Tears of the elate
Chapter 2
NIAGARA, NEW YORK - Sunday 22nd July at 11:03am
Heavy thick rain hammers down against eroded smooth rocks, the suns light blurred by a wall of water. His eyes had remained closed until now, opening them gently he blinks away the water interfering with his vision. It's hard to believe it's already morning, he could have sworn he had only closed his eyes for a moment.
Rising to his feet, he walks from the inner wall, the surrounding sound of water pounding down so deafening; he can scarcely hear himself think. Raphael tilts his head down walking through the wall of water, stepping out from behind the falls he looks down to the infinite drop before him. A rainbow reaches from top to bottom of the Niagara Falls. He has spent two days here, the load tourists in their boat below were too much, he's had enough, today is the day to move on.
"Fucking ball breakers" he sneers, spitting off the edge toward the tourist boat.
With water dripping down from every part of his body, Raphael begins the long decent to the base of the falls, where his supplies wait. He'd found a secure overhang near the base where very few reach, there he left his backpack. Climbing down most of the way, he somersaults when appropriate. A feeling of rejuvenation sweeps over him, after a sleepless night on the road, it's all was after.
He reaches the base and the overhang, rummaging through his backpack he finds a used towel, drying himself off he looks out to the water. The boat continues to linger, tourists so busy snapping photos of the falls, he could start singing and dancing with feathers on his head and they still wouldn't notice him.
He shakes his head, finding it hard to decide where to go next, he left New York City months ago. So long that he lost count of the weeks, having been through all the states on the east coast. Like a drug, travel, once you get a taste it pushes your to need more.
Packing the backpack, he walks around the rocky edging of the falls to his transport, parked away from the water sits a customized Kawasaki KLE500, Dark green, red and black color with a few personal touches on the wheels. Raphael stops beside the bike, pulling on the sleek, black custom sized helmet and slipping on a dark grey long sleeve top, a pair of black pants and a pair of boots. Getting on he powers up the bike, backpack slapped over his back.
His thoughts pass back to Casey Jones, without whom he would not have the machine that carries him.
"Hmph, old son of a bitch is good for more than just beating the shit out of" he mumbles with a grin. Powering up, he takes off across the landscape, in search of the nearest highway.
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK - Monday 30th July at 12:05pm
The loud chatter of school students fills the subway entrance to the Museum of Natural History; the line is long, the heat from the subway making the girls hair curl into ringlets. Teacher Ms. Mary Goldberg tries hard to read the price list on the wall. The aging dark green background bleeds into the text, making it impossible.
"Class, please calm yourselves as you are not the only ones waiting, there are other people here who might enjoy a bit of quiet." She motions her hands downward like a conductor; slowly, the student's voices lower to a reasonable level.
"So, he was sitting like right across from me. But didn't even say hi, I mean he's like been staring at me for like weeks. So I did it!" Andrea announces her group of friends giggling, eager to know how she made the first move.
"Did what? What did you say?" Bianca asks, grinning ear to ear.
"I stuck out my hand, and said 'hi, im Andrea'" she reveals to her audience, acting out the scene. The girls giggle excitedly, commenting on how she must have him drooling over her as he is now asking for her number. From her uncontrollable giggling, Bianca steps back. Bumping her classmate.
"Sorry, Evelyn" she apologizes half laugh. Returning her attention to Andrea.
Evelyn looks up for but a second, breaking her concentration, still having trouble writing a next verse to her song. Finally the cue is moving; Evelyn follows along through to the foyer. The first stop is the mammal gallery; arriving at its entrance Ms. Goldberg gathers the students together.
"Alright everyone, you may explore this area on your own for 15 minutes and then meet back here. If you don't have a watch, stick with someone who does. I will do a head count once we regroup." With that Ms. Goldberg turns her attention to the exhibits; the students head off as well, in their own their little clicks and groups.
Evelyn sits beside the moose exhibit, trying to regain her concentration in this quieter area. She had never tried her hand at writing before, but an urge to express herself in a different way consuming her. So used to singing her feelings, writing seemed like the next best thing, but not as easy as she thought. Frustration looms, the words won't come to her and she tosses her pencil across the floor, skidding along with a light tapping sound. She watches a young boy retrieve then return it to her happily, she smiles accepting it from him.
"Thank you" she says. The boy smiles shyly, retreating to his mother's side, clutching the pocket of her black pants, looking back at Evelyn.
Its 1:58pm, the museum visit is over, the students are much quieter from having no energy to speak. By far the most favored exhibit was the planetarium; at least it was Evelyn's. The beauty of the presentation, the wonder it brought to her mind conjures the only genuine smile seen on her lips in weeks.
"Ok everyone, you may now leave on your own accord, either via subway of street level, please look after yourselves. Please take care to record all the information you took down today, as you will be assessed on it." Ms. Goldberg calls over the crowd of students.
What? Assessed!? Oh this is not going to be my day, she cant be serious. All she had done the entire visit was concern herself about this song, her failing singing voice and how much she hated going to a school so far from home.
As the students are dispersing, Evelyn catches a snide comment directed at her by one of the boys, something along the lines of 'hey miss opera, cat got your tongue?' The comment enough to make her eyes glaze over.
Before the infection hit, Evelyn could out sing most people in the school, including this boy's girlfriend, one of her competitors. The doctors words to her in his clinic brought both her and her mother to tears, years of grooming for a professional singing voice lost, wasted.
She wipes her bottom eyelids gently with the tip of her ring finger, careful not smudge her eyeliner. Without looking up, she rushes through the subway, through the sparse amount of people waiting and to the end of the platform. Stopping, she leans against the wall, sinking down it to a sitting position. Resting her hands on top of her bent knees.
"Why did this happen. Why do I have to be the one, what have I ever done to anyone?" She questions, knowing there are no answers to be given. Tears slowly well on the rims of her eyelids, her brown eyes close and they spill over onto her cheeks.
Sniffling, she looks around, there are a few people left on the platform as yet another B train approaches. She waits for the D train, there never seems to be enough of them. The B train comes to a screeching stop and a few individuals exit from the carriage apposite her; she observes each one in turn. A woman pushing a pram with a small black haired toddler strapped in, a man in a business suit pushing past the people in front to get by, a man in an ankle length trench coat with fedora and a group of girls with back packs heading toward the museum.
She longs to be the person she was, content with what she had; now it all seems like some old dream, or movie. No longer something she can see.
"Nothing lasts, why do they lie to you about that stuff when you're young?" she mumbles. Her parents try hard to make see that she can still be involved in music, just not in the same way. 'Well if it can't be in that way, then there is no way, she believes.
"Where are you?" She looks down the tunnel. The train is no where in sight, looking around the platform she finds it deserted. Deciding it best to ring home, reaches into her pocket and pulls out an old cell phone, dialing home she places it to her ear. Hearing a familiar beeping sound, she pulls the phone down to see the screen flashing an icon.
"This can't get any worse! Stupid hunk of junk!" she curses as the battery dies, the phone turning itself off.
Mum and dad will just have to wait till I get there. She stands. Walking toward the other end of the platform, it's so quiet it almost seems she is the only person on the planet; it's not even that late. She tucks a strand of her light brown hair back behind her ear, as she slows down to walk back, shadows overtake her stride.
Two young men appear in her path, she stops.
"Hey there cutie, going somewhere?" one asks, a confident smile on his face.
"Excuse me" she says and tries to walk past, they step in her path.
"Is there a problem here?" she snaps, her sharp wit manifesting as she looks back and forth between them. The first blonde with a black bandana around his head, the others head is shaved with a goatee beard and a diamond stud in his left ear.
"Did you hear that tone? She just questioned me. Didn't I ask her nicely?" the first remarks to his companion.
"Yeah I heard her, and if there was anyone else here on this platform, they would have too" he smirks smugly. Suddenly within the blink of an eye, the first one backhands Evelyn across the mouth and face, it hurt, it hurt allot, she backs away.
"Where do you think your going sweetheart, that's the wrong way" the second one calls, grinning. Evelyn turns to run, dropping her book she throws her pencil at them, it's useless they easily catch her. Each grasping an arm they lift her from the ground and start running back the other way, their foot steps silent. Evelyn kicks her legs out, hitting them most of the time but to no effect.
"Help! Please help me! Let me go you bastards, LET ME GO!" She screams, her mind races, fear overpowering the pain in her face and mouth, the faint taste of blood on her tongue.
The young men done attempt to stop her screaming, her throat burning she starts to cough. All she can do is watch the lights of the platform disappearing, as she is taken further into the tunnel.
To be continued…..