THIS KISS

Most of us have been there. That defining moment when we know our world has been rocked so hard that we're almost derailed. It's that moment when, once experienced, makes us greedy for more; a child lusting after melting ice cream. Like the song says it's pivotal, centrifugal, it's that kiss; the one with the power to expand or contract our emotions, to rearrange our life processes and to change us entirely, permanently for good…or for bad.






ISADORA DAYSTAR


The white faded into dull grey, room contracting into a narrow rectangle lit from above with dirty artificial light. She sat on a bunk that extended from the wall that was hard, cold and covered with blanket and sheet the color of gun metal. Forty eight hours earlier Isadora had been tossed into the brig for insubordination and then tossed into solitary for starting a food fight with another inmate that escalated into a fist fight with Isadora on losing end of the battle.
Now she sat on the bunk, head down, staring at the floor at nothing in particular, waiting out the silence and boredom of her sentence. The door of the cell slid open and Renan Marcus entered. He pulled the chair seat down from the wall niche and dropped onto it. Isadora refused to look up at her commanding officer.
"Isadora," he said in a quiet voice.
She did not respond.
"Isadora, do you even understand why you’re here?"
She snorted.
"Yeah because I wouldn’t obey your stupid orders and because I kicked somebody’s ass in the mess hall." Her lower lip stuck out like a pouting three year old. She remained staring at the floor.
He sighed.
"Isadora, orders exist for a reason. One of these days you’re going learn the hard way what they’re there for; as for the fight I heard you were on the losing side." He tried to conceal a small smile, but Isadora’s head snapped up and she glared at him.
"That’s a lie! I wasn’t losing anything—"
He sighed and stood up pulled out a remote and aimed it at the camera in the upper corner of the cell and then sat back down.
"There. The camera is off Isadora. I want to talk to you. You have such potential but you waste it by not thinking through anything that you do. You take the easy way and you respond with anger and rebellion whenever someone points that out. It’s a damned shame Isadora because you would make one hell of a soldier if you’d just tighten up your attention and learn to control your emotions." He paused and Isadora looked at the floor again. Renan stood up and sighed one more time. "Such potential, Isadora," He brushed a strand of hair from her face and then pulled her up and kissed her.