p e n u m b r a (discontinued)

Chapter 10: When the Sparks Fly Again

"Tomorrow is the big day!!!!!" Maya exclaims which the highest and loudest voice in the cafeteria. Suddenly every head snaps in her direction, and Maya shyly takes her seat and attempts to hide the embarrassment in her face.

"Thanks for letting everyone know dude" Scarlette takes a bite out of her apple.

"Sorry, I'm just so excited! We're gonna have so much fun, right Katrina?"

"Uh, yea? Sure! We'll have a blast." I mumble under my breath.

"Can you at least try to pretend that you're excited?" Scarlette snares at me.

"The fuck is your problem? Your birthday is coming up."

"Sorry for being snippy, it's just that... You know it's not that important anyway," Scarlette proceeds to viciously carve the apple with her bare teeth. I gently place a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, what's on your mind Scarlette? You can tell us."

"Well, have I ever told you I have a brother that goes to Bishop Prycrest? His name is Zane?" Oh yea! I forgot all about that all boys school. Supposedly it's not far from Esterloch Academy. I never knew Scarlette had a brother though.

"Well he was being a jerk to my friend Caren. She really really liked him, and she was ready to, you know, 'hook up' if you know what I mean? And when she got to his dorm and started taking off her clothes, a bunch of guys jumped out of the closet and started taking pictures."

"What the fuck?! That's so messed up, why did he do that?" Maya yells.

"He said that he had to get into this fraternity club in school called Theta Four. And the whole thing was a 'Rite of Passage'. That fucking idiot." Theta Four? I thought fraternity clubs like that were only in movies. Maya frantically looks up from her breakfast.

"Woah woah WOAH! Theta Four?!? I heard that that's more than some stupid club. I hear it a gang too!" Maya whispers forcefully to us. "Remember that old Cathedral we talked about? And how teenagers party there all the time? Well that used to be the scene for Theta Four parties, but then someone snitched about the cocaine they would smuggle at the parties. Club members and a bunch of people got arrested. After that, Theta Four brought their parties elsewhere. But then a bunch of emo freaks started partying there. Theta Four thought they were the ones who snitched about the Coke, so they can have the Cathedral to themselves. Ever since then, Theta Four has been doing crazy violent stuff to get the Cathedral back. Like they would beat up random emos in the street. One time someone got killed. And so Theta IV officially became a gang."

"What the hell? That's crazy" I say, astonished by such a remarkably extreme story. Wellden heights is such a small town, I would have never imagined anything this exciting would occur here.

"Anyway," Scarlette interrupts the story with a roll of her eyes, "The point is that I invited her to our little slumber party. I wanted to apologize for my brother's fuck boy behavior.

"Good for you girl!" Maya applauds

***

The only waters that I have touched, tasted, and dived into, came from oceans and rivers of reality. Reality sickens me. It forces me to believe in the horrid things that don't want to believe, and it forces me to let go of pleasant wonders. The waters that I want to swim through are more fantastical. The ripples of water reveal a sort of shimmer and shine. The beauty of their waters are untouched by pollution on corruption of society and it's secondhand smoke. It is balanced with the trees and the stars. It was misty, connoting that a beautiful mystery lies withing. Where I would find this body of water, I don't know. But for now, it remains in my dreams. I am a dreamer in this realistic world, but also my dreams reach the outside. They swim on through the cosmic streams until they reach the boundary between life and death, consciousness and unconsciousness, lies and truth, friction and peace... The transcendence zone.

"What's that you're reading Katrina?" Scarlette asks having a seat on. top of my bed. I quickly shove the manuscript in my back.

"Nothing. Just an essay. What's up? Why aren't you getting ready?"

"I am ready!" My eyes scan Scarlette's body up and down. All she's wearing is an extra large white T-shirt. She isn't even wearing pants!

"You don't ready to me! At least put on some decent pajamas." The Irish girl flipped her hair.

"It's my birthday isn't it? I can wear whatever I want." she sticks out her tongue and turns her back to me. I could see her pink panties that were barely covered by her shirt. Despite Scarlette's party being top priority, we didn't really do much to prepare. We simply bought some cake and snacks and put on our pajamas. But just like every other circumstance, Maya is the one that makes it bigger than it actually is.

"Why the hell are you putting on makeup for a slumber party?"

"C'mon Katrina, people are going to see me! I can't have them see me looking terrible!" It strikes me how different Maya is from Scarlette. While Scarlette tends to understate most things, Maya has a habit of over exaggerating. Their friendship is truly remarkable.

Suddenly, like chiming clockwork, the doorbell rings. And with amazing excitement, Maya and Scarlette make a mad dash to the door. They race, and a taller, faster, and livlier Scarlette violently pushes Maya to the wall and swings open the door. Out pool a small ocean of pretty girls in their pink pajamas. They all release a girlish squeak as they give each other friendly hugs and sisterly kisses. I still remain here, lying on my bed, wishing to be anywhere but here.

***

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!" I hear those words muffling around in my head. And the more I sit here in this swirly, and dizzying atmosphere, the more I hear distorted messages. "Birthday... Happy... Birthy... Hapday.... scarLAY... you to." My focus doesn't lie within the Happy Birthday song. Rather, it lies with the candle light.

Maya lit a single match and a small wild fire blazed. The red and orange sparks crackled, hints of black smoke lifted into the air, and if you steady your breathing to listen closely, you can almost hear the sound of fire twisting and conquering the wood of the match. Maya proceeds to light the candles, but I am simply fascinated by the beautiful fire that is lit on the match. It's so small, it resembles an infant. But when met with the right molecules and substances, it could be an unstoppable force. It could burn the filth that lies within, making it pure and clean again. It could be beautiful, just like fir from two years ago. It could work for good instead of destruction. It burnt that sinful house to the ground. Although it is against the morals my grandmother taught me, often times I wished that the fire unleashed it's wrath upon the sinful succubus that lived in that house with my Dominic. "Devil woman," I used to call her, "She deserved to burn."

Suddenly the match light was blown away by Maya candy corrupted breath. Scrlette then blows out her candles, while all the girls sing the celebratory song. All the girls but me.

"Woooo hooooo, Go Scarlette, Yes!!" Everyone cheered for Scarlette's big day. I however, resemble a carvinore, watching intently on prey. They irony is that despite me being the predator, the prey frightens me.