-1-
I woke up in an eerie alley, next to what I hope wasn't a dead rat, but you never know. I stood up and groaned at my massive migraine and leaned onto the side of a building, throwing up whatever food I had yesterday. I wiped the corner of my mouth and shivered, it was cold in the morning, but what do you expect from the middle of October?
I searched my pockets to find that my phone was gone and I remembered that last night was pretty hectic. It was a major house party at some senior in my high school's house, and since I really couldn't care any less about others or my safety, I went and drank and got pretty high, if I'm being totally honest.
And now I'm paying the price. Even if I'm immortal it doesn't mean I can just make the magical symptoms of a hangover disappear. I shrugged off my dirty jacket and walked out onto the busy sidewalks of New Orleans. I walked through the crowded sidewalks, hearing some very strange conversations before making it to a friend's apartment. This friend was my long-time friend in their life, Joey.
We met at a gang shoot out in the streets as I was walking by and I saw him bleeding out, and since I was feeling kinda helpful that day I saved him.
And he hasn't left me alone since. It was kinda annoying but he was very helpful whenever I was in situations like this. Not to mention he's pretty good at hiding bodies. Dragging my feet, I walked myself up to his apartment door and just walked in unannounced, like usual. I heard a lot of moaning coming from his room and I realized that he had company over. I banged on the walls, knowing that Joey could very much hear me and the moaning stopped, and a few minutes later I saw a girl run past me, holding her high heels and purse, her face very flushed with embarrassment.
This isn't the first time this has happened and it always pissed off Joey. He strides into the room with a scowl, his normally fixed fiery red hair was all over the place and he looked like he was in a hurricane.
"Oh, what's up Lincoln?"
"It's Joshua." I reminded him of the millionth time since he's met me. My whole name was Joshua Lincoln and I hated it because people would either call me Joshua or Lincoln and it always pisses me off.
"Whatever, why did you HAVE to interrupt? don't you know how to knock?!" He shouted, grabbing a box of cigarettes from his back pocket and a lighter, setting the cig in his mouth and lighting it up. I shrugged, I mean I learned a lot of things being alive so long but it doesn't mean that I would like to use them in my long, long life.
"I just need some clothes and some money and I'll leave you alone to do whatever you want, Though keep it quiet," Joey grumbled and went back upstairs and came back a few minutes later with a white shirt and some jeans, he threw them at me and said to just use the shower if I needed to and went back upstairs to his room.
I finished drying my hair with Joey's towel and looked at my reflection. my dark reddish-brown hair had light streaks of neon green that I didn't have yesterday. Now I bet any other human being would freak out but I've come to ignore this silly crap, Though I realized that I had a bruise surrounding one of my teal eyes. I wondered what I did to deserve such a mark. I stretched and walked out of the small room and walked up to Joey's room. I busted open his door. Joey was laying on his bed, watching tv. Joey had fiery red hair and dark brown eyes, he was also insanely pale and kinda short so when I called him leprechaun he got super pissed.
"Thanks for the stuff, I gotta go through so, I mean if you wanna call that girl back-" I was cut off by an ashtray crashing near my head.
"Ookay, nevermind I'll see you later, I have to go by the estate, wish me luck." I winked and left his room and eventually his apartment.
I hailed a taxi and told him the directions to the worst side of New York. It was going to take a while and eventually I fell asleep.
~
I clenched my mother's sides, crying my eyes out. It was so much pain to endure for just an 8-year-old, so many traumatic experiences.
I wailed as my mother tried to comfort me.
"It's okay Joshy, I- I know but it's alright it'll pass! J-just a few more minutes." My mother held onto me as I contorted in pain. It felt like an eternity as my broken legs started to put themselves together. The heartless government doctors just watched in amazement and took notes. my family spent years in that facility, underground, being broken and rebuilt, not being able to feel the relief of death.
~
"Sir, we've arrived." The taxi driver stated, looking fairly spooked to be driving out here. I threw a couple crumpled up dollars at him and got out of the taxi. The streets were dirty and crumpled, graffiti on every surface that my eyes can see. The taxi sped off and I walked up to the abandoned looking apartment and walked in without knocking.
The inside was the polar opposite of the outside. Marble floors clean and polished, white walls looking like no one has ever lived here.
"Hey, mom! I'm back!" I shouted, hearing my voice echo off the walls.
I heard footsteps come closer to me until I saw her appear from a doorway. My mother was exceptionally beautiful, her aging stopped at age 30 and she looks way younger than that, her dark auburn curls hang around her shoulders and her painted dark red lips turning into a smile as she saw me.
"Joshua! Welcome back home how was your galavanting in the city?" She asked. She was a very outgoing person, even if she looked like a successful businesswoman, no one knew about her existence and she wanted to keep it like that while my 2 other siblings were famous models and surgeons.
They visited once in a while.
"I'm doing fine mom, I'm just wondering if I could grab some cash from my room, I'll be back tonight, promise." She nodded and went back to whatever she was doing.
