EPILOGUE
Battered black clouds swirled across the expanse of sombre grey sky beyond the classroom windows; rain spattering the glass created a steady background rhythm, albeit occasionally disjointed.
It held the middle Tracy child's attention, the canvas before him forgotten as his gaze focused out towards the chaos Mother Nature was creating. Though he wasn't really looking but thinking. Drinking in the melody, mulling things over.
Much like the tricky piano pieces he would play to untangle and calm his mind, the background pulse of the outside world was comforting. Sorting out the mess and filing it all away until he could take a deep breath and carry on facing the day. The latter was yet to happen, his mind otherwise occupied replaying events from the night inside the Blue Hills Mall. That was nearly a week ago now.
At night, while alone to the mercy of his imagination, he would dream of a worse outcome of the siege – Scott and John seriously hurt, his best friend dead…
Virgil shuddered, momentarily glancing behind him and sighing as his mind was put to rest. Dan sat behind him, safe and unharmed, though fixing the artist with a worried look not unlike what Scott would give him. Virgil simply shook his head and shot his friend a brief false smile.
It was barely half way through the morning but all he really wanted to hide under his duvet and sleep, without the nightmares. Yawning and rubbing his eyes and face with his hands, he felt exhausted and so not in the mood for painting.
He contemplated making a run for it when he suddenly felt a wave of light-headedness sweep through him and he actually swayed slightly in his seat.
The room felt far too hot. His breathing pattern was wrong. He was gasping, felt like he was choking, heart hammering.
He had to get out. Grabbing his coat from his seat he ran for the door, all other belongings abandoned. Flying down the stairs two at a time, he sprinted down the corridor until he found the nearest exit, yanking it open and only stopping to catch his breath once it was shut and he was outside.
Gasping heavily, he leaned back against the closed door, closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing through his nose and out of his mouth like Scott had taught him.
Moving once he felt his heartbeat calm, he pulled on his coat, shrugged up the hood and began to walk. Across the fire assembly point, across the Astroturf where he had his gym lessons until he reached the huge field that stretched the length of the high school. Still he kept on walking, occasionally slipping on the saturated muddy grass, only slowing down as he approached a few trees – where they'd usually take shade in the summer.
It was only as he got closer that he noticed a figure up amongst the branches of the tallest tree to the right. A blond haired figure staring up, as best he could, at the black sea that was the sky – not so hard to spot in the stripped-bare winter wood.
"John?" Virgil shouted over the noise of Mother Nature.
His older brother didn't immediately turn his way; instead he began to clamber back down to the ground. With an easy swing and a cat-like land, he was back down at Virgil's level.
"Everything okay, Virg?" he asked, leaning lightly against the tree trunk.
"I could ask you the same question," he said back with a smirk.
"You know I love a good storm," John replied. "Couldn't take the confines of the classroom either, huh?"
"Another panic attack. But I'm okay now, honest," Virgil urged, as the astronomer gave him a worried look.
"Okay, I believe you. So how's your poem coming along?"
Virgil shrugged. "Okay, I guess."
Missing the first half of the school week following the Mall incident, Virg had been able to make a proper start on his English poetry assignment that he'd been unable to attempt before, though he hadn't let anyone see it. He was supposed to write from the point of view of a trapped character from a disaster movie they'd watched.
"Just okay? If you're having any problems I could help you."
"No, I'm almost done. Besides, I've been given as much time as I need. It's just been difficult as I've put a slightly different angle on it."
"How so?" John asked, intrigue clear in his voice but a puzzled look on his face.
"Well, put it this way," the artist said quietly. "I'm forgiving the avalanche, but I haven't used the movie."
Silence fell between them for a while as they sat, watching the rain dance and just enjoying one another's company. It filled the pianist's whole body with a new sense of calm, and he began to understand why his astronomy-obsessed brother enjoyed the occasional storm. The sheer power and force emanating around them from pure nature actually somewhat cleared the foggy mess his mind was in.
Finally, when Virgil started to feel the cold and huddle closer to his brother, John checked his watch. It showed they'd been out for almost too long and so they headed back inside.
That night, with not too much conscious effort, Virgil finished his poem.
Not having English scheduled for the next day, the teen settled on turning his assignment in at lunch. For the morning he had a double art lesson followed by maths and for the first time that week, he actually drew on his canvas. It wasn't a clear picture to anyone who glanced at it, but the colours to Virgil meant everything. They showed to him that something was slowly beginning to change within him.
It was all he needed to be able to knock on his teacher's door a few hours later. He was invited in to the classroom and walked over to the desk, but when he made to hand his book to her, Miss Finch held up her hand in a soft dismissive gesture.
"Are you able to read it to me?" The smile on her face was warm and encouraging but nevertheless, Virgil froze for a second before swallowing, taking a deep breath and beginning.
Beneath the Heap
I sit at the top of the mountain
I am white and I am cold,
I am not a human; I am Snow.
I watch the families down below
Having fun on holiday,
I want to be among them; watch me.
. . .
I am down in the Valais resort
Having fun on holiday,
I am a human; my name is Virgil Tracy.
We are having a snowball fight
Mom, Gords, Alan and me,
Snow is coming; but we don't see.
Rumbling, roaring. Rumbling, roaring.
Mom shouts "Hold on to me!"
Snow is right here; we can't get away.
Rolling, hurting. Rolling, hurting.
White hands tear Mom away,
we've all been captured; white turns to black.
. . .
I make my way down the mountainside
I am curious and I am fast.
Too fast, oh help; I've gobbled them up!
I lie in the Valais resort,
I lie silent and still,
Snow just wanted to be friends; now look!
. . .
I am cold and I am tired as
I awake beneath the heap,
Gordon's next to me; we need to escape.
We wait and we wait, we cry and we cry,
I hug him close - he's hurt.
Please Mom, Dad. Someone please find us!
Are Mom and Alan okay? All I
want is to sleep, I'm cold.
But I have to keep Gordy awake.
I have to be big and brave like Scott,
But I don't think I can,
I just want to be safe and warm in bed.
. . .
I listen to Virgil cry for help
He lies beneath the heap
with his family; what have I done?
I try to keep them alive, I try!
I never meant to hurt them!
But that just seems to be nature's way.
. . .
I talk to Gordon about swimming
To take his mind off things,
All I feel is white and black hands on me.
I think I can hear other voices,
Yes, my dad and brothers.
I say to Gordon as we cry: "We're safe!"
I'm being pulled, but up not down
I see Scott, he's saved us!
No need to stay afraid; we're free!
I cling to him like a baby
As I'm rescued, I know
there's a long road to recovery ahead.
But more trouble lies right here beside,
Mom's gone, she saved Alan.
But we can pick ourselves up, be strong and move on.
. . .
I watch as Virgil is taken away
I managed to save him.
Can I do the same, be strong and move on?
Virgil closed the notebook and looked down at his feet, his arms swinging nervously at his side. Though there was no mistaking the light feeling that now encased his chest, like a weight he'd been carrying around for way too long was finally beginning to dissipate, much like with his art earlier.
"I know it's not strictly what we were asked to do but-"
"Thank you, Virgil," she said softly, swallowing. "That was…I think your brothers and father would like to see that. I will personally ensure a letter from myself reaches your father with…praising words of your courage and strength that you have shown with this under the circumstances. You should be very proud of yourself. Keep that chin up; you're a good lad."
The teen nodded then headed for the door, intent on finding Scott and John. Dan was waiting outside for him and Virgil raised his hand for a high-five, to which the tennis player responded enthusiastically.
"You did it, awesome!"
"Yeah, finally," the middle Tracy replied with a nervous chuckle as they headed off to lessons, the bell echoing down the corridor. Scott and John would have to wait.
Throughout the short afternoon the weather cleared up, even making room for a burst of sunshine as the clock approached 3.30pm. When the bell finally rang, Virgil calmly packed up his bag, waved goodbye to Dan and headed out.
Meeting up with his two older brothers at the front of the school, the artist filled them in on what he'd achieved with a promise he'd show them the poem later. Scott grabbed him in a headlock and rubbed his knuckles over the teen's head.
"Hey geroff!" Virgil squirmed, breaking free and screwing his face up at his brothers' outbreak of laughter.
Too busy from then on trying to catch his eldest brother's foot and trip him up, Virgil hadn't realised where they'd headed. They were approaching the car park.
"We're not getting the bus, today?"
"Well, you can," Scott replied, smugly. "But I offered to pick up Al and Gords as Dad's preparing us a special surprise dinner."
"Oh yeah?" John smirked, and Scott nudged him with his elbow before placing an arm around the blonde's shoulder.
"Yeah, cus someone's a year older now," he said pointedly, softly poking John in the chest. "Oldie."
"Hey, you can hardly talk!" John responded by lightly punching back.
"Oi, watch the ribs!"
"Doofus."
"Astronut."
Side by side as they continued teasing and laughing, the three brothers made their way towards the blue automobile and, for the first time in a long time, Virgil's smile wasn't forced.
THE END
A/N: Well that's it, 17 months after I published my first chapter and we're finally at the end! Thank you SO much to everyone who has reviewed, followed, favourited and for heaven sakes read this figment of my imagination.
Lots of love to all you wonderful people, I'll be back soon! Xx
UPDATE – APRIL 2018
*** CHAPTER ONE OF RECOVERY IS NOW UP! ***