It was a Friday night and instead of doing anything else, Jada Chamberlyn was riding the subway. Who knew why? Hell, she didn't. Some sort of sick nostalgia, perhaps; an attempt at facing a fear that hunted her dreams? Fantasies of 'better' times, when people weren't dead, and she didn't feel so damned alone and superficial? (Heaven help her, she was getting old.) Back when the expectations were higher and she hadn't let everyone down... her mother was angry, Kayley thought she was a fool. Zora thought Jada was a coward, and Lucas wanted her to leave this deathtrap town and move to New York. (Jada wanted to, but...) Her father thought she didn't have a plan for her life and was wasting time. He was right. And Jada?
What did JADA think of herself?
Maybe that was why the young woman was riding the subway. There was something hypnotic about watching the lights fly by the window, something hypnotizing in the murmur of voices that was low enough to say 'it is late', but loud enough to say: 'But not too late.'
But it was, wasn't it? Too late?
She flipped open her cellular phone, tired violet eyes staring at the text message from Vivian's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Rothson. 'She's gone.' blared out at her from the LCD. 'We took her off life support. We're sorry, Jada.' What was one more loss, no matter how bitter or how it galled her? It was only one more loss, inevitable as time. People were always dying in Destiny City, and Vivian had died one that she'd been helpless to prevent. Though she'd been gone long before her body, it still stung to think that truly, there was no more chance for her to come back.
The subway made a grinding noise, and screeched to a halt with the high-pitched metallic squeal. She stood up and moved to the doors, moving out to join the thin crowd as it made its way too and fro. A flash of gold from the corner of her eye, moving towards the track. It gave her pause, made her freeze. A memory, and she blinked, shaking her head. She didn't have many phantoms for all that she could 'emo' with the best of them.
The head turned to her. She couldn't tell the eye color, but she imagined they were blue. Some unseen hand must have pointed her out. It was just some normal-looking boy (probably a hoodlum) in blue jeans and a hoodie. He gestured. and she looked away as if she hadn't seen anything. These were new Ferragamos.
Someone jostled her and muttered a swift apology. She looked back towards the figure she'd seen, but no one was there anymore. It was just one of her phantoms after all.
Jada smiled.
And then she moved up the stairs with the last of the crowd, onto the streets of Destiny City.
What did JADA think of herself?
Maybe that was why the young woman was riding the subway. There was something hypnotic about watching the lights fly by the window, something hypnotizing in the murmur of voices that was low enough to say 'it is late', but loud enough to say: 'But not too late.'
But it was, wasn't it? Too late?
She flipped open her cellular phone, tired violet eyes staring at the text message from Vivian's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Rothson. 'She's gone.' blared out at her from the LCD. 'We took her off life support. We're sorry, Jada.' What was one more loss, no matter how bitter or how it galled her? It was only one more loss, inevitable as time. People were always dying in Destiny City, and Vivian had died one that she'd been helpless to prevent. Though she'd been gone long before her body, it still stung to think that truly, there was no more chance for her to come back.
The subway made a grinding noise, and screeched to a halt with the high-pitched metallic squeal. She stood up and moved to the doors, moving out to join the thin crowd as it made its way too and fro. A flash of gold from the corner of her eye, moving towards the track. It gave her pause, made her freeze. A memory, and she blinked, shaking her head. She didn't have many phantoms for all that she could 'emo' with the best of them.
The head turned to her. She couldn't tell the eye color, but she imagined they were blue. Some unseen hand must have pointed her out. It was just some normal-looking boy (probably a hoodlum) in blue jeans and a hoodie. He gestured. and she looked away as if she hadn't seen anything. These were new Ferragamos.
Someone jostled her and muttered a swift apology. She looked back towards the figure she'd seen, but no one was there anymore. It was just one of her phantoms after all.
Jada smiled.
And then she moved up the stairs with the last of the crowd, onto the streets of Destiny City.
