Bale to the Surface

She looked at him from the corner of her eye.

He continued, 'I think the best part I like about you is that you're not like everyone else. From day one, you had my back. You always seemed to see the best in me when everyone else failed to.'

She smiled. 'Thanks.'

They finally decided to sit on an empty bench. They watched two joggers run past them. The park was not as full of people as Sineas had expected. A few children were throwing a Frisbee two paths away. Another family was having a picnic a few metres away. Or was it the same family? He didn't concern himself with the thought. Clarissa was right. The park did have a way of speaking to you. Showing you what you wanted to see. What you needed to see.

She sighed. 'I just wish time would stand still, Sin. I wish it would stand still forever. I don't want this moment to ever pass away. I think the world owes us that much especially after what it's put us through…what it's put you through.'

Sineas said, 'The world doesn't play fair, Claire. So why should we?'

She looked at him, baffled. 'And what does that mean?'

'If the world doesn't give us what we deserve then why not take it?'

Her expression remained.

'I guess what I'm saying or trying to say is; let's make the best of what we get and in a way, it will look like we're taking from the world by enjoying whatever crumbs it throws at us instead of complaining about it.'

'So, what are you suggesting?'

He shrugged and turned his eyes towards the Frisbee kids. 'Let's come here every weekend…together.'

She laughed softly. 'So, you don't mind coming here with me every Saturday?'

He shook his head quickly. 'Of course not. And you?'

She smiled and she too looked towards the Frisbee kids. 'At this point, Sineas…I discharged my fake friends, rejected my parents' hypocritical advice and I'm here sitting with the world's worst enemy and yet, the world's worst enemy is the only person I care about in this moment.'

He grew shy again. He looked down at his feet. He felt a soft hand on his right cheek. It lifted his gaze towards her face. She closed her eyes and leaned in. It was longer than he expected. There was a soft and pleasant click when she finally reclined. She smiled. He smiled. They turned back to watching the Frisbee kids. Their parents had joined them.

Sineas burst through the door at 6 P.M. He was exhausted. He had dropped Clarissa off at her house before the taxicab brought him home. His backpack was hanging loosely by his fingertips while he rested his back against the door. He made a left for the kitchen. He realised he was parched as he headed towards the kitchen sink.

'Good, you're here. Sineas!' His aunt called him from the living room.

He gulped down three cups of water, threw the tumbler into the sink then made for the living room.

'Sineas!' she called again.

'I'm coming,' he answered wearily as he stepped into the room.

'Come…come, come, come, my boy,' she beckoned towards him with one hand while the other was on the remote, her eyes glued to the screen. She was in her running tracksuit and a few droplets were on her face which implied that she had returned from a jog not too long ago. She was sitting at the very edge of the couch, her pupils dilated.

Sineas wiped the water from his lips with the back of his hand. 'What is it now, Aunt Janice?' he asked her impatiently.

'They've been airing it all day.'

'Airing what?'

She made room for him and turned up the volume. 'Do you know her?'

The anchorman said: 'Due to extremely graphic content, we cannot air the images but according to the school janitor, Mr. Bartholomew Thompson, he found the disunited body parts of twenty-eight year old Brittany Bale in the Biology closet of the school. Mr. Thompson however is shocked how and when her limbs could have been placed there when he cleans the closet every single day. Miss Bale, who had not shown up at her house in Malrich also did not turn up for work yesterday. The principal of the school, Mr. Ned Stanley, claims he was not aware that Miss Bale was not present and had to learn of her fate from the discovery of her six dismembered body parts in the closet. The spine of Miss Bale was ravished into pieces by what seems to be an axe. The police department claims it has every right to believe that the same person who killed Miss Bale is the same person who killed Justin Foyer on the fourth of this month. The Inspector of Malrich; Inspector Charles and his deputy, James, promise to continue these investigations and bring the person responsible to justice.'

Inspector Charles: 'It's not sudoku that these murders were committed by the same person or persons since the severing of the victims' limbs is identical. What we plan to do now is to find a connection between the victims and we promise you, Malrich, this person will be apprehended. This is a one-hundred-percent guarantee from the police force.'

Anchorman: 'And there you have it…'