6Warning: Themes of religion (false or otherwise), death, love, sexual situations, mental or physical illness, violence, rape, suicide, and anything deemed debatable or offensive may be present in this fictional story. Proceed at your own discretion.
AN: Please enjoy ^_^
With Flightless Wings Chapter 01: Summit
She couldn't wipe away the thick sheen of sweat which covered her, drenching the clothing she wore. With weary eyes, Haley noticed the bright red digital numbers on her clock. Flopping back to the mattress with tired bones, she attempted to untangle her legs from the knots in her sheet as she ran over her schedule for the day.
*If it isn't school, it's work* she concluded, throwing a lazy arm over her eyes. Though the scene outside her window was still shrouded in darkness, Haley knew daylight would break through the screen of black. Haley Grey would have been perfectly content in nestling her face further into her pillows, but instead attempted to coax herself into springing from her warm sheets. She banished such thoughts of curling up with a favored book in the early afternoon, sipping a cup of hot, frothy coffee, and enjoying the blissful sound of silence to keep her company.
A moment later, the sound of oldies music shattered her sleep-induced daydream. Haley reached out with one hand, as the other struggled to flip the covers from her body, and brought it down hard upon the offending item. However, instead of solidly connecting with the snooze button, Haley missed her nightstand completely and ended up a mess of limbs and sheets on the ground. Her legs were in a ridiculous bunch at the edge of her bed, while her arms groped blindly for a sturdy surface to brace her body.
"Not again." she mumbled, pushing dark hair out of her eyes. With a little effort, Haley managed to drag her bedding onto the floor beside her, untangle her limbs, and slap the switch on the alarm. After dumping her sweat-soaked sheets into her hamper, while dually noting her lack of clean linen, Haley stumbled into the bathroom with the intention of taking a nice, warm shower.
~**~**~**~
It was nothing like the feel of those hands, pressing against her. They burned like acid, scorching a path wherever they brushed her pale skin. She could feel them clawing away at her limbs when they could not grab a hold of her ebony tresses or flesh; soundless screams echoed within the confines of her mind. They drew closer to her, where she huddled in a corner alone, eyes clamped shut. Her hands made a futile attempt in blocking out the horrifying cries as she pressed raw palms tightly against her ears.
She was aware when the area around her became silent. Growing very still, Haley willed her heart to slow, noting that the pulsing sound of blood rang as loudly as the screams. When at last she was certain the silence would remain, Haley cautiously opened her eyes to discover a strange, lucid color had invaded her surroundings. It was dark, deep, and smelled of something wild. When she widened her gaze, Haley noticed the shade of color which ran in rivers along her arms and legs, through the tangles of her even darker hair, and along her body in multiple streams. The color became brighter with each passing moment, producing in her mind's eye a wet, metallic red, causing her to grow sick with nausea until she choked upon her own bile.
Her jaw dropped as she gasped. The odor of vomit mixed with blood penetrated the stale air, quelling all hopes she had of dispelling her urge to retch. With one hand, Haley made to cover her mouth when she noticed a faint, dripping sound.
She was standing in a pool of blood. The filthy liquid was darker than any blood from a shallow cut, and seemed to be growing. The sound of the thick substance hitting the pavement gave cause to one hand covering her mouth, only to withdraw it with horror. With a frantic gesture, Haley wiped at her mouth, forgetting about what little precious balance she had. In her sudden attempt to dry her lips, Haley found it increasingly difficult to keep her feet planted firmly to the ground. When at last the ground slipped from beneath her, she let out a sharp cry, the slickness of blood staining her white running shoes.
The darkness had grown redder as the moments passed.
A piercing cold prickled her skin.
The air around her felt warm and thick. With a delicate sniff of her nose, the sweet scent of fruit invaded her senses. As she opened her eyes to awaken from another dream, Haley dimly realized that she was still in her shower. The steam from the hot water running along her body had apparently lulled her to sleep for a moment, bringing back all the scarring images of the night before - and of her childhood. With a slight shake of her head and an even smaller shiver, she raised her dark brown eyes to meet heaven ward.
A stainless steel showerhead continued to rain ice water upon her.
*How long have I been in here, if the water has already turned cold?* With a blank stare, her eyes focused on the swirling water at her feet. The flesh along her fingers had already shriveled up like prunes. Leaning so her forehead met with cold, slick tiles, Haley pushed the tap off and groped blindly for her towel. After securing the cloth around her torso, she pushed the shower curtain aside with one hand, while another fumbled to keep her long hair from her eyes. A step forward and a sigh later, Haley emerged from the bathroom, intent on finding something professional, yet comfortable to wear to work.
Just then, the telephone rang. Pushing one errant lock of hair away from her face, Haley strode over to her nightstand and picked up a cordless telephone on the fourth ring. While in her mind she was cursing anyone who would call at quarter to six on a Tuesday morning, she seemed nothing but polite. Upon realizing the quality and texture of the caller's voice, her false cheer turned into genuine merriment. Momentarily forgetting about her haze in the shower, Haley settled herself onto her bed with a smile gracing her features. For the time being, all she cared were for the words she heard in the next few minutes.
Suddenly, a loud sound interrupted her conversation. A few feet beyond where Haley sat was a clock, reminding its owner what time of morning it was. A quick glance at the glaring red numbers indicated she was indeed, behind in her schedule.
Again, she was late for work.
With a frustrated - or perhaps frantic - sigh, Haley hung up on her caller after briefly apologizing for her rudeness. A cry could be heard on the other end of the line as she hastily replaced her phone back into its receiver and got up from her bed. With thoughts of sending the clock hurling through the window, Haley clutched at her towel as she made her way to the closet.
It was time to prepare for another day.
~**~**~**~
". What?" Warm gray eyes narrowed suspiciously at his companion, before turning again to survey the late afternoon sun. The bright star was a dim orange and red by this time of day, filling the sky with a bold color. In contrast, light pinks dared to peek from behind a stream of thin clouds, and a few seagulls drifted calmly in the breeze.
The sand beneath his toes gave way underneath his weight when he stood, and he turned to look again at his friend. Steely blue eyes clashed with warm gray, resulting in a glaring contest. It only lasted for a few moments until the owner of gray eyes broke contact, and turned to face the rising tide. He scanned the shoreline briefly before muttering his consent.
"Alright, alright." Darting another glance behind him, he shook the chestnut strands that fell into his eyes before sweeping them away with an irritated gesture. "This had better work. "
~**~**~**~
The sun seemed brighter than usual that day as Haley made her way through the streets of Alyndra. With her shoes strings tied together and the soles slung over one shoulder, Haley wove through the crowds on her rollerblades. In and out of the masses she dove, at times hopping along the stone walls and gliding among the narrowest of alleys.
The sounds of Alyndra never seemed to cease; Haley found the noise to be a great comfort and vice all at the same time. She had grown up in the city near the shore for most of her young twenty years, and still had not gotten used to the volume with which the city sang. Her grandfather had never appreciated the noise much either, but that didn't stop him from bringing Haley to Corel Beach on busy summer days, where there were bound to be mischievous children and promiscuous teens. Grandfather Grey had always told Haley to mind her manners, and stay close by his side as to not become separated.
"I'd hate for you to fall in a sand ditch," he had quipped in their younger years.
As she made her way to Corel Beach, Haley grabbed at the pocket of her shorts and withdrew a pair of sleek sunglasses. Perching them upon her nose, the black frame and silver lenses seemed to blend in perfecting with her hair trailing wildly behind her figure.
Upon nearing the entrance of Coral Beach, Haley gently twisted her knees, halting to a stop. As she paused for a quick water break, Haley unhinged the water bottle from her side and wiped at the sweat trailing down her temples. She took a moment to study the sand that lie a dozen feet before her, and watched as the tide crashed with the sturdy shore. A quick glance at her wheels affirmed her suspicions of sinking into the sand. With that thought in mind, Haley glided through the narrow passage way that lead to Corel Beach and took in the scent of sulfur in the air.
The time when late afternoon ebbed into early evening was always a pleasant time of day for Haley; with the sun hovering just above the horizon, and a handful of thin clouds creeping along the edges of the skyline, it seemed a perfect paradise. Clear waters swept away at the shore, nibbling at her toes when she dared to tread too close. The shore had eroded much within the past few years from its raging battle with the tide, and as she watched the water recede back to its mysterious depths, Haley noticed the unusual silence drifting in the gentle breeze.
The beach was barren that day. The sands were void of any human laughter, and there were no footprints in the sand. Only the soft crests of waves slapping at the shore and the crunch of sand beneath her foot shattered the silence around her.
Although Haley had swiftly changed into her pair of running sneakers, the tiny grains of sand did prove to be difficult. It always took her nimble legs a few moments to grow accustomed to the soft substance beneath her heels. Once her legs grew adjusted though, her pace rated at an easy speed to match the lazy thoughts that lingered in her mind.
The gentle breeze and streams of warm sunshine were a sort of soothing balm to Haley's stressful worries. Being a student with a major in journalism and working part-time at her internship with Alyndra's most successful newspaper staff was quickly taking its toll upon Haley's physical and mental being. The daily run in the early evenings served as a way to unwind from her taxing days, and even more haunting nights.
Although she had yet to dream in the duration of the day, Haley was a girl who suffered from recurring visions at night. Ever since she had been a young girl of four, the visions ran rampant in her mind. At first, Haley had been quite vocal with her distress, but her grandfather had always dismissed it as a child's imagination. As time passed, her protests grew fewer and farther between until they had all-together disappeared. The odd images would exist and disappear, only to resurface weeks, or quite possibly, years later. Aside from the few scarce nights when she would rest in dreamless slumber, Haley found it difficult to remain at ease after the last rays of the sun sank below the horizon.
Of course, the lack of respite also ran its course during the hours of day. If it were not for her natural talent at writing coupled with her inquisitive mind, Haley would not have landed her scholarship at the highly competitive university she attended, nor would she have had the chance to work for Alyndra's highly successful iReconni. However, due to her lack of attentiveness and energy, Haley constantly found herself running late in the mornings, dreading any confrontation possible at her work. Being a part-time college student, struggling with her internship, and dealing with insomnia did not provide much spare time for any person to rest. Haley frowned at the brief, but biting reprimand she received from her superior earlier that day. She had to admit, stumbling into the office with her coat hanging off of one slim shoulder, damp strands of hair in her eyes, and a shoulder bag caught in the heel off one broken shoe did not help matters any.
A door slammed somewhere in the midst of cubicles, accompanied by a string of very unbusiness-like choice words. Although it was not rare for Haley to arrive late for her position at Reconn, it was not common for the chief editor to go on a rampage, slamming doors and cursing through clenched teeth. Haley paused, taking the time to wince and gather her wits. It was apparent who would be at the receiving end of her superior's tension.
The air rippled around her.
A flash of white attacked her with blinding speed.
With a quick flick of her wrist, Haley hurled the crumpled object back to its original starting point.
It was easy to recognize the cry of surprise that echoed through the cubicles.
*That should teach him.* Haley thought with a satisfied smirk. Her morning began to look a little brighter with that thought in mind, as she made her way down past several departments. She could hear the footsteps that rapidly approached her, but did nothing to acknowledge his presence.
"So it isn't just your lazy reflexes. "
She recognized the shaggy brown locks that fell in waves around his boyish face, belying the fact that he was her senior by a handful of years. A teasing expression graced his features as he attempted to match Haley's quick steps, all the while maintaining a casual smile. The curve of his lips brought out the cheerfulness in his amethyst eyes, which were looking to Haley in amusement. Upon reaching her cubicle a few rows down, Haley stepped into her designated area and moved to set down her belongings.
"Did you have to have that second cup of coffee this morning?" Wordlessly, Haley held out a partially filled thermos as she searched for the switch to allow energy to flood her computer. Trails of brown liquid slid down the containers side in rivers, meeting with the countertop surface after Haley had set it down.
She took a moment, after finding the electrical switch, to tug on the sleeve of her coat. It had taken a little effort to keep her shoulder bag from spilling its contents as well as avoiding the scalding beverage in her thermos. The newly-broken strap on her shoe made it difficult to keep her balance.
"I wouldn't get quite so comfortable just yet," the persistent voice advised. Haley regarded the young man behind her with a careful eye as she allowed her shoulder bag to rest beside the damp thermos. After tossing her coat on the back of a mobile chair, Haley withdrew a portfolio from her bag and set it on the countertop as well. She reached for a roll of silver- gray material.
"Go away Riot," she growled. A quick snap sounded in the confines of her cubicle, and a piece of duct tape came off in her hands. Delicate balance allowed the nimble girl to fuse the sticky strip to her broken strap ends. Haley noticed the look of amusement that threatened to turn into laughter and silenced his forthcoming pleasure with a glare.
Instead of mocking her faulty heels, Haley's co-worker decided to broach another topic.
"Oh please - call me by my first name." He plastered another goofy grin onto his already optimistic features. "You know me well enough by now - "
"Fine, Maxwell - "
"Snappy, snappy!" A sound akin to her grandfather's reprimand reached her ears. "Better calm yourself before you go to see Chief over there." At the look of surprise in her dark brown eyes, Maxwell jerked a thumb at an office to emphasize his point. "Yeah, he wants to see you first thing - " An eyebrow rose before he advised the annoyed girl to pull up the shoulder of her blouse. Another withering glare was sent his way.
"Hey!" He held up a pair of hands. "Just looking out for you." Amused amethyst eyes followed her figure as Haley stepped in front of her computer screen, attempting with little success to catch her reflection in the dim glare. A hand began to gently tug at the wet lock of hair, still damp from its earlier cleansing.
"Mm. what kind of shampoo do you use?" Another hand slapped at the larger, which had been fiddling with her loose mane.
"I am proceeding to ignore you."
With a twist of an elastic band, Haley's long dark hair was pulled into a high ponytail. She had enough sense to swat away Maxwell's hand for the second time, knowing he would yank on her ends. Unbeknown to Maxwell though, a small smile was making its way onto her somewhat drawn lips. After a time, Maxwell Riot was always able to lift her dampened spirits when she needed a friendly push.
"You do realize that I'm serious - about Chief - right?" A slump of her shoulders indicated her understanding. With a sympathetic smile, Maxwell pushed past his friend and grabbed a few tissues. He proceeded to soak up the thermos' spilt contents.
At the expression of protest playing across her features, Maxwell also made a grab for her portfolio and tossed it into her unsuspecting hands. She caught it with a fumble. "Go ahead to your impending doom," he instructed, a teasing grin on his features. "I'll clean up the mess you trailed around, and don't worry - your hair looks fine, you've got your paper work done, and. well, I don't really know what else you've got going for you, but he won't fire you." A quick inspection of her appearance gave him cause to smirk. "And if anything," he gestured at her foot, with the broken shoe strap and duct tape, "just show him your shoe and expect a laugh!"
*I'll show you my foot alright!*Instead of going with her initial urge, Haley settled for smacking the back of Maxwell's head with the underside of her portfolio. Satisfied with the solid cracking sound that resulted in her hasty reaction, Haley strode off to her superior's office.
*He was angry* she mused to herself, as she thought back upon the affair. Her reassignment on another "more prominent" event did nothing to help matters; it was the fact that she had been reassigned that nipped at her thoughts. Haley felt she had left her work half-done, and a guilty after-taste stained her mouth.
"You have such potential," he had commented after offering her a seat in his sparsely furnished office. Fatigue had damped his posture, while exhaustion accompanied his dark blue irises. Jacob Willis was a tall, proud man that carried an heir of treachery and malice on a bad day, and sarcastic comments on the better. Haley had always known Willis to be a kind man beneath his gruff exterior, and she could see it in the slight slump of his shoulders and worry etched onto his expression.
"I'm. sorry, Mr. Willis - " *For holding everyone else back.* Her dark eyes spoke volumes when her voice could not. "Perhaps I'm just not cut out for this type of work - " Not waiting for his intern to finish her sentence, he threw a thick file onto the mahogany surface of his desk, gesturing for her to examine the stack.
". What's this?" She dared a glance at her superior before retrieving the large file. With careful hands she began to leaf through the various scraps of paper, allowing her eyes to lightly scan its contents.
"Next assignment."
"What?" Surprise was clearly evident, as well as disbelief. "But I'm already running behind on last week's and I - "
"Don't worry about that one - Riot will be tying up loose ends, and the two of you will be doing this investigation together."
Again, another protest escaped from confused lips, quickly followed by words of dissent.
"But sir!" By this time Haley was on her feet, chair forgotten. "He's busy enough as it is - I can't burden him with my shortcomings - "
"He volunteered for this story, Grey." His voice hardened, quickly dissipating the edge that Haley's own voice. "We need two people to do the work I've given the both of you."
"But. why me?" She appeared to have resigned her battle of wills, plopping back into her chair. "I'm just an intern."
"Logically speaking, it makes the most sense to put you and Riot together." Haley could hear the papers that rustled against one another, along with the soft clattering of steel upon steel. "You're a new intern, with much potential." He took a moment to pause in between retrieving other various papers from drawers and folders, glancing in her general vicinity. "You've got all the makings of an exceptional reporter, but there are two critical obstacles slowing your progress." Haley listened with curious ears, coaching her eyes to meet with dark blue ones.
"One is a given - you're a student. You have classes to go to and books to study." He shuffled a few more papers, before dividing them into tidy piles. "There's nothing much you can really do about that." She affirmed her understanding with a nod.
"The second?"
"Well - no experience; no real experience anyway." Willis waited for another heartbeat to pass before returning her curious gaze. "What you've basically done for Reconn thus far is petty deskwork - nothing really related to the field outside of these walls." He made a point of glancing out the window, stories up from the ground level of the city. "You lack guidance - an explanation as to why I threw you and Riot together. He's been in the field for a few years now; he can help you."
"Riot?" An expression of pure disbelief was apparent on her petite features. Apparently, her superior's words were beginning to take affect. "That goofball?"
"He may seem like an idiot, but when push comes to shove he really is a fine worker." Willis seemed embarrassed in revealing this last comment, and made to mask his pride in turning around to open another filing cabinet. A second file was drawn and placed next to a stack of papers.
"Could've fooled me." A short chuckle escaped from Willis, and Haley blinked her eyes.
"It's nothing," Willis added as an afterthought, his voice catching. Wishing to avoid the many questions - as well as comments - in Haley's eyes, he pressed on. "Now - I have another meeting in twenty, and I'd like to get some work done. "
"Oh, right sir!" An instant later, Haley grasped the file in her small hands. "I'll get working on this right away." A thoughtful frown graced her features as retreated into the building's corridors, but was soon replaced with a smirk thereafter.
"And don't forget Riot - " Willis attempted to call, but was drowned out by the echo of the slamming door.
She tripped then.
Haley frowned a little, when she noticed her shoe laces had become undone, and righted herself. The nasty knot that had appeared in her white running shoes, mingled with gritty sand, began to aggravate her as she tugged at the stubborn mess. She vaguely recognized something moving in the distance, but did not care to focus on the object that was approaching her at an alarming speed.
A moment later, Haley found herself staring dizzily at the sky, her vision swimming. The long gray shadow that was cast over her fallen form caused her to blink.
She could hear a voice calling out to her, but continued to stare up into intense blue eyes. The shade surrounding the orbs was colored in a tint of gray, growing lighter from its dark hue until it reached a pure white at four dainty paws.
*. Wait a minute. paws?* She blinked again when the gray blur was shoved aside, replaced by a different set of eyes.
"Soft," she breathed, not knowing her muddled thoughts were being vocalized. A different set of eyes peered softly at her with worry from beneath chestnut colored locks. She couldn't help but let her gaze trail over his temperate features, noting the calm, yet unsettling aura that exuded from him.
She felt an itch in her mind, as he continued to study her passive reaction.
It was then that she noticed how her prone body was lying in his arms.
She could feel the way her cheeks flushed as she stumbled out of the stranger's reach, toward the shore. Crests of ocean water mingled with the sand beneath her hands as she continued to watch the young man from her view on the ground. His gaze never left her face as he returned the favor as well.
A sharp bark echoed in the deserted sands. She jumped at the sound that shattered the stillness.
"Tundra - stop barking, you'll scare her!" chastised the stranger with gray eyes. A frown was clearly set in his gentle features, and for one long moment, man and animal locked gazes and struggled for superiority. Haley could feel the waves of tension spark in the air at that instant, and wondered if she should take the opportunity to flee.
Just as she was seriously considering the oddity of the situation, the stranger turned to her. Gone was the frown from his youthful face, although there was still concern lit clearly in his eyes.
"Are you okay?" he queried, taking a step forward to offer her a helping hand. Haley paused to study his offer before accepting it and hoisting herself up. Self-consciously she took a step back, covering her inspection of surroundings by dusting the sand from her backside.
Taking in his appearance, Haley found herself mildly attracted to the figure before her. He was dressed for comfort, she noticed, with loose- fitting jeans and a gray-hooded sweatshirt. Captive in one hand was a loosely-held leash, which gave way to the dog that had managed to knock her over.
*What a peculiar breed.* she mused, tilting her head a bit as she completely forgot her inspective distraction. The canine's steely blue eyes seemed very intelligent and wise, mirroring her own sense of fascination. Her gaze ventured upward, taking note of the white edges along the ears and eyes. The fading shades of dark gray into pure white appealed to her eyes as she studied the creature before her.
*I wonder -* "What kind of dog is this."
"A husky mix," came a startling reply. She blinked startled eyes at the stranger.
"Don't worry - he doesn't bite." There was a slight pause, before he ruefully added, ". much." The crunch of sand signified another step taken back. Adrenaline began to rush through her veins as she fought to keep a hold of her senses. "I know that's not very reassuring but. don't worry - I think he likes you." He gave his dog a quick pat on the head to calm the wolfish creature before subtly advancing forward. "You never answered my question," he continued, concern still swimming in his eyes. The top of his head cleared her petite form by several inches and he took a minute step in an attempt to close the distance. "It looked like you took a pretty hard fall, and you seem a bit. edgy. Do you need some help getting someplace?" There was a slight pause, as he waited for a response. "Home, perhaps? Or your boyfriend - "
"No boyfriend," she muttered, a bit more darkly than she intended. The new-found wariness that began to exude from the young man before her was not lost amidst her scattered wits.
It was then that Haley realized she was being rude.
"I'm. sorry," she apologized, slightly lowering her face from his view. Her eyes trailed off to the side to watch the shoreline, before shaking her head a bit to clear her thoughts. "I didn't mean to snap." Haley could feel his eyes studying her, before he nodded.
There was a wet nose at her hand a moment later. Bringing her gaze back, a small smile crept upon her lips as she turned more fully to scratch behind the husky's ears. From the way the animal pushed into her hand, Haley could tell it favored her already.
"You said this was a husky mix?" she breathed softly, peering into the intelligent ice blue eyes of the animal. There was a slight shuffle of movement as its owner crouched down beside her. "He sort of resembles a wolf."
"He gets that all the time," he agreed, gently nicking the creature's muzzle with a harmless fist. His efforts were ignored though for the most part, for the dog in question continued to look on, inspecting the girl beside his master. His eyes were curious, and his perky ears waiting to be scratched. Haley smiled, leaning forward to comply with his silent request.
A wave of nausea hit her then, leaving her hand to hover. It became difficult for her to breath, feeling as though the wind had completely stripped her of breath. Had her hand not been outstretched, Haley would have fallen face-forward in hot sand.
She could faintly hear a surprised cry of concern on her behalf, and a hand that grabbed brusquely at her shoulder as she stared into the ground with wide eyes. Her sight by this time had grown blurry, clumping anything she saw into one shapeless form. The battle for air still continued on, causing her to shake with effort. A new burning sensation was beginning to stem from her chest into her back, and outward.
"Not. again. " she spat out, clutching at the sand beneath her. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing her body to relax. Fighting to clear her mind, she released all but the tiny gentle voice that sought to gain control over the matter, and over her pain. Slowly, the black wisps of obscurity slipped from her mind, lingering only at the edge of awareness. Her shaking stilled, and the air that rushed into her lungs tasted sweet once more. Her vision cleared a moment after, and she was able to pick out each individual particle of sand held loosely in her grip. The hand at her shoulder served as a reminder that she was not alone this time.
"I'm fine," she repeated quietly, shaking away the hand. Standing on two feet and keeping her balance proved her otherwise, and she scowled when the stranger assisted by placing a hand on her elbow.
"You want to try walking before telling me that again?" A frown marred his worried features, his lips thinning out into a line. He shook his head once before leading her away from the shore's edge, not waiting for a response.
"Wa - wait a - where are you taking me!" She attempted to tug her arm out of his grasp, but only ended up tripping over her own feet. The gentle fingers curled around her elbow even more.
"That was only a rhetorical question you know," he remarked after making sure she had not caused further injury to herself. She made a face at that, to which he responded with an amused expression. "Do you want me to take you to the hospital, or to your home?"
"Home," she responded tartly, still feeling a little more than annoyed. It was not an emotion that overwhelmed her relief though. Instead of expanding further on her reply, Haley pursed her lips together and pinned her brown eyes to the stone path before them.
While they walked in silence, Haley permitted herself to relax with every step they took. She allowed someone else to take the lead for once, relishing in the fact that she was not alone. Her gaze became unfocused as she drowned herself in the rare feeling, and soon she felt herself slipping. She was unconcerned though, as her sense of balance faltered and she rushed to the sand in a senseless heap.
Her sight became veiled to the world as grey lines crept along the periphery of her vision, pulling her into a state of familiar oblivion.