My first Instant Star story! Go me! A good song to listen to for this story would be Evanescence's Going Under if you have it. Awesome song. Anyway, don't forget to review and tell me what you think!
Oh, and this is to get me out of my supposed writer's block. This is probably why it's alightly alternate universe. And G-Major probably isn't on South Avenue, but it could be!
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"My Sanctuary"
She screamed. She screamed so loudly that even China could hear her shrill shrieks of despair. The world was ending; crashing down beneath her. In reality, Jude Harrison was outside G-Major on a cold and crisp night. Fluffy white snow was falling swiftly from the heavens, planting themselves in her blonde waves of hair.
Dressed in dark jeans, a warm coat, a long scarf and gloves, Jude's life was at a breaking point. She felt alone, more than she had ever felt in her life. She'd always been surrounded by people; audiences cheering her on, fans asking for autographs and pictures, family and friends supporting her. And now, on that chilly night, where the sky was bleak and atmosphere lonely, Jude was indeed alone.
Clenching her fists, she felt warm tears grace her ivory cheeks. She turned and banged her gloved fist on G-Major's closed doors. It seemed as though everyone had shut her out of their lives.
Her mother, eloping with her divorce lawyer…Don.
Shay; God knows what happened to him. In bed with Eden, most probably.
Her father, trying sort out his own life.
Sadie, doing what big sisters do; ignore their siblings.
Tommy…where the hell was he? He just left, with no explanation whatsoever.
Kyle, Wally and Speed. Sure, she still had her band, but things were never going to be the same, not after her and Speed failed to make it as a couple. They acted so differently around her.
Jude literally felt as though the snowy ground was going to swallow her whole on the very spot she stood. For a life that had once seemed so perfect, things had all been put into a tragic perspective.
Breathing in deeply and slowly, Jude took in the scent of the night, attempting to calm down. As she breathed out, her breath looked like silvery smoke, furling from her nostrils.
Why am I here? She asked herself cynically. There's nothing for me. Am I just expecting these doors to open up, and for me to be welcomed warmly in? No, there's nothing here for me…nothing. This place is as cold as the snow…as cold as my heart.
These realisations scared Jude slightly, but she shook herself mentally, and noted that she needed them. They were refreshing. She wasn't going to spend time lingering over the past. It was time to move on.
Sighing intensely, she sat carefully on the curb of the roadside. The night seemed to have frozen on her moment of madness. Yes, madness. She rubbed her damp eyes free of her tears. She needed to go. Where, she didn't know.
Confused thoughts whizzed around her brain and back again. Was this it? Was this the end? Was the ice going to break, and her go under so she couldn't return? Was this the ultimatum?
It felt like dying, like bleeding; crimson blood dripping silently from a fatal wound. It was as though she was falling, falling forever from a cliff as high as the clouds, and the destination was the fiery depths of hell.
The question Jude kept asking herself over and over in her depressed state of mind was, would anyone catch me? The answer was heartbreaking – a huge, great, definite 'no'. Jude knew there was no point in convincing herself otherwise – she'd just get her hopes up to where they didn't belong.
She watched the silent falling of the snowflakes; soothing; relaxing; rhythmic. Jude became mesmerised in the gentle descending white puffs. Beautiful.
Jude was disturbed from her tranquillity by the soft sound of boots crunching in the snow. Her head turned, and her eyes found a wandering man, dressed in a long tattered trench coat with a long woollen scarf wrapped around his neck and mouth. He had a grizzled mane of dark hair which covered most of his face. He walked with a slight stagger to his step, and when he noticed the blonde girl sitting on the roadside, he stopped suddenly.
"You alright there, little missy?" he spoke quite definitely, sitting himself down beside her. He reached inside his massive coat and pulled out a small hip flask. He removed the lid and took a quick swallow.
Jude didn't answer.
"Ah, so you're waiting in purgatory too, eh?" he chuckled.
She shrugged. "It sure seems that way."
"Yeah, I bet it does." He paused, examining her. "You look familiar. Have I sat on a road with you before?"
Close up, Jude had a clearer view of the man's face. He wasn't that old actually; probably in his late twenties. "No, I'm pretty sure you haven't."
"Hmm, or maybe in another life?" he continued. He held out his hip flask. "Whiskey? It'll keep out the cold."
Jude eyed the flask carefully, before her lips broke into a weak grin. "Sure, I'd like that." She took the flask and downed a short sip of the fiery liquid. The guy was right; it warmed her right to her toes. She handed it back to him.
"I'm Will," he said, holding out a gloved hand with the fingers missing. Jude shook it as firmly as she could.
"Jude."
"Ah, nice to meet you, Jude. No relation to the Beatles, by any chance?" he laughed hollowly, his black eyes glinting.
"Yeah, my Dad is a fan," she replied, smiling slightly.
Will snorted. "Who isn't?" Pausing again, he regarded her carefully. "So, what's your story?"
Jude groaned. "You don't wanna know. It's a long story."
"Okay, we'll start with me then," he said in a cheerful-like voice. "Two months ago my wife died of cancer, so I lost my job, and then I was evicted from my apartment because I couldn't pay the rent." He stopped for dramatic effect and smiled. "And now, I'm forced to wander the streets at night, praying for a miracle, usually food."
Letting out a low whistle, Jude suddenly felt pity for the guy.
"Your turn, sunshine," he encouraged, taking another swig of whiskey.
"Erm, well I just kind of feel abandoned by those I thought loved me; my parents, my band, my producer…everyone." Jude didn't know what else to say; that had pretty much summed it up.
Will's black eyes widened. "Of course! Jude Harrison, the first Instant Star! I remember now!"
"Yeah, that's me," she sighed morosely. Jude suddenly noticed how pretty the flakes of snow looked under the street lamp; glimmering softly, like the absent stars.
"Well, well, that is interesting," Will mused quietly. "It just proves that even when your life is that of a star's, there's always going to be a bad side to it. Am I right?" Jude nodded her blonde head. "Thought so. Well, not everyone's abandoned you, at least. I'm still here."
Jude smiled wryly. "Yeah, thanks. It's nice to know someone cares."
"Same here."
Out of no-where, suddenly, came the unmistakable sound of a gunshot. Panicking, Jude leapt to her feet and Will reached inside his coat once more, pulling out a small shotgun. Jude's eyes widened in horror, staring at the gun in his hand.
"Don't worry, this is just for protection," Will reassured her, "I won't let anything happen to you." He smiled sincerely.
"Thanks."
Minutes later, the two heard footfalls not far away. A young man stumbled towards them, clutching his side. He was bleeding profusely. Jude felt her heart stop when she recognised the face, which was twisted in pain.
"Oh no," she moaned, "Speed!" She rushed towards her fair-haired friend, and caught him before he fell. His breathing was shallow and his face pale.
"Jude," he breathed painfully.
"What the hell happened?" she whispered frantically into his ear.
Speed let out a sigh. "I'm okay, honestly. I don't think the bullet went too far in. It nearly missed me."
Will staggered over, his eyes alert, and his gun in hand. "Is your friend alright? Call for an ambulance, Jude."
Without thinking, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. "Hold on, Speed." She put the phone to her ear after dialling the emergency services. "Hello? My friend's been shot. Yeah, he's still breathing, and conscious. Erm, South Avenue. Thanks." She hung up.
"Help is on its way, I presume," Speed chuckled faintly.
"Yeah, it is, so you have to stay with me, Speiderman. Don't leave me."
"I never did." Their eyes locked for a moment. "I looked everywhere for you. That's why I was out tonight. I was so…scared that something might've happened to you." He reached up and tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. "Just in case…I don't come out of this in one piece…don't forget me."
Jude felt her eyes warm considerably. "How could I? You're the best guitarist in the best band EVER!"
Speed snorted. "I know." He grinned.
She reached for his hand and gripped it tightly. "Don't leave."
"I won't."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
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Needless to say, Speed kept his promise. And Will? Well, let's just say Jude learned a valuable lesson from him, and he wasn't forgotten easily.