everything, from speaking to the Teachers, to the Principal, to the people at other schools so she could solicit a transfer. Nothing worked. The teachers rebuffed her or just gave out a slap on the wrist that turned to much much worse abuse in the following days, the principal did nothing but discredit her and hand out detentions like they were going out of style, and the other schools simply refused to accept any transfer in the middle of the school year even if they've had barely two months of school as of right now.
«Sure thing Tay. What happened?»
TayTay: just
TayTay: the usual I guess
TayTay: but worse. Emma said something about mom and I jsut
TayTay: ran
«To the bathroom?»
TayTay: home. I went home. or
The pause lengthened for three restless minutes, and Sarah sent a message before she could stop herself. Taylor needed her right now, so she would be there for her. It was the least she could do to repay the kindness she had shown Sarah by not casting her aside, like you did.
«Or?»
«Tay, talk to me. You know you can. And don't start with the 'burden' speech, I've already told you, you aren't. Now spill.»
Sarah swallowed a grimace. Perhaps she had been a tad too forceful there…
TayTay: okay.
TayTay: I just. dont feel at home here anymore
TayTay: it's where I live but
TayTay: well. danny is more of a stranger than not
TayTay: and
TayTay: and it would be so much better if you lived nearby. or me. I wouldnt mind movingto boston
«I wouldn't mind moving there, honestly. Even with all the gangs you have there, here at home we have the Teeth, and…»
«Yeah. The Teeth. I think they're reason enough to vacate town if I'm being honest.»
«I don't know if I should be relieved or annoyed that my parents don't want to move.»
TayTay: why?
TayTay: the relieved or annoyed thing I mean
«Because they don't want to move from somewhere where those complete psychopaths are stationed, but at the same time I know that if we moved we would certainly do so farther from you. Possibly outside the estate.»
«I don't want that.»
TayTay: yeah. yeah me neither.
Sarah needed a change of topic, something to shift Taylor's attention away from the general awfulness of her school and their separation. Her parents still hadn't vacated the house again, and both of them were getting antsy for another visit and the fun times and relaxation ensured with it.
Ah, she knew just the thing.
«Do you know what I saw the other day?»
«A dude from the Teeth in the distance. The moron had a pelvis strapped to his forehead as if it were a set of antlers.»
«He even made deer sounds»
TayTay: I dont know if i should be disturbed or amused
TayTay: wait deer sounds?
TayTay: how does a deer sound!?
«Dunno. Like a deer? Don't ask me, I'm a city girl.»
«And maybe disturbingly amused?»
TayTay: Wouldn't that make me a psychopath?
«Depends, I'd say.»
«I did cackle at the memory, of course.»
«Once I finished running away in the other direction.»
TayTay: you didnt get hurt did you?
«Nope. You know that I'd tell you if that happened.»
«Just so you didn't fret over anything and everything all at once.»
TayTay: msorry
Sarah's grimace came back with a vengeance. Back to square one?
«Dont be, really.»
What else could she say to keep her off balance?
Ah, yes. That.
Her cheeks reddened slightly, but she managed to type the message correctly without stumbling around her fingers too much.
«Besides, I like when you get all worried about me. It's cute.»
Sarah counted the flustered keysmash that followed as a victory, and that had her in a good mood. Her smirk said as much to anyone that bothered looking at her.
«I have to go Tay. Talk to you later, okay?»
TayTay: aw. okay talk to you later
TayTay: have fun
TayTay: I guess?
TayTay: Im going to shut up now
«Cute.»
TayTay: shdhhekkc
TayTay: stop
Sarah's smile widened.
— O —
2009 December 18th, Friday. Boston, Sarah's House, late afternoon.
Sarah was pacing. There were no two ways around it.
She was nervous. She hadn't received a single message from Taylor in the entire day, her usual morning greetings left forgotten in the chat log, buried after more messages asking for her and her wellbeing.
She forced herself to sit in her bed, clenching and unclenching her fists in a constant rhythm that did nothing to calm her nerves, only exacerbating them by giving physical but no mental release to the coiled spring wrapped in stress that was her mind right now.
She closed her eyes and tried to cast her most pessimistic thoughts aside, the darkest ones that spoke about-
Sarah flinched at the missed step that almost sent her spiraling again into her darkest memories and nightmares. She wouldn't go back there. She couldn't.
Sarah hugged herself with the hoodie Taylor had worn the last – and only – time she had been in Sarah's house. Taylor had left it hidden in her closet with a small note, saying how Sarah's wardrobe clearly needed some more fluffy clothing for the winter. It was a clear lie. Sarah didn't care.
The piece of clothing had been serving her mostly as comfort clothes inside the sanctity of her own bedroom, and it was doing its best job now, keeping her from falling into fear or 'what if's too hard'.
The fabric wasn't even all that smooth, and it was too big for her – but she counted that as a bonus – but she didn't care about that. The most important piece of it was that it was Taylor's, and that's all that mattered to help center her.
Ding.
Sarah almost bodily flung herself towards the nightstand, snatching her phone from the charging cable and already taking in greedily the message that just arrived.
TayTay: sar ah I
TayTay: I fucked up
TayTay: I shouldnt have
TayTay: why am I so stupid
TayTay: god I
TayTay: I cant
Panic was starting to seep into Sarah's brain, drilling in its tendrils and rummaging around her synapses leaving behind a trail of oily dread.
«Taylor please talk to me»
«Whats wrong?»
«Ive been worried all day»
TayTay: I idid something stupid
TayTay: i felt alone and
TayTay: I didjnt want to bothr you
TayTay: i took moms flute to class
TayTay: and
TayTay: and I'm so so stupid why did I do that I shouldnt have god im
TayTay: inm an idiot and now Imn rambling andcrying at you and im sorry
«Taylor. Taylor please, tell me what happened. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere.»
TayTay: I
TayTay: oksy
TayTay: I had it my locker
TayTay: thef lute
TayTay: and whennI got there
TayTay: it
TayTay: it jdsut wasnt there
TayTay: then emma saids omething about it
TayTay: fthen I saw it in trhe trash
TayTay: they ditnt let me get there
TayTay: it was destroyed ansd xovered in somthing awful
Sarah had to bite her own tongue to avoid screaming bloody murder in the middle of the almost-night. By Scion, how she wanted to barge into the bay and stomp that redhead bitch's neck into the fucking sidewalk.
Sarah sent an «im here» in between all of that, both for Taylor and for her own peace of mind. A reassurance both for her and for her friend.
TayTay: I went later lookiing for jt
TayTay: but it wanst there
TayTay: it jsut
TayTay: vanished
TayTay: comoletely
TayTay: and I
TayTay: its my failt
TayTay: I lost it and its my fault
Sarah curled beneath her blankets, wishing very dearly that she could comfort and reassure her friend in a place without bullies, without neglectful parents, without the general stupidity of Earth Bet speaking in broad strokes. No gangs, no heroes, no Endbringers, no nothing. Just them.
TayTay: I
TayTay: I dont know
TayTay: how muchmore I can endure
TayTay: im
TayTay: im judts
TayTay: so tired
Sarah's blood ran cold.
No, no. She had to be imagining things, she had to be projecting. It wasn't what she was thinking about.
«Taylor?»
Silence. She waited one, three, five minutes.
«Taykor where are you»
«speak to me»
Her heart started hammering in her chest. She used the speed dial option, and the call fell through. Not a single ring. No signal. No nothing.
Breathe, Sarah. Maybe she just… doesn't have charge left. Yeah, let's go with that.
She called her landline, and waited. And waited. And waited more.
Nothing.
She called. And called again, and again, and again.
Nothing. Each and every time.
No matter how many times she called, how many messages she sent, how many pleas she prayed nor how many tears she spilled, how much her soul wailed or how she tore herself apart, there, was, nothing.
That day, she went to sleep between sobs and a heart heavy with dread.
The next one, she didn't leave her bed at all. She didn't eat, she didn't speak, she didn't do anything else other than keep trying and messaging.
The third day, something broke inside her.
She dreamt of s t a r s and [SCHEMATICS]