Suffocating

Illusion; IV

"I'm gonna do it."

Claire blinked, not knowing what she was talking about, but keeping her mouth tightly shut. From that determined glint in her eyes, Roxanne was about to tell her everything she needed to know in three... two...

"I'm gonna prove that this city's superhero is real."

The living room - which also happened to be the dining room, because the apartment was small and they had to make due with what they have - was lightless, partly because they wanted to save electricity, but really because both of them were already settling in on the couch and getting comfortable when they realized that they, indeed, hadn't turned on the lights despite the sun setting hours ago.

Claire gauged her friend who, in return, stared back, hunching forward to the TV, legs crossed and rested on the table, to her disapproval. Her glasses reflected the movie on the screen - Tangled, because it was Claire's turn to choose tonight - and Claire found it hard to focus with Rapunzel singing in the background.

She turned off the TV, twisted her body to face her friend better, and asked, "How?"

"By going out at night, look for some trouble, involve myself in that trouble, and our guardian will come and save me." Roxanne didn't miss a beat.

Claire, terrified, glued the back of her hand to Roxanne's forehead, much to her surprise. It was warm. Was it too warm? "Do you need me to get you some Tylenol?"

Roxanne slapped her hand, scoffing. "Claire, I'm being serious."

She knew. "Well, I am too."

Roxanne's expression hardened when she outright told Claire, "I'm going tonight," and Claire didn't like it. Not one bit.

"No." She stood up, trying to remember where they stored their medicine box.

"Claire." Roxanne's voice adopted a soft tone. It didn't make Claire even the slightest bit less anxious, it simply made it worse. "You can't stop me."

"Jesus, Rox! Do you even know what's out there?! What kind of danger you want to involve yourself in!?"

She gritted her teeth, trying to control the fidgeting in her hand. Their cramped apartment suddenly felt so big and hollow. The curtains flapped wildly, bothered by the windy night. They'd forgotten to close the window. At least, Roxanne had.

"You make it sound like you know exactly what you're saying." Roxanne's lips curled up. She wasn't smiling. She looked restless and exhausted with her leavy, untamed hair covering parts of her face. "Do you know how much that scares me?"

The tremble in her voice hurt Claire the most.

"Don't. Just don't. This isn't about me."

"Then I'm making it about you." Roxanne closed what little distance they had. Roxanne was shorter but Claire had never felt so small. "If you don't want me to go, then you'll have to tell me where you disappear every few nights. No more cryptic words, no hiding anything. I want the full, unfiltered, goddamn truth."

The clock continued to tick away on the wall, unbothered by the pair's quarrel. Water kept dripping from the tap, silver droplets splashing in the sink with a dainty plink. Outside, the wind whispered with the calls of the Earth, speaking of things only those who knew what to listen for heard.

Roxanne heard none of that though. She was listening for Claire's response. And after ample time, there was nothing, and her mind was made up.

Roxanne barked a chuckle. That short chuckle turned into a fit of giggles. The insides of Claire burned, knowing she'd lost this argument. It was a rare feeling. They rarely argued. Claire felt sick and stuffed.