The Annex

There was a familiar creek. I didn’t try to escape, I didn’t even flinch; it was all routine by now. Agnes reached up and set my lunch on the floorboards.

"Enjoy dear," she whispered, withdrawing her hands and closing the trap door.

I turned away from the window and crawled on my knees to the tray of bread, potato and water sitting on the edge of the trap door. Grabbing the single plastic chopstick Ms Finch insisted I used, I rummaged through the potato hungrily. A sparkle of smooth silver wrapper shone up at me and I pulled out a pack of Oreos. Licking off ht excess potato, I crawled over to the old mermaid shaped lamp in the corner of the Attic and hid my prize deep in her ceramic tail with the other snacks Agnes had managed to sneak me over the past two weeks.

After sniffing at the potato and bread, deciding it wasn’t too old and inhaling every bit of it, I crawled over to the old calendar dated back to 2003. I grabbed an old marker from a box of used art utensils and marked an extra day of community service. After collapsing at Eastwood Park, the supervisor sent me home early with a sick note and catch up date stapled to my service record. Ms Finch wasn’t too impressed, locking me in the attic immediately and calling the supervisor for an explanation. There was nothing she could do about it except forget to give me lunch. One good thing had come from the experience though- the wings had returned.

And I might have had it figured out, or at least a rough sketch on what the hell was happening to me. A child had been sick in detention that afternoon; the same feeling overcame me, the same involuntary movements that I had to cover up as falling over and onto Ashley’s face and then the same feeling of being trampled on by a stampede of goats in clogs. Everything was yearning for the sky, and I knew it would happen soon. Not only would flight cure the ache rippling through my body, but it’d open a gateway for escape. The verdict?

I was a healer.

Three minutes after our head clash, Ashley was feeling better than ever. This time, I knew what to do and I wasn’t going to let the pain boil over like before. I had three hours until Alice came up to collect the tray and lights out. I had my escape all figured out, it was too easy; Miss Finch was such a moron to leave me in an attic filled with useful junk.

I poured the water down my throat before crawling through the labyrinth of old, worthless house ornaments and to the back where the more interesting items were crammed. Grabbing an old, canvas bag on my way and dusting it out I stopped at a big cardboard box. Turning it on its side and watching the river of contents flow onto the floor, I began hunting through it gently with my finger tips, picking up stoned ear rings, gold chains, pearl necklaces, rings and silver bracelets, and throwing them on hastily.

Ending my scavenge by lodging the last ear ring in my ear, I shoved everything back in the box and scrambled back to the mermaid lamp where I stuffed my hand down its ceramic breasts and gathered up my snacks in the bag; tying the shoulder strap around my waist and clambering onto my feet. Stooping over under the low ceiling, I picked up the heavy brass coated lamp bottom and turned it upside down. The mermaid fell to the floor with a crash and I froze. Quietly, I swept the broken pieces under an old bedside table and hid my food along with it. There was a creek and the trap door opened.

“Are you OK?” Aidan whispered.

I exhaled in relief and ignoring him, sitting myself down at the window and staring blankly out.

"Look, Heron, I'm so, so, so, sorry…please understand…" I made no acknowledgment of his presence and he sighed, "I really don't wanna go to jail."

"You’re already in jail Aidan, can't you see that?" I hissed, turning around to face him, "We all are."

"I know that now and- why are you wearing my mum's necklace?" my heart stopped- I'd forgotten the jewelry. Aidan pulled himself into the attic, closing the door softly behind him. "Where'd you get that?" I swallowed the lump in my throat and watched his fingers come to my chest, picking up the centre ruby and staring transfixed at it.

"I, uh, found it."

"Here, in the attic?"

"Yeah...you can have it back if you want," I took the necklace from my neck and placed it in the palm of his hand.

"She said it never came with me when I asked about it," he said, "I thought it was lost, or that someone took it after she died. It was left to me you know," he sighed, lifting his eyes to wander to room. "Just a few more months and I can leave this place..." I nodded, examining the jewelry shoved in various places around my body.

"Do you think all of this belongs to the kids?" I said quietly.

"Maybe some, but most I've seen her wearing when she goes out and I doubt she'd let the kids see her wearing their parent's stuff," I nodded and turned back to the window, an invitation for Aidan to leave.

"Please Heron, I really am sorry. Please forgive me, I'll do anything," the sincerity in his voice lay a death grip around my heart and I perked up a bit at his suggestion of doing anything. I turned around so quickly that Aidan stumbled and fell onto his back.

"I'm leaving."

"What?"

"The crash…that was," I crawled to the bedside table and lifted its cloth, "This. I turned it upside down to use the bottom and the lamp shade fell off."

"Oh."

"I'm using the jewelry for er, financial purposes."

"Aha?"

"And this bottom bit to smash the window open."

"That'll make a noise Heron,"

"Exactly." Aidan furrowed his brow, nodding in understanding.

"Distraction. Right."

"Loud distraction."

"Sure," he smiled weakly,

"You're forgiven,"

"Thank you,"

"Thank you," I smiled.

I watched as Aidan opened the trap door, holding the ladder up so as not to make a noise. He turned back, smiling warmly.

"Good luck Heron."

"Thanks,"

"I'll meet you on the other side?"

"Sure,"

"I'll be breaking out on my birthday, January 6th, OK?"

"I'll be waiting."

With a wink, Aidan lowered himself down, his fingers disappearing as he dropped off and onto the carpeted floor below. I crept over and, with one last wave, closed the trap door. Scurrying over to the bedside table, I re-tied the bag’s shoulder strap around my waist, took of my shirt, tucked it in my pants and staggered over to the window. Waiting in silence, I strained my ears. Waiting. Listening.

CRASH

Before the piano's last leg could give way I had thrown the lamp at the window, smashing the glass and leaping into the cool, fresh breeze of freedom.

In the air, I watched the shards of glass fall to the floor, smashing into even smaller pieces as they made contact with the cement garden path. I smiled, breathing in great gasps of clean oxygen and flew upwards to a distance where I could easily be mistaken for a bird. I flew slowly with the wind, willing the jewelry to stay on as the pain in my head diffused through every pore in my body. The fever was the last to go and I shivered, looking down at the goose bumps speckling my exposed chest. I wished I’d thought to cut some wing-holes in my shirt before leaving the dumping ground.

The sickness had gone long ago but that wasn’t the purpose of the flight, not that day. I opened my eyes and scanned the town below; not as familiar as home, but I wasn’t lost enough to land. I shook my head and blinked quickly- how had I drifted so low?

An irritating fatigue spread through my body and I tried to fight it but it carried me lower and lower. Frustrated and conquered, I directed my wings to an empty alleyway. Doing one last thorough check of the alley I landed and again, fell on my ass in a wobbly heap on the ground. Landing needed a bit of work.

Glancing over my shoulder I took off the jewelry, stuffed it in my pockets; swiped the shirt from the elastic on my pants and pulled it on, carefully minding the fresh cuts on my back. They didn’t worry me too much this time, after the last flight they had healed within the hour.

Legs defrosted, I stepped out of the alleyway onto the street and into the throng of people on their way home. The sun setting, I decided it was too late to look for a job and having nowhere to go, I wandered the streets aimlessly looking for a place to sleep.

The crowd reduced at each bus stop, taxi stand and train station and as I exited the meandering streets of the city and neared the main road, I had left the crowd behind. I was on my own. My feet radiated with hot, numbing exhaustion, my head felt heavy and my eyes fought to keep open. New footsteps lingered behind me and I turned to see a tall man in a grey hoodie and navy track pants divert his gaze to the ground. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and every few seconds his eyes flickered up to my body, flashing down again as he realized I was watching him. My breath caught cold in my throat and my head began to buzz with fear. The next time he looked up I pretended to be looking at the tumbled down cafe behind him and his shoulders relaxed. I turned to face forward, counting to one hundred with slow, steadied breaths. One hundred and five breaths passed and patter of footsteps was still following me. I glanced around; cars on the main road sped past with mocking security and there were no other pedestrians on the street. Ahead there were traffic lights and beyond that the continuation of the main road, only this part was almost empty. At the traffic lights, I noticed the majority of cars indicating to the far left and far right lanes, two or three continued on to the lonely toad which could only have meant one thing. I squinted beyond the traffic lights, reading the flashing neon signs lining the streets:

Little Bo Peep's Entertainment for Men

Club X

Kittenz

A lump formed in my throat. The footsteps got closer, a steady beat to the racing skips of my heart. My breaths came short and gasping. I blinked hard before throwing myself at a break in traffic and power walking to the road island. Water spurt up from the grass, spraying the hem of my jeans with deep brown soil. I turned around; the man was now waiting back on the street, making a break for it as a Ute indicated to the left lane. I inhaled sharply and stepped on to the road. A sliver Honda slowed to a stop, honking at me in protest. I gestured an apology and ran across four lanes to the other side where a sign post saying Greenwood Ave.” marked a turn off into a middle class suburban neighbourhood. I took a quick look back at the man dodging traffic before darting down the street, trying my best to look casual.

I trudged on, down the winding streets, losing myself in the labyrinth of weather board houses and freshly mowed lawns. Minutes passed and the footsteps -inaudibly far before- grew louder, faster, nearer. I clenched my teeth and fought to keep my breathing level, quickening my step and viewing each house cautiously before turning into one of the drives. I looked up at the house’s grey-blue roof and numerous bottles heaped around the overflowing recycling bin. I got to the front door step and raised a trembling fist; the man had stopped walking and was watching me from the drive. Two raps on the door and footsteps were heard plodding about the house. The door swung open and a man appeared, glaring at me through the fly screen. My lips quivered.

"Please...please, there's a man following me and-" a third being appeared at my shoulder.

"How's it, Ian?"

The man behind the fly screen smiled, a big, gold toothed grin.

"Not bad, yourself?" A hand rested on my shoulder, warm breath condensed at my neck.

"Excellent."

I swiveled around only to be met by the hard, blue gaze of my stalker. A whimper escaped my lips as he grasped me by the shoulders and thrust me against the fly screen. A curse was heard from Ian followed by an apology from Stalker.

"Please, don't hurt me," I whispered, tears gathering at my bottom lids.

"I'd never dream of it beautiful," he said with a grin and Ian chuckled behind us.

Stalker stepped closer and I heard the crunchy wine of the fly screen door handle being pressed down. Instinct took over. The man lurched forward and I raised a knee, thrusting it hard into his groin. He doubled over, groaning, and reached over to grab at my ankles as I dodged past him and made for the main road.

I got to the end of the street and looked left and right. Everything looked different; everything looked the same.

Left?
Right?
Straight?
Left?
Right?
Straight?
Left?
Rig-

Hands grabbed at my arms, pulling them behind my back in a secure hold. I kicked my leg backwards but Ian took a step back just in time, learning from his friend’s mistake. He chuckled –his cold, rumbling chuckle- and forced me right. I stumbled forward.

"Move," he ordered.

I gazed desperately at the houses lining the street, pleading with my eyes for someone to come to a window, for someone to leave the blue luminous flash of their television screen and rescue me. Nobody came, and soon the houses disappeared and Ian was forcing me into the shrubby fence of a park. I broke through the other side and stopped walking. Ian glanced around at the couple picnicking on the grass, the teenagers vandalizing the playground equipment and a mother with a large dog and her toddlers playing in the sand pit. He growled in frustration and moved his hands down to my palms.

"Hold my hand," He whispered.

The stalker appeared at my other shoulder, his hand resting at the small of my back.

“Scream and…” he didn’t finish his sentence, just chuckled and pulled me vehemently across the grass. Past the couple, past the teens, past the mother and her dog and her kids. We got to the shrub and Ian took hold of my arms again.

"She's all yours man," he said sickly, shoving you into his friend's arms.

My head spun and I swayed uncontrollably. The man snickered and shoved me through the bushes and into the shadows of a back street alleyway. I gazed hopelessly up at the tile roofs stretching up over their garden fences. My captor shoved me against the nearest fence with a metallic clang! I struggled against his gasp but he lifted an arm and pinned it across my collar bone. His forearm pushes threateningly against my throat as he roamed my body with his other hand. The light of a street lamp spilling just short of our position, his fingers danced across my cheek bone. It reflected against the frosty blue of his eyes, gazing intensely at my half-closed eyelids. His hand dropped down to my waist, slithering down my thigh and taking a U-turn to venture between my legs. I make to twist away but his arm tenses, the muscle pressing into my windpipe. I gagged and his lips curled into half a smile, his nails dug into my flesh creeping higher, higher then lowering themselves down into my pants. Hot bile rose up into my throat, I couldn’t take anymore; silence is my agony- I screamed.

The man growled, withdrew his arm and shoved me hard against the wall. I whimpered apologies and he shot more threats through his teeth. I couldn’t make out what he was saying, the world was spinning around me but from his tone, I knew he meant business. His hand traveled back to my trousers, one resting on a pocket, the other making work of the elastic.

Suddenly, his body is thrown from mine with the momentum and speed of a most violent wind and half the material from my trousers is taken with him. Jewelry spilled from the pocket his hand had been resting on but I was in too much shock to do anything about it. I turned my head to see him sprawled on the ground, a growing shadow advancing aggressively towards him. The shadow shrunk until a tall, big-built man stood in its place. He lowered himself down to a squat and whispered something to his victim. Stalker made to punch my saviour in the jaw, but he reacted quickly, pinning him down with one hand and smashing his face in with the other. Both chests rose and fell, but only one body got up. I gasped and began retrieving all the jewelry, the incessant shaking of my hands making the task evermore difficult. My saviour turned and looked at me as if noticing my presence for the first time and watched as I grabbed clumsily at the trinkets and stuffed them haphazardly into my other pocket. He walked slowly towards me; his silence terrified me as much as Stalker’s threats.

"I-I...thank you for...thank you for...for…"

My lips trembled violently as the man took another step- a step much too close. I took in his features only to find that he wasn’t a man as his build had let on, he looked to be sixteen or seventeen, nineteen at the most. A teenager- a kid like me. Adolescence was in everything but his eyes. His eyes were that of a beast: disciplined and trained for survival.

His gaze wandered my features, looking so deeply into my eyes that I wanted to shrivel up and die. His orbs dropped to my pocket, overflowing with flashed of gold and silver. Eyes never leaving mine, he grabbed me by the waist and hoisted me over his shoulder. I was shocked frozen: how many rapists could I be taken by in one night? Adrenaline kicked in: it wasn’t going to happen again. I struggled, kicked, pinched and hammered against his back. He remained unphased. I opened my jaw wide and sunk my canines deep into his flesh. He jumped and I fell to the ground, knocking my head against the cold cement below. I was greeted by darkness- everything went black.