Young Writers Society

Kannan

'Margo is going to be very pissed.' The thought ran through my head as I pushed open the doors to the brothel and was greeted warmly by a cacophony of groans and moans.

"This place hasn't changed a bit has it." I muttered, eyeing the velvet red walls warily flickering my eyes to the man sitting behind an elevated booth. "Sup, L."

"The usual, Kannan?" L smirked, amber eyes twinkling in the dim light.

"You're still so charming L." I smiled.

"The feeling is mutual, Kannan. She'll be ready in five minutes, she's with another client at the moment." He observed me closely, "haven't seen you in a while what brings you back."

"None of your business, L." I took a step back and leaned against the wall, eyeing him with distaste. L was a man in his mid-twenties, his taste in clothing was horrible evidently shown by wearing a neon pink shirt clustered with neon blue shapes printed on it.

"You can go, and don't forget to tip."

I flipped him the middle finger and walked down to the familiar number 12 door at the end of the hallway, I brushed past a man still buttoning his shirt as I sauntered up and plonked myself on the ground. Laurel sat on the mattress, surprise flitted briefly across her features.

"Feel free to let that hang." I nodded my head to the black lace bra she was putting back on. "You're a prettier sight than anything else I've set my eyes on today."

She laughed and pulled her black hair into a high ponytail, "I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult Kannan, considering the places you go to."

"It's always a compliment when it comes to you, lovely Laurel."

"Flattery, my dear will get you nowhere." She sauntered over and looped her arms around my neck, infusing my senses with the clean, rare scent of chrysanthemums. Her signature smell, she ran a hand down my chest and whispered into my ear, "meet me by the stairwell." Before planting a small kiss on the side of my cheek. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her to her, the smooth texture of her skin was like silk against my arm and that was how we passed the forty five minutes in the room. An unspoken agreement hanging between the two of us.

I lit a cigarette as soon as I stepped outside, sticking to the shadowed areas of the street as I made my way to the well. The area was a popular hangout spot for local gangsters and delinquents though it was relatively empty today, must be the increase in patrols lately. Scared all the cowards off. I watched the incendiary tip of the cigarette dim and brightens with my breath and closed my eyes.

"Someone could have knifed you, you know." Laurel said, I felt her footsteps as she came to stand beside me.

"They'd be doing me a favor." I took another drag and opened my eyes, grounding the cigarette into the ground with my boot. "So, what information do you have?"

"I've found a few things from some of my clients but not enough so we can come up with a substantial plan. Sorry Kannan." She sighed and sat down on the ground, brushing aside a few of cigarette cans and empty aerosol cans. "Wouldn't it just be better if we could just both forget all that happened?"

I sat down and flipped one of the cans up and caught it in the other hand, "no, because then I'd have nothing to live for." I twirled it the can around, trying to put my thoughts into some sort of order but as usual I had no success when they were concerned with Jimmy. Memories that has been tempered with remains an amorphous jungle. "You never told me how you managed to get across."

"Yeah well, when you're treated a piece of meat. No one gives a fuck about who you are. Besides, L's got connections." She said, "shouldn't you be getting back now, Margo's gonna shred you."

I let the silence convey all the words I wanted to say and slung my arm across her shoulders pulled her closer to me. Her body stiffened for a second before relaxing somewhat reluctantly. We watched the city lights in the distance ebbing and flowing like the dying light of a candle.

"You remember when we were kids, and those were real stars?" I spoke quietly, leaning my head on top of hers.

"Until corrupted bastards ripped them out of our hands, yeah." She pushed herself away from, crossing her knees and wrapped her arms around them. "Don't comfort me, Kannan we both know it's an useless emotion."

Breathe. I tell myself, don't snap.

I lay down slowly, and put my head amidst the butts and cans. It felt like the old days again, when I ran with everyone else and the only thing on our mind was survival. This was survival too, but survival of a different kind. Back then, I had Jimmy. And snap, just like that my thoughts are inevitable back on the rail of pursuing a futile task. I turned my head away from Laurel and let the tears fall, it's been so many years of questioning and seeking yet I'm powerless because I can't even gain access to the place where it all started.

The anger simmers, heat invades my temple as I lash out striking my fist against the concrete ground. "FUCK." I pound the ground again and again, a darkening patch starts to spread its spidery legs as the skin on my knuckles blossoms into shreds.

"Arian." The fist stops mid-air at the sound of my name, Laurel squeezed my shoulder lightly and said softly, "you can stop now."