So Many Thousands of Feet Off the Ground

The bus rolled to a stop and the driver stood, pushing the door open. Savanya moved quickly, getting to her feet, stretching and squinting, picking up her belongings and advancing toward the exit. There was a remarkably small number of passengers left aboard the bus, most of whom were in some state of unconsciousness or another. She could only assume that they were traveling someplace else along this route, therefore allowing them to enjoy the so-called transfer time as an extended nap time. Savanya however, had reached her final destination for the time being.

It was early, she concluded based upon the sun’s position. The ball of fire was barely visible, just beginning to creep over the horizon to climb high in the sky and wreak havoc on the occupants of the city. Looking more closely as her feet came into contact with the pavement and her eyes met the sight of twilight, she noticed the light mist lingering and just dampening the dry surface of the earth. Of course it would rain on her first day here. It never rained here.

Lugging her belongings and bags, she moved quickly across the lot and into the terminal in search of a vending machine or something of that nature. Anything caffeinated would be a godsend right now.

The door was heavy, a sort of struggle to open with years’ worth of baggage, both literal and figurative, hanging from her shoulders. The glass was clear, save for the spot where the hours were posted.

The air conditioning hit her hard, the cold taking her breath away. She inhaled sharply, strolling over to drop her belongings on the nearest empty bench. The vending machine, the one from which she could buy coffee anyway, had a big sign posted on it, reading "Out of Order." She grimaced proceeding to stomp her foot and run her fingers through her long, light brown hair. Instead, she settled for a bottle of water and a newspaper from the kiosk.

Apartment listings. That would be the first thing she would look for. She had enough money left in her savings, which had all been removed from her bank account, for one month's rent easily. She did not however have the funds to live in a hotel, or motel even, indefinitely. The best way to go would obviously be to look for listings from people in search of a roommate. It would be the cheapest, albeit not the most convenient. Living with someone would make it that much more difficult to hide. But every great plan has its disadvantages. Not so great plans tended to have even more.

She slid down, back against the wall, knees to her chest. This position was becoming almost normal. She snapped the newspaper open, squinting tiredly in an attempt to read the itty bitty font. It was almost impossible with her contacts dry and stuck to her eyes. She blinked, only blurring her vision further, and gave up. She would just have to find another way to do this, or find eye drops somewhere. Unfortunately, she had no idea where she was going.

Truth be told, Savanya hadn’t set foot in Arizona or anywhere near the Desert State in several years. She’d spent a summer there when she was thirteen and that was the last time she’d been here—the last summer she’d spent in the ridiculous heat of the Phoenix area. Flagstaff was tolerable, but someone might find her in Flagstaff. The heat intolerable didn’t flee to the hottest place in the country.

The tall, slender beauty queen stood, slinking across the bus station to collect her belongings. She’d stuffed years of memories into a single duffel and a messenger bag. Or rather, she’d packed the good memories. Those, recently, had been few and far between and they could be easily folded, squished, condensed and categorized to be buried deep in the dark depths of the bag. She let out a sigh, almost defeated, and let her fingers slide through the shiny strands of hair on her head.

She stepped outside, hoping to reach some place before the sun rose high enough to become problematic. Her sandals thwacked against the ground, in sync with the thunder rolling through the grey sky. Of course it would rain today.

The droplets poured from the sky, splashing against one another in the puddles forming on the dirt and dust covered ground. A squeal escaped her lips; she hadn’t thought an umbrella necessary. The girl leapt forward, finding a place to stay dry for the time being—a telephone booth. Normally, these surroundings would be incredibly displeasing to the pageant princess, but Savanya had changed. And, of course, no beauty queen stands by idly as her hair gets drenched and her make-up smears across her perfect skin. But that wasn’t her anymore. And she was already soaked from head to toe. Her hair needed the washing and her skin was dull, in need of exfoliation, and make-up less.

Her lips twisted into a smile. Laughter escaped her lungs, coming out deep and rolling through the glass booth. Who the hell was she? What was she becoming? She was finally what she’d always strived to be—normal. The rain had become something beautiful, no longer a nuisance; no longer problematic. She no longer cared that she dragged her feet and her sandals thwacked. She didn’t care about her chewed apart nails or her chipped pedicure. The week’s worth of grease in her hair was welcome and the lack of products on her skin was refreshing.

She slid out of the phone booth, back into the storm. The denim covering her legs was heavy from saturation as she twirled around in the unusual Arizona rain. The smile on her lips was unbreakable. She was floating. She was new. She was home.