Colourless Skies

16. Imagination

That was the last straw.

She had had enough.

All she remembered next was her eyes closing and her body making its way to the ground.

But she didn't feel the crash.

Her eyes fluttered open to streaks of sunlight streaming in through the now closed curtains. She tried to rub her eyes but found herself tied again; only this time, the rope it seems was tied loosely as if not to cause pain, but to portray as if they were.

The fact that the first thing her mind went to was that today was school instead of the fact that she almost died yesterday at a stranger's hands, surprised her.

She couldn't face it today, after all that had happened.
'How will I look at Zach? How ever will I..how will I go through the stares everyone will give?

How will I go through the reality of it all?'

The door burst open and in stepped her father, who fortunately wasn't at home yesterday, or else she would've gotten quite a beating. When he saw Leah trying to sit up, he smiled menacingly.

"Your mother says she heard noises down here late at night. Be glad it wasn't me who's sleep was disrupted.''

Leah held her breath as her father walked towards her and cut off her bounds. Thankfully, he was too concentrated on cursing at her to notice that the rope was loose.
He was out of the door in an instant after.

On her way to school, she couldn't help but be alone with her thoughts and think about him, she couldn't help but wonder if her nightmares were somehow, in a twisted way, connected to him.

Even though she blamed herself for the death of each and everyone she saw lose their life, her mind refused to believe him showing up shortly after her horrifying nightmares weren't related at all.

It must mean something. They must mean something.

But she couldn't think about him, about who he was or who he might be, or even where he was from. It was as if her thoughts were under a strong influence, under a powerful spell.

Leah pep talked to herself, standing outside the gates of Moorcroft High, and gathered as much strength as she could summon. Walking in, she was immediately made victim to merciless stares, being a close friend of Fawn.

And so, as a friend, she had to embrace their stares and back talks.

Zach was standing by her locker, today his usual demeanour was nowhere to be seen, his idiotic smile replaced with a frown, brows furrowed and his eyes fixated on the ground in concentration.

They finallu landed on her and he shot towards her, immediately locking her in a hug.

The hug was comforting, warming Leah's frozen heart. At this point, even Zach couldn't hold the flow of his tears, and he let it all out on her shoulder.

They both cried over their loss. The only difference, Zach did not know it wasn't an accident, but Leah did.

The day passed, albeit with immense effort having been drowned  in whispers of Fawn's absence and Leah and Zach's involvement in it, but at least it passed. She slammed her locker shut, waved to Zach and picked up pace, running home.

She let the quiet of the street, the rustling of the trees, and the singing of a thrush reach her ears. She didn't want to think, she would drown the whirlpool of damned thoughts. But what else was woven into the strings attached to her puppet, except regret and guilt?