Free Minds

Chapter 63.

   The only forms of movement between Dorian and me were the regular rises and falls of our chests with each breath we took. Our legs, still hanging over the bed, were intertwined while our upper bodies remained relaxed against each other.

   I nestled closer into Dorian as he secured his arm around me. The comforting warmth emanating from him and the bed was just what I needed to close my eyes and ease myself off the shackles of this terrible day. Each breath I inhaled was accompanied by his usual coconut lemony scent.

"How did you meet?" He eventually quipped. "You and Talise, I mean."

   The question prompted a chuckle from my lips. This was actually the first time anyone had ever asked me that. Not that I blamed those who didn't. Talise and I had been best friends for so long, it was hard to remember a time when we weren't and wonder how it all happened.

"I was six. We both were," I began. "I'd just finished recreating my first human-sized model rocket. Human-sized for my six year old height anyway."

"I can imagine." he snickered.

"And the only thing running through my mind then was that this was it for me. Today was the day I was going to the moon and no one or thing was going to stop me. I had my 'body gear', also known as a tin foil hat, a fish bowl for my helmet and layers and layers of clothing."

"Because that's all you need to get to space, obviously." he tapped his head with a scoff. The teasing edge his voice carried, however, betrayed the seriousness he feigned while making that statement.

   I decided to play along though. "Obviously. NASA has a lot of explaining to do with all the money they spend on the astronauts."

    We stared at each other before bursting into hysterics.

"So, anyway, I had my launch controller and was ready," I calmed down to continue on with the story. "My mum had gotten an emergency shift she had to cover at the hospital and to me, that was basically a sign from God to do this now. Also, Mum was going to be back soon so I had to hurry up."

   My memories took me back to a six year old me dragging a rocket made from the finest scrap metal I could gather in the sidewalk in front of my home.

   This rocket was the biggest remake I'd ever attempted. Until then, I'd been stuck on rebuilding vintage radios, routers and wireless speakers, my limited resources always giving them a special touch.

"One minute, I'm in the little seat I made within the rocket, the next the device is shooting to the sky. But I'm not in it!"

"What?" Dorian's body jerking laughter was mainly dominated by confusion.

"Dude, I don't know, okay?" I shrugged after a chuckle of my own. "Everything around me flew up into the clouds. Except the chair of course."

   And instead of coming down to the place it departed, the rocket flew over several houses before eventually landing. At that moment, the only thing that gave me a hint of the rocket's whereabouts was the smoke trail that could be seen many miles away.

   As far as the woods that housed Clearwater River.

"That's crazy," Dorian muttered.

   Those were my exact thoughts when it happened, I told him. But I couldn't bear the thought of it staying there. My desire to retrieve my rocket, therefore, led me to go off on my own for the first time in my life.

   I finally got to the woods but found that the dismantled rocket parts were at the bank of Clearwater River. But they weren't on their own.

"Talise was there." The sigh I released was shaky.