Edge

I sit on my bed and stare at the wall, listening to my mom and her bum boyfriend argue downstairs. The walls of the apartment are thin. So thin that I hear the sharp smack of his hand against her skin very cleary. A moment later the door slams and my mother starts sobbing.

I stand up, sighing, and quickly run a brush through my shoulder length black curls. Rushing, because I know what's going to happen next. Because it happens all the time. I walk to the door, locking it. I look down to examine what I'm wearing, deciding the ripped jeans and black tank top will do. I slide my feet into my old combat boots and hurry to lace them up because I can hear her walking towards the stairs.

I grab my oversized gray hoodie off of my bed. Pulling it on and shoving the book that I'm currently reading into the pocket. My mom's now on the top step.

I go to the window and have just gotten it open when she tries to open my door. When it doesn't budge she begins banging on it, screaming out insults. I climb out of the window so that I'm sitting on the edge with my feet dangling out. Her screams get louder, something I didn't know was possible.

I look down and my breath catches in my throat. It doesn't matter how many times I've done it, and I've done it many, many times, it still scares the shit out of me. "This is all your fault!" My mom yells from the other side of the door. I count to three and jump.

Hitting the ground, I immediately roll to the side. I take a shaky breath and push myself to my feet. Brushing off my pants and straightening my shirt. I look up at my window. I can still hear her, though I can't make out what she's saying.

I roll my eyes and turn and sprint to the tall black fence that surrounds the apartment complex. It takes a matter of seconds for me to scale it. Once I'm on the other side I feel a calm wash over me. The beautiful woods behind the complex have always been my safe place. My dad and I used to come here all the time. We would watch the animals. The always looked like they were dancing through the trees. We would build forts. Stargazing was my favorite. Then one day it stopped and everything went to hell. Since he died, this is the only place where I feel safe. Where I can be happy.

I smile a small smile at all the memories and start down the invisible trail. It's early spring and a little warm. I take off my hoodie and tie it around my waist. A bird whistles and I lookup at the trees. The leaves and recently bloomed flowers blow in the gentle breeze. I hum quietly while I walk, a lullaby my father used to sing to me.

It doesn't take long before I reach my destination. The abandoned gazebo. I have absolutely no idea why it's here. In the middle of the woods. But I'm glad it is.

It probably use to look like something straight out of a fairy tale but nature has taken it's toll on the beautiful structure. Vines climb up the log post and onto the roof. A huge tree root has broken through the cement floor. There is thick green moss covering every inch of the cold concrete.

I walk into the gazebo, trailing my hand along the rail. I go to the edge opposite of the entrance and sit down. The moss provides a soft plush seat. I get my book out of my pocket and place the hoodie next to me. It takes me a minute to get comfortable. Once I do, I find the page where I left off and begin to read.

I've been reading for a while, when I hear a noise. It's sounds like a twig snapping. Holding my breath I slowly rise and peek over the edge of the rail. It's the birds. I stand up the rest of the way. I let out a relived sigh and rest my elbows on the rails, leaning against it. I watch a robin hop around on the ground searching for food. I take my phone out of my back pocket to take a picture. Just as I press the button, the cloud that had been covering the sun moves. It brightens my surroundings, revealing the shadow of someone behind me. I drop my phone and spin around, coming face to face with a girl.

This is when my fight or flight instincts should kick in but they don't. I freeze. Blue. That's the first thing I notice. Her hair is azure blue. It's in two messy buns on the top of her head. She reaches up and tucks a stray strand behind her ear and smiles tentatively.

"Sorry, I didn't realize anyone else came here."

"It's fine" I say. I turn back around and look over the edge, searching for my phone. I don't see it. Dammit. What is she doing here? No one knows about this except for me, I'm the only person that comes here. Obviously not genius. There is literally a person right there. This is...

"Is it any good" her voice interrupts my thoughts. I sigh and turn to face her. I follow her pointed finger to my book that's laying open against the exposed root. She looks back at me, her eyes the color of honey and I quickly look at my feet. Pretending to examine the laces of my shoes and nod.

"What's it about" she asks appearing to be genuinely interested. I lean over and pick it up. I glance at the page number, quickly memorizing it, before shutting the book. I hand the book to her so she can examine the cover. It's a navy blue background, with a shattered ice heart in the center.

"It's called Ice. My teacher recommended it because I fell in love with the author during class when she read one of their poems. Anyway it's about a girl who's mother disappeared when she was six. She went searching for her and kinda became a vigilante of sorts. A man came and offered her a job. Which she failed. It turns out that he's the devil. And her father. They keep..." She cuts me off by covering her ears and dramatically shouting 'blah blah blah'. She laughs at the startled look on my face.

"It sounds really good and I want to read it. I don't need you to spoil it." She explains, still giggling.

"Oh, sorry" I blush and look anywhere but at her.

She starts flipping through the book, and I take this opportunity to find my phone. I walk out of the gazebo and around the back side where I dropped it. I glance back inside to see the girl still has her eyes locked on the pages. I watch as she scans the back cover before setting it on the rail. She starts to turn towards me and I quickly look down. I continue searching, and push aside some bushes and see my phone laying face down. Please don't be broken. I silently count to three and pick it up. I let out an audible sigh of relief, no cracks.

Just as I stand up my phone starts ringing. I jump and drop it again. Picking it up, I look to see who's calling. Mom. My brows furrow in confusion, but one look at the time clears it up. It's seven. I've been gone for ten hours.

"I've got to go. Could you hand me my hoodie" The words rush out of my mouth. She starts at me for a second, before grabbing it and tossing it to me.

"I'm Lenny, by the way." she thrust her hand towards me. I reach out and shake her hand.

"Zoey"