@6ore [mari]: where do you go when you sneak out?
you don't answer immediately β you never do, not when it matters. your fingers curl against the edge of the cabin's window, pressing into the worn wood in an attempt to ground yourself there. like maybe this moment won't eventually drift away like all the others. yourr eyes are somewhere distant β outside, maybe, but more likely buried in the place you don't talk about with the others. the place you slip into. THEY'RE WATCHING YOU. it's voice again β it doesn't scare you anymore, not like it did months ago. it just is, as present as the wind that moves through the trees, or the hunger that never leaves your stomach. it doesn't shout β it knows. it pulses behind your eyes, rising up your throat. TELL HER. SHE WANTS TO KNOW. THEY ALWAYS WANT TO KNOW, BUT THEY NEVER SEE. βi have a spot.β you finally answer, voice coming out far more softer and steadier than hers.
you breathe in β count to four. you breathe out β count to six. again, again, like a ritual. like protection.
βi... pray, i guess.β if you can even call it that. you turn to face the other, mari's eyes watching you like she's trying to pin you down, and open you up like a book. βitβs not far...β you donβt mean for it to sound like an invitation, but the words still come out: βyou can come next time, if you want.β
