Under Her Skin

Chapter 1

Vinerdale drive had a close proximity to a reputable high school in town that gave it a funny sort of honorary status. The street was jammed with giant trucks, driven by bulky men with sleeve tattoos behind the steering wheel whistling to the country music channel. 

The fathers rarely hurried, mostly because their solid union jobs gave them a kind of security with which they believed they were the type of men who could do anything. 

The two-story houses were crammed next to each other with space enough for an ant to sleep in between. The mothers, white and curvy, always holding the newest iPhone, spoke with strong east coast accents. 

They paired their Lulu leggings with brown UGG boots and were pleasant and friendly, though just a touch condescending at times. They got their hair done at Chatters and looked like they were in school themselves, but they were always kept busy with mothering and picking up dirty laundry after their pretty kids. 

Fort McMurray seemed all under control. That was the message.

Right? Wrong.

I was sitting on the sink that day. It was barely 4 o'clock in the morning, but Wood Buffalo had already started burning oil. Huge plumes of inky exhaust choked from pipes as the shift-city's residents had started to rise. They weren't going to miss a chance to make money. 

The street lights were on, and when Selena looked at them, her eyes burned from the brightness. Her golden hair lost all of its pigment, her blue emerald eyes were damp, and I could tell that she had been crying. Her body was raw when the moonlight shone over her skin and it left her whiter than she already was.

The tap was running, and the sound of flowing water filled the room. She hated being in public in anything less than a sweater. Fully clothed, she stepped into the water. Her hoodie bled a dark grey as she gracefully slid down. Ah.

Drip. Drip. Drip. It felt so good to have the mild water slowly seep through her. She didn't turn off the water. There would be no need. Selena rested her head on the tub and it suddenly felt like the heavens were falling. 

It was a great feeling not to be at war with herself, to rest without seeing or touching, or thinking, or feeling. Dawn crept gradually through the glass window. She knew the time had come to truly let go of all her worries; she was ready. This was it.

She put her head to the wall and closed her eyes in satisfaction. Selena smiled, and the grave night ended with a sealed bond of intimacy between us, even though we hadn't exchanged a  word.

***

"Mornin' baby," said Demanda. The voice came minutes later from a queen size bed in the master's suite. Demanda, undressed, was snuggled up nicely in the wide arms of her king. Atlas wasn't exactly tall, but he was handsome and built like a boxer. 

The couple had just awakened from a full eight-hour Saturday-night's rest and were having the same conversation as last Saturday. It was an easy conversation that always ended in a deep consensus about family, that their boys and Selena came first before anything. Always The couple lived in a rosy permanent state of denial. Smiling at each other and chattering their days away was the magic that made their averageness seem okay. At least they had their kids.

Atlas leaned in for a kiss, but Demanda shifted away.

"Oh come on, don't go," he said.

"The boys will be up soon. Aren't you hungry?"

"Only hungry for you." She blushed and pulled the covers away.

"Oh stop it. Seriously, what do you want?"