Chapter 8
Title: Breaking Walls
Genre: Fiction, Action, Dystopian Future, Original, Romance
Words: 3K
Rating: T
Summary: Making breakfast and beginning the chase.
Molly woke with a start to the feeling of something covering her face. She jolted up, knocking off an extra pillow that had somehow ended up on her. Upon realizing it was only a pillow, her body began to calm, but the ability to fall back asleep was gone. She was wide awake now. She surveyed the room checking to see if any of the others were awake yet. To her left was Puck, who was laying on his back with Wally half rolled onto him, both still deeply asleep. On her right, Summer was still sleeping, laying on her side facing away from Molly. Sky, however, was nowhere to be seen. Molly slowly worked her way out of the makeshift bed they had made on the floor, and went to go look for him.
She checked the bathrooms and kitchen, thinking Sky must have gotten up to go to the restroom or get water. When she couldn’t find him in either location, she quickly grew alarmed, frantically searching through the remaining rooms in the house. However, she still couldn’t find him. It was as if he had vanished without a trace. She considered waking the other so they could help her look for him, but she decided to check the front and back before the got the others involved.
Molly ran to the front door first, looking up and down the street as she walked away from the house. She was hoping to see Sky walking down the street, but there was no one on the street. As she turned back toward the house, she saw Sky sitting under the front window looking at her with wide eyes.
“Sky! There you are,” she exclaimed. “I woke up and you were gone, so I checked the kitchen and bathroom, but I didn’t see you. I got worried and checked the other rooms and you weren’t there either. I know we barely know each other, but I can’t imagine you would just leave without saying anything first. I thought something bad might have happened, so I came running out hoping to catch you leaving or something, but here you are. I was so scared that somehow you were hurt or in trouble, you aren’t hurt, are you? Is something bothering you? Do you need to be alone or want some company?” Molly rambled, unable to stop herself.
“Sorry I scared you… didn’t think anyone would be awake yet. I’m fine… just wanted to get some air.” He mumbled quietly, looking down at the ground.
Molly froze, scared to do something that would make Sky feel more uncomfortable. She wanted to help him somehow, but was unsure how to do so. She was stuck deciding between hugging him and leaving him alone. Finally, she sat down under a few feet away from him and leaned against the house, similar to how Sky was. She didn’t talk, simply looked up at the clouds passing overhead. Sky tensed up when she first sat down, but soon relaxed and looked up as well. He seemed to be more on guard then he had been the past few times she had seen him, although she didn’t have much experience to draw from.
Several minutes passed in silence, before Molly spoke, forgetting she was waiting for Sky to speak first, “Your eyes are the same color as the sky, and your name is Sky. Kinda funny huh?”
Sky’s body went rigid, his head snapping down to hide his face in his hair. “Ya…,” he choked out.
“Ah, sorry I didn’t. I wanted. I…” Molly stuttered, staring wide eyed at Sky. Then she took a deep breath and looked back at the sky, calming her nerves, “It feels like a pancake kinda morning. What do you think? Would you like to help me make some?”
Sky didn’t move, but he whispered hoarsely, “I don’t know how… never cooked before.”
Molly stood up and dusted off her pants, “Well, we can change that. Pancakes are easy.” She held her hand out to help Sky up. “Only if you want to, that is,” she added shyly.
Sky looked up at her questioningly, red glassy eyes jumping between her hand and her face. Molly smiled sweetly at him, encouraging him to take her hand. He tentatively placed his hand in hers, allowing Molly to pull him up before they headed into the kitchen.
Once in the kitchen, Molly rummaged around the cabinets looking for the bag of pancake mix she had begged her parents to get a few months ago. Pancake mix was hard to find, so she had been saving it for something special. Sky was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, wringing his hands nervously. After she found the mix, Molly pulled out a measuring cup and bowl, motioning for him to come stand next to her. He walked over slowly.
“Okay so first we need to measure everything. We want to make a lot. Puck and Wally are like never ending pits when it comes to sweets. Here,” she said, as she handed Sky the pancake mix and measuring cup. “Pour the mix in, so that it goes to this line near the top,” she pointed at the 2 cup mark.
She turned away from Sky to pull out a pan and turn on the stove. When she turned around Sky was gently and slowly adding the mix to the edges, trying to make it all even. Molly laughed quietly, gently pushing Sky’s hands away so he would stop pourning. “Here, it helps if you tap it on the counter like this,” she told him, gently knocking the cup on the counter.
Sky’s eyes widened in amazement at how the powder flattened. He slowly finished filling the cup, stopping to knock the cup on the counter several times. Molly watched in amusement, then handed him the bowl and gestured for him to pour it in. He quickly flipped the cup over into the bowl, causing some of the powder to fly up in a small cloud. Sky looked at it in horror, mumbling apologies.
Molly smiled at him softly, “It’s okay. Cooking is messy like that.” Then she tugged him over to the sink, “Now we need water. Try to fill it to the 2 and a half mark.” She watched as he struggled to hold the measuring cup level and fill it. However, he was able to fill it perfectly thanks to the slow flow of the sink. Once the cup seemed acceptable he moved toward the mixing bowl, looking to Molly for guidance. She gave him a small nod and he poured the water in, slowly this time.
Molly opened one of the drawers next to the sink and pulled out a spoon to mix the batter with. She took the bowl from Sky and began to stir it vigorously, smashing all the clumps and bubbles she could find. Once she thought it was almost ready she handed it to Sky finish mixing. “Mix it like I was, and try to make sure there are no clumps of powder or bubbles.”
Sky nodded and took the spoon from Molly. He mixed it while Molly moved back to the now hot pan. She took a small piece of butter and rubbed it around the pan with a spatula. Once it was fully melted she asked Sky to bring the bowl to her. He handed it to her, but then stepped away from the stove looking nervous.
“You can stand next to me, it can’t hurt you. Just help me make the first few. If you don’t want to make anymore after that, you can stop. Okay?” Molly suggested.
Sky looked at the stove skeptically, but nodded slowly and stepped a little closer. Molly poured some of the batter into the middle of the pan, stopping when it made a medium size circle. “Cooking is mostly a bunch of prep and then a lot of waiting. We want to leave it like this for a minute or two, until you see it bubbling.” They watched the pancake cook in silence, as the sweet smell of the pancake began to fill the kitchen.
Finally, the top began to bubble and Sky leaned a little closer, looking at it curiously. “Now we want to lift it a little and see if it is really ready to be flipped,” she said, as she slipped the tip of the spatula under the pancake and lifted it up a little. Deciding it looked ready enough, she pushed the spatula all the way under and flipped it over, accidentally smearing is a little.
Sky looked at her nervously and asked, “Is that supposed to happen?”
Molly laughed, “No, but it happens a lot when I make them. You should watch Summer or Puck make them one day. They get really competitive over who can make the coolest shapes.”
Just then, Puck came into the room dragging his feet sleepily. “I always win, of course,” he bragged, voice groggy from sleep. He leaned on Molly’s shoulder and looked down at the pan, “Although, yours always taste the best Molly, dear. Me and Summer just make them look pretty. I’m still convinced you add something secret when you make them.”
Molly laughed and pushed Puck off her shoulder. “Well, if you keep watching me, I won’t be able to add it, now will I? Go sit down at the table. The kitchen is too small for all three of us to be in here.”
Puck slunk back to the table on the other side of the room, falling into a chair that was facing the stove. He yawned, before laying his head on the table, “Don’t worry about me. I’m still asleep.”
Molly ignored him and flipped the pancake over one last time to check if it was done. Satisfied with the first one she pulled a plate of the shelf above the stove and set it on the counter near by. Then she turned to Sky and handed him the spatula. His looked at it fearfully. Molly pulled him in front of the pan and said, “Just try to take the pancake out of the pan and put it on the plate.”
Sky froze, “I- I’ll mess it up,” he stuttered.
“There is nothing to mess up. It’s done cooking and it shouldn’t burn as long as you try,” she said gently.
Sky’s grip tightened, but he began to move his hand toward the pan. The first time he tried to get the spatula under the pancake he nearly pushed it out of the pan. He frowned at it, pushing it around the pan as he tried to get under it. Puck was leaning forward in an attempt to see what was happening. When Sky finally got the pancake on the plate, he smiled at Molly excitedly. She smiled back at him, causing him to turn away blushing. He quickly handed the spatula back to Molly and tried to move away so she could continue cooking.
However, he was stopped by Molly. “Wait, I want you to pour in the batter this time, then you can be done,” she said, while handing him the bowl. “Aim for the middle of the pan and it will flatten out on its own.”
Sky tentatively moved the bowl over the stove, jumping away briefly when he felt the heat. He tried to mimic what he watched Molly do, but didn’t stop pouring in time. The pancake ended up being twice the size of the one she had just made. “Sorry,” he murmured.
Molly smiled at him encouragingly. “Nothin’ to be sorry for, the bigger the better.”
“Here! Here!” Pucked shouted in agreement from the table.
Sky hurried away from the stove, taking a seat next to Puck. Molly let him go, not wanting to make him too uncomfortable.
By the time she was done using half the batter, Summer and Wally came trudging in and joined the other two at the table. The smell of the pancakes making everyone's stomachs growl and mouth water.
It didn’t take long after his entrance to the kitchen, for Wally to wake up enough to start whining about the wait.
“If you’re so impatient why don’t cha’ help and get everyone a plate and fork,” Molly yelled at him over her shoulder.
Wally immediately jumped out of his seat and hurriedly gathered the plates, forks, and knives. Once everyone had what they needed, he went digging through the pantry for some syrup. He cuddled the jar excitedly, and returned to his seat. A few minutes later Molly turned off the stove and brought the stack of pancakes over to the table. The second the plate was on the table, Wally took the top three and started eating. Everyone else took their time dividing the food evenly. Molly made sure to give the big one Sky poured to him, much to Wally’s disappointment.
Once everyone was finished, they all took turns using the bathroom to get ready while the twins cleaned up the kitchen. Sky, being unsure what to do, stayed near the twins. After finishing cleaning, Wally began to drag Sky along with him as he got ready for the day. Molly noticed Puck watching the other two boys as they got ready with a strange look on his face, but when she asked him about it, he just said he was glad Sky looked like he was enjoying himself. Although, he sounded upset saying it.
Finally, when everyone was ready, they headed out to look for the girl near the District 3 wall. The walk over was light and fun with everyone talking and joking with each other. Even Sky was smiling from time to time. It felt like they were all kids again and not on the verge of adulthood, looking for jobs to occupy the rest of their lives.
It was late afternoon when they got to the wall, and the streets were full of people enjoying their weekends. Molly was not convinced they would be able to find anyone in the crowd, but she did her part and looked around. They started walked down the street, looking at everyone they passed and into all the stores facing the wall. Most of the people they passed were adults. There was only a few others that seemed close to their age. It was slightly off putting to Molly, but then again she had never been to this area, due to its view as a dirty, sketchy area. However, it looked just like all the other shopping areas she had visited in District 2, if not for the lack of teens.
After walking down the street for about 30 minutes, with nothing to show for it, they heard someone shouting Puck’s name behind them. They all stopped and turned towards the voice, but never got to see who it was coming from, as Wally seemed to trip over Puck’s feet and fell into the rest of the group. By the time they were back on their feet, Puck was missing. Wally mumbled something under his breath and took off running into the crowd. Molly yelled out to him and tried to follow, but was stopped by Summer grabbing her arm.
“Molly wait!” Summer shouted. “If we all take off chasing each other, we will just end up getting lost. We need to stay together.”
Molly stopped trying to pull away and Summer let go of her arm. “I know, but what about Wally. He won’t know how to fi-.” Molly started frantically, but suddenly the world seemed to slow and she froze. The person walking towards them momentarily stole all her attention. They had a hood on that hid most of their face, but they were tall with several silver bands covering their neck. They were completely covered in dark clothing, from head to toe, except for the area around their mouth. Revealing chocolate skin and full, dark lips that were turned down in a deep frown. They were hunched over trying to appear shorter, as they followed another figure through the crowd. The other person was the complete opposite of the first, standing tall, despite their short height. And although they too were covered from head to toe, the opening of their hood showed their pale skin and slim lips. At the last moment, as the two passed Molly, she noticed the scar running from the second figure’s lip up into the hood.
She pulled Summer with her as she ran toward the couple, forgetting Sky was with them. “Hey! You two in the hoods, I have a question for you,” Molly yelled. Then she whispered to Summer, “I think that is them, I saw the scar Wally mentioned.”
The two hooded figures turned to look at them, before the shorter one grabbed the taller figure and started running away. It didn't take long before Molly started to struggle to keep up, not able to push through the people between her and Summer and their targets, so Summer took lead and began pulling Molly, as she expertly weaved through the crowd, gaining on the other two. Suddenly, they turned into a crowded store. Summer tried to follow them in but the doorway was blocked by a stream of people coming out.
Summer stopped and looked at Molly, “I’m sorry…” she said. Then looked around and realized they had left Sky behind. “Shit! We lost Sky. Now we need to look for five people.”
Molly looked at Summer in confusion, “Five? Don’t we just need to find the boys.”
“Ya, but I also want to find the two that just got away. Whether it is the same girl or not, I wanna know why they ran.” Summer said with determination. “And why they were dressed so oddly,” she added.
Molly nodded excitedly, reflecting Summer’s determination, and they pushed into the store to begin their search. Starting with the two they saw last.