Ten

This is on hiatus. Indefinitely.

Nine

"Bout fucking time!" was the greeting that slapped Lenny around the face. He opened his eyes slowly and made out three figures standing at the end of his bed. The wrist stopped hurting and according to the doctors, there was no reason for him to stay in this death-infested place any longer. He was having mixed feelings about leaving. On one hand, he was more than pleased to be leaving soon, replacing this laboratory for a taste of the real world and on the other hand, he wanted to stay in this waiting room for heaven for ever, if that meant spending more time with Mia.

The wheelchair was rumbling down the hall, passing endless row of doors, each hiding a world of pain behind. The neon lights were casting soft shadows everywhere, nurses were buzzing around like drones and Lenny again felt a surge of life passing through him. His friends giggled and joked, but his eyes kept scanning the place, hoping for a last glimpse of Mia.

Out on the parking lot, a car was waiting and they loaded Lenny into the back seat, being extra careful. "I feel like a criminal being pushed into the police car" Lenny thought as they pushed his head down gently, preventing to hit the side of the car with it.

Annie hung up the phone and stared into the green-lit screen. "What now?" her mind was asking her in a loud, annoying voice, making her squirm. She hated herself when she was like that, pushing herself around and mistreating herself. But as long as she could remember, this was the way things were. Her bare feet walked across the cool tiles as she fixed some breakfast, staring through the window of her apartment, seeing people moving around like ants. She hated her work, she hated her life and everything she did was just making her even more miserable. She wanted a cure, a quick way out of this, highway route to paradise without any toll.

She roamed the city like a vampire, a sailor who just came in the port, not knowing anybody, strolling around and passing time just to sail away again. Walking pass the happy people, the sad people, people holding hands, people smoking cigarettes and scaterring the ashes everywhere, offering the wind something to play with. She was window-shopping, feeling uncomfortable under the dead glare of the mannequins, their skin smooth and silky under the cold light.

"This city is too small for me" she mumbled under her breath, little puffs of air coming out as she passed familiar faces, faces with stories attacted to them. Everywhere she went, there were things and people reminding her of the past, a time that she wanted to put away for good. She wished she could discard it as simply as throwing away the butt of the cigarette that flickered in the air and finally died out, only a small pile of ashes left behind.

The soundtrack of the street was bringing her down, a broken record blaring on repeat through a busted speaker. She had enough. The checked the time and called a cab. She had to get out of here.

Eight

"This is all bullshit" she thought, getting up just in time to go to work. The air was cool but heating up as the sun was getting higher and higher, waking up the earth. She took the elevator this time, regretting it the minute she stepped inside and was greeted by the warm stale scent of piss. "What do these people thing, pissing inside an elevator?" she mumbled, checking her watch. The pressure of heat piled upon her as she exited the building, and she felt the sweat dripping. "Damnit, damnit, damnit!" she cursed, walking faster, trying to get there as soon as possible. The eye of a spyglass that was watching her like a hawk from across the street was the least of her worries.

He was moved out of the intensive care the next day. The air was better in here and there was more people. Lenny watched them coming and going, seeing the visitors bringing gifts and comforting the patients, making up stories about where they came from, where they are going and what happened to them. He was hoping to see Mia again, always holding his breath as the door swung opened, but alas, no such luck. "She probably has other stuff on her mind" he said to himself as the hour of visitations came to an end. The city wrapped itself in that summer evening light, lights blinking everywhere and he could hear the noise of the street coming from far away, brought in on the wings of the wind. And just like that, she was there, a swish of air and he felt her lips on his, whispering "How did you get here?" in between. She looked at his eyes and he felt like he was drowning in a pool of green water, slowly losing the ability to breathe and think.

Annie sat behind her desk, looking around, thinking of what the hell is she going to do with her life. The break-up, the tiredness, all pointed to the end of an era. "We all have to die sometimes" she thought as her brain was busy making up a new plan. Itwas hard for her, being caught in the web of routine for the past four months. Talk, fuck, argue. Argue, fuck, talk. And in the end, there was just argue, argue, argue. But she felt comfortable knowing that arguments and sex and those few words they said to each other in between was everything there was, there is and there is going to be when Lenny was around. Now, with Lenny out of the picture, she found herself on an uncharted territory, something so alien and strange that she did not know what to make of it. She lost a compass and now she was struggling to find up and down, left and right.

Mia was a puzzle for Lenny. The more he thought about her, the less sense she made. She was like a dream come true, someone who cared for him and took care of him, fulfilling almost every need imaginable. He was afraid the day of discharge from the hospital would come and he would probably loose her. The food went cold on his plate and he stared into the meat and potatoes. Losng Mia would mean certain death. He had nobody on the outside, all the friends and people went with Annie and right now the outside was similar to this meat and potatoes in front of him. Cold and without much taste.

The other patients shrieked at the sound of porcelain breaking. At first, everything was a blur, and alarms went off all over the place, nurses running from every possible direction. Lenny was lying on the floor, covered in food and blood, gushing from his neck. A sharp piece of what used to be his plate was sticking out, like an ice berg out of the ocean of blood. With the sight of his own hands covered in blood, Lenny passed out.

Annie walked home slowly, thinking about the day that was ending with every single step. Nothing. Nothing made this day special or nice or unique. It was just another one of a long line of days that felt like their only purpose was to fill a space in a calendar. And push her closer to her death. "Fuck this" she cursed under her breath, kicking a small stone which bounced off a speeding car and got lost in the concrete jungle. The fumes tickled her nose and throat, making her fill her lungs with lead and others metals, as common as ordinary air. Which on the other hand was becoming more and more of a rarity. "You have to die from something, right?" she giggled and checked for her phone. It was high time to call someone. Anyone. Misery is smaller when shared.

Seven

"Why does not she answer?" Peter was asking himself while staring in the blue screen of his phone. He looked through the spyglass and there she was, alone in her apartment, with the phone on the cupboard. He cursed and hung up, getting himself a glass of water. His apartment was just across the street and he controlled it. His wheelchair prevented him from getting out much, always being insecure about his own figure but when inside of his apartment, he was god. He`s been observing her for the past few months, ever since they met outside, she coming off from work and he taking one of his rare walks. He truly loved her. The way she moved around, the way her flat looked, the way she was sleeping. She offered him her phone number, in case he needed something or was in distress. She was a nice girl and sometimes Peter felt bad for using her. But on the other hand, he was drawing a very fine line between obsessing about her on the inside and keeping his cool on the outside, appearing as a caring, disabled neighbour to her. Peter rolled away from the window, moving back into the kitchen, putting away the glass and staring into the sink, watching the water disappearing into a big black hole. A hole, as big as his heart.

Lenny could not believe the girl was back. Just after the nurses and the doctor finished their routine with the poking and flashing a light in his face, she was there, with that perfect scent and her gentle touch, holding his hand and playing with his fingers. He tried to speak and tell her how grateful he is for her company, but she shook head, whispering "Save your strenghts...you`ll need them later". Lenny nodded and smiled, slipping away into the land of the dream, feeling her fingers guiding him there.

She woke up late at night, stared at the watch and cursed. It was almost midnight and she did not feel sleepy at all. "Damnit Annie," she said to herself "when are you going to go to bed like a normal person?" She stood up, still a little woozy, the fresh night air coming through the crack of the window, brushing against her hot and dry skin, making it stretch back in its original position. She powered up her laptop and waited for it to boot up, humming a melody in her head, glancing through the window, where rare clouds were chasing each other across the moonless sky. Pressing her face against the window, cooling off her forehead and closing the window at the same time, pushing it backwards. She moved back and opened it whole, her hair caught in the night wind and her gown floating ever so gently. She took a deep breath, looking down onto the street, seeing creatures of the night gather.

"My name is Mia. Mia Reg..." she whispered and kissed him with her moist lips. Lenny`s heart shivered and he propped himself up, never wanting the kiss to end. Mia giggled and flicked her tongue over his cracked lips, staring deep into his eyes. "I`ll always be here" she whispered and moved away a little, allowing Lenny to catch some air. All of the sudden, this deathroom did not feel half as empty and life was again worth living. He did not know what exactly happened for this angel to come into his life, but now that Mia was here, he was not to let her go.

"Good morning, sunshine" Peter whispered while peering down the shaft of the telescope, moving it slowly over her neck, breasts and face, almost making love to her by remote. His left hand moved slowly into his lap, feeling his cock rise up slowly, rubbing it gently through the fabric of his pajama pants. The accident left him paralysed from the waist down, but sometimes, he could swear he could feel something moving down there, as if my some phantom force. He sighed deeply as she closed the window and pulled the curtains, ending his phantasy with a swish. He moved back into the darkness. Waiting for another sunrise.

Annie went inside, taking off her night gown, feeling the fabric almost soaked with sweat and moving into the bathroom. She felt the cool water hit her like icicles and like a giant flood, wipe out the traces of the day. The dirt, from the inside and outside, was washed away as the water dripped from her body, making her shiver in the nightly air. Annie moved back into the living room, her wet feet making noises on the floors and leaving small footprints that were evaporating very fast. "You`ll have to go to work tomorrow" she pondered, as her position as the executive`s right hand did not offer much room for slacking. She lied down, closing her eyes and seeing those bright vivid circles on the inside of her eyes, which always appeared when she was not sleepy but needed to sleep. And after an hour, even thouse circles went out. And she was sounds asleep.

Six

The air was stuffed and humid. The stench of the hospital rooms lingered around, and not even the ventilation made it go away. Lenny sighed and regretted it the next second, as the deep intake of air caused the stench to move inside of him deeper.

His eyes scanned the room, found nothing of interest, the scene was the same for the past five days and nothing told him it was going to change. White furniture, green machines and neon light. Plus five bodies, breathing and fighting to get out of there.

Suddenly the door creaked and a head peeked inside. He propped himself on his elbows only to see a blond girl looking at him, smiling with her big green eyes. And before he even said a word or took another breath, she was gone, vanished into the outside world, changing into a figure, drawn in the sand. With the tide wipping it out.

She took the day off. She did not feel like spending another day in that stuffy office, doing stuff that will be long gone and forgotten the next day. She took off the covers and lied naked in her bed, the air conditioning cranked up, cool air running over her curves, making the skin prickle and nipples stand out. The sound of Joshua Redman on the speakers of the hi-fi, standing in the corner teased her ear drums while she rubbed herself, feeling the sweaty, hot hand heat the cool body up. She turned and finally got out of bed, her bare feet leaving small prints on the floor as she moved toward the bathroom, doing her usual morning routine. "Routine" she thought "that`s what is all about. The trick is not to notice it, not to see over the wall of things you do every day, every hour, every minute of your life. Once you see the other side, the green grass of insanity and chaos, you are finished. You are doomed forever to want to cross over, to strip the armour of routine and change into the slick coat of madness." She sighed and washed her face, thinking what will she do on her day off.

His eyes came into focus and he found himself staring into the face of the doctor, his partially opened mouth, revealing bad teeth, while a light was flashed in front of his eyes, expecting a reaction. He still felt a little groggy and his muscle ached, more from the fact that he`s been lying in this bed for days, not getting any exercise than the fact that the blow on the head almost cost him his life. The doctor was visibly content with the progress and left with the nurse following close behind him, taking notes. And again, the doors creaked and a blonde haired, green eyed head peaked in and winked at him. Lenny was dumb-founded. He did not remember the girl and the whole situation puzzled him. He dozed off.

Her cell-phone was ringing. More accurately, it was buzzing since she always kept it on silent mode when inside the house. She watched the plastic thing vibrate and move around, moving close to the edge of the table and then finally jumping off of it, moving through the air towards the floor. When it hit the floor with a loud bang, it did not stop, but kept on buzzing through the dust and hair that was lying in her room. She stared at it and then recoiled, picking it up and wipping it. She glanced at the caller`s ID and shivered. She did not want to talk to Him right now.

Lenny opened his eyes again and there she was, grinning at him from the end of the bed. He wanted to ask her who she was, but the pain was too much. She put her finger on her lips and moved closer, stroking his hand slowly. He felt her fingers moving up and down his arm, playing with his hair and her scent filled his head, replacing the awful stench of the place. He smiled and closed his eyes, listening to her breathing. And all of the sudden, she was gone, the skin still prickled from her fingertips. The nurse came in to check up on the patient. Lenny sighed and turned around, the image of the blonde angel roaming in his head.

He kept calling her. She was annoyed and at five o`clock in the afternoon she finally had enough of it and turned her phone off completely. She realised that she did not say a word for the whole day and just for the sake of it, she started reading an article out loud, hearing her voice echo in the empty flat while she glanced over to the turned off phone, half-expecting it to start ringing again, as if some magic force turned it on. "Calm down girl" she said to herself, "just relax and take a deep breath. If it was something important, people would come knocking". She stretched out and read on, her voice floating around the place, making the flat seem less empty and filled with life. "Sweet feeling of a lie" she thought.

Five

Waking up was always a long and unpleasant job for him. Waking up with his head wrapped up and his body hooked up to god knows what that went beep all the time was pure hell.

The sounds and sights were coming to him in waves. It was like an ocean was pounding against his ears and eyes, bringing with it all types of floatsam and jetsam. He could not move and his throat felt like a rugged side of sandpaper.

He closed his eyes again and comfortable darkness enveloped him, calming him down. And the noisy sounds making him drowsy, almost hypnotizing him.

For Janice, the sight was terrible. Her son, strapped to a bed, his mouth ajar with a tube going in, while three more tubes extruded from his arms and bladder made her shiver. "It`s as if he was dead" she thought to herself, gently stroking his arm. "He is going to make it" said the doctor, standing next to her "it`s just a horrible sight since the bat almost split his head." "Doctors always knew what to say" Janice thought bitterly "it`s like I don`t see it." But she smiled and nodded, sighing deeply. "How long has he been a narcoleptic?" the doctor asked, making Janice recoil and look up "A narco what?" she inquired with her eyes wide with shock. "We found some evidence of muscle tone loss. A common symptom of narcolepsy. I thought you were familiar with it." Janice shook her head, wondering if it was worth the trouble of explaining the situation to the doctor and to bring more shame upon her, not being able to play the role of a mother properly. She wondered if she would be able to explain the divorce, the fights, the new man in her life who almost killed her only child and all the things that happened in the past few years. She wondered and then decided against it. No point of baring her life in front of this complete stranger.

The room was half empty, only four out of nine beds were occupied and the breathing was the only sound that signified life in that room. Breathing and the constant beeping of the machinery, dictating the tempo. Janice sat in the chair that was propped next to his bed and started into the quiet and peaceful face of her son, who was captured in a land of dreamscapes and nightmares.

Checking through her mails, she found nothing unusual. Under unsual, see worth reading. She looked around the office, seeing people`s faces reflecting their computer screens, moving their eyes rapidly across the neon-lit windows into the world. She wanted to talk to someone, to feel the presence of another human being in this room, full of machinery that sounded, felt and smelled like a man-machine, on it`s way to destruction. The air was filled with ozon, the copying machines and the air conditioning units the main blame for it. "This sucks" she murmured as her skin prickled at the touch of conditioned air and she got up to get the blood going again. "Imagine freezing in the middle of the summer" she laughed on the inside while walking across the room, making a few people look up with their bloodshot eyes.

The traffic on the ground was getting thicker by the moment. She observed little bug cars from the height, so far away that they only appeared to her like specks of color, moving around on a gray board. She sighed, pressing her forehead onto the cool glass, leaving a greasy print, closing her eyes and letting the sounds of the office overflow her. "What now?" her mind whispered, chasing ghosts around, hearing his voice inside her head, his laughter, feeling his smile upon her face. "All gone" she thought, her eyes closed, tiny tears forming behind her eyelids. She recoiled, took a deep breath and turned around only to hit a guy, who happened to be passing by, causing his stack of papers to fly through the air, like pigeons, like a heart, shattering into a million pieces. The guy cursed and got down on all fours, picking the white pages quickly, while she stood there, being unable to help or even move. The rest of the office worked on, like a well-oiled machine, with a clear path in front of it.

Visiting hours were over and she found it hard to leave her son just lying there, being unable to help or to do the right thing. Eventhough she did not know what exactly the right thing would be at that exact moment. Her shoes clicked on the hallway of a hospital, the buzz of neon lights resonating with the buzz of her mind. "Yeah, he`s still under" she whispered into the phone "and they don˙t know how long will it take" she sobbed, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. "No, I don`t think now is the best time...I just need to be alone" she shook her head and hung up. Outside the rain began to fall, one of those freak summer storms that seem to pour enormous amounts of water from the skies in one single solid piece and she stopped for a moment, thinking about how to get to her car. And then she just walked out. Causing the rain to instantly come through her summer clothes and run down her body slowly, mixing with the dirt on the ground.

Office hours over, she felt like a worn-out animal. Her skin did not fit her frame and the clothes were just patches of fabric, clinging onto her shoulders, the thing holding them together her sweat. Yesterdays storm over and long forgotten there were some puddles that were the last reminders of the rain and lighting that ripped the skies and caused the temperature to drop a little. And now the sun was back, big as ever, burning its marks into the ground, buildings and creatures. She dragged herself home, into the cool arms of her apartment. Hoping she`ll get there as fast as possible. With sweat, running behind her like a trail, evaporating in the burning air.

Four

"It`s all in your head"she murmured as the morning woke her up, sun bringing in the pain of memory. She did not want to move. She could hear the sheets rustling, the air moving. Her head was filled with so much noise she felt it is going to explode.

She somehow got up and stumbled across the room, her sight all blurry and her mouth dry like a three-days bread. She lived alone. Not of her own choice. But still, she got used to it in time and now she was beginning to enjoy the solitary. Being alone with herself.

Sitting behind the table, staring into the newspaper that was lying in front of her, listening to the sounds of the world waking up. People upstairs always made such fuss when getting up, walking all over the place, dropping things and then picking them up again.

She found talking to herself useful and soothing. There was nobody else around to hear it and so she sometimes spent hours on end analysing and discussing the recent events, from people, places to world occurences and distasters.

Water hit her sleepy body, waking her up, feeling the water running through her hair, over her face, making her gasp for air and down her neck and back, taking with it all the filth of the world. She caressed her body, feeling the nipples tense under the coolness of water and the pressure of her touch. This was one of the rare moments of privacy, since she spent most of her life outside, using her flat as a crash`n`feed stall.

Her shoes clicked on the concrete floors of the building, the bang of the front door closing echoing through-out the stairs. "You could hear a pin drop in this place" she thought as she threw the keys in her bag, checking for the basics. The 3P`s. Phone, purse and a pen.

The heat outside the cool indoors almost swept her off her feet as she felt the sweat forming under her light dress, destroying whatever effect the shower might have. It was hot and humid, and she could almost see the heat evaporating from the concrete.

She usually walked, car being too expensive and clumsy, bike being too rough and too much of a thief-magnet and public transportation being too...all the negatives you could possibly imagine. Walks on the other hand gave her time to concentrate, focus or relax. Depends on the situation that awaited her at the end of it.

People were moving furnaces. Heat was seeping through every possible object, people squirming like bugs under a magnifying lense. She was taking small breaths, kept her eyes on the road and tried to avoied any and every possible contact with another human being. She failed to do that since a man grabbed her by her bare forearm, causing her skin to burst into sweat and making her gasp for air. "Spare some change?" said standing close to her, making her stomach twist at the sense of alcohol on his breath. She shook her head violently, moving away fast, causing sweat to start dripping from her back. "Damnit, damnit, damnit!" she cursed silently as she walked into a business building, the airconditioning cause her skin to prickle and the sweat turn into a cold patch on her back.

Nodding to the secretary, she took a flight of stairs into the second floor, settled down behind her desk, turned her computer on and waitied patiently as the plastic thing came to life. "This will take a while" she murmured as she saw an indiciator of her mail client declaring "Downloading 1/76 messages". She went to get some coffee.

Three

He sat there, in his booth, observing the people in the stroboscopic light as they passed through. He left the pool joint shortly after she was gone, finding only an empty parking lot where their car was previously parked. "Her car" he corrected himself as he stared into the tire tracks. He was not stranger to long walks, he just found it annoying that it was dark and that he had no place to go. No place but home, and right now, he needed home as badly as he needed four germans, singing him a lullaby.

He roamed the streets, hoping to find somebody he knew, someone he could talk to. But that night, the streets were filled with strangers, people with empty faces and drunks, lords of the outside. He stared into the pubs that were filled with people filling the air with drunk, panic laughter and breath that stank of alcohol and sweat.

Lenny stopped by the river and leaned over the rail, feeling the cool iron eating into his arms. The river was calm enough, the lights of the city reflecting in its surface while it calmly made its way into the sea. He cursed and spat into the darkness, seeing the white spit kiss the black surface and becoming one with it. His mind was numb, thoughts travelling randomly from one end to the other as he thought about what to do next. His ego was devastated and his mood was low. His eyes felt heavy and he started to doze off, leaning against the rail.

He must`ve fell asleep, because the next thing he remembered was opening his eyes and staring into an unshaved face of a man that stank of cheap whiskey and cigarettes. "Hey buddy!" he croaked "you alright?" Lenny got up and cleaned his pants "Yea man, sure. Why?" The drunkard nodded "It looked like you were dead or something....just lying there." Lenny shook his head, checking for his wallet "Naah, just a little tired, that`s all. Thanks for worrying, but I am fine" he said, turning around, wanting to leave the putrid air around the drunk. He still felt a little woozy as he moved further down the road, the drunk screaming something behind him and waving his hands.

He ended up in a discoteque, ordering a drink and holding the glass, the coolness of it feeling good against his hot, sweaty palms. People passing by, faces all distorted by the smoke and light that pulsated almost as loudly as the music, the bass line moving the glasses on the bar.

"You mind turning that out?" he asked a blonde, puffing a cigare next to him. She looked at him and blew a puff of smoke directly into his face. He recoiled and the content of his glass found its way onto her blouse and face, leaving her wet with ice cubes slowly moving behind her top. She took a deep breath of shock and amazement and slapped him across the face, leaving him with a burning cheek. "Fucking cunt!" he grinned under his breath, feeling his cheek on fire, lowering his head as to avoid the glances of others, sitting next to him.

He had enough of this place, the people, the whole scene. He paid his drink and started to move towards the exit, pushing through a forest of sweaty bodies, pulsating to the rhythm of the song, shaking the room. He hated the unwanted contact, people drunk and stoned hugging him and making his clothes even more soiled with their sweat.

The door opened and he was almost kicked onto the street, the temperature changing drastically, turning the sweat into an icy mixture. He checked his mobile phone only to realise that it died. "Fucking piece of junk" he cursed, throwing the useless piece of plastic into the dark, hearing it hit something and scatter into a million pieces.

He was moving slowly under the streetlights, his knees shaky and his mood swinging from sadness to rage and back to sadness. Suddenly his inner strenght was gone and all he wanted to do was go home. He just wanted to crash into his bed and forget everything that happened today.

The taxi stank of vomit and the driver spoke an unknown language. He paid and got out, slamming the cardoor behind him. Only a few steps and he`ll be home. In his bed. He tried to unlock the door, dropped his keys, picked them up again, trying to hit the lock. Suddenly, the door swung open and the last thing Lenny heard was a swish of a baseball bat connecting with his skull and his father cursing "Holy fuck!" And then it all went kinda black.

Two

She was cursing silently under her breath as she was walking out, cold sweat running down her back and over her ass crack. She ignored the looks of the guys eyeballing her and still felt Lenny`s grip on her arm.

The night air hit her, causing her to start shivering as she walked to her car, searching her purse for the car keys. The car seat felt hot and sweaty, fabric sticking onto her bare buttocks as she pulled out of the parking lot and drove towards home.

She flipped through the radio stations, static coming out of the car-speakers. She cursed and turned it off, staring onto the road, tightly gripping the wheel. Her mascara was running from the tears and she was wipping them off, bitting down on her tounge. "Four fucking months" she murmured "four fucking goddamn months wasted on a motherfucker like him!" She avoided a cyclist, cursing and honking. "What the fuck is a person riding a bike in the middle of the night!" she cursed, stepping on the gas.

The city nightlights were blaring at her as she drove under the neon highway, her face pale and confused. Commercial logos flying pass her, changing her face from mcdonalds red to pepsi blue to budweiser green.

She pulled over at her parking lot and went inside. The elevator button felt cold and the numbers were moving slowly from fifteen towards zero. "C˙mon, c`mon..." she murmured and tapped impatiently with her shoe. The cage opened and she went inside, smelling the stale scent of urine and dogs. "Fucking assholes" she cursed as the elevator moved up, counting up to seven.

The light in the corridor was out again. "That`s what you get when you hire a drunk to be your super" she murmured, tapping the wall for orientation, walking towards the doors of her apartment. She fumbled her purse for the keys, scratching the lock, finally unlocking the doors, closing them with a loud bang.

She took off her shoes, leaving them in the lobby, walking barefoot towards the bathroom. The light came on with a blinking sound, and she stared at her own face in the mirror. "You look lovely" she giggled and kissed the cool surface of the mirror. Held her lips on it until the glass became foggy and warm.

She ran the water and the sound hurt her ears. Running cool water over her palms, washing the dirt of the evening off of them. She washed her face next, mascara running into the drain, her face burning into the night.

Walking out of the bathroom, her feet shuffling on the cool floor, the noise of the pipes vibrating the walls. She opened the window, the curtains moving in the rhythm of the night wind blowing through the citadel, the smell of the city running through her nostrils. She shook her head, sitting on the shelf, lighting a cigarette, bitting her lower lip as the nicotine ran through her system. Her mind was running on overtime, thinking about the stuff that happened tonight. "Shit, shit, shit, shit..." she murmured as the ash fell from the tip of the cigarette and onto the carpet. She stamped it with her feet, rubbing the grey pulp into the carpet, making it blend with the blue floor. "Fuck this shit" she cursed as the butt flew over the rail and into the night, leaving a trail of sparks. She stared into the night, her eyes hurting from the smoke, her heart hurting from that asshole and her whole body aching for some relief. She had enough and she was going to bed.

One

As the cue ball hit a six and bounced it off into the right, Lenny`s life was over. He did not know it by that time, but that`s how things are. They happen and you don`t even know about them. Trees making sounds, eventhough there`s nobody around to hear it.

The air was smoky and people wore those tired faces, with their empty eyes filling the dead sockets. The tune on the jukebox was something out of the past, some ancient melody that sounded like somebody dug the record out of an ancient graveyard and put it on.

The cue stick felt cold. Plastic rubbed against his sweaty palms as he moved around the table, focused on the balls, nervously chewing his lower lip. He took a sip of water, feeling the cool liquid running down his throat, soothing his burning lips, flaming from the bitting.

"You gonna watch or play?"

His eyes flickered, as if casting off a fly as he looked into her eyes "I`m focusing here, ok?" She smiled and shook her head, muttering "You`ve been focusing for the last fifteen minutes. What are you trying to do? Move the balls by mind power?"

She did not understand. She never understood anything he said. He was amazed by the fact that she still hung around. He was amazed that anybody stuck around him. Sometimes even him wanted to run away from himself.

The hit. Balls scattering, bouncing off the edge, noises matching the ones in his head. The girl snorted, fixed her hair, saying "For that long of a focus period, I`d expected for you to clean the table out." He just shook his head, licking his lip.

The tune changed, the mood hasn`t. He was still nervous, the cue felt weird in his hand and he felt he was playing a game already lost. While on the other hand, she was on fire, thinking she was beating him at his own game.

A woman`s laughter cut through the soundtrack of the place, making them both look up, seeing a tanned girl with bleached hair and pink lipstick laughing her head off. Lenny and his co-player looked at each other and snorted.

Two moves later and Lenny lost. He potted the eight too soon. Not that he mind, he hated this game and only came out so that he could see the other people playing. So he could see other people. Observe their faces. Feel their mood.

"You wanna rack `em up?" asked him and he just shook his head, putting his cue down. She sat next to him, tracing her finger over his knee "What`s wrong, babe? You˙ve been quiet all evening." He waved his hand, licking his lip, not wanting to look into her eyes. She went quiet too, her hand moving slower until she finally gave up, clutching her hands and putting them into her lap. They stared across the smoky room, not knowing what to do next, both minds doing overtime.

Finally, she cleared her throat "I`m gonna go, ok?" He stared at her, his eyes opened wide, not knowing what to say "Go? Go where?" Lenny grabbed her hand as she was getting up and she turned around "What? What do you want?!" Her voice was sad and nervous. Her hand felt slick with sweat. He let go of her, moving back, wipping his hand into the pants.

She walked out of there, out of the pool house and out of his life. Her skirt fluttered and guys turned their heads to catch a glimped of the tanned skin hidding beneath them. He rolled his eyes, shook his head and took another sip of water to cool his lips. The night was still young.