Hey guys!
Okay, so I figured that with such an awesome last chapter from Trish and Ally's side of the story, it was time for an equally awesome chapter from Austin's side of the story! So here it is!
This chappie has a song in it. You can find it on youtube. It's called Courage Is and it's by The Strange Familiar. Note: I do not own the song, even though its technically written by a character in the story.
One would figure that when another person stopped beating you to the brink of death every day, it was a good thing, right?
Wrong.
Austin would've taken the beatings back in a heartbeat. He was a guy, after all. He could take a hit. He didn't even mind, so long as his friends were all right. And really, Austin would have preferred fewer beatings as well if it also meant his friends were still all right. The thing is, that's not really how He works.
Once He had overhead Emma giving Austin the details of the real reason he'd been taken, He no longer saw any reason to really keep up the whole beat-up-Austin-to-near-death thing. Not that the beatings stopped all together. Austin was pretty sure He still found beating people up to be a fun sport. It didn't even faze the young rock star, however. Because when He was busy hurting Austin, He wasn't talking. And Austin dreaded every word that came out of His mouth.
He didn't insult Austin, not exactly. It's not like Austin would ever take any criticism from this guy seriously, in any case, and they all knew it. What he did was far worse, at least, to Austin.
It had started with the hair he chopped off. That was enraging for a few reasons. For one, it completely messed with his hairdo. Didn't this guy have any idea how long it took to find the perfect hairstyle to complement the rest of the face? And how long it took to reach that perfect style every morning? Chopping off a chunk of hair was just plain cruel.
But more importantly, he took Austin's brown hair. Austin had spent most of his life embarrassed about the little mutation. A Guy with hair as blonde as Austin's shouldn't have any brown. It was just weird. Or at least, Austin had thought so, until Ally made him see it differently. He would never forget the moment when his friend reached up and twirled that strand of hair with her finger, an enraptured look on her face. It was just a tiny moment in time, but it changed a part of Austin in ways he still didn't really understand. And the maniac had CHOPPED IT OFF.
Of course, that memory was probably the reason he took it in the first place. He did it to get to Ally. That's the thing. Everything he was doing was meant to get to his friends- to get to Ally.
Once the hair had come off, the words had come. And Austin would give anything for them to stop.
It was one thing to guess that He was going to try and hurt his friends. It was an altogether different thing for Him to explain exactly what he was going to do, in excruciating detail. It wasn't even threatening. He said it as if he were casually talking about what He was going to do at school that day (even though he's way too old to go to school). Normal people might find this not so horrible. But not Austin. He lived for his friends- and now he had to watch as his friends were slowly being torn to pieces.
His plan was complex, and Austin couldn't keep track of it at all. The only thing he could ever be sure of was what the next step would be. And what He had in mind- well, it was sickening, to say the least. It was going to happen in no less than a few hours, and Austin was trying really hard not to think about it.
"You look constipated."
Austin turned to Emma at her weak attempt at a joke. He tried to smile, for her sake, but she didn't buy it. The rare trace of humour vanished from her face, replaced by the bitter and sad one she'd been wearing since things had changed. "He's horrible." She said. "I'm sorry. I should do something…"
Austin sighed. He wished, more than anything, that there was something she could do. They both knew better, even if neither of them wanted to say it out loud anymore. "Don't be sorry." Austin said, not being able to come up with anything else to say.
Her eyes got that faraway look they often did when she was looking into her past. A past that was still shrouded in mystery, Austin should say. She'd grilled him about his life details, and had even taken to making notes on a little notepad she kept on her at all times. But she never gave anything away about herself, or how she ended up in this hell hole.
"Just don't think about it." She said, after a minute of silence. Austin didn't have to asked what she was referring to. They were back on His Plan. "If you don't think about it, maybe it'll go away…" Her voice trailed off, and she quickly looked away.
Austin raised his eyebrows at her. He didn't really know the proper way to respond to something like that. Austin wondered for a moment if she'd been talking to herself more than to him. It wouldn't be the first time.
"I need a distraction." Austin said, pulling Emma out of her thoughts. She looked up at him with a question mark written all over her face.
"Do you want to talk some more?"
This did make Austin smile. Unless she was willing to open up about her history, there wasn't much left to talk about. "No." He said, smile fading. "That will just make me think of Ally…" Austin looked down, trying to fight off the images that were filling his head. A part of him felt guilty, thinking that he should be feeling this awful for his other friends as well. And when he certainly was hurting for his other friends too, they weren't quite in the same category as Ally. He loved Trish and Dez, but he NEEDED Ally. It was hard to explain.
"What else, then?" Emma inquired, pulling Austin back to reality.
Austin considered this for a moment. Then, inspiration hit.
"Can you play those?" Austin said, indicating the guitar and the piano.
Emma scoffed, showing just how ridiculous the question was. "Of course I can. Why else would they be down here?"
Oh good, she was coherent again. Austin was getting excited. He would die to hear a bit of music. "Can you play a song for me?" He asked. He heard the wonderful sound of hope in his voice.
Emma bowed her head, almost… embarrassed. "You wouldn't like my music." She said.
"Why not?"
"You like fun songs." She explained. "My songs are all slow, and a little sad."
It doesn't matter AUSTIN NEEDS MUSIC. "That's okay. I'll listen to anything right now." He said, ever so truthful. Music was music. Austin didn't care, so long as she didn't scream.
She tilted her head at him, considering the request. Austin loved it when she did that. It reminded him of Ally.
"Okay." The Albino finally responded. Austin was only just able to contain his happiness. Good emotions were so rare down in that basement, that every time one came along, it was that much more wonderful.
The Albino walked over to the piano and sat down. She took out her notebook, flipping back many pages until she found what she was looking for. She must write her own songs, Austin realised. Of course she does. How else would she know any songs? She sat the notebook in front of her, and moved her fingers across the keys, with a grace Austin hadn't known was even possible. She sang.
Take all my vicious words
And turn them into something good
Take all my preconceptions
And let the truth be understood
Take all my prized possessions
Leave only what I need
Take all my pieces of doubt
And let me be what's underneath
Austin was enraptured. Her voice was perfect, almost enchanting. But it was more than that. She sang from her heart. She really meant what she was singing.
Courage is when you're afraid,
But you keep on moving anyway
Courage is when you're in pain,
But you keep on living anyway
Had she picked this song for him intentionally? Austin didn't know, but he found himself listening to ever word and clinging to their meaning like a lifeline.
We all have excuses why
Living in fear something in us dies
Like a bird with broken wings
It's not how high he flies,
But the song he sings
She was really into it now. Emotion rang in her voice as she made her way back into the chorus. She could have moved an entire crowd to tears, if there had been a crowd.
Courage is when you're afraid,
But you keep on moving anyway
Courage is when you're in pain,
But you keep on living anyway,
You keep on living anyway
It's not how many times you've been knocked down
It's how many times you get back up
Emma looked over her shoulder and gave Austin a look filled with so much meaning, he couldn't process what she was trying to tell him exactly. However, one thing was clear to him. She had picked this song intentionally, and she was singing it to him and him alone.
Courage is when you've lost your way,
But you find your strength anyway
Courage is when you're afraid
Courage is when it all seems grey
Courage is when you make a change,
And you keep on living anyway
You keep on moving anyway
You keep on giving anyway
You keep on loving anyway
Her hands drifted to the last key, and room was suddenly filled with silence. But Austin didn't notice. He was thinking.
Austin had always thought his songs were inspirational. They were, to some people, to an extent. But he had never realised that there were songs that could dig this deep into the soul and make a person doubt everything. Granted, his current situation might be making the song seem a lot stronger. Still, he found himself thinking on the song, on what courage really meant to him. Had he shown courage here? It had never crossed his mind. Was he brave to give himself up? Or had it been stupid? As time went on, he was starting to think it had been just plain idiotic… But he hadn't even tried. He'd gone down without a fight. And now he was just sitting here (bound, mind you) doing nothing. He didn't even try to fight. He had thought it had been for his friends. But cooperating did nothing for them anymore. Austin had no more reason to sit quietly.
"Thank you." Austin said. "I think I needed that."
She gave him a small smile, taking in his expression. "Have you thought of something?"
He had, actually. Austin was done playing victim- metaphorically, anyways. He hadn't paid very close attention when he'd been taken to this place, but he did know a few things about their location, like, how far from Toronto they were, and which direction they had gone. If there was a way to get that message to his friends…
"Yes." He said. Austin was starting to feel like an evil mastermind. "We're going to use His master plan against him. And I'm going to need your notebook…"