Tell Me I'm Different (Finished!)

(11) Understand Me

“Okay, shh. Follow me and do not make a sound,” Skye demanded.

Skye stood up and tip toed to the second window on the right of the large room. She slowly pulled the plastic blinds up and un-did the latches. She could hear Dolly tapping her foot from the restlessness of standing still in one place. Skye shot her a sharp look and Dolly shrugged in response. Finally, Skye pushed up the window. The space was small but possible for them to squeeze through from. Skye turned around to stare at Dolly. She looked at the window then back at Skye and nodded. Skye slid one long, tanned leg through the crack, then pushed the rest of her body through the opening. She stood on the cold, metal fire escape careful to not make so much as a creak. It took Dolly a bit longer, but she too made it through the window noiselessly. Skye pushed down the window a bit, and started walking up the stairs. She didn’t look back, but felt Dolly following closely behind.

When she finally reached the rooftop she traveled to the edge. She heard Dolly gasp at the aerial view of the city.

“This city is shit, but from up here it looks amazing,” Dolly finally managed. Her face had turned slightly pink from the cold.

Skye laughed. She struggled not to cough as the chilly air infiltrated her lungs.

Skye stared at the tall skyscrapers. There were a few streetlamps scattered throughout the streets but it still looked eerie. It was like the light would cast a long shadow, making every person, everything look much scarier than they did. It used to make Skye feel uneasy, but now it almost made her feel comfortable. It went to show that things weren’t as scary as they were initially thought to be. Some things only looked that way at first.

Skye knelt down and rested her arms against the edge. She could feel the loose gravel making imprints against her skin, but she didn’t mind. She looked at Dolly, but she was staring blankly at the city. A look of utter sadness was etched across her face.

“Dolly, are you okay?” Skye asked, suddenly feeling uneasy.

Dolly didn’t respond. Rather, she stepped closer to the edge and peered down below at the hard concrete sidewalks. Skye looked down to see what Dolly was looking at, but all she saw were two of Elvis’ bulky bodyguards that were permanently stationed there.

“Hey, maybe it’s not a good idea to get too close. This gravel is pretty loose,” Skye said hoping her voice didn’t make her sound as nervous as she felt.

She wanted to reach out and grab Dolly’s hand but she was afraid it would startle her.

“Skye, you know there is no way out, right?” Dolly asked sullenly like she had come to that same conclusion long before.

“Of course there is. What are you talking about? We just need to find it.”

Dolly shook her head and smiled sadly.

“We’re going to die here. No, actually Elvis will kill us when we get old and useless.”

“Dolly, we’ll get—“

“There is only one way.”

“What are you talking about?” Skye asked reasonably confused.

Dolly’s eyes drifted to the concrete streets.

“We end it ourselves.”

A small sadistic smile sat on her chapped lips.

“No, no. We are not going to kill ourselves because of him. Dolly, please get down from there,” said Skye finally realizing what Dolly was talking about.

Dolly stood wordlessly and stared at the ground. She smiled and let one foot dangle over the edge.

“Please, Dolly. You’re scaring me,” Skye said. She felt her voice quiver but at this point she didn’t care. She reached out and grabbed Dolly’s hand. The touch seemed to shock Dolly out of whatever trance she was in.