Chapter 1: Hello

(Song written by B. Moody, A. Lee, and D. Hodges)

Playground school bell rings again
rain clouds come to play again

Jack stood alone in the pouring rain on Helion Prime as the other children ran screaming happily indoors at the sudden down-pour. Water poured in rivulets down her pale face, and her short hair hung limply over her ears. Solemn green eyes stared straight ahead, ignoring the cold wind that cut through her sodden baggy clothes. Not a muscle moved as she stood stoically. A teacher leaned out the school door, yelling at her to come inside, but Jack gave no indication of hearing her. The teacher finally gave up and turned inside, shaking her head and muttering to herself that she must tell the Imam about this new incident.

Has no one told you she's not breathing?
Hello I'm your mind giving you someone to talk to
hello

Jack's eyes turned skyward, accepting the onslaught of rain, her mind traveling back to another rain; a rain in the darkness of an endless night. Even in the terror and anguish of that rain, she had felt more alive than she did now. Her eyes closed and she turned back inside as the bell rang once more.

If I smile and don't believe
soon I know I'll wake from this dream

More days passed by in a blur, nothing felt real anymore, everything was a dream. Classes, teachers, students, Imam and his wife were nothing more than faces coming and going in a relentless monotony. Emotions had no meaning to Jack; they were only facial expressions that she put on to survive, to exist. Smiles had always come easily to her, but now it took all her energy to paste one into place.


Don't try to fix me I'm not broken
hello I'm the lie living for you so you can hide
don't cry

Imam tried to help the suffering child, but nothing he said could get past her silence. Her heart yearned for what she had lost; her childhood, her innocence, her hero. Nothing could return them to her. She had survived, and she would continue to survive. She never let a tear pass her long dark lashes, and she would paste the impossible smile on her face once more, hoping to ease the old priest's fears.

Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping
hello I'm still here
all that's left of yesterday

Sleep eluded her as she lay alone in the still, warm nights. Then and only then did the façade slip and tears would run down her soft, youthful cheeks. The pain never left. It never would. It seemed that was all she had left of her past; all her memories had to offer her. In the dark of night the lies slipped way, leaving her with nothing but the pain.

Hello