I was never meant to fly.

namine quickly grabbed the sketchbook, afraid that the other had taken a look in it. not that she was hiding anything secret, it was just very private to her. “thank you…” she replied quietly, staring at the floor before looking up at the stranger, to be met with a surprise. “do — do i know you? you seem…familiar.”

“. . . You’re welcome.” Maybe this was a mistake? A confrontation with Namine inserted the wrong piece to the wrong puzzle. Or could it be the other way around? The blonde haired male didn’t quite know for sure.  Denial? Possibly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he started, but there was something that caused him to retreat from his evasive behavior. “I guess. . . You do too.” Why couldn’t he just deny it?  “How long have you been in here?”

Footsteps echoed behind him, and as each step sounded– the corners of his lips turned into a scowl.  Why couldn’t they just stop?  “Are you here… To stop me too?” Bitterness coated the tired words spoken by the boy living life as an empty shell. 

He held a brightly coloured lollipop, the wrapping the only sound breaking the silence around them in that moment. A sheepish laugh followed as he extended his hand out into the gap between them. Above, the light flickered, casting fleeting shadows on the walls and the tile around their feet.    

The gentle rustling of paper between his fingers caused brilliant cerulean irises to turn. A childish curiosity couldn’t be contained, but it vanished after a moment of revealing itself.  “. . .!” But is this some sort of trick? Something in those surreal irises made him want to trust him, they seemed sincere. Maybe this place heightened their level of security? People who were good with lying? Eyes resting on the desired sweet, “Is this a new tactic. . .? Or are you really offering this to me?”