Spiral ~Three~

Twos means you're not alone.

When I get home, Ellis gives me one final smile before leaving me on my doorstep. I watch as the shadows reach for him and then caress him, finally hiding him from view.

 

Eli should be in bed and I don’t feel like climbing to my own room when I don’t have to. I open the door and step in quietly. I’m not Ellis, but I can still efficiently sneak. I’m on the second stair when a voice growls from behind me. “Where have you been?”

 

I turn around and sigh, hands on my hips. “What are you doing, Eli?”

 

He ignores my question and continues his face taut with anger. “Do you know how worried I was? I went upstairs to see if you wanted to make something to eat, and you were gone. For three hours!”

 

I open my mouth to explain, but apparently he’s still not done. “And then you come home with some guy? How often do you do this?”

 

Finally, panting and red-faced, he stops. I roll my eyes. “He’s not just some guy, and it doesn’t matter how often I do it. I went out with Ellis because he asked-“

 

“Ellis? You went ‘out’ with some guy named Ellis?” Why can’t he just listen and stop being such a stupid meathead? I can’t control my anger anymore and I finally shout back at him.

 

“Yeah, Ellis, some guy who actually remembered what today is!”

 

He looks confused, “Today’s Saturday, the ninth.”

 

I look at him, tears welling involuntarily in my eyes. “It’s my birthday, you stupid f**k!”

 

With that, I turn around and storm upstairs, making it to my room in record time. Eli is shouting at me to let him in, but I just turn my music on. After he leaves five minutes later (such dedication), I make my way over to a drawer by my window.

 

That’s not my only window by the way, I have a skylight that’s four feet wide and four and a half feet long. It’s above my bed.

 

In it happens to be a half empty bottle of Smirnoff and a pack of smokes. I grab the bottle and save the Newport 100’s for later. Flopping onto my bed, I grab my laptop and take a swig.

 

I open my word processor and begin to write. It takes about four more swigs before I’m good and bad-feeling-less. My long distance friend Toby video chats me and I turn my music up a bit louder.

 

We end up having a dance party, me jumping and jamming on my bed while he pulls stupid poses. At three in the morning, I say goodbye and grab the pack of cigarettes. Feet dangling off of the window ledge, I blow the cool smoke through my lips.

 

It begins to calm me down and before I know it, I’m crying about my sorry excuse for a life.

 

When I wake in the morning, one leg is dangling out the window and my arm is behind my head on the window seat. Groaning, I slither my way to the floor, untangling my limbs.

 

I’m seventeen.

 

That thought didn’t really seem to register last night. I know that Eli probably meant well, but I am so fed up with his perfection.

 

It seems so unfair, that one should be loved by most, and one should be loved by few. Guess Spock was right when he said the needs of the many outweigh the need of the few.

 

School starts Tuesday, so I still have three days of no ridicule left. Two actually, because my dad gets back from Majorca Sunday night. I decide to go to the beach, which usually cheers me up.

 

Downstairs, Eli is eating cereal in the living room. I walk past, twisting my hair into a bun. The only thing I have on me is my knife (always), and my iPod. I pull on my Converse and wrench open the door. “Maddy wait!”

 

I roll my eyes and turn around. “Happy Birthday...” I spit a quit thanks and begin to jog. It will take me fifteen minutes to get there and by that time, I’ll be sweaty and can just jump in the water.

 

Halfway through my jog, someone falls in beside me. “So you’re the Sinner?”

 

I glance sideways, “Who are you?”

 

“Max Banterfield, I was told you could help me.” His black hair is messy and he has a crisp blue shirt on. He’s not sweating, either.

 

“Well, you were told wrong.” I focus on keeping my breathing even and step up my strides a little bit. Even if I smoke occasionally, I’m still in okay shape.

 “Look, I’m no one, and it’s going to stay that way,” I snipe as the beach comes into view.

He stops and I look back at him. His grin tells me he knows something I don’t, which pisses me off. I stop and go back to him. “You can’t expect people to accept you if you don't accept yourself.”

 

I glare at him angrily. “You don’t know anything about me. I accept who I am, I embrace it.”

 

“You don’t and you know it,” His eyes narrow and he’s amused.

 

“Just go,” I roll my eyes and start to jog away from him.

 

“You can’t hide forever, Deary! Judgement is coming!” Max calls after me. When I glance back, he is gone.

 

Trying to distract myself, I throw myself into the water, feeling the sand for a moment before resurfacing. My pants lay on the shore, and my iPod and knife are zipped inside one of the pockets.

 

People are beginning to fill up the beach and a few children are splashing around in the water. I take a deep breath and slick my hair back underwater. When I come up again, my eyes are drawn to guy pulling his shirt off. As he does, part of his tanned waist slips away from his shorts.

 

I almost fall underwater again I realize what is on his hip.

 

He has a black spiral with spikes disrupting the curves.

 

The same mark I have on my hip.

Author's Note

"Maybe there's a God above
And all I ever learned from love
was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you
Its not a cry you can hear at night
Its not somebody who's seen the light
Its a cold and its a broken hallelujah" -Rufus Wainwright, Hallelujah

Reviews

[Ahmad Cox]

Love that song. But I really enjoy the set up of the character and the setup to the cliffhanger at the end. I am looking forward to reading on.

[Sunny Skye]

Another excellent chapter! I am loving it! Good job, i wish i could write my books as good as this.

-SkyeBlanco

[Dark and Mysterious]

You've got me hooked. Can't wait for more.

[Rhea752]

AWESOMENESS!!!!!! keep writing more!!! :D

[♪The Girl Next Do..]

Awesome chapter!!! I can't wait for more!

[Sophie]

I LOVE THAT SONG, LOOK UP THE KATE VOEGELE VERSION!
oooo! more please!