Down the Rabbit Hole

A Chapter by Elisabeth

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!”

The agitated driver yelled angrily out the tinted window of his dark grey sudan, a wave of water cascading off of the slick cobblestone street as he swerved dangerously out of the way. Adira had just narrowly avoided the speeding car, thanks to Sebastian who had pushed her out of the way barely in time.

When the pair ended up on the sidewalk, they both let out a breath of relief.

“God, Adira, I just saved you from becoming roadkill,” Seb said, trying to regain his composure. By the time he had picked himself up from his ‘I just ran a marathon’ position, hands on knees, hunched back, Adira was already five feet down the sidewalk. She was getting to the club, roadkill or not. But preferably not roadkill.

“Thanks Seb!” She shouted behind her shoulder, her pace quickening as a newfound rush of determination set in. A near death experience was nothing when you were on a mission. After less than a moment, Sebastian’s pounding footsteps were heard behind her, little droplets of water flying up from his black nike sneakers. Before a few seconds had passed, he was walking alongside her once more, a shaky breath rattling out him.

“This wouldn’t by chance, have anything to do with that fight you had with your mom?” He questioned hesitantly, staring at her face as they walked as if to capture her attention. It didn’t work.

“No, Seb, I just wanted to go out to have some fun. For once.” She clipped defensively without looking at him. It was starting to get dark around them already, people emerging from around the the street to participate in what the night brought. Adira had insisted on visiting the Under City that night, much to Sebastian’s chagrin.

“Fair enough,” He responded dubiously, “But if you wanted to maybe, talk about what happened, I would totally be here for you.”

This made her smile - just a little bit. Sebastian had been her best friend since the second day of kindergarten when they had traded sandwiches at lunch. She had always hated peanut butter and jelly, and he had always hated tuna fish. Her smile fell after a moment as she remembered what it was she had come to the city to accomplish.

“I know, Seb. I know.” At that, she reached out to grab his hand, swinging it between them as they walked down the oily black sidewalk. A neon sign shown dimly a few blocks down, a beacon of something that wasn’t quite hope in the pouring rain.

As they passed by a darkened alleyway, a flash of something caught her eye. Shrugging it off as a stray tabby cat, she continued on, barely noticing the icy rain as it slashed down at her face.

After what seemed to be one infinitely prolonged moment, the pink neon sign shown directly above their heads. A drift of scented mist hung like a cloud around the battered doorway, making her cough harshly.

“Are you sure you want to go in here, Adira? This place seems pretty sketchy.” Sebastian hung back from her now, dropping her hand to swipe his clammy palm against his light brown khakis. He had always disliked the Undercity. Everyone who lived above disliked the undercity, though. Adira didn’t.

“I’m positive,” she reassured him, still staring up at the flashing sign, brow furrowed as the large drops of water spattered across her forehead. “You can always turn back.”

The words hung in the air like a challenge.

“And leave you here so one of these psychos can shove you in their trunk? Never.”

He playfully shoved her then, jolting her away from her little reverie. As much as she wanted to go in the smoky club, something kept her feet glued to the slick black sidewalk. She couldn’t help but picture what her brother would say if he knew what she was doing right now. Yell at her, for starters. And then maybe kill her; a few times. She shuddered a little. Sebastian just stood there; probably trying to read her face or something like that. Usually he would succeed in doing this, but tonight she was trying especially hard to hide her emotions. If she hid them from others, maybe she’d forget about them herself.

“I appreciate it.” She rolled her eyes dramatically, trying to laugh and failing just a little bit. It came out as more of a strained wheeze.

“Hey.” Sebastian poked her in the ribs with his index finger. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah. I’m okay.” She breathed.

© 2017 Elisabeth

Author's Note

This is the first time I have written anything for other people to read, and I'm still trying to figure out where I'm going with this story! :) Any reviews would be greatly appreciated!