WIP Wednesday
/////Neil hallucinates about his past/////
Stefan was supposed to be two years older than Abram and had told his mom she was pushing it a bit too much. “Nobody will believe it” he warned and she didn’t listen. Just put her hand through his black hair. Just smiled a tired smile.
“But you’re so grown up, no longer my little baby” she said on a very good day.
He still worried. Stefan worried a lot, his mom was on the fence regarding the subject. It was good when she agreed and annoying when she didn’t. She was often tired. These days, Stefan taught her a bit sloppy, but he didn’t want to push it. Not on the day of St. Anthony when the city square was preparing a carnival. The girl with brown pigtail will attend.
She was pretty, brown hair and green eyes. High cheekbones. Stefan first saw her when he tried to buy the new teen vogue. There was a single copy left on the kiosk and his mother was outside drinking coffee, Stefan fought her for it right up until the cashier said he should let the pretty girl have at it, “How old are you even?” and Stefan answered the unsuiting number his mom gave him. They could see he was lying.
The girl was kind though, when he said he only wanted the DayMoriyama interviewer she let him read it with her, then ripped one page of the interview and gave it to him. She asked him if he would be at the festival. He nodded and that was that.
His mother was really tired and he helped her sell the circus tickets right up until his break. He told himself she let him slip away, because his mother was smart and always on guard. She must have known, he reasoned. The later beating would prove him wrong. In of itself that was a terrifying thought, that as young as he was he could slip away, distract her enough to disappear. He was a kid, the men chasing them weren’t.
But it felt amazing then, weird but good. Seeing the girl, saying hi. She was surrounded by her friends but came to him alone, they went behind a tent and talked for a minute, three. "What’s up with you?" she asked through a laugh," you’re so weird?", her lips seemed permanently stretched out, her eyes were an empty hazel turning gold, a dangerous glint to them that sliced Stefan in half, peeled the shell off until only Abram remained.
“I don't really do life” he had told her and she looked at him like he was crazy, “Too busy running away for it?” she barked out, “Rabbit” he stepped closer to him, put his hand around his neck, palm on the nape to keep him near, as if Abram wanted anything more than to stay.
