A strange feeling wafts over me. It is more then a mere depression. There's a gulf inside which threatens to break a storm. I sigh. I have just broken up with my boyfriend Jake and I feel at a loss. It seems that I am alone again, and I don't know how to cheer up about it.
"What you want?" asks Jake in the back of my mind.
I pop the dream-bubble, before I drop to my bed. I don't want to sleep, I want to be awake, I want to eat - so I bite on my nails, and then I crook my fingers.
"I hate you;" I tell Jake in the back of my mind.
But he does not hear - he is in the kitchen cooking pancakes, pizza, and lemonade. I brush my skin, then my hair, then I rub my lips. He is just so dumb - so why am I upset?
I watch the light turn into a shadow, and the evening settles outside. I keep sulking - nothing to do, no where to go, no one to call...
"Call?" I ask a I look at my phone book.
There's no one good in there - Sally, Krystie, Anne, Tim, Roger, Fred, Alice, Peony... etc, etc, etc.... all friends of the past rubbing their wry grins on the wrinkled pages. Jake had been my most recent, and I already feel like a dunce.
I wish a little, I kick my mind, and then I pick up the phone. I dial Jakes number and he answers.
"Hello?" he asks.
"Hi;" I say with empty lips. "Wanna go out and have pizza?" I ask even when I am not hungry.
"No time;" tells Jake - a brush off for when he is watching movies.
"I can visit?" I ask.
"I've got the runs;" tells Jake - another brush off for when he is saying a range of rude words.
"Let's go out!" I suggest.
"No thanks;" tells Jake with a hiss. "I'm eating chicken;" he adds.
I sulk. Now he is being a sexist and a racist, and so I slam down the phone.
"Jake is intolerable;" I say as I continue to sulk. "The world isn't fine for me like he his;" I steam before I pick up the phone.
I dial the pizza place and order fifty dollars worth of pizza and dessert. I then hang up the phone - Jake isn't the only one who can eat over a wounded pride, I can too!
Sunday, 25 September 2016
Amanda Outside
Amanda looks at the shore and wonders what life is about. The sound of the oceans floats with the slap of the wind, and she does wonder if she should be enjoying nature or hiding from it. Amanda grows annoyed as another slap comes, and she shrugs.
"I'd better just leave;" she grumbles before she dusts off her feet.
On the walk home Amanda picks up the pace - she feels threatened by nature; bugs slap into her face and birds fly too close overhead. She wishes she had an umbrella to protect herself, but she hadn't taken one. Amanda coughs as a fly lands in her mouth, and she is fast to spit so that it flies out of her mouth.
"What is with nature?" she asks before she hurries her pace and returns home.
At home Amanda pours herself a drink before she goes to her room to rest. She has had an exhausting time outside, and she in able to relax. She doesn't want to know the world outside, she just wants to rest.
"I'd better just leave;" she grumbles before she dusts off her feet.
On the walk home Amanda picks up the pace - she feels threatened by nature; bugs slap into her face and birds fly too close overhead. She wishes she had an umbrella to protect herself, but she hadn't taken one. Amanda coughs as a fly lands in her mouth, and she is fast to spit so that it flies out of her mouth.
"What is with nature?" she asks before she hurries her pace and returns home.
At home Amanda pours herself a drink before she goes to her room to rest. She has had an exhausting time outside, and she in able to relax. She doesn't want to know the world outside, she just wants to rest.
Saturday, 17 September 2016
Walk Home
Pearl walked down the street - the birds turned haunting as she began to wander about the strange sounds in the night. Pearl became scared, and she felt as though she might scream as a bush began to move. However the rustling came with the breath of the wind that had risen with a cool dew which washed over the place. Pearl looked at the sky and she saw the moon as it battled to save its spot in the sky because clouds had begun to roam over its face.
"Rain;" muttered Pearl as she began to grow a frown.
A pip of ice cool rain spat on her, and she rushed her steps as she began to fear a downpour. One pellet of rain after another began to spit at her - one after the other - as the wind grew into a mighty gale. Pearl began to shiver from the cold as her hair blew over her shoulders and up towards the sky. She felt trapped in a storm she could not avoid, and so she raced for the nearby telephone booth and closed herself inside.
Pearl picked up the telephone and placed it against her ear - she listened to the purr of the dial, and then she heard nothing. Rain flooded around her - all four sides of the telephone booth were splattered with wetness which flood down its glass. A mighty rumble in the clouds made Pearl jump, but she sighed as she realised she was safe.
Pearl leaned on the glass behind her and she sighed - she would not get wet at all. She waited, she counted second, and then she listened to nothing. She just watched as the world turned wet around her, and the evening drove on.
It was eleven pm when the rain stopped. Pearl emerged from the telephone booth and she bit on her lip - it was much too dark, much too late, she was scared. However she pushed her scared away to be able to continue to walk.
So Pearl walked through the night with pride on her brow. After a while her distress eased and she was able to relax. However on her spine there was a chill which made her aware that she was unsafe, and it tingled as she reached a bridge which she had to walk under. The sight of a nearby police car calmed Pearl however and she happily walked towards the bridge. It was only when walking through the dark tunnel underneath that she came to some trouble.
A police officer talked to some other guy in quiet whispers as she passed. They looked to her and stopped their chatter, and she looked to them. The flicker of a weak light broke out from above them all, and she was able to see them and them her, and the cop had his finger on a bag of drugs.
"Hi;" muttered the cop in a dead tone which did nothing to calm Pearl down.
"I'm walking home;" told Pearl before she continued on.
Pearl felt as though she had a gun at her back as she moved on to the other side of the tunnel. She sweated a little under her armpits, and it was only when she exited that she realised she had felt scared.
Pearl broke out in a run, and she continued to run with a scream on the back of her heels. Her heartbeat fluttered at ever disturbance - an owl, a dog, a lamp, a traffic light, a row of cars; and she did not stop panicking until she reached the gate of her house. It was then she raced to the front door and unlocked it with tremble-stung fingers. When inside Pearl locked the door behind her before she sobbed - she had seen something and it worried her.
"That was something bad;" she muttered as she walked to the bedroom door. "There was something more to that;" she added before she slipped into her room and calmed down. "I am just glad I am here;" she muttered. "I am glad I am at home;"
"Rain;" muttered Pearl as she began to grow a frown.
A pip of ice cool rain spat on her, and she rushed her steps as she began to fear a downpour. One pellet of rain after another began to spit at her - one after the other - as the wind grew into a mighty gale. Pearl began to shiver from the cold as her hair blew over her shoulders and up towards the sky. She felt trapped in a storm she could not avoid, and so she raced for the nearby telephone booth and closed herself inside.
Pearl picked up the telephone and placed it against her ear - she listened to the purr of the dial, and then she heard nothing. Rain flooded around her - all four sides of the telephone booth were splattered with wetness which flood down its glass. A mighty rumble in the clouds made Pearl jump, but she sighed as she realised she was safe.
Pearl leaned on the glass behind her and she sighed - she would not get wet at all. She waited, she counted second, and then she listened to nothing. She just watched as the world turned wet around her, and the evening drove on.
It was eleven pm when the rain stopped. Pearl emerged from the telephone booth and she bit on her lip - it was much too dark, much too late, she was scared. However she pushed her scared away to be able to continue to walk.
So Pearl walked through the night with pride on her brow. After a while her distress eased and she was able to relax. However on her spine there was a chill which made her aware that she was unsafe, and it tingled as she reached a bridge which she had to walk under. The sight of a nearby police car calmed Pearl however and she happily walked towards the bridge. It was only when walking through the dark tunnel underneath that she came to some trouble.
A police officer talked to some other guy in quiet whispers as she passed. They looked to her and stopped their chatter, and she looked to them. The flicker of a weak light broke out from above them all, and she was able to see them and them her, and the cop had his finger on a bag of drugs.
"Hi;" muttered the cop in a dead tone which did nothing to calm Pearl down.
"I'm walking home;" told Pearl before she continued on.
Pearl felt as though she had a gun at her back as she moved on to the other side of the tunnel. She sweated a little under her armpits, and it was only when she exited that she realised she had felt scared.
Pearl broke out in a run, and she continued to run with a scream on the back of her heels. Her heartbeat fluttered at ever disturbance - an owl, a dog, a lamp, a traffic light, a row of cars; and she did not stop panicking until she reached the gate of her house. It was then she raced to the front door and unlocked it with tremble-stung fingers. When inside Pearl locked the door behind her before she sobbed - she had seen something and it worried her.
"That was something bad;" she muttered as she walked to the bedroom door. "There was something more to that;" she added before she slipped into her room and calmed down. "I am just glad I am here;" she muttered. "I am glad I am at home;"
Break Up
Ashley looks around the house for a scarf - she can't find one. She scampers all over the place, but one cannot be found. She looks out the window where a car waits - it's her boyfriend Jack and she feels a bump inside of her chest. She knows that he must be sitting on his temper, and so she races around once more before running out the door.
Jack looks at Ashley as she enters the car - she has a jacket on, and it feels too heavy and she just put it on. He scowls - he hates jackets, they are big and take up room. He grows red in the face and his eyes widen, and he feels as though he wants to snap.
"Take the coat off and throw it in the back;" he says as he feels his mood drop.
"No way, ice cold;" tells Ashley as she rubs her lips together.
"Now;" tells Jack as he feels his fingers tighten the steering wheel. "There's air conditioning - you don't need it;"
Ashley nods and she takes off the coat, and then she fling it to the back of the car. She looks to Jack who has a flushed face - he wipes a cheek with his hand, and then he rolls his eyes.
"Swept past a little too close;" he mutters before he guns the engine;
Ashley laughs and then she closes the door and like a rocket the car speeds off.
Jack glares at Ashley as she eats her burger - he has just told her he wants them to separate and she is sitting there like the news has not upset her. He nibbles on his words - college, a new car, the need to grow up; but he stuffs the words inside of his throat since Ashley just does not seem to mind. She has an appetite like a horse and she munches away as his own belly grows sour. What is it about the silence that itches his ear?
"I wish you wouldn't be so calm;" he mutters as he grabs a chip and bites into its cooled potato.
"Why?" asks Ashley with a vacant stare;
"Well it's like it doesn't matter to you;" tells Jack as he grows hard. "We've spent a whole year together, and here you are... feeling nothing;"
Ashley smiles.
"Well we've had our time, maybe it's fine to move on;" she tells him.
Jack knots his brows - another bump in his chest, and this time it hurts. He wishes it hadn't hurt, but it had. A little bump that grows into an ache. He feels sore - like he has been punched. Misery makes his eyes moisten and then he begins to sob.
"So you've found someone else?" he asks.
"No, it's you who has broken up with me;" tells Ashley before she continues to eat. "No need to be upset - I bet you'll find all your new friends at college;" she adds.
Jack nods.
"I knew it would happen - three of my girlfriends have broken up with their boyfriends because they are going different ways; so I am not shocked;"
"I see;" mutters Jack as he narrows his eyes.
Suddenly he feels sparks hit his brain - school tests float up in his head and behind his back he hears gossip. It is so clear, the world has expanded around him and many people have done what he has done - they have broken up. Jack looks to Ashley and smiles before he leans back in his chair.
"I'm glad we've talked about this;" he tells her. "It has cheered me up;"
Ashley walks about into her house - she has a belly full of burgers and ice cream, and she knows she will not be able to do anything but go to bed. She has become pregnant with a whole takeaway store, and she wants nothing more then sleep.
Ashley ambles up the stairs to her room, and then she slips inside. She in exhausted, and she feels so weak and she doesn't bother to undress. She flops onto her bed and she covers herself with a blanket - she wants to sing herself to sleep, but Jack enters her mind. She suddenly wishes he hadn't wanted to break up, they had had fun together in the past year; he even looks better now that he has filled out more. Ashley looks to the ceiling - she feels cold.
"Maybe I should have begged him to stay;" she winces as she feels a soft fuzzy feeling in her gut. "I think I let him off too easy;" she adds as she recalls the burger she had eaten. "I wish he had just proposed - I might have said yes;" she adds before she closes her eyes to sleep.
Jack looks at Ashley as she enters the car - she has a jacket on, and it feels too heavy and she just put it on. He scowls - he hates jackets, they are big and take up room. He grows red in the face and his eyes widen, and he feels as though he wants to snap.
"Take the coat off and throw it in the back;" he says as he feels his mood drop.
"No way, ice cold;" tells Ashley as she rubs her lips together.
"Now;" tells Jack as he feels his fingers tighten the steering wheel. "There's air conditioning - you don't need it;"
Ashley nods and she takes off the coat, and then she fling it to the back of the car. She looks to Jack who has a flushed face - he wipes a cheek with his hand, and then he rolls his eyes.
"Swept past a little too close;" he mutters before he guns the engine;
Ashley laughs and then she closes the door and like a rocket the car speeds off.
Jack glares at Ashley as she eats her burger - he has just told her he wants them to separate and she is sitting there like the news has not upset her. He nibbles on his words - college, a new car, the need to grow up; but he stuffs the words inside of his throat since Ashley just does not seem to mind. She has an appetite like a horse and she munches away as his own belly grows sour. What is it about the silence that itches his ear?
"I wish you wouldn't be so calm;" he mutters as he grabs a chip and bites into its cooled potato.
"Why?" asks Ashley with a vacant stare;
"Well it's like it doesn't matter to you;" tells Jack as he grows hard. "We've spent a whole year together, and here you are... feeling nothing;"
Ashley smiles.
"Well we've had our time, maybe it's fine to move on;" she tells him.
Jack knots his brows - another bump in his chest, and this time it hurts. He wishes it hadn't hurt, but it had. A little bump that grows into an ache. He feels sore - like he has been punched. Misery makes his eyes moisten and then he begins to sob.
"So you've found someone else?" he asks.
"No, it's you who has broken up with me;" tells Ashley before she continues to eat. "No need to be upset - I bet you'll find all your new friends at college;" she adds.
Jack nods.
"I knew it would happen - three of my girlfriends have broken up with their boyfriends because they are going different ways; so I am not shocked;"
"I see;" mutters Jack as he narrows his eyes.
Suddenly he feels sparks hit his brain - school tests float up in his head and behind his back he hears gossip. It is so clear, the world has expanded around him and many people have done what he has done - they have broken up. Jack looks to Ashley and smiles before he leans back in his chair.
"I'm glad we've talked about this;" he tells her. "It has cheered me up;"
Ashley walks about into her house - she has a belly full of burgers and ice cream, and she knows she will not be able to do anything but go to bed. She has become pregnant with a whole takeaway store, and she wants nothing more then sleep.
Ashley ambles up the stairs to her room, and then she slips inside. She in exhausted, and she feels so weak and she doesn't bother to undress. She flops onto her bed and she covers herself with a blanket - she wants to sing herself to sleep, but Jack enters her mind. She suddenly wishes he hadn't wanted to break up, they had had fun together in the past year; he even looks better now that he has filled out more. Ashley looks to the ceiling - she feels cold.
"Maybe I should have begged him to stay;" she winces as she feels a soft fuzzy feeling in her gut. "I think I let him off too easy;" she adds as she recalls the burger she had eaten. "I wish he had just proposed - I might have said yes;" she adds before she closes her eyes to sleep.
Friday, 22 July 2016
Looking For Love
Emerald looks around the house - it is quiet, dead quiet. She wishes she were not scared, but her bones tremble. She had been slapped in the face just yesterday for returning home from her date late. She wished she had not been hit - it means she has been put under abuse when hot words were needed, and it makes her feel bad. Emerald recalls her friends words 'first slaps, then fists, then rape - it's the classic abuse that violent people push onto their kids;' Emerald shivers as she thinks about it, and she wishes she had asked her boyfriend to sleep with her, but she calms herself down and she settles on the picture of a happy marriage she wishes to reach by the time she is nineteen.
"It's all about being happy;" she mutters before she races to her bedroom.
Inside Emerald takes out her box where she keeps love letters, and she peers at the oaths her past boyfriends have made to her. She smiles - she feels silly thinking all those words were true, but somewhere inside of her mind she wishes they were true; then she would be on easy street instead of facing dark deception at the end of every year.
Emerald sighs and she puts the box back under her bed, and she dreams over the things her present relationship might move on to. Marriage? Not likely! A fun time? only if he is in the mood! Eye candy? Yes, of course! But what else might it bring? A holiday on the coast? No! Fame at school? No! a date to the prom? Not likely;
"This relationship is as empty as a empty cup - there is nothing to it!" she wars before she dares to pick up the telephone.
Emerald calls her boyfriend Pete and she clears her throat. It is time to ask a question to see how he reacts.
"Hey Pete how are you?" she sings as she plays with her hair.
"Good thanks;" tells Pete as he rubs his face. "What do you want?"
"I want to ask a question;" tells Emerald as she gasps inside of her chest.
"What questions do you wish to ask?" asks Pete.
"I want to know if you will marry me?" asks Emerald with push.
Pete makes a sound that is similar to strangulation of breath, then he clears his throat.
"Marriage is a big thing..." he mutters as he sits up. "Rush is nothing you ever want when it comes to marriage..." is the next sentence he manages to stumble over.
"So you don't want to marry me?" asks Emerald with a knit of brows.
"No... not right now... but maybe some day..." he adds with some enthuse;
"That's a shame..." sighs Emerald with a nod. "Thanks, that's all I had to ask;" she smears before she hangs up the phone.
Emerald looks at her room with big eyes, she wishes she did not feel so disappointed - but she does. There is a big hole inside of her head which hits her heart, and she knows her world is empty.
"This blows!" she gasps before she throws the phone onto the bed. "I will have to find a new boyfriend!" she adds before she leaves the house.
"It's all about being happy;" she mutters before she races to her bedroom.
Inside Emerald takes out her box where she keeps love letters, and she peers at the oaths her past boyfriends have made to her. She smiles - she feels silly thinking all those words were true, but somewhere inside of her mind she wishes they were true; then she would be on easy street instead of facing dark deception at the end of every year.
Emerald sighs and she puts the box back under her bed, and she dreams over the things her present relationship might move on to. Marriage? Not likely! A fun time? only if he is in the mood! Eye candy? Yes, of course! But what else might it bring? A holiday on the coast? No! Fame at school? No! a date to the prom? Not likely;
"This relationship is as empty as a empty cup - there is nothing to it!" she wars before she dares to pick up the telephone.
Emerald calls her boyfriend Pete and she clears her throat. It is time to ask a question to see how he reacts.
"Hey Pete how are you?" she sings as she plays with her hair.
"Good thanks;" tells Pete as he rubs his face. "What do you want?"
"I want to ask a question;" tells Emerald as she gasps inside of her chest.
"What questions do you wish to ask?" asks Pete.
"I want to know if you will marry me?" asks Emerald with push.
Pete makes a sound that is similar to strangulation of breath, then he clears his throat.
"Marriage is a big thing..." he mutters as he sits up. "Rush is nothing you ever want when it comes to marriage..." is the next sentence he manages to stumble over.
"So you don't want to marry me?" asks Emerald with a knit of brows.
"No... not right now... but maybe some day..." he adds with some enthuse;
"That's a shame..." sighs Emerald with a nod. "Thanks, that's all I had to ask;" she smears before she hangs up the phone.
Emerald looks at her room with big eyes, she wishes she did not feel so disappointed - but she does. There is a big hole inside of her head which hits her heart, and she knows her world is empty.
"This blows!" she gasps before she throws the phone onto the bed. "I will have to find a new boyfriend!" she adds before she leaves the house.
Wednesday, 1 June 2016
Strangers And Screams - Edited
Lilac lets the sound of the cars drill through her ears - she feels almost at peace, even though the sound is not at all peaceful. She wishes she had a park where she could listen to birds sing, but there is only a free-way to relax by and she feels only a little better as the wind throws her hair back behind her shoulders. Lilac opens her eyes as a car horn blares at her figure - she blushes, and she knows she must return to her apartment.
"A headache to return to study;" she remarks as she crosses her brows and enters the building where she traipses up the hallway and up some stairs.
On the hike up some passers by rub shoulders with Lilac and a couple of smiles are sent her way. Lilac shivers at the strangers blue eyes - so blue they could be called polished gems. She feels scared of them, she knows not why...after all one of the guys is her neighbour Bobby. Still, terror strikes her brain and shivers crawl down her spines and her legs.
Lilac trips with a bump and she scrapes her shin on the stair. A pair of feet pass her head, flattening some of her hair on the way, and she is helped up.
"Have you taken a long enough trip?" are words that echo through her brain.
Lilac nods as she spins her eyes to meet a dark stare and a row of polished waxen teeth. Lilac steps away like she has been wronged and she flattens herself against the wall.
"I'm fine;" she mutters through rubber lips.
"You've got a bleeding shin;" tells Darren who is as tall as a tree and shadows Lilac.
"A bit of blood never hurt anyone!" she remarks before she tosses her head to leave.
A strike of pain washes up to Lilac's brain and she looks down and sees a huge scrape that is a good six inches long spraying blood over the top of her white sock. She feels white in the face, so white she blacks out for a moment; when she is awake she is being carried over stairs to her apartment, her feet scraping the tops of the stairs.
"Here you go;" mutters Darren.
"I'll be fine!" tells Lilac as she puts her feet down onto the floor boards and rummages her pockets for some keys. "I'm fine!" she affirms with a nod as she pushes the key towards the key-hole.
It takes a few goes but she gains success in opening the door, and with a smile she lets herself inside. Darren outside runs fingers through his hair, and then he laughs as Lilac throws her chin up to meet his stare.
"Go home!" she calls. "Go away now!" she adds before she closes and locks the door.
The stranger is gone, and Lilac turns and rushes to her bedroom before she faints once again.
Rye slips out of the taxi and she cringes at Bobby who pulls out a hand from his pocket to smack the taxi window. Rye shivers and she steps a little to the side before Bobby shoves her aside with a push.
"Two seconds and you hit the curb!" he tells her with a flash of grin before he shuffles inside with another guy Rye has never seen before.
Darren approaches and he too shoves Rye to the side before he slips inside the mouth of the taxi.
"You boys are rude!" exclaims Rye as she rubs her left shoulder.
Darren throws a stare at Rye and he slams the door shut before Rye kicks her heels and spins to go inside the apartment building.
Rye heads upstairs and into the apartment. She then checks on Lilac who is asleep on her bed. Rye moves to the kitchen to make dinner, and during that time her mother Marge calls.
"Everything is in tip top shape!" cheers Rye as she stirs a bowl of beans. "Can't wait for you to come home;"
Later that night when Marge comes home there is some trouble when it is known that Lilac has damaged her leg. Marge blows hot fume at Rye who rolls her eyes over and again feeling ashamed. A train hits Rye's temper as Marge tells her to leave her home for good. Rye licks her lips which are wet and sleek.
"Where will I go?" she asks.
"Anywhere - just leave!" tells Marge as she throws a hurt stare.
Rye tosses her head and then she moves to her room to pack her bags. There is a drawer full of odd bits which she packs first, and then she packs her clothes. Two large bags are filled within thirty minutes before Rye heads out the door.
It is dark and Rye knows she needs to find somewhere to stay. However she doesn't know where to go, and so she lingers on the corner for a while. Soon a grey car slides by and George Endbury sees Rye on the corner with tears dribbling over her face.
"Are you okay sweetie?" he asks.
"No! I've been kicked out of home!" tells Rye as she wipes tears off her face. "Do you have a spare room I can stay?" she squeals.
George feels his face pale - he knows he shouldn't take anyone home, but with Rye in her state of distress he crumples his stern to let his compassionate side through and he opens the car door. Rye smiles and she heads inside the car; within a moment she has disappeared.
Lilac walks down the yard path towards the letter box - she has a limp because her leg is so sore. She feels sad that Rye has been kicked out of her home - she wishes she had been awake to calm her mother down; she would have said, 'it was my fault'.
A grey car slows as it prepares to turn the curb and the passenger door opens.
"Help me!" screams Rye as she yells through a strangles breath.
There is blood dribbling off her face and down her neck, and bruises swelling her face so bad that Lilac can barely recognise her.
"Help me!" screams Rye with her arms fling out dangling in mid-air before she is grabbed and stuffed back inside the car.
Lilac blinks as the grey car stops all of a sudden; there a short pause before the open passenger door is closed from the inside. Lilac shivers as the car then speeds off. She feels double sad that she had not been able to help Rye.
"I feel bad!" she shouts to the dawn rising - however there is nothing she can do, and she hangs her head and mutters a silent prayer.
A taxi pulls to the side of the curb ad Bobby and Darren slip out. Rye ignores them as they walk around her - she feels damp, so damp not even a hot shower could make her feel dry. She wishes she could make the world right, but she can't.
"Are you cold?" asks Bobby as he turns his head.
Lilac wipes her face - she wishes she could talk to Bobby, but she can't; there is an ice-stick inside of her spine which might shatter if she bothers to turn. Worry about her sister heaps up on her brain, and she feels guilt - she stands like a person alone holding a flag on flag day; there is a peak she has climbed and she is hit and chilled to the bone.
"I swear I shall..." she begins before a rock hits the back of her head.
"You loser!" yells Bobby before he races inside.
Lilac turns her head and sees him as he races away - a rat scampering for its hole.
"You are the loser!" she retorts before she crumples her face and returns her attention to the letterbox.
Lilac cannot calm down when inside and she calls her friend Sue. Sue gasps and shivers as Lilac tells her about her morning while biting on bitter nails.
"So what are you going to do?" asks Sue as she feels an odd sense of fear crawling up her spine.
"I don't know... nothing;" tells Lilac as she shrugs. "I feel like my sister is dead already;" she mutters.
"I don't know..." tells Sue as she shrugs. "But that's how it goes;" she adds.
Lilac hangs up the phone - she doesn't want to talk any-more; she feels she is up to her head in water and she is just waiting to drown.
Sue heads towards the entrance of the club with her friend May by her side. May has dyed her hair black and she sparkles like a gem-stone that has been polished. Sue feels dull and silly next to May with her flat hair braided to one side.
"This dinner is going to have singers!" tells May as she giggles.
"I know... but they aren't big, just local;" retorts Sue as she looks at the menu. "What are you eating?" she asks.
"Salad;" tells May as she shrugs. "And you?"
"Water!" tells Sue before she steps towards the entrance doors.
Inside Sue glares at May as she stares at the crowd. It looks like she is searching for someone, but there is nothing in her eyes which seem excited in any way. However for a moment May catches her breath and as Sue follows her stare she sees Max Endbury.
"He's a relic;" she whispers.
"I know - he tried to give me a lift home the other day, but he was too stern about it so I let it go;" tells May as she shrugs. "He's probably violent;"
"You!" gasps Sue as she raises her brows. "Are you sleeping around?"
"No..." blushes May before she looks away. "I was just thinking he's freaky;" she adds as she blinks to the singer on stage. "Who's this? Darren?"
"Darren and Bobby - 'The Brothers'..." tells Sue as she reads a card.
"The Brothers?" asks May as she narrows her eyes. "Like twin brothers?" she asks.
However then Bobby walks onto the stage and he waves to the crowd who hiss.
"Oh my God!" gasps May as she rolls her eyes. "He's got his hair brushed and slicked back!"
"That's old..." mutters Sue as her heartbeat races.
For some reason dead bodies in trenches rise up inside of her mind, and she smells the oil of war. She wishes she could get it off her mind but Bobbies blue eyes target her and she feels shadowed with shame for thinking that he could be evil. He smiles - the kind of smile that is lethal to the soul, and Sue drinks at her cup of tea with greed to warm herself. She feels bad that she feels so distorted and with a hand to her chest she leans back to relax.
"Good voices;" tells May as she turns to eat some food.
Sue smiles and nods stiffly, but she can hardly hear as Bobby turns his head their way and raises his brows to play hustle and bustle with her mind.
At the end of the show Bobby comes close to the table - Sue jumps up to leave. May notices and follows her quickly, stretching her steps until she meets Sue at the entrance.
"What's the matter?" asks May as Sue hails a cab with tears of distress inside of her eyes.
"I've got to go!" gasps Sue before she jumps inside of the cab and leaves.
May feels her heart sink. She wishes she knew what is wrong with Sue, but she has no idea. She has had a great time, and to have her friend disappear so fast like she has not had a good time makes her feel confused.
"What's wrong?" she asks as she knots her brows.
Bobby slips an arm around May as he holds a glass of wine in the other.
"Hey kid, let's talk;" he tells her.
"About who?" asks May as she blushes pink.
"Never mind;" tells Bobby as he takes her hand and pulls on it. "Come on, I've got a car hired;"
May nods and with another pull of the hand she follows Bobby to the car park.
Inside the luxury car May watches Bobby drink the wine fast. She wonders if her is drunk, but within a moment she knows he is not as he tucks the glass in a flask holder with steady hands.
"You sing good;" she mutters as she grows shy.
"Thanks;" tells Bobby as he leans back in his chair. "I'm a bit drunk;" he mutters as he rolls his eyes.
May nods; she doesn't know why he wants to tell her that but she figures he is going to give up on her company pretty fast.
"Well maybe I should leave and wait for another day to talk;" she tells him.
"No!" gasps Bobby as he catches her arm like she might wish to leave. "You can stay;" he mutters in a tone lightly rough.
May rolls her eyes - she has been escaping rough guys all week, and she pinches herself for getting inside a car with one. May grows cold, and she feels her skin turn blue.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were one of those guys;" she mutters as she shakes her head.
"One of what guys?" asks Bobby as he sits up with seriousness on his glazed eyes.
"I'm sorry, I have to leave!" tells May before she moves to open the car door.
Bobby catches her hand before her fingers touch the latch, and he smiles as though he has just pinched himself with a needle - there is panic and pain in his smile, and it makes May relax a little.
"I just want you here a short time;" he slurs before he leans over her ear. "Don't you leave until I say so, unless you want me upset;" he whispers in a cut tone. "I mean it;" he adds before he pulls her back until she is leaning against his body.
Sue calls Lilac and tells her about the encounter at the club. She whispers about Bobby and his stare, and Lilac furrows her brows.
"I live with someone like that, they are neighbours;" she tells.
"It can't be!" gasps Sue as she feels tears race down her face. "Aren't you scared of them?" she asks.
"No;" lies Lilac as she feels that silly shiver under her skin. "They are no trouble;" she adds. "I just... I mean... well they throw rocks at you;" she confesses. "They are silly;"
Sue gasps and she fingers her teeth which are chattering.
"I think they are rough people;" she adds as she feels her weakness stir her thoughts. "I should tell someone;" she adds.
"Don't worry;" comments Lilac. "I saw that grey car again and wonder if my sister is inside;"
she adds.
"She might have been abducted;" tells Sue as she switches her thoughts. "Or adopted... I don't know - people are rough;" she adds. "I am glad my parents will never kick me out of their home;" she tells.
"Same here;" tells Lilac before she blinks a tear. "I am sorry, I would like to lay down;" she adds as tears well inside of her eyes.
"Same here;" tells Sue before she flops down onto her bed.
May steps out of the car - it has been hours and she has talked her head off to avoid having sex with the singer she barely knows. She sighs as her head spins from the movement - she has had three drinks and all have been alcoholic.
May steps through the parking lot and down a path that leads to a road. Near its end Max Endbury pulls his car to the curb.
"Want a ride?" he asks.
"No, I've got it!" tells May in a drunk tone before she steps towards the main road like she plans to walk straight into the side of a car.
Max grabs May and he helps her inside of his car. He then drives off as she bangs a hand against the glass window that has been moulded in place
"There's no air here!" she complains.
Max shrugs and he laughs as he drives on. In ten minutes May is outside of her house and Max is holding the door open.
"Thank-you!" she yells in a loud vocal tone before she leaves for the front door of the house.
"Any time;" tells Max before he laughs and moves back inside of the car.
May wakes up with a hang-over. She blinks at the sun that filters through the window - its glare stings her eyes and she pushes her head under a pillow. She wishes it were not day, and she lays in bed so long her wish comes true.
At night May picks up the phone - it is Sue.
"Do you want to come to the diner?" she asks. "We can have some pizza;"
May scrapes her eyes open and she nods.
"Okay, I'll be there by seven;"
At the diner May sits with Sue who smiles as she hovers over a red hot pizza straight out of the oven. May takes a portion of pizza as car headlights beam their window until their booth is illuminated.
"Who do you think that is?" asks Sue annoyed before she screams at the pair of blazing blue eyes outside.
Bobby laughs as he hits the glass with a hand. May turns her head and she blushes.
"It's the singer;" she mutters.
Sue wipes her eyes and then she stands.
"I'm sorry I have to leave!" she gasps before she races away.
May shrugs and she takes a bite of pizza as Bobby races inside to meet her.
"Hey doll, mind if I sit?" he asks.
"Sure;" tells May as she offers a brief smile.
"Thanks!" he tells her as he sits. "That was a great afternoon yesterday - how about we do it again?" he asks.
May feels a squash inside of her belly and she makes juice of her nerve.
"Sure, maybe;" she mutters as her mind rings in war of possibilities and par-chances.
"Great!" smiles Bobby and he leans over the table. "Because I'll be hiring a car tomorrow - if you meet me at this address then we can have another talk;" he mutters as he passes a note over to her.
May take the note and reads the address. She blinks.
"I have to look it up but I am sure I can make it;" she adds before she stuffs the note inside of her purse.
"Great..." mutters Bobby as he looks her up and down. "How about you help me find a cab?" he asks.
"No, I'd rather eat this pizza;" tells May as she offers a smile. "I'm hungry;" she adds.
"Okay, have a good time;" tells Bobby before he stands and leaves.
Lilac answers the telephone - it is Sue.
"What's the matter now?" she asks.
"He was there!" gasps Sue as she shivers. "Standing there, and I think... I think he's a war warrior;" she adds. "I am sure of it;" she mutters. "It's those eyes, that smile... it was there when the trenches were dug!"
Lilac hangs up the phone and she shivers.
"She's mad!" she mutters before she rubs her arms and walks away.
May walks home and she grimaces as she meets a struggle between a man and a woman. May crosses the road and she skips up a side street - she feels more relaxed, but a stranger smoking up ahead catches her eye and she catches her breath.
May steps a little faster as she feels heat behind her head. She eyes the stranger with the cigarette - he has a coat on, but he is faceless. May feels her pulse burn as she hurries on - the stranger is left behind and she sighs; there had been no threat.
The next afternoon May catches a cab to the address where she is to meet Bobby. She feels damp when she sees an empty alley, and her nose stings as she smells garbage. There is an open industrial garbage bin by a back door which reads 'exit' at the top.
"Well this is where he said to meet;" she mutters before she sits on an ice cold stair.
Bobby stops singing as Darren claps by the side of the right wing - his temples burn with jealousy; instead of him singing his solo the manager had stuck with Bobby's solo - it had been a one stop chop and his pride had been bruised.
"You slacked;" Darren mutters as he watches Bobby play with his watch.
"I'm late - we meet again tomorrow;" Bobby mutters with a gasp. "You bring the money;" he tells.
"Late?" asks Darren as he frowns.
Bobby takes his coat and he heads for the exit. He plays with his watch and briefly hopes that the hired car arrives on time. He stumbles out of the back door and peers around - no one is in the alley.
"Nuts!" gasps Bobby as he turns around.
A shadow turns into a blur, a blur turns into a person racing towards him. Bobby smiles at the person expecting to be given a package of flowers, but his chest meets a gun that explodes in front of him. Bobby stumbles back and he falls hard on the pebbled cobblestone, and with a grunt he swallows a mouth-full of blood. His eyes rolls to the side and settle - he feels lost in a time warp, but the clip clop of heels alert him. Bobby looks over his shoulder and he sees May - she stares at him like a white faced stranger before she races away. Darren opens the door and he yells at a bunch of people to get a telephone. Soon Bobby is being lifted up and dragged around, and as his head hits solid wood he blacks out.
Darren cries on the curb thinking sour thoughts about Bobby who rests in a hospital bed with drips clinging to his arms. Lilac sees him and she turns her head.
"Are you okay?" she asks.
"No... I know someone was shot;" he tells. "I don't know why;" he adds.
"Oh no, that is terrible news;" tells Lilac. "Who was it?"
"Bobby;" tells Darren as he stifles a sniff. "I don't want to talk about it;" he mutters.
"I am sorry to hear about it;" tells Lilac as she frowns.
Darren shrugs her away and turns his back - he is sore, his heart is sore, his mind is filled with questions; he doesn't want company, he just wants to be left alone.
"Sorry;" whispers Lilac before she backs away.
Bobby exits the hospital with a frown on his face. He thinks of May and he frowns a little more - she should have helped him, but she had just run away and left him for dead.
"I should beat her up!" tells Bobby before he winces.
His chest is sore from the bullet, he cannot continue on. He decides to catch a cab, and in the cab he bites on the urge to visit the diner where May eats meals on a frequent basis. His curiosity gets the better of him, and he tells the cab driver to head towards the diner. Within ten minutes they arrive, and Bobby races up the row of windows to see if May is there - however she is not there, and so with a frown Bobby races back to the taxi and he orders the driver to take him home.
Lilac looks at Bobby as he enters the apartment and sees her on the stairs. He storms up the stairs and he pushes her to the side as he passes.
"Sorry about the gun shot!" tells Lilac.
"What do you know about it?" asks Bobby as he spins around to spit.
"Darren told me;" tells Lilac. "He told me he was sad over it;"
"Then damn you for knowing that!" tells Bobby. "Damn you and the world!" he adds before he charges up the stairs and into his apartment.
Lilac rubs her elbows for a moment - she feels a cold rush inside of herself she cannot make go away. She walks back inside of her apartment to get a jumper, and then she heads out of the apartment to visit Sue who is so distressed she acts like she has killed somebody.
On the trek there however Lilac feels a chill and she thinks of Sue and her words.
"He was there!" gasps Sue as she shivers. "Standing there, and I think... I think he's a war warrior" she adds. "I am sure of it;" she mutters. "It's those eyes, that smile... it was there when the trenches were dug!" her voice sings in the back of her mind.
"Maybe I had better just go back to the apartment;" mutters Lilac as Rye's scream is heard in the back of the memory;
"Help me!" she screams as blood runs from her neck down into the black road which is as black as the bruises around her eyes and cheeks.
Lilac stands there by the curb waving - it is time to say goodbye;
"A headache to return to study;" she remarks as she crosses her brows and enters the building where she traipses up the hallway and up some stairs.
On the hike up some passers by rub shoulders with Lilac and a couple of smiles are sent her way. Lilac shivers at the strangers blue eyes - so blue they could be called polished gems. She feels scared of them, she knows not why...after all one of the guys is her neighbour Bobby. Still, terror strikes her brain and shivers crawl down her spines and her legs.
Lilac trips with a bump and she scrapes her shin on the stair. A pair of feet pass her head, flattening some of her hair on the way, and she is helped up.
"Have you taken a long enough trip?" are words that echo through her brain.
Lilac nods as she spins her eyes to meet a dark stare and a row of polished waxen teeth. Lilac steps away like she has been wronged and she flattens herself against the wall.
"I'm fine;" she mutters through rubber lips.
"You've got a bleeding shin;" tells Darren who is as tall as a tree and shadows Lilac.
"A bit of blood never hurt anyone!" she remarks before she tosses her head to leave.
A strike of pain washes up to Lilac's brain and she looks down and sees a huge scrape that is a good six inches long spraying blood over the top of her white sock. She feels white in the face, so white she blacks out for a moment; when she is awake she is being carried over stairs to her apartment, her feet scraping the tops of the stairs.
"Here you go;" mutters Darren.
"I'll be fine!" tells Lilac as she puts her feet down onto the floor boards and rummages her pockets for some keys. "I'm fine!" she affirms with a nod as she pushes the key towards the key-hole.
It takes a few goes but she gains success in opening the door, and with a smile she lets herself inside. Darren outside runs fingers through his hair, and then he laughs as Lilac throws her chin up to meet his stare.
"Go home!" she calls. "Go away now!" she adds before she closes and locks the door.
The stranger is gone, and Lilac turns and rushes to her bedroom before she faints once again.
Rye slips out of the taxi and she cringes at Bobby who pulls out a hand from his pocket to smack the taxi window. Rye shivers and she steps a little to the side before Bobby shoves her aside with a push.
"Two seconds and you hit the curb!" he tells her with a flash of grin before he shuffles inside with another guy Rye has never seen before.
Darren approaches and he too shoves Rye to the side before he slips inside the mouth of the taxi.
"You boys are rude!" exclaims Rye as she rubs her left shoulder.
Darren throws a stare at Rye and he slams the door shut before Rye kicks her heels and spins to go inside the apartment building.
Rye heads upstairs and into the apartment. She then checks on Lilac who is asleep on her bed. Rye moves to the kitchen to make dinner, and during that time her mother Marge calls.
"Everything is in tip top shape!" cheers Rye as she stirs a bowl of beans. "Can't wait for you to come home;"
Later that night when Marge comes home there is some trouble when it is known that Lilac has damaged her leg. Marge blows hot fume at Rye who rolls her eyes over and again feeling ashamed. A train hits Rye's temper as Marge tells her to leave her home for good. Rye licks her lips which are wet and sleek.
"Where will I go?" she asks.
"Anywhere - just leave!" tells Marge as she throws a hurt stare.
Rye tosses her head and then she moves to her room to pack her bags. There is a drawer full of odd bits which she packs first, and then she packs her clothes. Two large bags are filled within thirty minutes before Rye heads out the door.
It is dark and Rye knows she needs to find somewhere to stay. However she doesn't know where to go, and so she lingers on the corner for a while. Soon a grey car slides by and George Endbury sees Rye on the corner with tears dribbling over her face.
"Are you okay sweetie?" he asks.
"No! I've been kicked out of home!" tells Rye as she wipes tears off her face. "Do you have a spare room I can stay?" she squeals.
George feels his face pale - he knows he shouldn't take anyone home, but with Rye in her state of distress he crumples his stern to let his compassionate side through and he opens the car door. Rye smiles and she heads inside the car; within a moment she has disappeared.
Lilac walks down the yard path towards the letter box - she has a limp because her leg is so sore. She feels sad that Rye has been kicked out of her home - she wishes she had been awake to calm her mother down; she would have said, 'it was my fault'.
A grey car slows as it prepares to turn the curb and the passenger door opens.
"Help me!" screams Rye as she yells through a strangles breath.
There is blood dribbling off her face and down her neck, and bruises swelling her face so bad that Lilac can barely recognise her.
"Help me!" screams Rye with her arms fling out dangling in mid-air before she is grabbed and stuffed back inside the car.
Lilac blinks as the grey car stops all of a sudden; there a short pause before the open passenger door is closed from the inside. Lilac shivers as the car then speeds off. She feels double sad that she had not been able to help Rye.
"I feel bad!" she shouts to the dawn rising - however there is nothing she can do, and she hangs her head and mutters a silent prayer.
A taxi pulls to the side of the curb ad Bobby and Darren slip out. Rye ignores them as they walk around her - she feels damp, so damp not even a hot shower could make her feel dry. She wishes she could make the world right, but she can't.
"Are you cold?" asks Bobby as he turns his head.
Lilac wipes her face - she wishes she could talk to Bobby, but she can't; there is an ice-stick inside of her spine which might shatter if she bothers to turn. Worry about her sister heaps up on her brain, and she feels guilt - she stands like a person alone holding a flag on flag day; there is a peak she has climbed and she is hit and chilled to the bone.
"I swear I shall..." she begins before a rock hits the back of her head.
"You loser!" yells Bobby before he races inside.
Lilac turns her head and sees him as he races away - a rat scampering for its hole.
"You are the loser!" she retorts before she crumples her face and returns her attention to the letterbox.
Lilac cannot calm down when inside and she calls her friend Sue. Sue gasps and shivers as Lilac tells her about her morning while biting on bitter nails.
"So what are you going to do?" asks Sue as she feels an odd sense of fear crawling up her spine.
"I don't know... nothing;" tells Lilac as she shrugs. "I feel like my sister is dead already;" she mutters.
"I don't know..." tells Sue as she shrugs. "But that's how it goes;" she adds.
Lilac hangs up the phone - she doesn't want to talk any-more; she feels she is up to her head in water and she is just waiting to drown.
Sue heads towards the entrance of the club with her friend May by her side. May has dyed her hair black and she sparkles like a gem-stone that has been polished. Sue feels dull and silly next to May with her flat hair braided to one side.
"This dinner is going to have singers!" tells May as she giggles.
"I know... but they aren't big, just local;" retorts Sue as she looks at the menu. "What are you eating?" she asks.
"Salad;" tells May as she shrugs. "And you?"
"Water!" tells Sue before she steps towards the entrance doors.
Inside Sue glares at May as she stares at the crowd. It looks like she is searching for someone, but there is nothing in her eyes which seem excited in any way. However for a moment May catches her breath and as Sue follows her stare she sees Max Endbury.
"He's a relic;" she whispers.
"I know - he tried to give me a lift home the other day, but he was too stern about it so I let it go;" tells May as she shrugs. "He's probably violent;"
"You!" gasps Sue as she raises her brows. "Are you sleeping around?"
"No..." blushes May before she looks away. "I was just thinking he's freaky;" she adds as she blinks to the singer on stage. "Who's this? Darren?"
"Darren and Bobby - 'The Brothers'..." tells Sue as she reads a card.
"The Brothers?" asks May as she narrows her eyes. "Like twin brothers?" she asks.
However then Bobby walks onto the stage and he waves to the crowd who hiss.
"Oh my God!" gasps May as she rolls her eyes. "He's got his hair brushed and slicked back!"
"That's old..." mutters Sue as her heartbeat races.
For some reason dead bodies in trenches rise up inside of her mind, and she smells the oil of war. She wishes she could get it off her mind but Bobbies blue eyes target her and she feels shadowed with shame for thinking that he could be evil. He smiles - the kind of smile that is lethal to the soul, and Sue drinks at her cup of tea with greed to warm herself. She feels bad that she feels so distorted and with a hand to her chest she leans back to relax.
"Good voices;" tells May as she turns to eat some food.
Sue smiles and nods stiffly, but she can hardly hear as Bobby turns his head their way and raises his brows to play hustle and bustle with her mind.
At the end of the show Bobby comes close to the table - Sue jumps up to leave. May notices and follows her quickly, stretching her steps until she meets Sue at the entrance.
"What's the matter?" asks May as Sue hails a cab with tears of distress inside of her eyes.
"I've got to go!" gasps Sue before she jumps inside of the cab and leaves.
May feels her heart sink. She wishes she knew what is wrong with Sue, but she has no idea. She has had a great time, and to have her friend disappear so fast like she has not had a good time makes her feel confused.
"What's wrong?" she asks as she knots her brows.
Bobby slips an arm around May as he holds a glass of wine in the other.
"Hey kid, let's talk;" he tells her.
"About who?" asks May as she blushes pink.
"Never mind;" tells Bobby as he takes her hand and pulls on it. "Come on, I've got a car hired;"
May nods and with another pull of the hand she follows Bobby to the car park.
Inside the luxury car May watches Bobby drink the wine fast. She wonders if her is drunk, but within a moment she knows he is not as he tucks the glass in a flask holder with steady hands.
"You sing good;" she mutters as she grows shy.
"Thanks;" tells Bobby as he leans back in his chair. "I'm a bit drunk;" he mutters as he rolls his eyes.
May nods; she doesn't know why he wants to tell her that but she figures he is going to give up on her company pretty fast.
"Well maybe I should leave and wait for another day to talk;" she tells him.
"No!" gasps Bobby as he catches her arm like she might wish to leave. "You can stay;" he mutters in a tone lightly rough.
May rolls her eyes - she has been escaping rough guys all week, and she pinches herself for getting inside a car with one. May grows cold, and she feels her skin turn blue.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were one of those guys;" she mutters as she shakes her head.
"One of what guys?" asks Bobby as he sits up with seriousness on his glazed eyes.
"I'm sorry, I have to leave!" tells May before she moves to open the car door.
Bobby catches her hand before her fingers touch the latch, and he smiles as though he has just pinched himself with a needle - there is panic and pain in his smile, and it makes May relax a little.
"I just want you here a short time;" he slurs before he leans over her ear. "Don't you leave until I say so, unless you want me upset;" he whispers in a cut tone. "I mean it;" he adds before he pulls her back until she is leaning against his body.
Sue calls Lilac and tells her about the encounter at the club. She whispers about Bobby and his stare, and Lilac furrows her brows.
"I live with someone like that, they are neighbours;" she tells.
"It can't be!" gasps Sue as she feels tears race down her face. "Aren't you scared of them?" she asks.
"No;" lies Lilac as she feels that silly shiver under her skin. "They are no trouble;" she adds. "I just... I mean... well they throw rocks at you;" she confesses. "They are silly;"
Sue gasps and she fingers her teeth which are chattering.
"I think they are rough people;" she adds as she feels her weakness stir her thoughts. "I should tell someone;" she adds.
"Don't worry;" comments Lilac. "I saw that grey car again and wonder if my sister is inside;"
she adds.
"She might have been abducted;" tells Sue as she switches her thoughts. "Or adopted... I don't know - people are rough;" she adds. "I am glad my parents will never kick me out of their home;" she tells.
"Same here;" tells Lilac before she blinks a tear. "I am sorry, I would like to lay down;" she adds as tears well inside of her eyes.
"Same here;" tells Sue before she flops down onto her bed.
May steps out of the car - it has been hours and she has talked her head off to avoid having sex with the singer she barely knows. She sighs as her head spins from the movement - she has had three drinks and all have been alcoholic.
May steps through the parking lot and down a path that leads to a road. Near its end Max Endbury pulls his car to the curb.
"Want a ride?" he asks.
"No, I've got it!" tells May in a drunk tone before she steps towards the main road like she plans to walk straight into the side of a car.
Max grabs May and he helps her inside of his car. He then drives off as she bangs a hand against the glass window that has been moulded in place
"There's no air here!" she complains.
Max shrugs and he laughs as he drives on. In ten minutes May is outside of her house and Max is holding the door open.
"Thank-you!" she yells in a loud vocal tone before she leaves for the front door of the house.
"Any time;" tells Max before he laughs and moves back inside of the car.
May wakes up with a hang-over. She blinks at the sun that filters through the window - its glare stings her eyes and she pushes her head under a pillow. She wishes it were not day, and she lays in bed so long her wish comes true.
At night May picks up the phone - it is Sue.
"Do you want to come to the diner?" she asks. "We can have some pizza;"
May scrapes her eyes open and she nods.
"Okay, I'll be there by seven;"
At the diner May sits with Sue who smiles as she hovers over a red hot pizza straight out of the oven. May takes a portion of pizza as car headlights beam their window until their booth is illuminated.
"Who do you think that is?" asks Sue annoyed before she screams at the pair of blazing blue eyes outside.
Bobby laughs as he hits the glass with a hand. May turns her head and she blushes.
"It's the singer;" she mutters.
Sue wipes her eyes and then she stands.
"I'm sorry I have to leave!" she gasps before she races away.
May shrugs and she takes a bite of pizza as Bobby races inside to meet her.
"Hey doll, mind if I sit?" he asks.
"Sure;" tells May as she offers a brief smile.
"Thanks!" he tells her as he sits. "That was a great afternoon yesterday - how about we do it again?" he asks.
May feels a squash inside of her belly and she makes juice of her nerve.
"Sure, maybe;" she mutters as her mind rings in war of possibilities and par-chances.
"Great!" smiles Bobby and he leans over the table. "Because I'll be hiring a car tomorrow - if you meet me at this address then we can have another talk;" he mutters as he passes a note over to her.
May take the note and reads the address. She blinks.
"I have to look it up but I am sure I can make it;" she adds before she stuffs the note inside of her purse.
"Great..." mutters Bobby as he looks her up and down. "How about you help me find a cab?" he asks.
"No, I'd rather eat this pizza;" tells May as she offers a smile. "I'm hungry;" she adds.
"Okay, have a good time;" tells Bobby before he stands and leaves.
Lilac answers the telephone - it is Sue.
"What's the matter now?" she asks.
"He was there!" gasps Sue as she shivers. "Standing there, and I think... I think he's a war warrior;" she adds. "I am sure of it;" she mutters. "It's those eyes, that smile... it was there when the trenches were dug!"
Lilac hangs up the phone and she shivers.
"She's mad!" she mutters before she rubs her arms and walks away.
May walks home and she grimaces as she meets a struggle between a man and a woman. May crosses the road and she skips up a side street - she feels more relaxed, but a stranger smoking up ahead catches her eye and she catches her breath.
May steps a little faster as she feels heat behind her head. She eyes the stranger with the cigarette - he has a coat on, but he is faceless. May feels her pulse burn as she hurries on - the stranger is left behind and she sighs; there had been no threat.
The next afternoon May catches a cab to the address where she is to meet Bobby. She feels damp when she sees an empty alley, and her nose stings as she smells garbage. There is an open industrial garbage bin by a back door which reads 'exit' at the top.
"Well this is where he said to meet;" she mutters before she sits on an ice cold stair.
Bobby stops singing as Darren claps by the side of the right wing - his temples burn with jealousy; instead of him singing his solo the manager had stuck with Bobby's solo - it had been a one stop chop and his pride had been bruised.
"You slacked;" Darren mutters as he watches Bobby play with his watch.
"I'm late - we meet again tomorrow;" Bobby mutters with a gasp. "You bring the money;" he tells.
"Late?" asks Darren as he frowns.
Bobby takes his coat and he heads for the exit. He plays with his watch and briefly hopes that the hired car arrives on time. He stumbles out of the back door and peers around - no one is in the alley.
"Nuts!" gasps Bobby as he turns around.
A shadow turns into a blur, a blur turns into a person racing towards him. Bobby smiles at the person expecting to be given a package of flowers, but his chest meets a gun that explodes in front of him. Bobby stumbles back and he falls hard on the pebbled cobblestone, and with a grunt he swallows a mouth-full of blood. His eyes rolls to the side and settle - he feels lost in a time warp, but the clip clop of heels alert him. Bobby looks over his shoulder and he sees May - she stares at him like a white faced stranger before she races away. Darren opens the door and he yells at a bunch of people to get a telephone. Soon Bobby is being lifted up and dragged around, and as his head hits solid wood he blacks out.
Darren cries on the curb thinking sour thoughts about Bobby who rests in a hospital bed with drips clinging to his arms. Lilac sees him and she turns her head.
"Are you okay?" she asks.
"No... I know someone was shot;" he tells. "I don't know why;" he adds.
"Oh no, that is terrible news;" tells Lilac. "Who was it?"
"Bobby;" tells Darren as he stifles a sniff. "I don't want to talk about it;" he mutters.
"I am sorry to hear about it;" tells Lilac as she frowns.
Darren shrugs her away and turns his back - he is sore, his heart is sore, his mind is filled with questions; he doesn't want company, he just wants to be left alone.
"Sorry;" whispers Lilac before she backs away.
Bobby exits the hospital with a frown on his face. He thinks of May and he frowns a little more - she should have helped him, but she had just run away and left him for dead.
"I should beat her up!" tells Bobby before he winces.
His chest is sore from the bullet, he cannot continue on. He decides to catch a cab, and in the cab he bites on the urge to visit the diner where May eats meals on a frequent basis. His curiosity gets the better of him, and he tells the cab driver to head towards the diner. Within ten minutes they arrive, and Bobby races up the row of windows to see if May is there - however she is not there, and so with a frown Bobby races back to the taxi and he orders the driver to take him home.
Lilac looks at Bobby as he enters the apartment and sees her on the stairs. He storms up the stairs and he pushes her to the side as he passes.
"Sorry about the gun shot!" tells Lilac.
"What do you know about it?" asks Bobby as he spins around to spit.
"Darren told me;" tells Lilac. "He told me he was sad over it;"
"Then damn you for knowing that!" tells Bobby. "Damn you and the world!" he adds before he charges up the stairs and into his apartment.
Lilac rubs her elbows for a moment - she feels a cold rush inside of herself she cannot make go away. She walks back inside of her apartment to get a jumper, and then she heads out of the apartment to visit Sue who is so distressed she acts like she has killed somebody.
On the trek there however Lilac feels a chill and she thinks of Sue and her words.
"He was there!" gasps Sue as she shivers. "Standing there, and I think... I think he's a war warrior" she adds. "I am sure of it;" she mutters. "It's those eyes, that smile... it was there when the trenches were dug!" her voice sings in the back of her mind.
"Maybe I had better just go back to the apartment;" mutters Lilac as Rye's scream is heard in the back of the memory;
"Help me!" she screams as blood runs from her neck down into the black road which is as black as the bruises around her eyes and cheeks.
Lilac stands there by the curb waving - it is time to say goodbye;
Strangers and Screams
Lilac lets the sound of the cars drill through her ears - she feels almost at peace, even though the sound is not at all peaceful. She wishes she had a park where she could listen to birds sing, but there is only a free-way to relax by and she feels only a little better as the wind throws her hair back behind her shoulders. Lilac opens her eyes as a car horn blares at her figure - she blushes, and she knows she must return to her apartment.
"A headache to return to study;" she remarks as she crosses her brows and enters the building where she traipses up the hallway and up some stairs.
On the hike up some passers by rub shoulders with Lilac and a couple of smiles are sent her way. Lilac shivers at the strangers blue eyes - so blue they could be called polished gems. She feels scared of them, she knows not why...after all one of the guys is her neighbour Bobby. Still, terror strikes her brain and shivers crawl down her spines and her legs.
Lilac trips with a bump and she scrapes her shin on the stair. A pair of feet pass her head, flattening some of her hair on the way, and she is helped up.
"Have you taken a long enough trip?" are words that echo through her brain.
Lilac nods as she spins her eyes to meet a dark stare and a row of polished waxen teeth. Lilac steps away like she has been wronged and she flattens herself against the wall.
"I'm fine;" she mutters through rubber lips.
"You've got a bleeding shin;" tells Darren who is as tall as a tree and shadows Lilac.
"A bit of blood never hurt anyone!" she remarks before she tosses her head to leave.
A strike of pain washes up to Lilac's brain and she looks down and sees a huge scrape that is a good six inches long spraying blood over the top of her white sock. She feels white in the face, so white she blacks out for a moment; when she is awake she is being carried over stairs to her apartment, her feet scraping the tops of the stairs.
"Here you go;" mutters Darren.
"I'll be fine!" tells Lilac as she puts her feet down onto the floor boards and rummages her pockets for some keys. "I'm fine!" she affirms with a nod as she pushes the key towards the key-hole.
It takes a few goes but she gains success in opening the door, and with a smile she lets herself inside. Darren outside runs fingers through his hair, and then he laughs as Lilac throws her chin up to meet his stare.
"Go home!" she calls. "Go away now!" she adds before she closes and locks the door.
The stranger is gone, and Lilac turns and rushes to her bedroom before she faints once again.
Rye slips out of the taxi and she cringes at Bobby who pulls out a hand from his pocket to smack the taxi window. Rye shivers and she steps a little to the side before Bobby shoves her aside with a push.
"Two seconds and you hit the curb!" he tells her with a flash of grin before he shuffles inside with another guy Rye has never seen before.
Darren approaches and he too shoves Rye to the side before he slips inside the mouth of the taxi.
"You boys are rude!" exclaims Rye as she rubs her left shoulder.
Darren throws a stare at Rye and he slams the door shut before Rye kicks her heels and spins to go inside the apartment building.
Rye heads upstairs and into the apartment. She then checks on Lilac who is asleep on her bed. Rye moves to the kitchen to make dinner, and during that time her mother Marge calls.
"Everything is in tip top shape!" cheers Rye as she stirs a bowl of beans. "Can't wait for you to come home;"
Later that night when Marge comes home there is some trouble when it is known that Lilac has damaged her leg. Marge blows hot fume at Rye who rolls her eyes over and again feeling ashamed. A train hits Rye's temper as Marge tells her to leave her home for good. Rye licks her lips which are wet and sleek.
"Where will I go?" she asks.
"Anywhere - just leave!" tells Marge as she throws a hurt stare.
Rye tosses her head and then she moves to her room to pack her bags. There is a drawer full of odd bits which she packs first, and then she packs her clothes. Two large bags are filled within thirty minutes before Rye heads out the door.
It is dark and Rye knows she needs to find somewhere to stay. However she doesn't know where to go, and so she lingers on the corner for a while. Soon a grey car slides by and George Endbury sees Rye on the corner with tears dribbling over her face.
"Are you okay sweetie?" he asks.
"No! I've been kicked out of home!" tells Rye as she wipes tears off her face. "Do you have a spare room I can stay?" she squeals.
George feels his face pale - he knows he shouldn't take anyone home, but with Rye in her state of distress he crumples his stern to let his compassionate side through and he opens the car door. Rye smiles and she heads inside the car; within a moment she has disappeared.
Lilac walks down the yard path towards the letter box - she has a limp because her leg is so sore. She feels sad that Rye has been kicked out of her home - she wishes she had been awake to calm her mother down; she would have said, 'it was my fault'.
A grey car slows as it prepares to turn the curb and the passenger door opens.
"Help me!" screams Rye as she yells through a strangles breath.
There is blood dribbling off her face and down her neck, and bruises swelling her face so bad that Lilac can barely recognise her.
"Help me!" screams Rye with her arms fling out dangling in mid-air before she is grabbed and stuffed back inside the car.
Lilac blinks as the grey car stops all of a sudden; there a short pause before the open passenger door is closed from the inside. Lilac shivers as the car then speeds off. She feels double sad that she had not been able to help Rye.
"I feel bad!" she shouts to the dawn rising - however there is nothing she can do, and she hangs her head and mutters a silent prayer.
A taxi pulls to the side of the curb ad Bobby and Darren slip out. Rye ignores them as they walk around her - she feels damp, so damp not even a hot shower could make her feel dry. She wishes she could make the world right, but she can't.
"Are you cold?" asks Bobby as he turns his head.
Lilac wipes her face - she wishes she could talk to Bobby, but she can't; there is an ice-stick inside of her spine which might shatter if she bothers to turn. Worry about her sister heaps up on her brain, and she feels guilt - she stands like a person alone holding a flag on flag day; there is a peak she has climbed and she is hit and chilled to the bone.
"I swear I shall..." she begins before a rock hits the back of her head.
"You loser!" yells Bobby before he races inside.
Lilac turns her head and sees him as he races away - a rat scampering for its hole.
"You are the loser!" she retorts before she crumples her face and returns her attention to the letterbox.
Lilac cannot calm down when inside and she calls her friend Sue. Sue gasps and shivers as Lilac tells her about her morning while biting on bitter nails.
"So what are you going to do?" asks Sue as she feels an odd sense of fear crawling up her spine.
"I don't know... nothing;" tells Lilac as she shrugs. "I feel like my sister is dead already;" she mutters.
"I don't know..." tells Sue as she shrugs. "But that's how it goes;" she adds.
Lilac hangs up the phone - she doesn't want to talk any-more; she feels she is up to her head in water and she is just waiting to drown.
Sue heads towards the entrance of the club with her friend May by her side. May has dyed her hair black and she sparkles like a gem-stone that has been polished. Sue feels dull and silly next to May with her flat hair braided to one side.
"This dinner is going to have singers!" tells May as she giggles.
"I know... but they aren't big, just local;" retorts Sue as she looks at the menu. "What are you eating?" she asks.
"Salad;" tells May as she shrugs. "And you?"
"Water!" tells Sue before she steps towards the entrance doors.
Inside Sue glares at May as she stares at the crowd. It looks like she is searching for someone, but there is nothing in her eyes which seem excited in any way. However for a moment May catches her breath and as Sue follows her stare she sees Max Endbury.
"He's a relic;" she whispers.
"I know - he tried to give me a lift home the other day, but he was too stern about it so I let it go;" tells May as she shrugs. "He's probably violent;"
"You!" gasps Sue as she raises her brows. "Are you sleeping around?"
"No..." blushes May before she looks away. "I was just thinking he's freaky;" she adds as she blinks to the singer on stage. "Who's this? Darren?"
"Darren and Bobby - 'The Brothers'..." tells Sue as she reads a card.
"The Brothers?" asks May as she narrows her eyes. "Like twin brothers?" she asks.
However then Bobby walks onto the stage and he waves to the crowd who hiss.
"Oh my God!" gasps May as she rolls her eyes. "He's got his hair brushed and slicked back!"
"That's old..." mutters Sue as her heartbeat races.
For some reason dead bodies in trenches rise up inside of her mind, and she smells the oil of war. She wishes she could get it off her mind but Bobbies blue eyes target her and she feels shadowed with shame for thinking that he could be evil. He smiles - the kind of smile that is lethal to the soul, and Sue drinks at her cup of tea with greed to warm herself. She feels bad that she feels so distorted and with a hand to her chest she leans back to relax.
"Good voices;" tells May as she turns to eat some food.
Sue smiles and nods stiffly, but she can hardly hear as Bobby turns his head their way and raises his brows to play hustle and bustle with her mind.
At the end of the show Bobby comes close to the table - Sue jumps up to leave. May notices and follows her quickly, stretching her steps until she meets Sue at the entrance.
"What's the matter?" asks May as Sue hails a cab with tears of distress inside of her eyes.
"I've got to go!" gasps Sue before she jumps inside of the cab and leaves.
May feels her heart sink. She wishes she knew what is wrong with Sue, but she has no idea. She has had a great time, and to have her friend disappear so fast like she has not had a good time makes her feel confused.
"What's wrong?" she asks as she knots her brows.
Bobby slips an arm around May as he holds a glass of wine in the other.
"Hey kid, let's talk;" he tells her.
"About who?" asks May as she blushes pink.
"Never mind;" tells Bobby as he takes her hand and pulls on it. "Come on, I've got a car hired;"
May nods and with another pull of the hand she follows Bobby to the car park.
Inside the luxury car May watches Bobby drink the wine fast. She wonders if her is drunk, but within a moment she knows he is not as he tucks the glass in a flask holder with steady hands.
"You sing good;" she mutters as she grows shy.
"Thanks;" tells Bobby as he leans back in his chair. "I'm a bit drunk;" he mutters as he rolls his eyes.
May nods; she doesn't know why he wants to tell her that but she figures he is going to give up on her company pretty fast.
"Well maybe I should leave and wait for another day to talk;" she tells him.
"No!" gasps Bobby as he catches her arm like she might wish to leave. "You can stay;" he mutters in a tone lightly rough.
May rolls her eyes - she has been escaping rough guys all week, and she pinches herself for getting inside a car with one. May grows cold, and she feels her skin turn blue.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were one of those guys;" she mutters as she shakes her head.
"One of what guys?" asks Bobby as he sits up with seriousness on his glazed eyes.
"I'm sorry, I have to leave!" tells May before she moves to open the car door.
Bobby catches her hand before her fingers touch the latch, and he smiles as though he has just pinched himself with a needle - there is panic and pain in his smile, and it makes May relax a little.
"I just want you here a short time;" he slurs before he leans over her ear. "Don't you leave until I say so, unless you want me upset;" he whispers in a cut tone. "I mean it;" he adds before he pulls her back until she is leaning against his body.
Sue calls Lilac and tells her about the encounter at the club. She whispers about Bobby and his stare, and Lilac furrows her brows.
"I live with someone like that, they are neighbours;" she tells.
"It can't be!" gasps Sue as she feels tears race down her face. "Aren't you scared of them?" she asks.
"No;" lies Lilac as she feels that silly shiver under her skin. "They are no trouble;" she adds. "I just... I mean... well they throw rocks at you;" she confesses. "They are silly;"
Sue gasps and she fingers her teeth which are chattering.
"I think they are rough people;" she adds as she feels her weakness stir her thoughts. "I should tell someone;" she adds.
"Don't worry;" comments Lilac. "I saw that grey car again and wonder if my sister is inside;"
she adds.
"She might have been abducted;" tells Sue as she switches her thoughts. "Or adopted... I don't know - people are rough;" she adds. "I am glad my parents will never kick me out of their home;" she tells.
"Same here;" tells Lilac before she blinks a tear. "I am sorry, I would like to lay down;" she adds as tears well inside of her eyes.
"Same here;" tells Sue before she flops down onto her bed.
May steps out of the car - it has been hours and she has talked her head off to avoid having sex with the singer she barely knows. She sighs as her head spins from the movement - she has had three drinks and all have been alcoholic.
May steps through the parking lot and down a path that leads to a road. Near its end Max Endbury pulls his car to the curb.
"Want a ride?" he asks.
"No, I've got it!" tells May in a drunk tone before she steps towards the main road like she plans to walk straight into the side of a car.
Max grabs May and he helps her inside of his car. He then drives off as she bangs a hand against the glass window that has been moulded in place
"There's no air here!" she complains.
Max shrugs and he laughs as he drives on. In ten minutes May is outside of her house and Max is holding the door open.
"Thank-you!" she yells in a loud vocal tone before she leaves for the front door of the house.
"Any time;" tells Max before he laughs and moves back inside of the car.
May wakes up with a hang-over. She blinks at the sun that filters through the window - its glare stings her eyes and she pushes her head under a pillow. She wishes it were not day, and she lays in bed so long her wish comes true.
At night May picks up the phone - it is Sue.
"Do you want to come to the diner?" she asks. "We can have some pizza;"
May scrapes her eyes open and she nods.
"Okay, I'll be there by seven;"
At the diner May sits with Sue who smiles as she hovers over a red hot pizza straight out of the oven. May takes a portion of pizza as car headlights beam their window until their booth is illuminated.
"Who do you think that is?" asks Sue annoyed before she screams at the pair of blazing blue eyes outside.
Bobby laughs as he hits the glass with a hand. May turns her head and she blushes.
"It's the singer;" she mutters.
Sue wipes her eyes and then she stands.
"I'm sorry I have to leave!" she gasps before she races away.
May shrugs and she takes a bite of pizza as Bobby races inside to meet her.
"Hey doll, mind if I sit?" he asks.
"Sure;" tells May as she offers a brief smile.
"Thanks!" he tells her as he sits. "That was a great afternoon yesterday - how about we do it again?" he asks.
May feels a squash inside of her belly and she makes juice of her nerve.
"Sure, maybe;" she mutters as her mind rings in war of possibilities and par-chances.
"Great!" smiles Bobby and he leans over the table. "Because I'll be hiring a car tomorrow - if you meet me at this address then we can have another talk;" he mutters as he passes a note over to her.
May take the note and reads the address. She blinks.
"I have to look it up but I am sure I can make it;" she adds before she stuffs the note inside of her purse.
"Great..." mutters Bobby as he looks her up and down. "How about you help me find a cab?" he asks.
"No, I'd rather eat this pizza;" tells May as she offers a smile. "I'm hungry;" she adds.
"Okay, have a good time;" tells Bobby before he stands and leaves.
Lilac answers the telephone - it is Sue.
"What's the matter now?" she asks.
"He was there!" gasps Sue as she shivers. "Standing there, and I think... I think he's a war warrior;" she adds. "I am sure of it;" she mutters. "It's those eyes, that smile... it was there when the trenches were dug!"
Lilac hangs up the phone and she shivers.
"She's mad!" she mutters before she rubs her arms and walks away.
May walks home and she grimaces as she meets a struggle between a man and a woman. May crosses the road and she skips up a side street - she feels more relaxed, but a stranger smoking up ahead catches her eye and she catches her breath.
May steps a little faster as she feels heat behind her head. She eyes the stranger with the cigarette - he has a coat on, but he is faceless. May feels her pulse burn as she hurries on - the stranger is left behind and she sighs; there had been no threat.
The next afternoon May catches a cab to the address where she is to meet Bobby. She feels damp when she sees an empty alley, and her nose stings as she smells garbage. There is an open industrial garbage bin by a back door which reads 'exit' at the top.
"Well this is where he said to meet;" she mutters before she sits on an ice cold stair.
Bobby stops singing as Darren claps by the side of the right wing - his temples burn with jealousy; instead of him singing his solo the manager had stuck with Bobby's solo - it had been a one stop chop and his pride had been bruised.
"You slacked;" Darren mutters as he watches Bobby play with his watch.
"I'm late - we meet again tomorrow;" Bobby mutters with a gasp. "You bring the money;" he tells.
"Late?" asks Darren as he frowns.
Bobby takes his coat and he heads for the exit. He plays with his watch and briefly hopes that the hired car arrives on time. He stumbles out of the back door and peers around - no one is in the alley.
"Nuts!" gasps Bobby as he turns around.
A shadow turns into a blur, a blur turns into a person racing towards him. Bobby smiles at the person expecting to be given a package of flowers, but his chest meets a gun that explodes in front of him. Bobby stumbles back and he falls hard on the pebbled cobblestone, and with a grunt he swallows a mouth-full of blood. His eyes rolls to the side and settle - he feels lost in a time warp, but the clip clop of heels alert him. Bobby looks over his shoulder and he sees May - she stares at him like a white faced stranger before she races away. Darren opens the door and he yells at a bunch of people to get a telephone. Soon Bobby is being lifted up and dragged around, and as his head hits solid wood he blacks out.
Darren cries on the curb thinking sour thoughts about Bobby who rests in a hospital bed with drips clinging to his arms. Lilac sees him and she turns her head.
"Are you okay?" she asks.
"No... I know someone was shot;" he tells. "I don't know why;" he adds.
"Oh no, that is terrible news;" tells Lilac. "Who was it?"
"Bobby;" tells Darren as he stifles a sniff. "I don't want to talk about it;" he mutters.
"I am sorry to hear about it;" tells Lilac as she frowns.
Darren shrugs her away and turns his back - he is sore, his heart is sore, his mind is filled with questions; he doesn't want company, he just wants to be left alone.
"Sorry;" whispers Lilac before she backs away.
Bobby exits the hospital with a frown on his face. He thinks of May and he frowns a little more - she should have helped him, but she had just run away and left him for dead.
"I should beat her up!" tells Bobby before he winces.
His chest is sore from the bullet, he cannot continue on. He decides to catch a cab, and in the cab he bites on the urge to visit the diner where May eats meals on a frequent basis. His curiosity gets the better of him, and he tells the cab driver to head towards the diner. Within ten minutes they arrive, and Bobby races up the row of windows to see if May is there - however she is not there, and so with a frown Bobby races back to the taxi and he orders the driver to take him home.
Lilac looks at Bobby as he enters the apartment and sees her on the stairs. He storms up the stairs and he pushes her to the side as he passes.
"Sorry about the gun shot!" tells Lilac.
"What do you know about it?" asks Bobby as he spins around to spit.
"Darren told me;" tells Lilac. "He told me he was sad over it;"
"Then damn you for knowing that!" tells Bobby. "Damn you and the world!" he adds before he charges up the stairs and into his apartment.
Lilac rubs her elbows for a moment - she feels a cold rush inside of herself she cannot make go away. She walks back inside of her apartment to get a jumper, and then she heads out of the apartment to visit Sue who is so distressed she acts like she has killed somebody.
On the trek there however Lilac feels a chill and she thinks of Sue and her words.
"He was there!" gasps Sue as she shivers. "Standing there, and I think... I think he's a war warrior" she adds. "I am sure of it;" she mutters. "It's those eyes, that smile... it was there when the trenches were dug!" her voice sings in the back of her mind.
"Maybe I had better just go back to the apartment;" mutters Lilac as Rye's scream is heard in the back of the memory;
"Help me!" she screams as blood runs from her neck down into the black road which is as black as the bruises around her eyes and cheeks.
Lilac stands there by the curb waving - it is time to say goodbye;
"A headache to return to study;" she remarks as she crosses her brows and enters the building where she traipses up the hallway and up some stairs.
On the hike up some passers by rub shoulders with Lilac and a couple of smiles are sent her way. Lilac shivers at the strangers blue eyes - so blue they could be called polished gems. She feels scared of them, she knows not why...after all one of the guys is her neighbour Bobby. Still, terror strikes her brain and shivers crawl down her spines and her legs.
Lilac trips with a bump and she scrapes her shin on the stair. A pair of feet pass her head, flattening some of her hair on the way, and she is helped up.
"Have you taken a long enough trip?" are words that echo through her brain.
Lilac nods as she spins her eyes to meet a dark stare and a row of polished waxen teeth. Lilac steps away like she has been wronged and she flattens herself against the wall.
"I'm fine;" she mutters through rubber lips.
"You've got a bleeding shin;" tells Darren who is as tall as a tree and shadows Lilac.
"A bit of blood never hurt anyone!" she remarks before she tosses her head to leave.
A strike of pain washes up to Lilac's brain and she looks down and sees a huge scrape that is a good six inches long spraying blood over the top of her white sock. She feels white in the face, so white she blacks out for a moment; when she is awake she is being carried over stairs to her apartment, her feet scraping the tops of the stairs.
"Here you go;" mutters Darren.
"I'll be fine!" tells Lilac as she puts her feet down onto the floor boards and rummages her pockets for some keys. "I'm fine!" she affirms with a nod as she pushes the key towards the key-hole.
It takes a few goes but she gains success in opening the door, and with a smile she lets herself inside. Darren outside runs fingers through his hair, and then he laughs as Lilac throws her chin up to meet his stare.
"Go home!" she calls. "Go away now!" she adds before she closes and locks the door.
The stranger is gone, and Lilac turns and rushes to her bedroom before she faints once again.
Rye slips out of the taxi and she cringes at Bobby who pulls out a hand from his pocket to smack the taxi window. Rye shivers and she steps a little to the side before Bobby shoves her aside with a push.
"Two seconds and you hit the curb!" he tells her with a flash of grin before he shuffles inside with another guy Rye has never seen before.
Darren approaches and he too shoves Rye to the side before he slips inside the mouth of the taxi.
"You boys are rude!" exclaims Rye as she rubs her left shoulder.
Darren throws a stare at Rye and he slams the door shut before Rye kicks her heels and spins to go inside the apartment building.
Rye heads upstairs and into the apartment. She then checks on Lilac who is asleep on her bed. Rye moves to the kitchen to make dinner, and during that time her mother Marge calls.
"Everything is in tip top shape!" cheers Rye as she stirs a bowl of beans. "Can't wait for you to come home;"
Later that night when Marge comes home there is some trouble when it is known that Lilac has damaged her leg. Marge blows hot fume at Rye who rolls her eyes over and again feeling ashamed. A train hits Rye's temper as Marge tells her to leave her home for good. Rye licks her lips which are wet and sleek.
"Where will I go?" she asks.
"Anywhere - just leave!" tells Marge as she throws a hurt stare.
Rye tosses her head and then she moves to her room to pack her bags. There is a drawer full of odd bits which she packs first, and then she packs her clothes. Two large bags are filled within thirty minutes before Rye heads out the door.
It is dark and Rye knows she needs to find somewhere to stay. However she doesn't know where to go, and so she lingers on the corner for a while. Soon a grey car slides by and George Endbury sees Rye on the corner with tears dribbling over her face.
"Are you okay sweetie?" he asks.
"No! I've been kicked out of home!" tells Rye as she wipes tears off her face. "Do you have a spare room I can stay?" she squeals.
George feels his face pale - he knows he shouldn't take anyone home, but with Rye in her state of distress he crumples his stern to let his compassionate side through and he opens the car door. Rye smiles and she heads inside the car; within a moment she has disappeared.
Lilac walks down the yard path towards the letter box - she has a limp because her leg is so sore. She feels sad that Rye has been kicked out of her home - she wishes she had been awake to calm her mother down; she would have said, 'it was my fault'.
A grey car slows as it prepares to turn the curb and the passenger door opens.
"Help me!" screams Rye as she yells through a strangles breath.
There is blood dribbling off her face and down her neck, and bruises swelling her face so bad that Lilac can barely recognise her.
"Help me!" screams Rye with her arms fling out dangling in mid-air before she is grabbed and stuffed back inside the car.
Lilac blinks as the grey car stops all of a sudden; there a short pause before the open passenger door is closed from the inside. Lilac shivers as the car then speeds off. She feels double sad that she had not been able to help Rye.
"I feel bad!" she shouts to the dawn rising - however there is nothing she can do, and she hangs her head and mutters a silent prayer.
A taxi pulls to the side of the curb ad Bobby and Darren slip out. Rye ignores them as they walk around her - she feels damp, so damp not even a hot shower could make her feel dry. She wishes she could make the world right, but she can't.
"Are you cold?" asks Bobby as he turns his head.
Lilac wipes her face - she wishes she could talk to Bobby, but she can't; there is an ice-stick inside of her spine which might shatter if she bothers to turn. Worry about her sister heaps up on her brain, and she feels guilt - she stands like a person alone holding a flag on flag day; there is a peak she has climbed and she is hit and chilled to the bone.
"I swear I shall..." she begins before a rock hits the back of her head.
"You loser!" yells Bobby before he races inside.
Lilac turns her head and sees him as he races away - a rat scampering for its hole.
"You are the loser!" she retorts before she crumples her face and returns her attention to the letterbox.
Lilac cannot calm down when inside and she calls her friend Sue. Sue gasps and shivers as Lilac tells her about her morning while biting on bitter nails.
"So what are you going to do?" asks Sue as she feels an odd sense of fear crawling up her spine.
"I don't know... nothing;" tells Lilac as she shrugs. "I feel like my sister is dead already;" she mutters.
"I don't know..." tells Sue as she shrugs. "But that's how it goes;" she adds.
Lilac hangs up the phone - she doesn't want to talk any-more; she feels she is up to her head in water and she is just waiting to drown.
Sue heads towards the entrance of the club with her friend May by her side. May has dyed her hair black and she sparkles like a gem-stone that has been polished. Sue feels dull and silly next to May with her flat hair braided to one side.
"This dinner is going to have singers!" tells May as she giggles.
"I know... but they aren't big, just local;" retorts Sue as she looks at the menu. "What are you eating?" she asks.
"Salad;" tells May as she shrugs. "And you?"
"Water!" tells Sue before she steps towards the entrance doors.
Inside Sue glares at May as she stares at the crowd. It looks like she is searching for someone, but there is nothing in her eyes which seem excited in any way. However for a moment May catches her breath and as Sue follows her stare she sees Max Endbury.
"He's a relic;" she whispers.
"I know - he tried to give me a lift home the other day, but he was too stern about it so I let it go;" tells May as she shrugs. "He's probably violent;"
"You!" gasps Sue as she raises her brows. "Are you sleeping around?"
"No..." blushes May before she looks away. "I was just thinking he's freaky;" she adds as she blinks to the singer on stage. "Who's this? Darren?"
"Darren and Bobby - 'The Brothers'..." tells Sue as she reads a card.
"The Brothers?" asks May as she narrows her eyes. "Like twin brothers?" she asks.
However then Bobby walks onto the stage and he waves to the crowd who hiss.
"Oh my God!" gasps May as she rolls her eyes. "He's got his hair brushed and slicked back!"
"That's old..." mutters Sue as her heartbeat races.
For some reason dead bodies in trenches rise up inside of her mind, and she smells the oil of war. She wishes she could get it off her mind but Bobbies blue eyes target her and she feels shadowed with shame for thinking that he could be evil. He smiles - the kind of smile that is lethal to the soul, and Sue drinks at her cup of tea with greed to warm herself. She feels bad that she feels so distorted and with a hand to her chest she leans back to relax.
"Good voices;" tells May as she turns to eat some food.
Sue smiles and nods stiffly, but she can hardly hear as Bobby turns his head their way and raises his brows to play hustle and bustle with her mind.
At the end of the show Bobby comes close to the table - Sue jumps up to leave. May notices and follows her quickly, stretching her steps until she meets Sue at the entrance.
"What's the matter?" asks May as Sue hails a cab with tears of distress inside of her eyes.
"I've got to go!" gasps Sue before she jumps inside of the cab and leaves.
May feels her heart sink. She wishes she knew what is wrong with Sue, but she has no idea. She has had a great time, and to have her friend disappear so fast like she has not had a good time makes her feel confused.
"What's wrong?" she asks as she knots her brows.
Bobby slips an arm around May as he holds a glass of wine in the other.
"Hey kid, let's talk;" he tells her.
"About who?" asks May as she blushes pink.
"Never mind;" tells Bobby as he takes her hand and pulls on it. "Come on, I've got a car hired;"
May nods and with another pull of the hand she follows Bobby to the car park.
Inside the luxury car May watches Bobby drink the wine fast. She wonders if her is drunk, but within a moment she knows he is not as he tucks the glass in a flask holder with steady hands.
"You sing good;" she mutters as she grows shy.
"Thanks;" tells Bobby as he leans back in his chair. "I'm a bit drunk;" he mutters as he rolls his eyes.
May nods; she doesn't know why he wants to tell her that but she figures he is going to give up on her company pretty fast.
"Well maybe I should leave and wait for another day to talk;" she tells him.
"No!" gasps Bobby as he catches her arm like she might wish to leave. "You can stay;" he mutters in a tone lightly rough.
May rolls her eyes - she has been escaping rough guys all week, and she pinches herself for getting inside a car with one. May grows cold, and she feels her skin turn blue.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were one of those guys;" she mutters as she shakes her head.
"One of what guys?" asks Bobby as he sits up with seriousness on his glazed eyes.
"I'm sorry, I have to leave!" tells May before she moves to open the car door.
Bobby catches her hand before her fingers touch the latch, and he smiles as though he has just pinched himself with a needle - there is panic and pain in his smile, and it makes May relax a little.
"I just want you here a short time;" he slurs before he leans over her ear. "Don't you leave until I say so, unless you want me upset;" he whispers in a cut tone. "I mean it;" he adds before he pulls her back until she is leaning against his body.
Sue calls Lilac and tells her about the encounter at the club. She whispers about Bobby and his stare, and Lilac furrows her brows.
"I live with someone like that, they are neighbours;" she tells.
"It can't be!" gasps Sue as she feels tears race down her face. "Aren't you scared of them?" she asks.
"No;" lies Lilac as she feels that silly shiver under her skin. "They are no trouble;" she adds. "I just... I mean... well they throw rocks at you;" she confesses. "They are silly;"
Sue gasps and she fingers her teeth which are chattering.
"I think they are rough people;" she adds as she feels her weakness stir her thoughts. "I should tell someone;" she adds.
"Don't worry;" comments Lilac. "I saw that grey car again and wonder if my sister is inside;"
she adds.
"She might have been abducted;" tells Sue as she switches her thoughts. "Or adopted... I don't know - people are rough;" she adds. "I am glad my parents will never kick me out of their home;" she tells.
"Same here;" tells Lilac before she blinks a tear. "I am sorry, I would like to lay down;" she adds as tears well inside of her eyes.
"Same here;" tells Sue before she flops down onto her bed.
May steps out of the car - it has been hours and she has talked her head off to avoid having sex with the singer she barely knows. She sighs as her head spins from the movement - she has had three drinks and all have been alcoholic.
May steps through the parking lot and down a path that leads to a road. Near its end Max Endbury pulls his car to the curb.
"Want a ride?" he asks.
"No, I've got it!" tells May in a drunk tone before she steps towards the main road like she plans to walk straight into the side of a car.
Max grabs May and he helps her inside of his car. He then drives off as she bangs a hand against the glass window that has been moulded in place
"There's no air here!" she complains.
Max shrugs and he laughs as he drives on. In ten minutes May is outside of her house and Max is holding the door open.
"Thank-you!" she yells in a loud vocal tone before she leaves for the front door of the house.
"Any time;" tells Max before he laughs and moves back inside of the car.
May wakes up with a hang-over. She blinks at the sun that filters through the window - its glare stings her eyes and she pushes her head under a pillow. She wishes it were not day, and she lays in bed so long her wish comes true.
At night May picks up the phone - it is Sue.
"Do you want to come to the diner?" she asks. "We can have some pizza;"
May scrapes her eyes open and she nods.
"Okay, I'll be there by seven;"
At the diner May sits with Sue who smiles as she hovers over a red hot pizza straight out of the oven. May takes a portion of pizza as car headlights beam their window until their booth is illuminated.
"Who do you think that is?" asks Sue annoyed before she screams at the pair of blazing blue eyes outside.
Bobby laughs as he hits the glass with a hand. May turns her head and she blushes.
"It's the singer;" she mutters.
Sue wipes her eyes and then she stands.
"I'm sorry I have to leave!" she gasps before she races away.
May shrugs and she takes a bite of pizza as Bobby races inside to meet her.
"Hey doll, mind if I sit?" he asks.
"Sure;" tells May as she offers a brief smile.
"Thanks!" he tells her as he sits. "That was a great afternoon yesterday - how about we do it again?" he asks.
May feels a squash inside of her belly and she makes juice of her nerve.
"Sure, maybe;" she mutters as her mind rings in war of possibilities and par-chances.
"Great!" smiles Bobby and he leans over the table. "Because I'll be hiring a car tomorrow - if you meet me at this address then we can have another talk;" he mutters as he passes a note over to her.
May take the note and reads the address. She blinks.
"I have to look it up but I am sure I can make it;" she adds before she stuffs the note inside of her purse.
"Great..." mutters Bobby as he looks her up and down. "How about you help me find a cab?" he asks.
"No, I'd rather eat this pizza;" tells May as she offers a smile. "I'm hungry;" she adds.
"Okay, have a good time;" tells Bobby before he stands and leaves.
Lilac answers the telephone - it is Sue.
"What's the matter now?" she asks.
"He was there!" gasps Sue as she shivers. "Standing there, and I think... I think he's a war warrior;" she adds. "I am sure of it;" she mutters. "It's those eyes, that smile... it was there when the trenches were dug!"
Lilac hangs up the phone and she shivers.
"She's mad!" she mutters before she rubs her arms and walks away.
May walks home and she grimaces as she meets a struggle between a man and a woman. May crosses the road and she skips up a side street - she feels more relaxed, but a stranger smoking up ahead catches her eye and she catches her breath.
May steps a little faster as she feels heat behind her head. She eyes the stranger with the cigarette - he has a coat on, but he is faceless. May feels her pulse burn as she hurries on - the stranger is left behind and she sighs; there had been no threat.
The next afternoon May catches a cab to the address where she is to meet Bobby. She feels damp when she sees an empty alley, and her nose stings as she smells garbage. There is an open industrial garbage bin by a back door which reads 'exit' at the top.
"Well this is where he said to meet;" she mutters before she sits on an ice cold stair.
Bobby stops singing as Darren claps by the side of the right wing - his temples burn with jealousy; instead of him singing his solo the manager had stuck with Bobby's solo - it had been a one stop chop and his pride had been bruised.
"You slacked;" Darren mutters as he watches Bobby play with his watch.
"I'm late - we meet again tomorrow;" Bobby mutters with a gasp. "You bring the money;" he tells.
"Late?" asks Darren as he frowns.
Bobby takes his coat and he heads for the exit. He plays with his watch and briefly hopes that the hired car arrives on time. He stumbles out of the back door and peers around - no one is in the alley.
"Nuts!" gasps Bobby as he turns around.
A shadow turns into a blur, a blur turns into a person racing towards him. Bobby smiles at the person expecting to be given a package of flowers, but his chest meets a gun that explodes in front of him. Bobby stumbles back and he falls hard on the pebbled cobblestone, and with a grunt he swallows a mouth-full of blood. His eyes rolls to the side and settle - he feels lost in a time warp, but the clip clop of heels alert him. Bobby looks over his shoulder and he sees May - she stares at him like a white faced stranger before she races away. Darren opens the door and he yells at a bunch of people to get a telephone. Soon Bobby is being lifted up and dragged around, and as his head hits solid wood he blacks out.
Darren cries on the curb thinking sour thoughts about Bobby who rests in a hospital bed with drips clinging to his arms. Lilac sees him and she turns her head.
"Are you okay?" she asks.
"No... I know someone was shot;" he tells. "I don't know why;" he adds.
"Oh no, that is terrible news;" tells Lilac. "Who was it?"
"Bobby;" tells Darren as he stifles a sniff. "I don't want to talk about it;" he mutters.
"I am sorry to hear about it;" tells Lilac as she frowns.
Darren shrugs her away and turns his back - he is sore, his heart is sore, his mind is filled with questions; he doesn't want company, he just wants to be left alone.
"Sorry;" whispers Lilac before she backs away.
Bobby exits the hospital with a frown on his face. He thinks of May and he frowns a little more - she should have helped him, but she had just run away and left him for dead.
"I should beat her up!" tells Bobby before he winces.
His chest is sore from the bullet, he cannot continue on. He decides to catch a cab, and in the cab he bites on the urge to visit the diner where May eats meals on a frequent basis. His curiosity gets the better of him, and he tells the cab driver to head towards the diner. Within ten minutes they arrive, and Bobby races up the row of windows to see if May is there - however she is not there, and so with a frown Bobby races back to the taxi and he orders the driver to take him home.
Lilac looks at Bobby as he enters the apartment and sees her on the stairs. He storms up the stairs and he pushes her to the side as he passes.
"Sorry about the gun shot!" tells Lilac.
"What do you know about it?" asks Bobby as he spins around to spit.
"Darren told me;" tells Lilac. "He told me he was sad over it;"
"Then damn you for knowing that!" tells Bobby. "Damn you and the world!" he adds before he charges up the stairs and into his apartment.
Lilac rubs her elbows for a moment - she feels a cold rush inside of herself she cannot make go away. She walks back inside of her apartment to get a jumper, and then she heads out of the apartment to visit Sue who is so distressed she acts like she has killed somebody.
On the trek there however Lilac feels a chill and she thinks of Sue and her words.
"He was there!" gasps Sue as she shivers. "Standing there, and I think... I think he's a war warrior" she adds. "I am sure of it;" she mutters. "It's those eyes, that smile... it was there when the trenches were dug!" her voice sings in the back of her mind.
"Maybe I had better just go back to the apartment;" mutters Lilac as Rye's scream is heard in the back of the memory;
"Help me!" she screams as blood runs from her neck down into the black road which is as black as the bruises around her eyes and cheeks.
Lilac stands there by the curb waving - it is time to say goodbye;
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