Chapter 2

"Hey, do you wanna go down to the deli?" Acacia asked me, after dinner. I knew why and I really wanted to go for the same reason. Our boyfriends both worked at the deli, and they work on the same shift, which just started.

"Sure. Lemme get my purse, and fix my eyeliner. It smeared."

"Kay. I'll go ask Dad." She said. I grabbed my purse and walked into the bathroom we shared. I took out my mascara, liquid eyeliner, and eyeshadow. I fixed my makeup and put everything away. We walked out the door as Alice yelled "Be back at nine!"

We walked down the stairs and out the lobby. Then we turned down another street and walked inside the warm, well-lit grocery. We walked to the back were the meat counter was. I took a waiting ticket and Acacia and I got in line. The number was 46.

"Number 46?" We looked up. It was Briar, my boyfriend.

"Um, 57 pounds of the jalapeño goat liver, please." I said trying to keep from laughing.

"Okay that'll be- what?" His head snaps up and looks at us both. "Hi Pic. Acacia, Nathan's in the back I'll go get him." He walked into the backroom, then back out, followed by his best friend, and Acacia's boyfriend, Nathan. They both took off their aprons and came out from behind the counter.

"Hiya." I said giving him a hug. I stood on tiptoes trying to kiss him on the cheek. "You're too tall!" I said kinda miffed. He laughed and gently lifted me up so I could reach his cheek. I gave him another hug around the neck and demanded to be put down again. Briar's got this choppy black hair, bright green eyes, and a lip piercing. He almost talked me into getting one too, but when I saw the lip-piercer gun I almost passed out. Dad and Alice were appalled when they first met him, until they found out how polite and caring he was. Nearby, Acacia was making out with Nathan. Nathan is tall, but not as tall as Briar who's like 6' 7". He has greenish eyes and long dark brown hair. I walked by, holding hands with Briar, and kicked her in the back of the knee. She instinctively spun around and smacked me in between the eyes. I stumbled backwards but still managed to elbow her in the ear. Nathan stopped her from retaliating.

"So," I said calmly "where do you people wanna go?" Acacia was glaring at me with that loving, sisterly hate. I just smiled. Briar poked me in the ribs as we all walked out onto the almost empty street.

"Ooh, let's go to Bensonhurst!" Acacia suggested. We all agreed. It was a beautiful night and Bensonhurst Park wasn't that far. "Urgh… Acacia, I feel sick again." I was hit with a random wave of nausea.

"Picture? You okay?" I looked into Briar's worried face. I faintly heard Acacia retelling them what happened in math today. As I fell backwards, the world began to darken to blackness.

Again, I was back in the Grecian palace. I was disguised as a chambermaid, standing nearby to help with anything that was commanded of me. Some little voice in my head told me what happened. The king decided he didn't feel like murdering a weak girl today, so I was sent back to the jail. One of my friends secretly busted me out of the prison. I was disguised as a chambermaid, working for the king. It was the queen's birthday. Us chambermaids were going to perform for her. And I was gonna sing. I began singing a beautiful melody in a soprano voice that I didn't know I had. The song didn't have any words, but it sounded beautiful, and the queen seemed happy. My voice wove in and out of the other music. Then it all faded to black and I opened my eyes to stare straight into the green eyes of Briar, and next to his were the black eyes of Acacia. I smiled, and sat up.

"I'm okay, seriously. I wasn't about to be murdered this time. It was happy." I began to retell the story of what happened.

"Wow." Briar had a look of almost shock on his face. Nathan and Acacia both looked like the evil little imps they are on the inside. "Sing! Sing! Sing! Sing!" they both started chanting.

"I- I can't remember the song. Seriously."

"Well sing something you do know. Like The Sound of Music." Acacia suggested. I glared at her, as I started singing Shadowplay by The Killers, at a random point in the song.

I was moving through the silence without motion, waiting for you
In a room without a window in the corner I found truth

In the shadowplay acting out your own death, knowing no more
As the assassins all grouped in four lines, dancing on the floor
And with cold steel odour on their bodies made a move to connect
I could only stare in disbelief as the crowds all left

I did everything, everything I wanted to
I let them use you for their own ends
To the centre of the city in the night, waiting for you
To the centre of the city in the night, waiting for you

"Wow." They all three said simultaneously. "So you can sing…" Nathan said. "And good….."

"C'mon, are we going to the park or not?" I asked, blushing like crazy.

We finally got there and raided a playground. Eventually, it ended up with Acacia and I sitting on the swings, Nathan laying on the slide, and Briar hanging upside down above us on the swing set bar thingy.