September 9th, 10th, & 11th, 2010

September 11th, 2010 -- "Twins of Steel"

The warm air of the summer had done them both well, Jarvis thought. Edward had a slight tan from the extended periods of time spent outside. They both seemed taller, thinner maybe. Jarvis could breathe easier and deeper for reasons he couldn't place with any kind of certainty. Soon would come the fall, the autumn, bringing with it bright colors leading into a cold snap. This was his favorite time of year, he thought as he smiled.

***

September 10th, 2010 -- "The Best is Yet to Come"

The long hallways of the monastery glowed as the hot white of the sun came in through small escapes in the stone facade of the building. David blinked along the slate footpath at a quick pace, reflecting off his robes with a kind of steady rhythm the lines of sunlight otherwise hitting the wall to his left. This was an important day for him, an important day for anyone dealing with the well in the courtyard. For weeks, it had been doing fantastic thing, remarkable things, things that deserved the kinds of attention that it was receiving.

He walked quickly with a calm mood, leaving behind him a swirling crowd of floating dust that lingered long in the warmth of the day.

***

September 9th, 2010 -- "Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Mississippi, Nebraska"

Mable fumbled with a Camel Blue and a lighter as she turned to her older sister in the passenger seat. Flakes of black nail polish stuck in spots on her fingers and scraped away in blinks as she squeezed her hand down between the seats to grab the bright red thing. Her many bracelets made efforts to get stuck on the seatbelt housing, but were shaken into place with quick wrist movements.

"You asked me if this was going to be fun and I said 'I don't know', but this is pretty damn fun."

She lit the cigarette and cracked the shaky window of the Ford in one motion. Her sister turned away to look out at the landscape to the right and agreed. Months ago, this all seemed impossible. The books, the money, their family, school - fucking school. Nothing made sense until they got in the car. Once they were in, they were in. They were in.

The car backfired as they passed the state line.

***