Few days ago:
One, two, three... Cheese!" August commanded as her finger hovered over the shutter. She twisted the camera lens, zooming the angle until snapping the perfect shot.
Her friends are posing in different poses with beautiful smiles on their young faces and hugging each other forever.
"Click"
"Click"
"Click"
She squinted her brown eyes at the digital display and checked the previous shot, unsatisfied. "Once again!" she called out, leaning back to capture the towering ancient trees behind them. "Stay right there, the background is perfect—" she whispered in a lower tone at a small blue and green butterfly sitting and blocking the lens.
Her gaze widened, looking at the feathers as she admired the butterfly's bright shade, but she didn't disturb she just paused to wait a moment until the butterfly flew.
"Boom"
The world tilted to blur. Before she could press the button, a sudden, heavy force slammed into her side with a sharp thud. Both her camera and phone were shattered in the impact, leaving her feeling broken as well. Nearby, another young girl fell to the ground behind her.
"August!!!" her friends called out and rushed towards her.
"Ah!!! My camera! " August murmured, rubbing her shoulder, elbow and adjusting her dress and trying to grab her camera.
Nearby, a young teenage girl rose from the grass without a single scratch on her.
"Daisy! Are you okay? What have you done? I told you to be careful!" Daisy's brother, Devin, yelled as his blue, cold gaze returned towards August's side. "Hey, are you okay?" He extended a hand in a helping tendency, his expression unreadable and his attitude.
August froze by watching his sculptured face and suddenly broke eye contact, pretending it didn't bother her. She gritted her teeth and pushed herself up, but her left palm burned as it scraped against the gravel. She winced, refusing his help, using every ounce of her remaining strength to stand on her own two feet.
August!" Her friends' voices reached her as they pulled her gently from the grass. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"I am so sorry!" Daisy stood behind her brother, her bottom lip trembling as she looked at August with wide, innocent eyes. "I didn't mean to push... I was just chasing that blue butterfly..." she whispered humbly.
Understanding the hesitation, Devin interrupted, "I am truly sorry about my sister... " he apologized, his gaze dropping to August's arm. He pointed to a jagged red scrape blooming on her elbow. Then, he handed her the camera and her phone. Her heart sank—the phone case was shattered, the plastic spider-webbed with cracks. "It looks bad. Can I fix it? It's broken because of us. "He asked in a deep, manly, cold voice.
"It's okay... I can handle it," August said firmly, quickly taking her belongings—her phone and camera—back from him. She turned to her friends and put on a wide smile, trying to act normally despite the situation. "I am good!"
"Are you okay?" another friend asked, genuinely concerned.
"Did any bone crack?" Sara asked, hovering.
"Hey, dude! Stop! This is not funny!" They all teased each other, trying to break the tension with a laugh.
A sunny day vanished into a silent, fresh evening that bloomed, with orange and violet clouds dipping the sun near the edge of the sky, casting a warm light that slathered their faces and made them shine and glow as they played in front of the guest house. The luggage was already lined up on the porch like a row of silent sentinels.
"You are crazy ass!"
"Stop!"
"Catch me if you can!!!" Laughter echoed through the whole place, and they clapped with excitement.
Inside, August stood before the bathroom's large mirror. She peeled back her sleeve, staring at the blossoming purple and redness on her skin. She let out a deep, exhausted breath as she folded her skirt up, looked at her thighs, which left a small pinkish-purple bruise on her smooth skin.
"Ah! Shit! I don't have an ointment." She hissed in a clear disappointment tone as she reached her bag and took a cream. She twisted the cap and pressed a ceramide moisturiser, and she gritted her teeth, gently tapping around the raw, fresh bruises and wounds.
"August, come on!!!" We are leaving!" One of her friends called out outside the bathroom.
"Yeah... Coming!" She replied as she threw on her overcoat, buttoning it to the chin to hide the bruises and the trembling of her hands. When she stepped outside, she wore a mask—a small, practised, wide smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Are you okay?" Her friend, Sara, asked, noticing August's tired face.
August arched her brows like nothing and gave a clear, energetic nod, even though she was not. "Totally... fine!" She pressed a smile and wrapped her arms around her, giving her some comfort. "I am just exhausted! It's been five days." She whispered.
Sara reached out, flipping August's long hair aside to adjust her collar, but suddenly, she froze and noticed. Her eyes widened in genuine shock. "August! What the hell? You have bruises all over your neck!"
As Sara's hand accidentally brushed August's wounded arm, August let out an involuntary hum of pain, her lips thinning into a straight line.
Don't tell me..." Sara warned, her face turning furious as she began unbuttoning August's coat to check her sleeves. "Fuck! That boy we met this morning—he has no eyes! He didn't see what he did to you?"
August grinned softly, re-buttoning her coat with steady fingers. "Don't be ridiculous, Sara. His sister is the one who slammed into me. Why are you blaming him?" she questioned, as she arched her brows in a teasing manner.
"Huh? Wait--" Sara surprisingly questioned, "You're defending him, just because he was handsome, isn't he?"
August rolled her eyes in pure annoyance, flipping her hair back over her shoulder. "I'm not supporting anyone; I'm just being fair." She leaned in, whispering into Sara's ear with a small smirk on her lips, "If you think he's handsome, do you want his number? I'll have Edward get it for you."
She left the room with a mischievous grin, leaving Sara standing there with her jaw clenched in pure shock, "You're crazy bitch!" she whispered under her breath and followed her out.
"I am not!" August whispered as she grabbed her luggage.
Railway junction.
The station was a chaos of rattling wheels and steam. August and her friends carry their luggage and bags, everyone stepping up the railway station stairs.
August dragged her suitcase up the stone steps, the wheels rattling loudly. Beside her, Sara leaned into Edward, yawning contentedly, and her one hand hugging his waist.
Nearby, August felt a sharp, pulsing pain in her leg and arm with every walking step. She looked down at her shattered phone case in her pocket.
Noticing the August slight struggle, one of her friends, Nate, stepped forward and grabbed the handle of her bag. "Give it to me. If it's too heavy for you," he asked with a gentle, calm voice.
August's sleepy, tired eyes looked up, watching his face. Her tired face turned into pure annoyance. Without second thought, she yanked the suitcase away from his reach. " I can handle my own business! Thanks for your concern, Mr. Nathaniel," she murmured in a cold, mad tone.
"August! Still angry with me?" Nate paused, trying to catch her eye, but she didn't even pause for a second. She just kept climbing, holding the broken camera and heavy luggage in her hands.