Hallo again! Hope you are greatly enjoying this so far (those of you original fans, quite a change, eh?) Anyways, please review, I shall luffles you forever!

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Chapter One: Spacing Out

I stared out of the large window in our front living room, watching my neighbors play with their kids in their lawns or riding their bikes up and down the streets. The vibrant pink sky glowed with a setting sun as the smells of spaghetti wafted from the kitchen. My stomach grumbled, but I ignored it for a long while. I was too immersed with the journal that lay open in my hands and the scenery outside. I glanced away from the world beyond the window pane, and down at the swirling notes that I had etched into the long lines. I smiled at my own work, reflecting on the past nearly thirteen years of music that had filled my life. I slowly closed the notebook, resting on the back of the couch that I sat in.

The living room was well lit, the TV sat on the far wall with two large shelves on either side, filled to the over flowing point of DVDs and CDs. I stood up slowly from the maroon colored couch, and glided over to the CDs, glancing down into the S's. My mother and I had arranged them by album as apposed to artist— unlike my father had done. I frowned, picturing my father's face in my mind; with his unruly red hair, goatee and French inspired moustache, beady grey eyes and hard jaw line. After I turned fourteen, when he left, I had never understood how my mother could have fallen in love with such a sap. I held no hate against my dad, but I never looked at him the same. He was less of a parent and more of just a family member that I held no solid contact with. He was constantly moving, trying to find "the right girl" as he had once put it.

What was Sarah Rose Williams not good enough for him?

I sighed, pushing my thoughts of him out of my mind as I plucked a CD case from the shelving, and opened it slowly. I walked over to the DVD player, and turned it on, before pressing the OPEN/CLOSE button. I tucked the thin disk into the drive, pressing the button once more. The drive slid into place, and I searched through the songs briskly, trying to find the one song Sarah and I enjoyed most. It was certainly an interesting one, but we loved it none the less.

I heard Sarah pad into the room to see what I was doing when she heard familiar music. I grinned ear to ear at her as a bright smile lit her face. I stood, and danced a little, basically swaying my hips side to side as the music filled my ears.

"She had an horror of room, she was tired, you can't hide beat. When I looked in her eyes they were blue, but nobody home. Perhaps she could have been a killer if she didn't walk the way she do, and she do. She'd open strange doors that we'd never close up again. She began to wail, jealousy screams, waiting at the lights if you know what I mean. Scary monsters and super creeps. Keep me running, running scared. Scary monsters and super creeps. Keep me running, running scared." There was a musical interlude as Sarah walked back into the kitchen to keep going with dinner. I stayed in the living room, continuing to dance to the beat of the song.

"She asked me to stay and I stole her room. She asked for my love and I gave her a dangerous mind. Now she's stupid in the streets and she can't socialize. Well I love the little girl, and I'll love her till the day she dies. She wails, Jimmy's guitar sounds, jealousy screams, waiting at the lights if you know what I mean. Scary monsters and super creeps. Keep me running, running scared. Scary monsters and super creeps. Keep me running, running scared." I spun in a circle as Sarah came back out to join me in this awkward and strange dance. I laughed as she mimicked my moves, adding her own twists here and there. Why it was that this was our favorite David Bowie song (apart from my love for Modern Love) no one really knew. My dad hated David Bowie.

"Scary monsters and super creeps. Keep me running, running scared. Scary monsters and super creeps. Keep me running, running scared." I sang the last four lines of the song, dancing with my mom in a strange mix of a waltz and a tango. We laughed the entire time until the music faded from our ears, and I felt a slight buzz in my pocket. Practically jumping out of my skin, I turned the volume of the stereo down, before answering my phone with a sarcastic tone.

"Alcatraz Psycho Ward, Aerynn speaking, how may I help you?" I heard my long time friend Caitlyn laughing on the other end.

"Hey Aery, how have you been?" She asked.

"I've been well. You called at just the right time, Scary Monsters like, just ended as you called." Sarah rolled her eyes before walking back into the kitchen. I heard her cursing about 'burnt bread' or something. I mentally laughed, before returning my attention to Caitlyn's voice.

"…had a knack for that I guess."

"Yeap. So, what'cha need hun?" I asked, walking over to the window again, staring out at the street. Charlotte, a friend of Caitlyn and I, was walking up to her front door. She glanced up and saw me looking at her. She grinned, and waved. I waved back, before turning away from the window as Caitlyn answered.

"Well… it's about Friday's science homework. I have no idea what Mr. Trath was talking about." I froze for a brief moment. Since when did Caitlyn not know something about science or math or even fucking art? I was usually the clueless one, and I was pretty damn proud of it!

"Hun, why don't you just email him? You're one of his favorite students. I'm sure he'd jump off a bridge if you asked him to." She laughed aloud, which brought a smile to my face. I loved hearing her laugh. It reminded me like a baby or toddler laughing. Such a pure and free sound it was! It was a sort of laugh that would have made a year round Scrooge crack a smile.

"I supposed I could… but I don't think he would jump off of a bride for me." She stated, and I giggled.

"Okay maybe not."

"Alright, well… thanks for trying… sorta…"

"Yeah, no problem." I said, glancing out the window again.

"Mmkay, see you at school tomorrow."

"Yeap."

"Byyyeeee…"

"Ha-ha. Bye Caitlyn." I shut my phone gently, setting it down on the living room table as Sarah came back out, our home phone receiver glued between her ear and her left shoulder. Her dark brown, grey streaked hair was parted off the side, a black barrette keeping her hair away from her face. Her large jade eyes seemed to stare past me as she listened to whoever was on the other line. She laughed aloud, before focusing on me.

"Your uncle wants to know what flavor of ice cream you would like for dessert tonight." She said to me. I thought for a brief moment, before grinning.

"Mint chocolate chip, please!" I said loud enough for my uncle to hear. I heard him laughing, and I crossed over to the piano that stood in a corner beside the cough and window. I trailed my fingers over the pearly keys, remembering that I hadn't practiced in some time. The keys were cold, almost like stone beneath my touch. I frowned slightly, sitting myself on the bench. I exhaled slowly, unconscious to my hands playing Debussy's Claire De Lune. I let myself drift away as I continued playing. When was the last time I had decided to play? I shut my eyes slowly, moving in time and rhythm with the music that flowed from my fingertips. I didn't hear my mother's voice at first, until she was shaking my shoulder.

"Aerynn— sweetheart. Your uncle is going to be here in ten minutes. I need you to set the table up and clean the living room." I opened my eyes and looked over at her, before nodding. She smiled slightly, walking back into the kitchen. I sighed, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear as I stood from the bench, crossing over to the living room table. Books and papers were littered all over the wooden surface. Slowly, I began to stack the books in one pile, and the papers in another, before gathering them all together in one load (which proved to be difficult to carry). I walked into the spare room, and positioned them on the book shelves and the side table. I'd deal with them later.

I headed back out into the dining room, seeing that Sarah was working with the sauce, noodles, and still talking to my uncle on the phone. I smiled, rolling my eyes as I gathered four plates from the over head cabinet above the counter. I set the plates in their spots on the rectangular table, before staring at a chair that sat closer to the wall. I frowned, remembering when my dad would sit in that chair. I shook my head, padding back into the kitchen to retrieve forks, knives, and napkins, before placing them in a stack in the center of the table. I heard Sarah hang up the phone, walk up behind me.

"Honey, I have to run to the store real fast. I forgot that I need two boxes of noodles instead of just one." I giggled, snatching up a hair tie from the counter, and pulling my hair back in a loose pony tail. "So, I need you to keep an eye on the sauce. The bread is baking right now, but it'll be finished when I get back." She gave me a quick kiss and a hug, before grabbing her purse and heading for the door. I thought for a moment, before calling back to her.

"Mom, what are we gonna do about my Halloween costume for this year?" I asked her. She turned to face me again, her eyes unfocused as she was lost in thought. I could have sworn a light bulb flickered to life inside her head, for her eyes shined brightly.

"I have some old stuff up in the attic, though they're kinda hard to get to. So I'll help you when I get back, okay?" She suggested. I nodded once, and she turned away, walking out of the door. I sighed softly, heading back into the kitchen to stir the bubbling sauce. Large chunks of meat were dotted throughout. Carefully, I plucked one out, blowing on it to cool. Plopping the meat in my mouth, I savored the taste. 'Damn this is good…' I thought to myself, turning on my heel to walk back out into the living room. It was strangely quiet; I frowned slightly, rubbing my arms as a slight chill caressed my skin. I hated being alone. It always left me feeling saddened.

"Then again… it's been a lot quieter since dad left…" I said to myself, sitting down at the piano bench again. I played the melody to Counting Crows' Colorblind, but I didn't bother singing along with it. I let myself slip into a steady rhythm of moving with the music. My mind wandered into a sort of limbo where I was conscious of my own thoughts and actions, but everything else was unknown. I couldn't hear anything except the music; I couldn't feel anything but the power. I enjoyed these moments alone where I didn't have a care and the only thing known to me was the magic that flowed from my fingertips.

I inhaled slowly, processing the smells that I detected as I stopped playing. I smiled slightly, breathing evenly— at first. I frowned, inhaling again. Something wasn't right. There was the Febreze in the air that Sarah had sprayed this morning, the charred wood from last night's fire, the baking bread in the oven, the sauce— My eyes shot open, making the world spin slightly. Shit!

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" I whispered under my breath, racing from the living room into the kitchen. The sauce pot's lid had steam and smoke billowing from under the edges. I grabbed a wooden spoon, lifting the lid away and coughing as the smoke traveled into my lungs. Blindly, I had forgotten that the pot was hotter than all hell, and pushed it off the burner with my bare hand. Dropping the spoon, I squeezed my eyes shut, grasping my right hand with my left as a cry of pain escaped my lips. Holy shit! The pain was intense!

Tears streamed from my eyes as I straightened myself, stumbling to the kitchen sink. I turned the knob, letting cold water run on my burnt hand. It stung like a mother fudger, but I kept my hand under. I groaned at the pain turned to being simple numbness, when I heard the living room door open. Sarah and Toby were talking to each other, their voices drawer closer and closer to me. I breathed evenly, trying to calm myself.

"I know what you mean. I can't believe that guy just cut you off an—" Toby paused, and I turned my head to see my family staring at me.

"Aerynn! Honey, oh my God, what happened?!" Sarah cried, dropping the bags of groceries in her hands as she bolted to my side. She gingerly took my palm in hers, examining the burn that was probably close to two degree. While Sarah fussed over my hand and Toby went searching for a first aid kit, I turned away as Sarah's voice melted away from my consciousness. I stared outside; those after affects from thoughts of 'God, I'm such and idiot!' were starting to take their toll, making me feel miserable apart from my being in pain. Nestled in the trees, cloaked somewhat by auburn leaves and branches, was a snowy white and caramel colored owl.

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UndergroundValentine: Tehee, Chapter One is up!
Jareth: You're doing this... again?
UndergroundValentine: Now, now, Jareth! Be nice! This is like a fresh start! Besides, revising always helps!
Jareth: But why did you take down the original version? It's no fun when you're busy working, you could have given me something to read!
UndergroundValentine: You're starting to sound like a certain friend of mine (Opulent Skyscrapers!!)
Jareth: Is that a bad thing?
UndergroundValentine: Well... no... but I think Opulent is smarter than you.
Jareth: *glares* I beg your pardon?
UndergroundValentine: I didn't say a word...
Jareth: DX

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Songs used:
~Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) by David Bowie
~Claire De Lune by Debussy
~Colorblind by Counting Crows