Its going down tonight in this town
Cause they stare and growl
They all stare and growl
I take a scar every time I cry
Cause it aint my style no it aint my style
Going down to the gravel head to the barrel
Take this life and end this struggle
Los Angeles come scam me please
Emptiness never sleeps at Cliftons 6 am
With your bag lady friend and your mind descending
Stripped of the right to be a human in control
Its warmer in hell so down we go

They say this is the city
The city of angels
All I see is dead wings

Its a ghost town rabid underworld
Dionysian night vitriolic twilight
A mirage comes up it never ends
Once you get burnt you're never the same
Left behind erased from time
Aint no decency in being boxed up alive
Look around aint no R. I. P. signs here
We don't rest in peace
We just disappear

So here we are Los Angeles
No angels singing in your valley of unease
I watch the sun roll down the pacific
Over hookered sunset strip

There's a black moon tonight
Aint shining down on the western neon lights

They say this is the city
The city of angels
All I see is nothing

"For Christ sake!" Grace mumbled, burying her head beneath her pillow, trying to drown out the thunderous noise coming from the other side of the room.

"Turn that bloody…..music…..down!" She snorted from under her pillow; surprising herself by how old and grumpy she sounded.

"Geez!" Zoe muttered, stomping over to where the thumping stereo sat on her dresser, "have a whinge!" she muttered under her breath, switching the off button.

"Christ almighty!" Grace exclaimed, still hiding beneath her pillow, "you are a nightmare!" she yelled.

"You're not the worlds best room-mate either!" Zoe snapped.

Grace emerged, looking up at her sister with a scowl on her face and mattered hair sticking to one side of her face, "I happen to know for a fact that I am a VERY pleasant room-mate, thankyou!" she replied, bitterly, half asleep and mostly annoyed.

Zoe, already dressed in medium-length red tartan skirt and long black sweater, hair spiked; stood with her hands on her hips, staring at Grace viciously. "Well I have some ground-breaking news for you, Grace!" she started, and then opened her mouth as wide as it would go, and let out a bellowing snore.

"I do not!" Grace gasped.

Zoe scoffed, "oh yes you do!"

"I do not snore! I have never snored, ever!" Grace said, defensively, sitting up.

Zoe shook her head, "I guess you're room-mate didn't want to hurt you're feelings!"

Grace narrowed her eyes, and got out of bed, hands on hips; "well…..you mutter in you're sleep!" she challenged.

"Oh really, what do I mutter?"

"Song lyrics…." Grace replied, raising an eyebrow, "mainly Britney and Christina…and occasionally some hansom!"

Zoe gasped, "you're a moron!" and stomped out of the room, slamming the door on her way out.

Grace sighed and ran a hand through her mattered hair; she knew she shouldn't have provoked Zoe like that…she'd only be mad at her now and that wouldn't do anyone and good….

GRACE but I don't snore!

"Grrrrr!" Grace mumbled under her breath, "I do not snore!" she added, before stomping out the room after Zoe.


Eli stumbled into the kitchen, still very much asleep; even after his shower and shave….but he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night…not with Lily, Katie, Jessie and his mother walking around downstairs, doing this and that.

"Morning, Eli!" Jessie chimed, handing him a mug of hot coffee.

Straight away, Eli knew something was wrong….

"Morning" he replied flatly.

"Pancakes?" Lily offered, motioning to the stove where some were already cooking.

Eli shook his head, "not for me thanks…."

"Then what do you want for breakfast?" Katie asked, standing up from where she sat at the breakfast table, "I'll make you anything you want….no problem at all!" she smiled.

Eli raised an eyebrow at the kitchen full of women, what was going on?

"Ok!" he sighed, setting his coffee down.

"What's up?"

"What do you mean, E?" Karen asked, refilling his mug that he'd only had a sip of.

"I mean…why are you being so…nice?" he asked again, wary.

Jessie bit her bottom lip and looked to Lily for help.

"What!" Eli asked again.

"Well….the thing is…." Jessie started.

"We love having you here!" Lily cut in, standing beside her stepdaughter.

"O-k" Eli said, slowly, "so…what is going on?"

"We really missed you!" Karen added, with a nod.

He looked from his mother, to Jessie, to Lily, to Katie and back again, raising an eyebrow suspiciously, "but…" he urged.

"But Aunt Susie and Uncle Roberts are coming down tonight….and you know them….so cheap….they refuse to stay in a hotel!" Jessie started rambling on.

"But we do love having you here!" Lily added.

Karen nodded, "Love having you here!" she encouraged.

"And then my grandmother and grandfather are coming down…..and, well….you know my parents don't approve of this marriage….so of course they wont let them say in their house…they tried to deter them from coming down from Massachusetts in the first place!" Katie added.

"So we want you to stay in a motel so we can give you're room away….well….give Zoe's room away to new tenants!" Jessie finally cut to the chase.

"You're father and I will gladly pay for the room!" Lily came in.

Karen nodded, "and you can come over for dinner at my house….." she said, "instead of going out…"

"Why can't I stay with you?" Eli asked his mother, a little bewildered.

"Well because you're aunt and her three kids are coming down here for the wedding….there would just be no room….and I know how much you'd hate having Steven, Kerri and Michelle around….they were always such handfuls!" Karen answered him, apologetically.

"You're kicking me out?" Eli asked, looking from his mother, to Jessie, to Lily, to Katie and back again.

ELI good to be home! Really! For the little time I stayed here….it was good to be back….

"No!" Lily answered quickly, "of course not!" Jessie added.

"Yes you are! First you shoved Grace and Zoe out….and now its me!" he exclaimed.

Just then, the front door burst open, and Grace stomped into the kitchen; "I cannot live in the same room as Zoe for another night!" she announced, but when she entered the kitchen, and noticed all the solemn faces…she silenced herself…..

"What!" she asked, stunned.

There was a long, heavy quiet.

"Well I can't!" she said, defensively.

Eli sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "fine!" he said, in a flat tone. He looked to Grace, her eyes wide and questioning, "we'll get a hotel room!" he said, and looked back to his mother.

"Excuse me?" Grace asked, bewildered.

"We've been booted out!" Eli explained, turning back to her, "there's nowhere else for us to go….and if you refuse to stay with Zoe at you're dads place….then a hotel is our only option!" he clarified.

There was a long paused of silence as Grace ran this through in her head. Trying to make a quick list of pros and cons.

GRACE share a hotel room with my ex boyfriend….or share a room with my head-banging sister…..?

"But we loved having you both here!" Lily tried again, Katie, Jessie and Karen all nodded in agreement, enthusiastically.

Eli and Grace turned and looked at one another- defeated.


"One room with two single beds, please!" Eli asked the tall, thin man at the counter.

"For how many nights, sir?"

"Just three, thankyou"

"Of course, we have a room available….with…..two single beds did you say?"

"Yes!" Grace and Eli both said in unison.

Grace looked away as she flushed red, and examined the two paintings hanging on the blue walls of the reception instead. One of a sea view, and the other of skyscrapers.

"Thankyou sir, and enjoy you're stay!" the man said, handing Eli a key.

"Thanks" Eli nodded, "ready?" he asked, turning to Grace.

"Yep" she said, picking her single suitcase up.

They walked down a hall, then up some stairs, down another hall, up a smaller flight of stairs, and arrived at room 235, Eli jingled the keys in the lock, and pushed the door open.

The room was small (as they both expected) with pale yellow walls, a television bolted to the dresser, two single beds with blue blankets and one fairly decent closet.

Grace inspected the bathroom straight away, while Eli lifted her suitcase and his, onto the beds.

"What's it like?" he called out, unzipping his case.

Grace stepped back out, "decent enough!" she said, walking to the other side of the room, to look out the window.

They had a porch, which was surprising, but it was small, you could only just stand out there. Their view overlooked a surf and turf restaurant, and a bit of the highway. The curtains were thin material and blue, and the restaurant had a neon sign.

"We're going to get some light in this room, at night" Grace announced, closing the porch's sliding door.

"Doesn't bother me," Eli said, "I'm a pretty heavy sleeper"

Grace gave a small nod, and tucked her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, "me too…." She said, not because she was…but, just for the hell of it.

Grace stood, watching as Eli unpacked his suitcase; just watching him.

GRACE there's this tension between us…. its there…. even though sometimes we pretend its not, and for a little while everything between us seems normal…..but we both know its there…maybe it always will be….?

"This isn't going to be…..weird…is it?" Grace suddenly asked, and Eli turned around, avoiding her eyes.

"I don't think it has to be!" he replied, after a moment.

Grace gave a small nod and looked to the window, collecting her thoughts and wondering why she'd opened her mouth to ask such a thing (it would, no doubt, only add to the tension). She turned back to him with a nod and a smile, "good…." Was all she could think to say?

ELI what does she want me to do? I mean seriously….some sort of clue would be much appreciated! Because sometimes…I get the impression that I'd be more welcomed by her if I went and flung myself infront of peak hour traffic!

She nodded again and walked to her bed, and started hurriedly unpacking her suitcase, and hanging items of clothing up in the closet. Eli watched her for a moment, and then went back to his own unpacking.

ELI (sighs) and then sometimes….she looks at me and casually smiles…and I think….things between us are ok…considering! And I'm glad to still have her in my life….even if she has only just returned after 5 years…. Its just sort of….nice….to still have her….not like a normal ex that you just expect to toss away and never think of again….not that I meant to toss Grace away…..

"I hope you don't snore!" Eli laughed, trying to break the silence of the small, yellow room.

Grace stopped what she was doing and looked at him, partly in shock and partly in horror.

"What!" Eli asked, unknown to him what he had done.

Grace shook her head, "nothing!" she said, through clenched teeth, as she started rummaging through her bag again; she pulled out her toiletries and vanished into the bathroom.

Eli looked after her, in shock; what had he said? He was only kidding!

ELI and then there's that time again….when she seems to be better off without me, and I wonder why on earth we stepped back into each other's lives!