Young Writers Society

Cassia nodded. My secretary. Which is someone who takes notes and keeps track of paperwork. She paused, a sappy smile taking over her feature. But Janice is... a lot more to me than that.

I nodded. Somehow I understood that look. It was another puzzle piece that seemed like it belonged in the empty space of my mind. I had no idea where it connnected or how. But I knew it belonged.

Cassia shook her head. You'll love her, trust me. And if you don't- She narrowed her eyes, pointing an accusatory finger at me. -you have no soul.

I hope I do. Have. Have a soul

Cassia's eyes stayed narrowed. I have a hunch you do, but just in case. She grinned, letting her eyes return to normal. Okay. We should really go, though.

I returned her smile. My mouth felt unnaturally stretched, like it wasn't used to holding this position so often. I had a feeling it would be getting used to it pretty soon though. Okay.

Then how are you not a guardian angel? Sophia looked ever so slightly smug.

I stumbled back. I have been defeated. You... you used my logic against me. I crumpled to my knees. The sting... it's terminal. I fell onto my back, accepting my fate.

Sophia's eyes widened, bending down beside. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. I. I didn't mean to.

Sophia buried her face in Janice's hair. She was shaking noticeably now.

I wrapped my arms around both of them, only bending down slightly to bury my head in Janice's shoulder. Even in my platforms, she was still a good couple of inches taller than me. And Sophia...

Sophia was absolutely massive. No less than six feet, and almost a whole foot taller than me with platform. Definitely a foot taller than me without. Very rude, thank you.

Sophia's arms tentatively came up to cocoon all three of us, her hold so light, it was barely noticeable, the only giveaway being the way she shook at random intervals.

Janice started stroking my back. I could only assume she was doing the same for Sophia. My assumption seemed to be correct at least judging by Sophia's shaking subsiding with each passing second.

The three of use stood there for what felt like at least a solid forty-five minutes. No one seemed like they were going to make a move.

For as long as we'd been standing there, it just felt... nice. Like everything was going to be okay. Janice's hugs always felt like that. She was like the greatest hugger in the universe ever.

I blinked. "What are you going to do? Sleep on top of me?"

"Allow me to demonstrate." Janice carefully removed her hand, getting up from her stool and pushing it off to the side so it was out of the way.

"You're going to stand for the whole time?"

Janice rolled her eyes again, carefully sitting down beside me and turning towards me carefully.

I watched her carefully, trying not to hold my breath.

She lied down next to me with a small groan, one of her arms snaking carefully around my waist. "There you go." She pulled herself a little bit closer before settling down with her head just inches from mine.

I went rigid. "J-Janice?"

"Mmm hmm."

"Do you... do you want this?"

"Have you ever seen me so much as eat something I didn't want to?" She scoffed like the very idea was absurd.

I shook my head. "No..."

She pulled in a little closer towards me.

I pouted again. "I can't move." I dragged the word out, just to emphais the cruelty of the situation.

"Well if you don't like it, I can leave."

I shook my head. "No. I can't move to hug you back. Or bury my head in your chest." I narrowed my eyes at the needle in my arm. "Rude."

"Well. Just a few more hours, sweetheart."

Cassia groaned and collapsed into one of the seats on the tube. I was dying of embarrassment. I was going to melt into a puddle on the Subway Station floor. Like this. She slouched until she slipped off the chair and landed on her back on the floor. See? Melted.

I didn't think twice as I leaned down to help her, carefully lifting Cassia off the floor and onto a seat. Sorry. I. I won't do that again. I sat down quickly on the seat next to her, one hand returning to hold hers. I didn't know what to expect from this tube and I was holding on until Cassia told me to drop her hand.

Cassia's lips were slightly parted and her entire face, and what I could see of her ears were completely red. She slumped to the side, her face landing directly on my shoulder. She leaned completely against me, as if she would fall over again if I moved away.

I jumped slightly at the weight on my shoulder, but settled in. It wasn't uncomfortable, and having Cassia lean against me only increased the reassurance I felt that this would be alright. It would help keep that nagging feeling that something was horribly wrong from surfacing. I adjusted my hand a little so that it was now wrapping around her waist instead of trapped inbetween us. That seemed like it'd be more comfortable.

Cassia swallowed. Subway ride. An hour. Once it moves.

I nodded. Ok. I looked at the position of my hand. I hadn't exactly asked her for permission. She'd only held my hand so far. Is it okay? If my hand. Stays that way? Helps.

Cassia nodded, now slowly losing some of the red on her face. It's okay.

Sleep. I'll wake you up again for the next stop. I smiled down at her. I won't judge.

Cassia seemed to have fallen asleep before I finished my sentence. I let out a small sigh, smiling at her sleeping form. It still looked incredibly happy somehow and I found myself studying her to pass the time. The various lines that ran across her face which I somehow knew were because she smiled a lot. The black powder on her eyelids that seemed to shimmer ever so slightly. The beauty mark right beside her left eye and the right corner of her lip. The streak of green in her hair actually turned black right at her scalp. The paleness of her face seemed to be from some sort of powder too.

Her face was a taperstry of colors that looked like they shouldn't work, but somehow she pulled it off and somehow I got the feeling these colors could change. I chuckled. How could the colors of someone's face change? My brain come up with the craziest ideas sometimes. Maybe I needed sleep too. Being inside this metal tube was starting to shift from mildly scary to tiring.

Cassia wrapped her arms around me, burying her face in my shoulder. I tensed, freezing in place. I took a deep breath, trying to take stock of what was happening. Cassia had just put her arms around me. Probably just accidentally in her sleep. After a few more seconds, I relaxed, letting myself fall into her embrace. All it was doing was making me feel safer on this deathtrap. I could live with that. I leaned into her a little more, my own arm around her tightening in response.

She mumbled something in her sleep, but I couldn't even begin to guess what she could possibly be saying. I leaned down slightly, resting my head in her hair. I was starting to feel what Cassia meant be tiring on this thing. The more comfortable I felt about not dying, the more tired I realized I was becoming.

Before I could drift off, the tube stopped again. I jumped slightly when it stopped moving again. If I remembered correctly we had to be getting off here. As much as I wanted off this deathtrap I was now feeling a little too comfortable to move.

My body was refusing to move from its current position but I managed to boop Cassia's hair again, silently wishing she wouldn't wake up. The dread I'd had this morning about going home was coming back full force too.

The person in the front looked at Cassia through the mirror and seemed to ask something. Cassia's face exploded into redness as she shook her head profusely.

I had no idea what could be about, but I decided not to press Cassia on it. It looked like she was trying to deny something quite rapidly and I wasn't sure if me jumping in there would help. I settled instead for pulling her slightly closer in my arms.

Cassia turned even redder as the driver rolled their eyes and glanced back at the street.

I waited patiently to see if Cassia was going to tell me anything about what happened. So far she'd always told me anything that was going to be important for my survival. If she ignored this one, it was probably something unimportant, or personal.

Cassia seemed to bury her face in my shoulder. Death. Dying. AAAA.

I pulled her closer almost out of instinct. I wasn't sure how else to reply, given she wasn't going to be able to see my sign anything in reply. For a second I was tempted to just trace the answer onto her back, but decided I shouldn't do that without asking her first.

Cassia seemed to be happy with that as I felt the vibration of what could only be a giggle.

I felt a small smile play on my own face at the thought, images of Cassia's smile floating by in my head. It was simply too infectious, even just as a memory.

I grinned right as the ground began to shake. I instincely grabbed onto Sophia before pulling my hands away. Sorry.

Sophia looked a little shocked, her grip on me tightening. Still she managed to shake her head. She looked at my hands and then her chest and nodded.

I shook my head. I'm fine. Just surprised. My legs did not agree with me and despite having my new early morning transfusion, they were not very happy.

Sophia nodded but then proceeded to pull me a little closer.

I snorted as the shaking of the ground only got worse. What are you doing?

Sophia didn't pull away to answer, instead pulling me in a little closer as she maneuvered one hand in front of my face. Sorry. Not Stable.

I shook my head. You don't need to apologize. Just tell me when a door erupts from the ground. I rested my head against her chest again.

Sophia nodded against my hair, resting her head on it again as she held on even tighter. I could almost feel myself lift ever so slightly off the ground. Lifting off the ground wasn't... bad. In fact, it made my legs feel slightly better now they weren't fighting for their lives on the quaking ground. I felt a little perilious considering I was just hovering, but I wasn't going to complain.

Sophia pulled me even closer as the ground shook particularly violently, my feet now properly clearing the ground.