Room 222 | Sunday Afternoon

[pursuedthestars]

Once upon a time, Jim's weekends had been spent doing every thing possible to get out of his house and away from Frank. He'd stolen cars, run away (not that anyone noticed), gotten into fights, picked up girls and every single thing in between just because everything else bored him.

And what was he doing today? He was reading. He'd chalk it up to the streets being too small in this town to steal a car, running away not holding the shine it used to, fighting causing bleeding which he didn't want to do and girls just being...well, different here than they were back home. There wasn't even a Frank around to piss off (though there was a Jackson).

Jim would have called these sad times a few years ago. Right now, he'd just call it a quiet phase in his life. He'd gotten a letter (two paragraphs long) from his mom that seemed like a freaking form letter yesterday. He'd read it once and tossed it. He hadn't heard from his brother (not surprising).

For the first time, Jim really felt the years that separated this place and back home. He felt it in his bones and in his head and in his heart. It was weird but he internalized it.

That was just his way.

[Open post]

Comments

[solarhippie]

"No, no no," Karolina replied, quickly, shaking her head. "No, just to... Just to visit, and check in."

[pursuedthestars]

Jim nodded.

"Are you worried that they might be in trouble?"

[solarhippie]

She twisted her lips, and shrugged, and didn't look all too sure.

"I'm worried they might not be happy."

That seemed like the best way to put it.

[pursuedthestars]

"You know, not everyone's gonna be happy no matter how good they might have it," Jim pointed out. "Just because they aren't happy doesn't mean things are bad."

[solarhippie]

"We're teenaged orphan runaways, our parents were the worst criminals California's ever seen, and now we're scattered across the state's child protective services." Yeah. She chewed on her lip. "Things could be better."

[pursuedthestars]

"Things could always be better," Jim said ruefully. "You feeling guilty or something?"

It sounded like it.

[solarhippie]

Karolina shrugged.

"Maybe?"

She wasn't really sure what for, though.

[pursuedthestars]

"Why?" Jim questioned. "Because you're happy and they might not be?"

[solarhippie]

"You think I'm happy?"

Oh, Karolina. Usually people didn't sound that surprised by that.

[pursuedthestars]

"Are you not?" Jim retorted. She seemed fairly happy to him.

[solarhippie]

Karolina couldn't even answer that, not straight away. "Sometimes," she hazarded, after a pause." "Sometimes not."

Things had just been confusing for her for a while now.

[pursuedthestars]

"You hide it well," Jim said quietly. "Why aren't you happy?"

[solarhippie]

Karolina glanced back at the door, as if there was anyone listening in. Or maybe it was just to look away.

"I don't know. It's complicated."

[pursuedthestars]

"Most things in life are," Jim said, pushing himself off his bed so he would wander past her and shut the door. "When you're not happy, what causes that?"

[solarhippie]

"I don't know if there are specific things," Karolina said, wrapping one arm around herself. Self protection. "Sometimes I just get... lonely, you know?"

She supposed most people did.

Even if they weren't the only surviving member of their species on the planet.

[pursuedthestars]

"Uh huh." Jim knew that feeling. He just tended not to admit it out loud. "You're not alone but I bet you know that. Visiting your friends would probably help that though. But, I think they wouldn't want you to feel guilty or anything like that, you know."

Unless they were kind of crappy friends.

[solarhippie]

She chewed on her lip again. "I think the Gert here thinks I'm... dumb, for staying here, instead of being in LA and helping people."

A part of why she was feeling guilty right now, yes.

[pursuedthestars]

"...Gert's here herself," Jim pointed out. "I don't see her running off the island. Why's she putting that on you?"

[solarhippie]

"She only just got here, and she says she's only staying because they'd take Old Lace away from her if she goes back." She shrugged. "I don't think she understands why I like it better here."

[pursuedthestars]

Jim crossed his arms and fell quiet for a second or two.

"It's one person's opinion, Karolina," Jim finally said. "She's not right. You're allowed to be happy."

[solarhippie]

Karolina smiled, but it was only a small, wry smile. "It's not just her." The loneliness was a companion that had been around for longer than Gert. "I don't always feel like I fit in. Anywhere."

[pursuedthestars]

"Why not?" Jim asked, coming over closer to her. "Because of your background? The whole superhero thing? The powers you've got?"

[solarhippie]

"Yes," she said, but that wasn't all of it. That was never all of it. She pushed some hair behind her ear. "Because I'm... not human."

[pursuedthestars]

"...and?"

Okay, Jim knew that was a little callous when it was something that was bothering her but he tended not to always think before speaking. And he was from a time where not being human was common so he couldn't immediately see the issue.

"Sorry. I'm just...from a place where that's not unusual. And I can tell you that not being human isn't gonna be a big issue in the future. I know that doesn't help now, though."

He sighed. "It's okay to be different."

[solarhippie]

"That's what they say," Karolina replied, trying for a brighter tone, mostly failing. "But there's being different, and then there's being the only one of your species on the entire planet. Maybe the galaxy."

That was where the loneliness set in.