The howling of snow and wind is so loud it makes me want to melt away into nothing. My knees are pulled up to my chest, my fingers pressed against my temples in an attempt to stifle the screams that I'm hearing. I'm not screaming, though, and neither is Liz or Alix. It's just in my head.
Burying my head in my lap, I try and forget the raging battle happening outside. Snow pummels the outside of the tent like a series of well aimed punches. The only source of light is the one flashlight I'd picked up during the raid. It's light illuminates Liz's frown and Alix's wide eyes, and casts ghostly shadows along the sides of the tent.
I've only ever really experienced one blizzard in my lifetime. I remember that it happened in elementary school - third grade, I think. I remember vividly the day when the principal's voice came over the loudspeaker, telling us all to stay calm and file into the gym in an orderly fashion. It was the worst snowstorm Silverton had faced for many years. We ended up in that gym for hours. I remember my little third grade self tucked in a corner, frightened by the words and rumors about people who supposedly died. This one can't be as bad. It can't be.
We sit in silence for what feels like eternity, before Alix shifts around. It's so sudden that I start, my eyes automatically up and focused. But all he does is lay down and turns his body away from Liz and I.
"I'm going to sleep. You two better have things figured out by morning, or you'll see the angry Alix." He murmurs, and Liz raises an eyebrow at him from where she's sitting.
"Sounds like the next Marvel movie." Liz says, in what I can only assume is an attempt to lighten the mood.
I hear a soft snort from Alix before he's silent, his muscles relaxing as his body slips immediately into sleep.
I find myself wondering why he has to be asleep right now, especially after our feud earlier. I haven't wanted to be alone with Liz ever since she showed up. Is he trying to punish me?
Liz and I sit as far as possible from each other, listening to the howls of the wind. It's almost beautiful. I'm surprised Alix can sleep at all, after everything that's happened, but he should be used to the natural sounds of society, based off of what he does for a living. A little snow flurry isn't anything, right?
Just as I'm thinking this, a loud crack sounds from almost directly over us. Before I can scream, the tree is down, a boom echoing dramatically through the night. I don't want to look outside, because somehow I know that the tree merely missed our tent by inches.
My heart is pounding so loudly it feels like I have headphones on turned to full blast, but they're not playing music. They're reflecting my own fear.
There's no way Alix slept through that.
But he did. Under any other circumstances, I might have laughed. Unfortunately, these are not those circumstances. I don't expect myself to speak then, but I do. I've kept so many feelings bottled up over the course of these past few days that I can't hold them in anymore.
"I'm sorry, Liz."
Her head perks up at that, and I feel enough strength and confidence to continue.
"I've been so terrible to you and Alix, and none of you have done anything wrong. I just-- I feel so useless. I've been dumped, showed up by my best friend, found out my parents have been kidnapped, and left all alone. It's not easy, but I should know by now that though my life might suck, other people might be going through worse."
I cast a look over at Alix.
"And Alix... he's just a big teddy bear. He might seem threatening at first, but really, he's just as alone as any of us. Yet I treat him like crap."
My voice cracks on the word 'alone', but Liz hardly seems to notice.
"Basically what I'm trying to say is, I've been terrible and in the way of everything and just plain rude, and I'm hoping we can form some kind of a friendship here, or we're going to get nowhere." I finish.
Liz is watching me with her stormy eyes, and I'm surprised to see that there is a shiny sheen to them. Is she... crying?
"I've never been great with words." She begins. "But I do know that when I first saw you, I saw someone I'd always dreamed I'd be. You're basically the girl from the movies. You have a family, a school life, friends, and everything. I guess I just wanted a piece of that. I don't even really like Alix... he's not my type. You said it yourself... he's a teddy bear, but I'm more for the grizzlies. I'm sorry too. I've been a b***h as well."
I press my chilled fingers to my face, a strangely comfortable feeling of warmth coursing through me. My hands come away wet. She's not the only one shedding tears for something she's lost.
"Let's start over." I say, scooting a little farther away from the side of the tent. Then, I extend my hand out to her. She may not have had this at all during her life, and I feel a sense of pride knowing that I'm the one to give it to her. An unlikely friendship. "Hi, I'm Jess."
For the first time since I'd met her, I see the ghost of a smile light up her features. We're so different in so many ways that one might say it's impossible for one of us to feel connected to the other, but as they say, opposites attract.
Alix must have seen that, I think. That's why he trusted us alone together. Because he knew we'd work it out.
I almost forget the sounds of the blizzard right outside our little sanctuary when she reaches her hand out and puts it in mine. The next two words spark like electricity through the night.
"I'm Liz."
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Sorry for such a long wait for such a short chapter, but I'm going to tell you in advance that there WILL BE a variety of lengths for my chapters. If they were all 2,500 words exactly, well, what fun would that be?
Comment thoughts and feels below!
~trebleclef18
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Subject #013 | ✓
Teen Fiction"I'm only going to ask you one more time." I say firmly. "Who are you and what do you want with me?" He frowns, and I tense, waiting for a blow, but none comes. I really need to shut my big mouth. "Apparently, I'm not nearly as famous as I thou...
