I've been walking for so long. I can feel the strain in my legs as they pull me down the path towards goodness-knows-where. They're trembling. I'm trembling. I struggle to walk in a straight line as I amble along.
The watch on my wrist beeps twice. I look down to check the time. It is midnight now. I look up at the night sky. The stars are only just visible under the orange glow of streetlights. I've always been fascinated by stars. I've never understood why, but I can just stare at them for hours on end.
Cars speed pass me and I can't help but wonder if anyone notices or cares when they see me staggering along. Maybe they thought I was a drunk? It was hard to believe for someone of my age. I stagger on, regardless.
But does anyone notice?
But does anyone care?
My watch beeps again. My head practically droops as I look down at my wrist. For a second I thought it would fall off and crash to the ground. It's now 3am. How I am managing to stay awake, never mind walk, is beyond me. However, I have developed a pattern to keep me going. Breathe in, step, breathe out, step. It seems to be working.
Well, don't I look pretty walking down the street in the best damn dress I own?
It's well into the morning now. 9am, I think. I can't tell. I can't look down at my watch. I'm unconscious, you see. There's a voice in my head and I can vaguely hear what's going on around me, but I can't do anything. The cold air finally got to me about an hour ago and I passed out. I don't think I'm on a path, because I don't feel gravel beneath me. I can't feel anything beneath me. I feel like I'm floating. I can't hear any voices, just the wind. So I lie here and wait for someone to come along and save me or, in the worst-case scenario, take me from the earth.
"Bandit, don't run too far from us!"
Voices. I can hear them. Someone must be nearby!
"Bandit, get back here!"
Then…footsteps. Small, fast footsteps. They obviously belonged to a small child. They came closer and closer and then suddenly someone's warm breath was on my face. I could hear the high pitch as they breathed onto me, evidently they were looking at me whilst trying to catch their breath. Then a shrill yell echoed around me.
"MUMMY! DADDY!"
The sound was like a knife cutting into my head. I groaned in pain. The child beside me gasped at my sudden noise and then called again.
"MUMMY! DADDY! THERE'S SOMEBODY HERE! THEY LOOK HURT…I THINK THEY MIGHT'VE BANGED THEIR HEAD!"
Maybe I did. Who knows? More footsteps ran over. This time they sounded more adult-sized. I heard a woman's voice talking to the child.
"Bandit, don't run away from us like that! We were worried si- oh my God."
The woman let out a gasp. Evidently she had just seen my crumpled, barely conscious form lying on the ground. Then she yelled out.
"GERARD, I THINK YOU MIGHT WANT TO SEE THIS!"
I groaned again. More footsteps. Another gasp. More voices.
"Oh my…"
"What should we do?"
"Well, we can't just leave her here, that's for sure."
"We could drive to the hospital?"
"The car's getting fixed at the garage. I brought it there this morning."
"Oh Lord. How are we going to help her?"
There was a moment of silence and then the man, who I guessed was called Gerard, spoke again.
"We'll have to take her back to the house. When the car arrives, we can take her to the hospital from then."
"Gee, are you sure?"
"Not completely, but it looks like it's the only option we've got. Come on, help me pick her up."
An arm went under my back and another went under my legs. Then I was in the air, not just floating, but moving. I groaned again. My sore legs were swinging in the air and they ached terribly.
"Don't worry, kiddo, we're going to get you back to our house and get you sorted," said Gerard. "You're in good hands."
"Thank…you…" I managed to mumble. Then I passed out again, this time completely.
When I finally opened my eyes, I was lying down on a sofa in a warm house, staring up into the eyes of my heroes…Gerard Way and Lyn-Z Way. It took me a moment to register their faces, but when I did, I gasped.
"Hey." Lyn-Z murmured.
"Hi." I managed to croak back.
I suppose all this time you've been wondering who the hell I am and why I'm of such importance. Well…I'll tell you.
My name is Starling Goldstead and I am on a mission to become a rock star.