Lena needed a fortress to protect her. A hundred knights in shining armour stationed at every border. Hah! Ready! They’d die for her. She burrowed her head into her pillow. Dark room. Noon light. Under the curtains. Murmurs. Dad in his office. Cases. Clients.
Carey. In the Kitchen. Pancakes. Extra chocolate chips. She always made some for Lena. She nibbled on them timidly.
“It’s okay Lena…” Carey squeezed her shoulder. Carey. A home shield. Bronze. Yet the world was harsher.
Mr Rickson told her to take a break. We got it. Ronnie, Carl, and I.
Lena. Hair unkempt. Frizzy puffball. Pink bunny pyjamas. Soap smell. Bare, without armour, vulnerable.
The living room. Micheal Stan dancing on TV. Poppy tunes. Frosted tips. Blanket covered on the couch. Hiding.
Mark came by the bookstore determined. Lena. Lena would be his love. Box of chocolates. Flowers. Mr Rickson was in the back opening the new boxes. Books. Of course.
Ronny. Twenty. Brunette. Brown eyes. Buttermilk skin. Pastels. Sat at the counter chewing bubble gum. Pop.
“Mark right? What are you doing here?” They had met once or twice. He was handsome, she’d never forget that.
“Is Lena here?” He looked around.
“No… She’s unwell…”
“Oh… Can you give these to her from me?” He smiled.
So cute. Damn cute. Cheesy smile. Spiky hair. A potential knight in shining armour.
Ronny took the flowers and chocolates.
“Sure…”
Mark turned.
“Wait… Mark… Take this… Lena loves poetry. Especially, Simon Taylor.”
Mr Rickson leant on the wall. A wry smile. “You keep giving away free books - I’ll go out of business.”
“You literally give away more than I do! Besides, Rook Books has been around for like a bazillion years…” She laughed.
Ronny. Scooter. Flowers on the back. She ate the chocolates. The wind carrying the flowers. Rustling. Unsecured. Freedom.
“Wait! No!” She parked. The flowers floated off the bridge like a pixie. Into the canal. Wet. Sinking.
Ethan tied up the condom. Protection. He left the girl sweating. Blushing. Pink. He put on his shirt. He tied his black hair into a bun. Wet strands on his forehead. Chiseled bones. Sharp grey eyes.
Ethan. Nineteen. Law school. VU. He saw flowers floating off the canal. Strange. Looking up. A scooter buzzing away.
A party. New girls. Fresh plastic. Intense gaze. He kissed her, clothes falling, bodies quaking. But it wasn’t enough. Empty. Loveless.
Ethan imagined he would be a good boyfriend. Not the typical white knight in shining armour. But a black knight - a killer in the bedroom, a leader in a relationship, a force to be reckoned with. 45 mins in front of the mirror. Cream routine. Damn under eye circles. Fucking hell. Cream. Again.
Lena went for a walk. A day walk. Not as good. But the night was off limits. Dad. Mr Rickson. They all thought she was a kid. The day was easier. Busier. You couldn’t stop in the road, otherwise you’d be trampled. Paper thin. The park by her house was nice. Lollipop green trees. Children laughing. Slide sliding. Swings Swinging. Thud. Ouch. Tears. Parents rushing.
Lena sat on a park bench. She wanted to forget. That man, bleeding, was never found. The police had questioned her. Only a puddle of blood was left. They couldn’t identify the man, even with Lena’s description. As for the boy. It was too fast. But they drew something up, in case.
Maybe the man woke up. Feeling better. Thanking Lena, her clotting hoodie. To the hospital or maybe for ice cream.
Lena had a popsicle. Lemon and raspberry.
“That looks really yum.”
Lena looked up. It was a boy. He was… He was hot. Model hot. Why was he talking to her?
“Um… Yeah… It’s good…”
“Sorry to bother you… My name is Ethan… I don’t really do this… but I was wondering if you wanted to hang out sometime?”
“Me?”
“Yes you… I promise I’m not a weirdo… I just saw you, and had a feeling we could be friends…”
“Um… I guess…”
“Great…”
Ethan and Lena. A quick turn. Ethan was touchy. Subtle at first. A knock on the shoulder. Reaching out. Hand holding. Cheek booping. Lena, puzzled, mesmerised. He was a law student at VU. He was interesting. Read philosophy. A bit pseudo-intellectual. Still smart though.
They went for regular walks around the city as if he was her escort. Well, just in Moira. No where near the tunnel. Not near the kickball courts. He kissed Lena underneath an oak tree. Holding her waist. Her eyes, hot. Melting. Like cooked yolks. She didn’t know why Ethan was making a girlfriend out of her. He was handsome for sure. It was just happening. Too fast to resist. Magnetised.
“You miss your Mom… But you do realise that you have to let her go,” Ethan said. Warm peach sky. On the terrace.
“I just can’t… I need her…”
“You don’t need her… You have me… Put your faith in me, Lena… I’ll take care of you…”
“Ethan…”
“Don’t say anything…” he said, kissing her. Lena. Kissing back. He had plastic. It was rubbing on the inside of his pocket. An uncomfortable square.
“Hey… Why don’t you come over to mine tonight? You can meet my flatmates and we can watch a movie…”
“I can’t… I have a curfew… Dad won’t let me go…”
“Is it because of the man in the tunnel? Like I said before… You are a hero… Did the right thing. You need to understand that things like this happen in Velmora. A girl can’t walk around at night without her boyfriend to protect her. You are my girl - So I won’t let anyone hurt you…”
“Um… I guess…”
“I know you are hiding something…” Carey said. Cornering.
Lena shook her head. Pink.
“You have a boyfriend.”
“Shhhh…. Dad’s around…”
“Well?”
“Ethan is really nice…” She looked at the ground.
Carey. Lena. Ethan. At a local coffee shop. Stilted.
Ethan rolled his eyes. Why was she here? She was a less pretty version of Lena. A clunky one. Wide eyes. Big nose. A threat.
“This is my sister, Carey… Carey… this is um… my Ethan..”
Ethan smiled. Teeth serrated. Carey. Uneasy. He had the energy of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She smiled through her teeth the whole time. Ethan talked about law school, the parties, the girls. Why would he talk about the girls?
“Oh, you are applying to VU too? What program?”
“Musical theatre.”
“Oh. I’m sure that will be interesting…”
Tight fists. Underneath the table. Punching fists. Red, burning. Carey held back.
“Lena… this guy is a player… I’ve seen them everywhere… Has he tried to have sex with you? You’ve only known each other for three weeks…”
“Carey… I think so too… But… But he said he’d protect me… I-I need that…”
“Lena… I don’t know…”
“Trust me…” Lena said. Carey sat on the end of her bed for a while. She gave Lena her unicorn night light. Baby sister. Trust.
Lena made out with Ethan. His room. One night. Escaped. Losing herself. Losing it all. His hands, like slithering snakes. What happened, happened. Plastic square ripping. Skin pushing. But there was faith. And that was it.
“Don’t wear that… It’s ugly… Don’t you want to look good next to me?” Ethan said, as Lena came down in her bunny hoodie. Pink and bunnyish.
“Don’t worry… I’ll buy you something better.”
They weren’t thinking. Passing by. Passing by the Kickball court. Green cement. Wire-linked fences caging the perimeter. Mark watched the pair. Laughing. Lena. And him.
“You have to overcome your fear…” Ethan said. Pushing. Orange lights. A mouth. A tunnel.
Lena. Teeth bared. Crushing. Grinding.
“I can’t…”
“You have to… I’m right here…”
“Um… Okay…”
Eyes shut. They walked through the tunnel. Man, bleeding, on the ground. Man, bleeding, alone. It was her fault.
“Lena… Open your eyes…” he said.
Tight. Scrunched. Easing. Slow. Open. The view from the other side of the tunnel was beautiful. An egg yolk sky and the entire cityscape. Stone towers. Flags soaring.
“I… did it…”
“You did it because of me… remember that…”
She tugged his sleeve. Leaning in. Looking up. Big eyes. A kiss. Like perfect poison. A narcotic neverland with the black knight.
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