Rehab- Chapter Three

Solace stood in the airport with her passport and ticket in her left hand, her carry on black bag swung over her shoulders and a large black suitcase beside her. The bangs of her hair were still long and thrown in thick black strands over her lashes. Her jeans were a bit fitted and hugged her legs almost like a second skin. They were black and tucked into black boots that were only giving her two extra inches. She’d thrown a black coat over the long sleeved deep purple sweater/blouse. The rims of her eyes were outlined with black eyeliner that made her gray eyes seem like dark storm clouds echoing off the tides of a raging sea. The black made her skin appear paler than it usually was; more Ethereal in some ways. Like always, people were watching her like she had sprung and extra head and it was asking what was for dinner. She never understood how adults could attempt to teach their kids not to stare at people when they were blatantly doing the same. There wasn’t a difference even if you were looking from your peripheral. It was still staring.

A chuckle rumbled through her chest and she shook her head slowly as she felt the woman in front of her trying hard not to do just that. Maybe it was harder for her because Solace insisted on staring directly at her. The woman actually flinched when she heard the chuckle. She cleared her throat and turned her head to face front and step up in the line.

In a few minutes, Solace would be on a plane with half of her belongings to someplace she’d never cared to go. It wasn’t an exciting thought as it should’ve been, but it was a thought worth pondering for the spear time she had before she boarded. She leaned to the side and saw that there were quite a few others that needed to give the attendant their boarding pass. She leaned back in the line and nearly stumbled when she felt something hit the back of her leg. With brow already quirked she turned slowly and looked down at the back of her leg to see a little girl on her butt. She looked up at Solace and pouted. Somehow she’d fallen and Solace supposed that she’d hurt herself more than she’d her. Already in motion to turn and help the little girl up, she watched as small, frantic tanned arms swept down and snatched the girl away.

"Don’t touch my daughter!" she heard the woman say before she could look up.

Solace looked up at the woman and saw an anger in her eyes that should only be reserved for someone who’d just ran over your cat and screamed "hot dang I got em’". Solace laughed softly and turned back around, knowing damn well that she’d taken the woman by surprise by not retaliating with something to say.

"Mommy who is she?" The little girl asked, her voice sounding small and adorable as the mounds of curls atop her head. She couldn’t be any older than four.

"Don’t worry about that darling. Stay away from people like that okay. You could get hurt."

Solace wasn’t sure if the woman was baiting her to say something or if she simply thought she was speaking soft enough for her not to over hear. Either way, she heard the words and it made her laugh again, but there was no humor in her voice, nothing to suggest that she actually found the woman funny and thought nothing of her rude remark and implications.

"You sure have a lot of patience." She heard a woman say from behind her. She turned and looked past the woman’s heated stares, to a lady behind her. She was young, about the same age as Solace, her hair was the opposite of what Solace’s was; a shimmering golden blonde that was cut right to her jaw line and eyes that were light green that looked nearly cat like. She gave Solace a crooked grin that was breath-taking and heart stopping. The woman with the child turned to look at the other girl to say something obviously mean and stopped short when she saw the girl’s appearance. She was a clean cut all American girl, what could she possibly say? She turned back to see Solace’s smiling face and turned a deeper shade of red. The little girl placed her fragile little palm on her mother’s forehead.

"Mommy your head’s hot. You must be sick." She said, oblivious to her mother’s anger that was really over nothing she could change.

"I’ve learned the hard way to ignore natural a*s holes who can’t seem to control their nature." Solace said, as she turned back around and left one woman laughing and the other fuming and exclaiming about her using profanity around her child. As if that was the worst that would happen to the rug-rat.

Well, at least the seats were comfortable, and the flight was on time. Not bad weather either. Apparently that, was all the perks Solace was going to get. She always thought that flight attendants were suppose to be pleasant, willing to serve with a over zealous grin. Courtney…the stewardess got pissed when Solace called her just that and insisted rather politely that she be called flight attendant. Solace kept ‘accidentally’ calling her stewardess. Yeah, after that the flight was simply horrible. She sat back in her seat, looking out her window and sighed. She had to admit, window seats were a perk as well.

"Not a bad view huh?" She didn’t turn to see who it was, because she really didn’t think that they were speaking to her. However, the person was talking to her, obviously a female, and she wasn’t giving in. Solace had wondered if Dr. Stratson had arrange with the airline that she sit alone on her flight, because the flight seemed booked and yet she sat alone. Solace felt when that seat got occupied. The person obviously was relentless. Peachy.

"I mean it looks great from below, but when you’re way up here…" She left it there. Solace didn’t aid her with finishing the sentence. It was if the girl hadn’t really sat there. Why do they ever give people leave to roam about the cabinet when the plane was leveled? Should always keep them seated so that they don’t bother anyone else, like this lady was. Just when Solace thought she was going to leave her be, she felt a finger poking at her shoulder.

"Hel-lo? Anyone in there?" She sang.

Solace turned slowly and saw that it was the same girl from the airport. She had a thought that maybe this stranger thought she owed her some kind of friendship after the quick chuckle she provided in the airport.

"Yes?" The girl had the heart to chuckle and turn her body towards Solace.

"Sorry, but I hate flying without company. The guy in my isle just keeps snoring. Saw you were alone and decided to come over." The sun finally found competition.

"Oh goodie." Solace began to turn back to the window when the girl grabbed her shoulder.

"Wait! What’s your name?"

Solace looked at the girl’s hand on her shoulder and watched it ease away slowly. She looked back at the girl and stared her down till she seemed to shrink away. One day she was going to have to see what everyone else saw when she did that look. That would be interesting. The girl looked eager, hopeful, afraid and shy all at once. So much emotions at one time made Solace want to bring up her bagel and cream cheese.

"M-my name is Angel." Solace wondered if Angel thought introducing herself first would make her want to do the same thing. Some days Solace was easier than normal…today she wasn’t.

"Besides some life threatening need for you to know my name…Angel, why are you bothering me?" That one question made Angel’s bottom lip tremble and her eyes to spring a leak. God the girl was really going to weep all over Solace. Great.

Solace sighed and turned her head back to the window.

"Really not up for this s**t today…" She mumbled to herself, all along Angel sniffed and sobbed her humble friendly little heart away.

"I just thought…you were an interesting person…and-"

"And what? We could chat, become good friends and go paint each other’s toe nails?" Solace had turned back to the girl slowly and met her eyes with a look of disbelief.

"That’s more than likely not going to happen…Angel. So why don’t we end this before you start soaking me in your tears?"

The girl actually had the grace to pout and bite her top lip. Tears were sliding down her cheeks and soaking into the collar of her emerald green sweater. This was really too dramatic for a simple rebuff.

"Please don’t push me away…please?" Solace actually looked at the girl and saw that she was quite serious. If there was ever a time that Solace was confused, it was never as much as this. The girl was sobbing and drawing attention to them.

"Why are you crying?" The tone in her voice sounded very neutral. Cookies for her.

"I just," She sniffed and tried again. "I just don’t like being alone. I hate flying and now I have to go to this place far away from home because my parents think I’m crazy. It’s a lot at one time." Angel’s story sounded too much like Solace’s. God she was hoping, no, praying that this girl was not meaning Dale West.

Solace tilted her head slowly to the side and squinted her eyes a bit. She had to ask.

"Where?"

Angel frowned and it was obvious when she caught to what Solace was asking her.

"It’s a place in Dublin."

"You don’t say. Now let’s try not and state the obvious here, be more specific seeing as though it is common knowledge that that is where this plane is landing." Solace’s sarcasm was just adding insult to injury for Angel. The poor girl was trying hard to refrain from sobbing all over herself in front of all the strangers.

"Oh…its called Dale West. It’s a rehabilitation center."

Solace closed her eyes and counted to ten, decided that wasn’t enough and made it to thirty. By then Angel was beginning to believe that something was wrong.

"Hey are you okay?" She said, entering Solace’s private space again by shaking her shoulder. Long black hair fell over her face and the contrast was striking.

"Don’t touch me." Solace said as she sat back and continued to look out the window. She wanted to ask the pilot if this thing could go in reverse or how much extra would she have to pay to kick open the emergency exit and utilize her parachute. That was the best plan she could come up with to get rid of this clingy chick.

"F**k…" She said with some sense of feeling.

"Um, what’s wrong?"

Solace shook her head,not only in response to Angel’s question, but simply because she was exhausted. No sleep again last night, and jet lag was finally slipping in.

"Solace." She said her eyes still on the blue sky.

"I beg your pardon?" Angel asked, confusion obvious in the tune.

"That’s my name. Now be a good girl and tune down the multiple emotional attacks while I get some shut eye. I’m sure we’ll have enough time to talk later." It was obvious from the way she said that she was dreading the hour. Angel did pipe down but even with her eyes closed, Solace could feel he eagerness. Gah…

 

Reviews

[Tim]

Another great chapter. I love the way you portray Solace's character. You really bring to life her character with your words and descriptions of her.
There are a couple of spelling mistakes and maybe the use of a couple of wrong words. But it is another excellent chapter.