The Distance Between

by Blair Cousins

  WelCum 2 the end, it said, but her journey ended a long time ago.

  She took out the key Angel had given her, opened the door, and dropped her bags on the floor as the door closed with a click behind her. This place was cold and dark. She flipped the light switch revealing nothing but a crawl space with a couch in a small den, a closet of a kitchen, a bathroom, and bedroom. It was a far cry from the luxuries of ranger academy, not that she needed them to survive, but the atmosphere here was dead. Angel did his best to liven up the place, and to his credit, it looked cozy, but she didn’t have the energy to enjoy it. She walked towards the window as the rain continued to pour.

  “Are you crying for me?” she whispered as she found it hard to breathe.

  Outside her window, she flinched at the sounds of sirens followed by red and blue lights that lit up the room. Was this her home now? Was this her life now? What would she even do? These were the questions that gained traction in her mind. She walked to her bedroom. Angel did a really good job decorating. The bedspread was brand new, and there was even a chest and dresser for her clothes. The floors were wooden and uneven, so Angel placed a few rugs about, complete with a pair of slippers to protect her feet. On the makeshift vanity he put together sat the picture they took just before they went to the concert some weeks ago.

  Seeing that made her want to cry even harder. Who was that Ester? She looked at the picture. All that work she put in, only to have it washed away with the rain. Ester didn’t bother unpacking. It wasn’t like she had a lot of stuff anyways. She pulled out some night clothes and undergarments and drew herself a bath. She made the water as hot as she could take it and let the sadness pour from her. An entire ocean would not be enough to hold her tears that night.

  ***

  Morning came without her permission, inviting itself in with sunlight breaking through the clouds. Ester turned around in bed and tried to move the covers over her head, but the rogue sunlight wouldn’t leave her be. She hadn’t ventured out of her apartment in three days, eating through all the rations Angel had stocked for her. She didn’t have the energy to face the world, so she curled up into a little ball and laid there until sleep would take her once more. Her eyes grew heavy and she was just about to fall asleep when she heard a loud knock on the door. She opened her eyes, hoping whoever it was would go away, and then closed her eyes again. However the knocking persisted.

  “Ester! I know you’re in there.” The muffled sound of Angel’s voice could be heard from her room. “Ester!”

  Ester pulled the covers further over her head, but it was useless trying to hide from Angel. He was as persistent as a light driven moth. She rolled over to the other side of the bed and threw her legs over the edge. She sat there for a few seconds as Angel continued to pound on the door. She really wished he would go away. When she finally got up and opened the door, she was greeted by a pair of angry blue eyes. He said something sassy to her, but her ears hadn’t quiet gotten up yet. She just wanted to go back to the pit of her bed and sleep and never wake up.

  “Are you listening to me?” Angel turned around with a large box in his hands.

  Ester stared at him for a few seconds then nodded.

  “No, you’re not.” Angel rolled his eyes. “Ester, I’m worried about you. Here.” Angel handed her a card. “I put a few tones on here so you can buy yourself some food and new clothes. A girl has to have a new set of clothes for each new chapter of her life.”

  But was this really a new chapter? Ester thought, or was this the epilogue?

  Angel couldn’t ignore the vacant stares of his friend. He wanted so badly to go back in time and change her fate, but it was out his reach, even with civil councilors as parents.

  “Hey, look what I got you.” Angel cracked open a decent sized white box.

  Ester stared at it, as if it had come from space.

  “It’s a hologram phone. It’s my old one, but you can have it.” He placed it on the small coffee table in the den. “Now we can make hologram calls to each other.”

  He clapped his hands in excitement, but Ester still looked sad. He frowned, making his icy blue eyes cloudy with sadness. This wasn’t fair, and he hated that she got kicked out. He sat the phone aside and hugged her tight.

  “It’s going to be okay, Ester.” Now he was getting teary eyed.

  He hugged her tighter. His watch buzzed; it was time to go. He let her go and rubbed her shoulders.

  “Take care of yourself, Ester,” Angel said as he headed to the door.

  When he looked back, Ester sort of smiled as he pushed himself to leave. He opened the door, tears overflowing. He turned and ran back to her, slamming into her with such intense force and grabbing her shoulders. He shook her, hard, then pulled her back to him.

  “You better take care of yourself, darn it, because if you don’t I’m going to cry all day until the dead returns you back to me.” He broke the hug and looked into Ester’s eyes.

  She melted as she bit her lip, fighting back her own tears.

  “Okay, Angel, I will try.” She pat him on the head and drew him closer.

  “You better.” Angel hugged her tighter for the last time.

  Angel left and with him went all the sunlight and life. Angel was from a part of her life she could never go back to, and soon, she was sure he would disappear too. There was no way she could maintain a friendship with someone who was from such a different world. He was normal. He had a family and a career and Ester was just a jobless orphan with nothing and no one to go back to. She sat alone in her apartment and stared at the floor. Tiny bugs hugged the walls racing from one side of the room to the other. It seemed like everyone had a purpose, everyone except her.

  ***

  As the days dragged on, Ester felt as if she had gotten more sleep than she ever needed. She was twice as tired, but she was getting hungry. The sounds from outside got her a little curious and maybe a little fresh air could do her some good. She drew a bath because she hadn’t showered in days. The water felt like pellets on her skin, reminding her that this was her life now. She fought her emotions as it turned to rage.

  “Why!” she screamed. “Why!”

  This wasn’t supposed to happen. She wasn’t supposed to be here, and yet the cold unforgiving reality was starting to sink in. If it hadn’t been for Murk she wouldn’t be here, at least that was the lie she replayed in her mind a hundred times. It was his fault and he had been punished too, but his expulsion did nothing to ease her mind.

  There was little to eat in her apartment, expect for a few meal bars. She opened one package labelled sweet and salty. She took one bite and spit it out. It tasted like dirt. Who would buy these? She made a face as she read the package ingredients then tossed it out. It was sunny outside at least, so she threw on a nice sleeveless lavender ride suit and heavy jacket that Angel had bought for her.

  Today, in the apartment hallway, it smelled like old wood and rust. She’d smelt worst. She looked at her graffiti tagged door and glared. She was starting to hate this place again. This place, she was sure, would be her tomb.

  As she turned to head down the stairs, she heard a crashing sound just down the hall.

  She stopped and looked in the direction where she heard the noise. Then she heard another crashing sound. She hoped no one was in trouble, but she wasn’t a ranger now. She paused and thought about it. She wasn’t a hero, but her mind wouldn’t let her move on, especially if someone was actually in trouble. She sighed as the weight of her necklace hung heavy around her neck. These were her neighbors now; their trouble was her trouble. She sighed at her mother’s words as she turned and walked down the hall, hoping there wasn’t any danger. She turned around a corner and saw a slender, orange-skinned man wearing a white t-shirt hunched over a pile of spilt groceries.

  “Oh no, let me help you.” Without hesitation, Ester got to work helping the man pick up his groceries. “I know how frustrating it can be when your bag breaks.”

  She trailed off when t
he man started to stand, rising a full seven feet in the air. He wasn’t Reanian but an entirely different species altogether. He towered over her, looking very thin and frail, wearing a dingy white crop top and loose-fitting pants tied tightly around the waist with a black belt. Ester mustered a smile and stretched out her hand to hand him his things. His large jet-black eyes stared down at her as he smiled and moved a few strands of greasy dark gray hair out of his face. He took the canned good from Ester, making her cringe slightly at his white less black eyes.

  “Thank you, thank you so very much,” he said with a thick foreign accent. “These old totes just are not what they use to be.” He squatted down in front of her, bending his long legs that were almost as long as his arms.

  “No-no problem.” Ester forced a laugh as she tried to help him pick up the rest of his things.

  “You must be our new neighbor. I saw a bright little boy who looked of sunshine come through here a few times. He was radiant.” The leathery skinned man smiled, which only put more tension on his wrinkled skin.

  Ester forced another smile, as she rubbed her arm, and looked away. When he noticed her uneasiness, he stood and clasped his hands to his chest.

  “I don’t mean to pry, I, um, I am just curious. We don’t get many new neighbors, and I do so enjoy the company.”

  Ester nodded like she understood, but really, she just wanted to run and never come back.

  “I’m sorry, forgive my manners. I have been on this planet for years, but my people are telepaths and we greet in here.” He pointed to his head. “It is how we communicate, though sadly, it does not work on those outside our species.”

  Ester’s expression changed. Her hunch was right. He wasn’t from Rean. She had never met an alien before.

  “My name is Sal Chu’pree. I immigrated here, well to Cha-la, but I moved to Ans-on for a friend.” His turned to her and the sadness in his jet black eyes was so intense that Ester thought it would swallow her whole.

  “It-it’s nice to meet you, Sal.” Ester felt the urge to change the subject, anything to escape the sadness in his eyes. “My name is Ester DuTain. I’m from here. I mean, of course I’m from here, I mean Rean. I’m from Adum-la originally.” She laughed a little as she played with the curls on the back of her neck.

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Ester DuTain.” Sal’s smile softened.

  Ester smiled back and placed his groceries in an untorn bag next to his door.

  “Do you need help bringing them inside?” she offered.

  “I don’t want to keep you. You were so kind to help me. I must be inhibiting the start of your day.” Sal reached down to pick up his bags. He struggled a bit but played it off best he could.

  “I didn’t have anything planned.” Ester smiled. “I would be happy to help.”

  Sal stood and looked into Ester’s eyes and smiled. “You are too kind, too kind.” Sal looked like he was about to break down.

  He unlocked the door and allowed Ester to help him. He thanked her a million times, even though she didn’t feel like she had done anything that grand. She waved and said it was no big deal. After all, all she did was help him carry his groceries inside. As she left, she noticed all the pictures of Sal and what looked like his family or friends. She deduced that he must be from Kees, but despite the pictures, there didn’t appear to be anyone living there but him. That made her a little sad. Loneliness. Was this her fate as well? Sal showered her with one last thanks as Ester left his apartment.

  She didn’t want to think about her future right now. Feeling a little tired, she drummed up the energy to continue her quest for food. She needed to get something to eat or at least find out where the local market was. She hurried down the stairs, looking forward to the fresh air, but the minute she stepped outside she was slapped in the face by the smell of warm sewage. She covered her nose with her forearm as she took a step back. The scene outside was just as dismal. The sky was overcast with dirty gray clouds, and the streets were filled with busy hover cars. The sidewalks were cluttered with people indifferent to those around them. It was the opposite of how she imagined a metropolis to be. Wanting to turn around and go back inside, she couldn’t ignore the protest of her stomach. She looked up and down the street but didn’t see a single eatery. She squinted a little longer and spotted what looked like a small convenience store down the street. Perfect, she said to herself, because she would do anything to get off this smelly street.

  She started down the sidewalk as people zipped by with hard looks and jackets huddled close to their chest. No one made eye contact; it was like walking amongst the dead. Ester pulled her jacket closer together, hoping to end this little adventure as quickly as possible. On the streets, dented and dingy hover cars drove by with honking horns that startled her. Cab drivers picked up people and dropped them off abruptly causing her to nearly run into everyone. Cooling air units dropped water into puddles, and lingering people drew long drags from their cigarettes. It was so impersonal; she really did feel like she had walked into the afterlife. Ester shivered, feeling alone in the sea of cold faces. She made it to the convenience store hoping to find a change in scenery, but it was nothing but a hole in the wall. No bigger than a closet, people crowded in, picking up items and rushing to checkout. There was barely enough space to browse, but she settled on a few packaged sandwiches, as there was nothing fresh here like back at home. Just as she was grabbing a juice, a man bumped into her.

  “Hey! Watch it,” Ester snapped, but the man neither acknowledged her nor apologized.

  He, like everyone else in this hell scape of a city, seemed preoccupied with their own business. Ester clenched her jaw. She wanted to run. Anywhere was fine, anywhere was better than living in this place. She paid for her things and headed back to her apartment.

  For the rest of the day, Ester did the only thing that brought her comfort. She napped. When she woke up, she realized that the sun had set on yet another uneventful day. She had finished the last of her sandwiches and was now sitting on her couch watching teleshows. There were so many channels. She never had this sort of freedom before, and yet, it didn’t bring her any happiness. She flipped through the channels, the flashing images pushing her further and further away. She couldn’t make a life here. She felt like she was living in Ans-on’s armpit, and that was saying a lot coming from someone who use to lived near a wind ravaged dessert. It was a cold and smelly place where she was sure people came to die. There seemed to be no hope of getting out, nothing to look forward to, or any reason to get out of bed. Here she was just another cold face, a forgotten soul, one destined to fade away.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Morning came, once again, with its offensive positivity in the form of sleep irritating sunlight. Ester flung the covers over her head, but that did little to stop the sun from illuminating the room. She huffed and clung to her covers tighter, but eventually gave in. She flung the sheets over her body and sat up and stared at the broken blinds. Something needed to be done about those blinds. She got up and picked at them. They were so old and frail, a single tug sent them creaking. She rolled her eyes. This may be her tomb, but that didn’t mean it had to be a dump. She walked out of her room and tripped over a pile of clothes. She got up and growled when she realized the laundry box had broken. She rolled over and inspected the wood. It was old and worn, and she tossed it to the side. This place needed a total makeover. It was hard enough dealing with her feelings with her apartment falling apart around her.

  All morning, Ester spent her time cleaning house. She swept and cleaned the windows. She took note of everything broken and made a list of supplies she would get later. She dusted and cleaned the kitchen, which needed a complete overhaul. Before she knew it, she found herself playing soft music from her tele and humming along as she scrubbed the bathroom floor. She was thankful for Angel giving her a gift basket of cleaning supplies. After hours of backbreaking work, her apartment looked like a whole new place. She smiled as she surveyed her work, wi
ping the sweat from her forehead. It wasn’t as nice as Angel’s place, and not even as nice as the orphanage, but it was clean and that made her happy. She grabbed one of her sandwiches she had forgotten she had left and sat on her loveseat. She looked up at the holes in the blinds on the window in the den. That’s what she needed, the final thing to make her apartment livable.

  She dreaded another trip outside of her apartment, but she could not stand the thought of another morning ruined by the sun. She took note of the measurements of the blinds by counting how many hands across they were. She only needed two, one for the den and one for the bedroom. Throwing on a dark purple ride suit, one that Angel had picked out, and her jacket, she started her quest. She didn’t have the slightest idea where to buy blinds. She didn’t even know if this area had markets or what kind of store to start her search. She looked around the streets; it was no use. All the buildings looked like shady bars and rundown apartment complexes, so she started at the only place she knew sold anything: the convenience store down the street. The weather was a little better today, even the streets smelt less like trash. She took a deep breath and walked into the crowded store to look around. Why was she surprised that a place that could be one of Angel’s closets didn’t sell blinds? She did not want to deal with this right now, but the sun had to be stopped. She squeezed in between customers and made her way to the cashier. Maybe they would be able to help. She popped up at the counter, thanking her ancestors that there was no line and managed an awkward smile.