I want to say thank you to the Guest reviewers and the reviewers that have their PMs turned off which makes it to where I'm unable to thank them privately. Your kind words are very much appreciated!
~KiKi
That night my dream was a bit more strange than usual, because I dreamed what the boys were doing with Michael. As I was wrapped up in my blankets, the scene played behind my eyes.
Five bikes pulled up to the railroad tracks. Michael was quiet but feeling lively, his eyes bright, as he followed the others. "Perfect timing," David said, walking towards the side of the tracks that disappeared over a large ravine.
"What's going on?" Michael asked.
"Michael wants to know what's going on," David teased. "Marko? What's going on?"
"I don't know, Paul, what's going on?" Marko asked.
"Who wants to know?" Paul asked.
"Michael wants to know," Dwayne replied.
David put an arm around Michael's shoulders, much as he'd done to me earlier that evening. "I think we should let Michael know what's going on," he said. He turned them so that they were facing the other boys. "Marko?" David questioned.
Marko grinned and stepped back, jumping down with a quiet, "Bombs away!"
Michael's eyes widened and the others laughed. Paul went next. "Bottom's up, man!" he said, jumping.
The ever-quiet Dwayne just snapped his fingers and dropped off the side of the tracks.
David stepped up to the edge, looking into Michael's eyes. "Come with us, Michael." he said, and then stepped over the edge. I watched, as a worried Michael peered over the edge of the tracks and saw the boys hanging onto bars of the railing. Marko and Paul were kicking at each other as the boys whooped. "Michael Emerson, come on down," David called up to him.
Michael climbed down carefully, gripping tightly to the bar he held. "Welcome aboard, Michael!" Paul called out.
"Fun, huh?" David asked. The sudden sound of a barreling train on the tracks caused Michael to look up, just as it began violently shaking the bars the boys were holding onto. "Hold on!" David shouted over the sound of the train's horn.
Michael was horrified when Paul suddenly fell from the bars. "Don't be scared, Michael!" Marko shouted before letting go and yelling as he fell. Dwayne dropped next. "Michael, you're one of us. Let go," David shouted.
"And do what?" Michael shouted back.
"You are one of us, Michael," David repeated, his eyes like ice chips once more. He let go of the bar, dropping into the fog below as Michael screamed his name. As I watched, my brother began to lose his grip on the bar he was on. He started to hear voices below him, calling for him. But how was that possible, he thought. Finally he couldn't hold on anymore and he too dropped into the fog, yelling as he fell. But as he fell, his descent suddenly slowed and then stopped, catching him off guard. I watched as he looked around in surprise before falling once more into oblivion.
I woke the next day around eleven in the morning, and dressed in a soft pair of faded jeans and a royal blue tank top as the morning was quite warm. Lucy was sitting at the table, eating an early lunch/late breakfast before she left for work. "Morning, Mom," I said, smiling and kissing the top of her head.
"Hi, honey. Did you have a good time last night?" she asked.
"I did. Michael and I met some new people. They seem pretty cool." I said, buttering a slice of toast she handed me.
"Oh, that's wonderful!" she exclaimed, her smile brighter.
"Hey Mom? I was wondering if I could go with you to town? I was thinking of maybe taking my violin and performing on the boardwalk for cash?"
"Oh, honey, I think that's a wonderful idea! I'm ready to go now, so go brush your hair and teeth, put some comfortable shoes on and grab your violin and we'll go, okay?" she said.
I nodded, quickly finished my toast and ran upstairs. I braided my hair back, tossing it over my shoulder and feeling it slap lightly against center of my spine. I brushed my teeth and slicked simple cherry chapstick over my lips before putting the container in my pocket. I carefully grabbed my violin and carried it downstairs and out to Lucy's truck. I climbed in beside her as she started the vehicle and we were on our way. We chatted as she drove, mostly about how excited she was about her new job and that she found her new boss Max rather attractive.
"That's great Mom! He seems like a really sweet guy. I like his dog," I grinned, remembering the horrified look on Max's face when Thorn pushed me to the floor and covered me in doggy kisses.
"Oh you! You'd like anyone who had a dog," Lucy said, smacking my shoulder gently. I had to laugh, it was true. "Well, dogs are good assessors of people. If a dog likes someone, they can't be all bad." I replied.
Too soon we were pulling up on the boardwalk. I felt a slight frission of nerves hit me, but I climbed out, clutching my violin. "Why don't you set up outside of Max's, that way I can keep an eye on you?" Mom asked and I quickly agreed.
I placed a piece of paper asking for tips inside my violin's case as I stood and prepared to play. I sighed and thought about the pieces I wanted to play. I began with something simple, America the beautiful, followed by Amazing Grace, and then worked up to harder and more modern pieces. Time passed more quickly than I was aware of and my tips grew slowly from quarters to dollars. Before I knew it, the sun had set and Max had stopped to listen to me play. I grinned at him as I played a fast Irish jig.
His eyes were merry as I pulled the bow across the strings and I ended the song. "Your mother was right, you are very talented. Do you sing as well?" he asked.
"Sometimes," I said. "Really depends on the song." I answered.
"Well, I would truly enjoy hearing it," he said, dropping a $20 bill in my case. My eyes went wide and I nodded. Just as I was trying to decide what song to sing, I heard the rumble of the boys' bikes and I suddenly knew what song I would play. It was a tune from my old world and wouldn't be out for a good 20+ years, but it was one that I enjoyed immensely playing.
I tapped my toe on the ground to get my rhythm started and began to play, my voice joining next.
If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in a river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
Uh oh, uh oh
Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother
She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors, oh,
And life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no
Ain't even grey, but she buries her baby
The sharp knife of a short life, oh well
I've had just enough time
If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
The sharp knife of a short life, oh well
I've had just enough time
And I'll be wearing white, when I come into your kingdom
I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger,
I've never known the lovin' of a man
But it sure felt nice when he was holdin' my hand,
There's a boy here in town, says he'll love me forever,
Who would have thought forever could be severed by...
...the sharp knife of a short life, oh well?
I've had just enough time
So put on your best, boys, and I'll wear my pearls
What I never did is done
A penny for my thoughts, oh, no, I'll sell 'em for a dollar
They're worth so much more after I'm a goner
And maybe then you'll hear the words I been singin'
Funny when you're dead how people start listenin'
If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
Uh oh (uh, oh)
The ballad of a dove (uh, oh)
Go with peace and love
Gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket
Save 'em for a time when you're really gonna need 'em, oh
The sharp knife of a short life, oh well
I've had just enough time
So put on your best, boys, and I'll wear my pearls.
Max was smiling. "Very, very talented," he said and he looked up. I saw the boys were staring at me. He nodded to them; David nodded back. He walked into the video store as I began to gather the tips I had made, before carefully wiping down my violin and rosining the bow and placing them in their compartments. I latched the case closed and stood just as the boys surrounded me.
"Hi guys, beautiful evening, isn't it?" I said. I slid my money into my pocket and felt arms wrap around me. David's around my shoulders, and Marko's around my waist. "You sing beautifully, Princess," Marko said.
"You liked it?" I asked. All four of them nodded enthusiastically.
"As much as I hate agreeing with him, Max is right, you're very talented," David said. He leaned over and kissed my temple. "So, Princess, what shall we do tonight?"
"Well, I skipped lunch and haven't had dinner. How about pizza? My treat, of course," I said, thinking of the money jangling in my pocket.
"Pizza sounds good," Dwayne said quietly. Paul nodded, tucking a half-smoked joint into his jacket pocket. "Yeah! Pizza!" he said, raising a hand and headbanging as we walked down the boardwalk, making me laugh as he nearly tripped over his own feet. I yelped as he grabbed my violin from my hand and tossed it to Dwayne before yanking me into his arms, twirling us around as we headed towards the pizza place. I made a noise that suspiciously sounded like a loud "EEP!" as I tripped over his feet but he managed to keep us from collapsing to the floor.
"Jesus, Paul, you pot head, you're going to break her," Marko said, hauling me away from Paul and back into his arms. "Besides, that's not how you dance with a lady. This is how you dance with a lady," he said, surprising me as he took my arms in the classic waltz position and we were suddenly doing a box step. I threw my head back and laughed. He grinned and danced me back to David just as we got to the front door of the pizza parlor. We took a seat in a booth in the back, with me sitting between Dwayne and David, Paul and Marko across from us.
David pulled a cigarette from behind his ear and lit up as the waitress came over. "What'll it be, boys?" I asked. David pulled in a drag and replied, "Four loaded, no anchovies, two pepperoni, sausage and mushroom, four cokes and one sprite," he said, handing her a wad of bills before I could even reach into my pocket.
"David!" I objected for a second before he turned that bright blue gaze on me. I blushed and quieted, sinking back into the seat. He smirked at me and Dwayne put his arm around my shoulders. "Our treat, Princess," Dwayne said, and kissed the top of my head, making color rise to my cheeks. Marko and Paul snickered and David's smirk widened. I grabbed David's cigarette and put it out, sticking my tongue out at him. He raised a brow at me before telling me, "Best put that tongue away before I put it to good use." I gasped and blushed cherry red, making the rest of the boys laugh. I was never so glad to see a waitress reappear with pizza and drinks as I was at that moment.
I watched in awe as the boys, especially Paul, devoured the pizza. I ate three pieces and thought I was going to nearly burst. David looked over at me and smiled. "You coming, Princess?"
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"Home, of course," Marko said. I smiled. "Home with you all...hmmm...sounds good to me!" I said and they all slid out of the booth, Paul and Marko wrapping their arms around me this time as they led me to the door. We stopped and ordered one pepperoni pizza and a couple of bottles of Coca-cola to go to take back to the cave to Laddie and Star. I realized suddenly that I didn't have my violin. I looked around in fear for it before Dwayne seemed to realize what I was looking for. "It's right here, sweetheart," he said, lifting it to show that he still had ahold of it from when Paul had shoved it at him earlier.
"Oh thank god. If I lost that, I'd be heartbroken," I said softly. He surprised me with a quick peck on the lips, causing Marko and Paul to tease me. "I'll guard it with my life, Princess," Dwayne said, holding it against his chest. I smiled up at him. "Thank you, Dwayne," I replied. He nodded in return and placed his other hand at the small of my back as we walked out of the pizza parlor.
"I call dibs on the Princess, she hasn't ridden with me yet!" called out Paul. I laughed and rolled my eyes, but climbed onto the back of his bike. "You do realize I'm not some shiny new toy you can call dibs on, right?" I asked. He winked at me and started the bike, grabbing my hand and making me wrap my arms around him tightly before taking off with a quick blast from his engine. At the sudden burst of speed I laughed, which surprised him, I think he expected me to be afraid. But then, he didn't know that I knew he was a vampire and had excellent driving skills and superior vision.
In no time we arrived back at the cave and we headed down the stairs, me going a whole lot slower than the boys. "What's wrong there, Princess? Why so slow?" asked David.
"I have a rather healthy fear of heights!" I said, smiling up at him.
"Oh, is that all?" he said and picked me up, causing me to gasp as he threw me over his shoulder and had us down the stairs in the blink of an eyes. "There, all done," he said, smirking at me as he led the way into the cave. We were greeted by Laddie and Star. Laddie launching himself at my legs.
"Hey there, Little Man. I told you I'd be coming back!" I said, lifting him up to my hip and dancing around the room with him. "We brought you guys some pizza, I hope you like pepperoni?" I asked him, looking over at Star. Star looked put out that she hadn't gotten to go with us, but nodded.
"Pepperoni's my favorite!" Laddie shouted and chased down Marko who was holding the box over the kid's head. I giggled as I watched Marko keep bopping Laddie on the head with the pizza box before finally handing it down to him. Laddie carried the box over to Star's bed where they dug into the pizza that was still hot enough to be steaming. "Careful Laddie, it's hot, sweetheart," I said. He nodded around a gooey bite and smiled at me. "Hey Laddie," I called. He looked up as I took the two bottles of Coke out of my cross-body bag. His face lit up and he ran and grabbed the bottles from me, taking them back to Star who smiled at him and opened his bottle for him. "What do you say?" She asked him.
"Thank you, Maddie!" he said, taking another huge bite of pizza and chasing it with a swig of the soft drink.
"No problem, Laddie-boy," I replied, and sat down on the sofa next to Dwayne, who wrapped his arm around my shoulders and drew me against his side. I blushed and resisted for a moment, but his arms were like steel cables and I eventually just relaxed into his side. I turned a bit to where I could get into my bag and pulled out my drawing pad and pencil and began to sketch the image of Star and Laddie on the bed, the pizza box between them, Laddie drawing the slice away from his mouth with cheese strings going from his mouth to the slice. I snickered as a piece of pepperoni plopped back into the box and he looked defeated for a moment.
I got so caught up in the drawing that I tuned everything else out, until David called out to Paul, "Turn that music off, Paul! We have live entertainment tonight!" I looked up just as David turned his attention to me. "How bout it, Princess? Will you play for us?"
Song played is "If I Die Young" by the Band Perry