Pixie Dust
Pixie Dust
"You're nothing!"
Kellan winced at the words plaguing his memory. He slowly sipped his coffee, relishing the burn it gave his tongue. He shivered as the wind cut through his think jacket, pulling it closer with a frozen cough.
"I'm nothing? Well you're a whore!"
Kellan shivered again, for a reason entirely outside of the weather. His fingers squeezed the foam cup, desperate for something to cling to. POP! The lid landed with a small clatter on the ground, and the scalding hot coffee splashed all over his face, jacket, and hair. Kellan hardly noticed the pain signals his nerves were sending to his brain at a frantic pace. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the memory pushing against his mind.
"Fuck you! 18 years of this shit is too much! 16 years has already been hell!" There was a crash, and the familiar sound of glass shattering.
"Well then why don't you just leave?! You're not wanted here, you never were!"
Kellan let a sob escape his closed off throat, and the dam holding back his tears exploded. Tears flooded his world, blurring his vision completely. He curled into himself burying his head in his knees. His tears were developing a wet spot on his jeans, but he didn't care.
"Mom? Dad?" They both snapped their heads over to look at Kellan, guilt in their eyes. "Why are you guys fighting? I thought you guys were happy..."
"Of course we are, Kellan. We're... We were just..." His mom stopped, unable to come up with a lie. Kellan was 16, not 5. He wasn't a gullible little child; he knew what was going on. He shook his head slowly, backing away with wide eyes.
"No," he whispered softly in disbelief. "You lied to me. You've been pretending my whole life."
"Kellan, we just wanted you to have a complete family."
"But it's not complete, is it?!" Kellan screamed as he stared at the liars before him. "Apparently it never was!" His mother reached out for his, but he pushed her away and bolted towards the door, prying it violently open and slipping into the frost-bitten winter night.
"So why are you here?" Kellan's eyes slowly raised to take in a girl. Her hair was hot pink, and styled into a pixie cut. Her eyes were a pale green, and her lips were pulled into a small, playful smirk. "Well?" she pressed, with a voice that was light with constant inner laughter.
"Wh- What do you mean?" Kellan responded quietly.
"Every one who has occupied that bench has had a reason. What's yours?"
"I don't know."
"Yes you do."
"I wasn't coming to this particular bench. I was just..."
"Escaping from your problems?" Kellan stared at her for a moment before nodding. "Any reason why you stopped in front of a carnival?" Kellan's eyes slowly drifted to look across the street, where bright lights and laughter filled the air. He wished laughter was as simple as a carnival ride.
"No. I just stopped because I couldn't run anymore."
"Well come on. Let's go in."
"But- I spent the last of my money on my coffee."
"Don't worry about that. I'll pay for you." She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him behind her before he could voice any protests.
Once they got in, the girl immediately dragged him to the Fun Slide. As they waited in line, she turned to Kellan. "Well what's your name?"
"Kellan," he responded shyly. "Yours?"
"Amy, but call me Pixie. Everybody does. The hair and all." She stuck her hand out for him to shake. When he didn't respond, she reached out and yanked his hand out, shaking it herself. "So what are you escaping from?"
"My parents."
"Isn't everybody?" Kellan shook his head solemnly. "Well, what's so awful about what happened to you?"
"I'd rather not talk about it."
"Alright. I'll get it out of you eventually." Pixie smiled as they reached the front. Kellan went to go to the slide next to her, but suddenly felt his body being pulled down until it crashed into that of Pixie. "We're going down together," she whispered conspiratorially.
"That's not allowed! He won't let us!"
"Ma'am? Sir? You can't-"
"Let's goooooooo!" Pixie screamed, launching them down the slide as the man in charge screamed at them to come back (as if that was so easy). Pixie laughed gleefully as Kellan clung to her in a desperate attempt to not fall off. "That was fun, wasn't it?" Kellan glared. "Come on, let's go to the ferris wheel!"
"I think I'd rather go home," Kellan muttered, but Pixie ignored his protests in true blasé fashion.
Luckily, the ferris wheelwas meant for people to ride together, or there would been some serious issues when Pixie abruptly yanked Kellan into her lap. But Kellan's cheeks still burned bright ren with embarrassment as the man running the ride gave an amused chuckle at his predicament.
When their car stopped at the top, Kellan looked at the light splayed out in wonder. He was so enraptured by the beauty that he didn't notice Pixie until her cheek was resting against his. "Your cheek's all stickly," Pixie whispered. Kellan shivered as her breath fanned across his cheek, warming it up temporarily. He shivered again as the warmth faded and the chill crept back in.
"I-"
"And you smell like coffee and cigarettes!" she exclaimed quietly, sniffing his neck. He froze slightly.
"I- I spilled some coffee. And my- my dad smokes." She chuckled, sending vibrations through Kellan's body.
"Do you have an excuse for everything?" Kellan opened his mouth to reply, but it was cut off by her lips crashing against his. Her lips were soft, and warm... oh so warm... They sent a fire through Kellan, and he felt so incredibly alive. She slowly pulled away.
"You see? All you needed was a little pixie dust," she whispered as she saw a smile slowly take over Kellan's face. "Now you're free." He smiled softly and nodded.
As they got off the ride, the man gave another chuckle at Kellan's face but he hardly cared. "Now, then," Pixie said as she dragged Kellan away from the ferris wheel. "Go home. You don't belong in the runaway world. You're too good for that?"
"But-"
"Shhhh.... You'll see me again. When you least expect it."
"How do you know?"
She smiled cryptically. "Pixie dust works wonders."
Kellan winced at the words plaguing his memory. He slowly sipped his coffee, relishing the burn it gave his tongue. He shivered as the wind cut through his think jacket, pulling it closer with a frozen cough.
"I'm nothing? Well you're a whore!"
Kellan shivered again, for a reason entirely outside of the weather. His fingers squeezed the foam cup, desperate for something to cling to. POP! The lid landed with a small clatter on the ground, and the scalding hot coffee splashed all over his face, jacket, and hair. Kellan hardly noticed the pain signals his nerves were sending to his brain at a frantic pace. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the memory pushing against his mind.
"Fuck you! 18 years of this shit is too much! 16 years has already been hell!" There was a crash, and the familiar sound of glass shattering.
"Well then why don't you just leave?! You're not wanted here, you never were!"
Kellan let a sob escape his closed off throat, and the dam holding back his tears exploded. Tears flooded his world, blurring his vision completely. He curled into himself burying his head in his knees. His tears were developing a wet spot on his jeans, but he didn't care.
"Mom? Dad?" They both snapped their heads over to look at Kellan, guilt in their eyes. "Why are you guys fighting? I thought you guys were happy..."
"Of course we are, Kellan. We're... We were just..." His mom stopped, unable to come up with a lie. Kellan was 16, not 5. He wasn't a gullible little child; he knew what was going on. He shook his head slowly, backing away with wide eyes.
"No," he whispered softly in disbelief. "You lied to me. You've been pretending my whole life."
"Kellan, we just wanted you to have a complete family."
"But it's not complete, is it?!" Kellan screamed as he stared at the liars before him. "Apparently it never was!" His mother reached out for his, but he pushed her away and bolted towards the door, prying it violently open and slipping into the frost-bitten winter night.
"So why are you here?" Kellan's eyes slowly raised to take in a girl. Her hair was hot pink, and styled into a pixie cut. Her eyes were a pale green, and her lips were pulled into a small, playful smirk. "Well?" she pressed, with a voice that was light with constant inner laughter.
"Wh- What do you mean?" Kellan responded quietly.
"Every one who has occupied that bench has had a reason. What's yours?"
"I don't know."
"Yes you do."
"I wasn't coming to this particular bench. I was just..."
"Escaping from your problems?" Kellan stared at her for a moment before nodding. "Any reason why you stopped in front of a carnival?" Kellan's eyes slowly drifted to look across the street, where bright lights and laughter filled the air. He wished laughter was as simple as a carnival ride.
"No. I just stopped because I couldn't run anymore."
"Well come on. Let's go in."
"But- I spent the last of my money on my coffee."
"Don't worry about that. I'll pay for you." She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him behind her before he could voice any protests.
Once they got in, the girl immediately dragged him to the Fun Slide. As they waited in line, she turned to Kellan. "Well what's your name?"
"Kellan," he responded shyly. "Yours?"
"Amy, but call me Pixie. Everybody does. The hair and all." She stuck her hand out for him to shake. When he didn't respond, she reached out and yanked his hand out, shaking it herself. "So what are you escaping from?"
"My parents."
"Isn't everybody?" Kellan shook his head solemnly. "Well, what's so awful about what happened to you?"
"I'd rather not talk about it."
"Alright. I'll get it out of you eventually." Pixie smiled as they reached the front. Kellan went to go to the slide next to her, but suddenly felt his body being pulled down until it crashed into that of Pixie. "We're going down together," she whispered conspiratorially.
"That's not allowed! He won't let us!"
"Ma'am? Sir? You can't-"
"Let's goooooooo!" Pixie screamed, launching them down the slide as the man in charge screamed at them to come back (as if that was so easy). Pixie laughed gleefully as Kellan clung to her in a desperate attempt to not fall off. "That was fun, wasn't it?" Kellan glared. "Come on, let's go to the ferris wheel!"
"I think I'd rather go home," Kellan muttered, but Pixie ignored his protests in true blasé fashion.
Luckily, the ferris wheelwas meant for people to ride together, or there would been some serious issues when Pixie abruptly yanked Kellan into her lap. But Kellan's cheeks still burned bright ren with embarrassment as the man running the ride gave an amused chuckle at his predicament.
When their car stopped at the top, Kellan looked at the light splayed out in wonder. He was so enraptured by the beauty that he didn't notice Pixie until her cheek was resting against his. "Your cheek's all stickly," Pixie whispered. Kellan shivered as her breath fanned across his cheek, warming it up temporarily. He shivered again as the warmth faded and the chill crept back in.
"I-"
"And you smell like coffee and cigarettes!" she exclaimed quietly, sniffing his neck. He froze slightly.
"I- I spilled some coffee. And my- my dad smokes." She chuckled, sending vibrations through Kellan's body.
"Do you have an excuse for everything?" Kellan opened his mouth to reply, but it was cut off by her lips crashing against his. Her lips were soft, and warm... oh so warm... They sent a fire through Kellan, and he felt so incredibly alive. She slowly pulled away.
"You see? All you needed was a little pixie dust," she whispered as she saw a smile slowly take over Kellan's face. "Now you're free." He smiled softly and nodded.
As they got off the ride, the man gave another chuckle at Kellan's face but he hardly cared. "Now, then," Pixie said as she dragged Kellan away from the ferris wheel. "Go home. You don't belong in the runaway world. You're too good for that?"
"But-"
"Shhhh.... You'll see me again. When you least expect it."
"How do you know?"
She smiled cryptically. "Pixie dust works wonders."