Counterfeit

-fifteen-

--fifteen- 

+ Slowly, then all at once, dark clouds depart and the damage is done. +

 + Sorrow, Sleeping At Last +

-

CHARLESTON WENT SILENT after my deceleration, and I took it as my moment to leave - hurrying from the room without the conclusion of my results. The rest of the day was a blur. 

All I could think about was not being able to think; to be by the water, in between the trees where the air felt the most fresh. In a panicked sort of state, I had confided in Avaline, but left her soon after to be on my own. 

However, the isolation didn't last long as I was soon joined by an unexpected visitor. 

He edged up behind me, hesitant of my reaction. I was surprised that he had approached me, and though I wasn't certain with where we had left off last, I wasn't about to turn him away. When he asked, I let him sit down beside me and we talked, just like old times. 

"Ava told me you'd be here." He began. 

I nodded in response, not really feeling cheery enough to hold much of a conversation. 

"And she also told me what happened." 

I faced him, anxious about what would come next. He had been so unpredictable lately that I was afraid he would change into a completely different person right in front of my eyes. Instead, he surprised me. 

"Are you okay?" 

I looked over at him, unsure if I should confide in him. 

"Pip," he observed, "you can tell me." There was a sincerity in his eyes. An honest concern as he looked at me. I wanted my friend back. 

"I have lost someone." 

He seemed slightly confused at my comment, and I felt the same way for a second. "What?" He questioned me, bewildered. "Pip, what are you on about?" 

I turned away from him, focusing on the water. "The other day; you said: 'just because you've never lost someone.'" I could see his reflection in the stream, despite the constant deliverance of the water. His features softened. "I have. I have lost someone." I repeated myself. 

I could feel his gaze on me for a few moments after I spoke, staring at me through the silence, trying to figure me out a little more. "Pip, I'm sorry... I didn't know." 

I sighed. "Kin, everyone in this place has lost someone." I could see that he didn't know how to reply, so I continued, hoping he would just listen. 

"I know that you like it here, that you feel you're safe, but just because you feel that, it doesn't mean that everyone else has to, as well." 

"I still don't understand that." He spoke up, shaking his head in distraction. When he saw the subtle, muddled expression on my face, he apologized. "Sorry. That's not what this is about." 

Sighing, I continued. "I really don't like it here, MiKinley. I want out." 

"Is this because of what Charleston did?" His voice was tender. 

I shook my head. "No.. I don't know. I guess it just freaked me out a little." I shook it off, much to the dismay of MiKinley. 

"Pip, he didn't just 'freak you out a little', he tried to touch you. You know what that means." 

"But do I?" I asked him, bewildered. "Do I really know what it means? Do any of us?" 

He immediately shot me a look of impatience, as though he was ready to whip me back into place if I finished my trail of thoughts. "Pip, drop it." He ordered. 

Though I wasn't about to argue, I couldn't deny the feeling. 

The feeling that everything was wrong. 

-fifteen--

I miss my life in Australia.

It's been the loneliest 10 months of my life. 

Please don't forget to comment! It's what keeps me writing! ^Sorry for being so sad, lol.