SPECTRE
Chapter Six: Dib -Reminiscence-
the garbage truck beeps as it backs up
and I start my day thinking about what I've thrown away.
Could I push rewind?
All the credits traverse, signifying the end
but I missed the best part.
Could we please go back to start?-
-"11 am", Incubus
-It's better than I ever knew
Meet me in outer space
I will hold you close, it you're afraid of heights.
I need you to see this place, it might be the only way...-
-"Stellar", Incubus
-Don't let the world bring you down
Not everyone here is that fucked up and cold.
Remember why you came and while you're alive
experience the warmth before you grow old.-
-"The Warmth", Incubus
(Before it all went wrong...)
The two figures reclined on a hillside, faces upturned to the stars, the patchwork of city lights stretched out below their line of sight. One played idly with the strap of a backpack that lay on the sparse grass, ignoring the skool textbooks that spilled from it. The other was silent and still, eyes in what must've been a customary squint, simply staring at the night sky.
A dot of light flew almost languidly across the darkness. The first figure flinched, breath catching in his throat for the merest fraction of a second. A pale hunger rose in lavendar eyes as he traced the star's path, and when it disappeared, he glanced at the other, a sheepish, guilty expression on his face. It seemed she hadn't noticed; her gaze was still on the sky. He forced himself to relax and lay back again; but the need never left his eyes.
"You miss Irk, don't you."
The not-question startled him. He sat up as if on reflex, stared down at the still unmoving form beside him, then growled, "Don't be stupid."
"You wanna say that again?" She sat up as well, one eye open slightly and locked onto his. He met the dangerous glare for a moment, then relented, wrapping thin arms around his knees and resting his chin on them. For a time neither spoke.
When he did, his voice was rough. "They don't want me...they never did. Why should I care for them?"
A harsh laugh met the statement. "Now who's being stupid. That's not what I asked." Confusion and irritation were written on his features, as he gave her a measuring glare. She rolled her eyes.
"I hate people." Her tone had become more even, that of someone trying to teach an infant. "You know I hate humans. They're willfully ignorant, egocentric, xenophobic vermin, not to mention the personal hygiene of most closely resembles that of a moose." He nodded emphatically, and she continued. "They're always putting others down because they find themselves severely lacking, cruelty compensating for impotence and stupidity. The human being is altogether messed up. Something is inherently wrong with all of them. The few decent people on this planet don't come close to outweighing the pervasive cruelty of humanity."
She stopped for a moment, studying him, staring him in the eye. "But this is my planet. The parasites that inhabit it disgust me, but this is my home."
Lavendar eyes widened, then dropped to the ground, unable to meet her amber gaze. She lay back on the shaggy clumps of grass, resumed her previous position. The silence crept back in to fill in the places left open.
"I'm sorry."
He glanced at her in slight shock. The tone had been quieter and more gentle than anything she'd used before. His brows knit together slightly as he mapped her figure and face, trying to find the meaning. "For what?"
"Your life."
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