Sequel: One Heart ›
In My Dreams It's Me And You
Lost Amongst Stone Angels
Before the car had slowed down to a reasonably safe speed Brian flung open the passenger door and jumped out, stumbling on contact with the side walk before beginning to run through the cemetery entrance.
“Bri! Wait up man!” Zacky yelled as he fumbled with his safety belt. In the end he had to be rescued by Chloe, who quickly freed him from his restraints, before sprinting after Brian, the others in hot pursuit. “Slow down!”
Even with his friend protesting behind him it just seemed to spur him on to run faster, resorting to jumping over various grave markers that happened to cross his path. He didn’t seem to care much for his own safety as at least three times he lost his balance upon the mud and almost went flying into a rather large tombstone, just picking himself back up with a renewed courage with a simple cry.
“Nathalie! Where are you?” He called as he finally stopped, his gaze sweeping the giant cemetery frantically for any sign of the missing female. The others were soon able to catch up to him and stood gasping for air from the effort, their bodies covered in mud from running.
“She could be anywhere in here,” Johnny groaned, looking around the graveyard in despair.
Chloe pushed past him to get to Brian’s side, pointing over to a pair of statues off in the distance. “She’s over there, under those two angels.”
Zacky raised his hand to his forehead and squinted at where she pointed. “How do you know that? I can’t see her.”
She remained silent as her gaze locked with Brian as he nodded, watching after him as he began to weave between the various tombstones to the awaiting angels. Once there he almost tripped as he stopped suddenly, the sodden body of Nathalie kneeling at the feet of the two statues. He approached her slowly, his hand reaching out tentatively to touch her shoulder, her rigid frame making her look as if she were part of the stone display as well.
“Nathalie? Is that you?” Brian said as crouched down beside her, uncaring for the mud that pooled around his knees. He tipped her chin upwards to look at him, soon pulling her into his arms when he saw the tears running down her cheeks.
She shivered violently as the cold finally took to her skin, her words stumbling over each other as she stuttered. “I’m sorry… I… I didn’t…keep track… of the time…”
As the others arrived around them Brian took off the jacket he had been wearing and instinctively draped it around Nathalie’s shaking frame, rubbing at her shoulders in a vain attempt to get her warm.
“You’re an idiot, you know that?” He laughed. His tone wasn’t all happy though- an air of fear and uncertainty was still evident in his words. He chose to voice his next question differently, adopting a quiet tone as he addressed the frail body in his arms. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
Her head fell back onto his shoulder, directing her gaze to her clasped hands on her lap. “I do...I don’t... know... why...”
No questions were dared centred towards Nathalie as the rain continued overhead, drenching the six bodies gathered around the winged monument. The others dutifully sacrificed their own warmth in favour of Nathalie as a thick shell of jackets, hoodies and coats were placed around her shoulders in a bid to protect her against the freezing rain.
While no one seemed to want to be the first to break the silence it was common sense that soon reigned overcame it, voiced by Matt. “I think we should go. It’s not doing any good just standing out here-”
“That and Val will be going mad by now,” Zacky interrupted, arising laughs from everyone, including a frozen one from Nathalie.
As Matt scowled to his side Brian nodded in agreement, murmuring ‘I’ll help you’ softly in Nathalie’s ear before hauling her to her feet, including the added weight of all the extra layers. Everyone gathered around the pair as they walked back to where the car had been parked, the floor soon as wet as each of them as they all clambered in.
Much to Nathalie’s surprise it was Jimmy that ended up sitting on her left side while Brian was on her right in the back, a downcast expression clouding his normally loud personality. She watched him steadily for a few moments, just to try and figure out what exactly was wrong.
“You know, you can take back your jacket if you like,” Nathalie murmured, moving slowly under the mass of clothes in order to free both of her shoulders. She fumbled through the various layers and attempted to pull at a fur lined hood before a hand reached out and stopped her.
“Don’t worry about it Nat, I’m not cold,” he said softly, rubbing his finger slowly across her knuckles. She looked up at him confused, still unsure about what exactly was bothering him. “I was just worried about you.”
“About me?”
Jimmy chuckled lightly, releasing her hand to flick her lightly on the head. “Only a little mind you.”
A bright laugh arose from Nathalie until it developed into a cough, the layers of warmth she had shrugged off soon pulled back onto her shoulders by Brian. He glanced up at the rear view mirror at Matt in the driver’s seat, with the sound of the engine roaring into life following soon after.
--
Everything was silent during the journey, the glimpses of faces that Nathalie managed to see amongst everyone making her feel more of an inconvenience with each fleeting look. Despite still being frozen she pushed the various clothes weighting down her shoulders onto her lap and placed her arms on top of them, sighing.
Her voice was still strained from the cold and sounded unlike her normally soft tones, but between uneasy silence and that she chose to endure the latter. “So Matt... Do you like the car?”
She watched as his eyes lingered on hers for a few moments in the mirror, a large grin forming on his face. “You have no fucking idea how much Nathalie.” His gaze drifted back to the road as he stopped at a red light, mindlessly tapping his fingers on the wheel. “You shouldn’t have bothered though. The insurance was paying me for a new one anyway.”
Nathalie frowned at this. “Would you have liked their car better then?”
As the green light flashed Matt slammed his foot down on the accelerator, revelling in the speed the car gave him. He didn’t show any real care or concern for his passengers as he hit the brake pedal with the same force at the next lights, turning in his seat to look at Nathalie.
“I’ll manage.”
He resumed driving as the lights changed, causing Nathalie to direct her next words at Brian, only the two of them really understanding the underlying meaning behind it.
“And since I had mini televisions installed in the back, you can show off your Guitar Hero skills to everyone.” She smirked as he turned to her, thinking back to the plastic guitar game he had failed at earlier. It didn’t help she reminded him of the lead guitarist persona he performed countless solos under.
“Synyster Gates.”
“Bri! Wait up man!” Zacky yelled as he fumbled with his safety belt. In the end he had to be rescued by Chloe, who quickly freed him from his restraints, before sprinting after Brian, the others in hot pursuit. “Slow down!”
Even with his friend protesting behind him it just seemed to spur him on to run faster, resorting to jumping over various grave markers that happened to cross his path. He didn’t seem to care much for his own safety as at least three times he lost his balance upon the mud and almost went flying into a rather large tombstone, just picking himself back up with a renewed courage with a simple cry.
“Nathalie! Where are you?” He called as he finally stopped, his gaze sweeping the giant cemetery frantically for any sign of the missing female. The others were soon able to catch up to him and stood gasping for air from the effort, their bodies covered in mud from running.
“She could be anywhere in here,” Johnny groaned, looking around the graveyard in despair.
Chloe pushed past him to get to Brian’s side, pointing over to a pair of statues off in the distance. “She’s over there, under those two angels.”
Zacky raised his hand to his forehead and squinted at where she pointed. “How do you know that? I can’t see her.”
She remained silent as her gaze locked with Brian as he nodded, watching after him as he began to weave between the various tombstones to the awaiting angels. Once there he almost tripped as he stopped suddenly, the sodden body of Nathalie kneeling at the feet of the two statues. He approached her slowly, his hand reaching out tentatively to touch her shoulder, her rigid frame making her look as if she were part of the stone display as well.
“Nathalie? Is that you?” Brian said as crouched down beside her, uncaring for the mud that pooled around his knees. He tipped her chin upwards to look at him, soon pulling her into his arms when he saw the tears running down her cheeks.
She shivered violently as the cold finally took to her skin, her words stumbling over each other as she stuttered. “I’m sorry… I… I didn’t…keep track… of the time…”
As the others arrived around them Brian took off the jacket he had been wearing and instinctively draped it around Nathalie’s shaking frame, rubbing at her shoulders in a vain attempt to get her warm.
“You’re an idiot, you know that?” He laughed. His tone wasn’t all happy though- an air of fear and uncertainty was still evident in his words. He chose to voice his next question differently, adopting a quiet tone as he addressed the frail body in his arms. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
Her head fell back onto his shoulder, directing her gaze to her clasped hands on her lap. “I do...I don’t... know... why...”
No questions were dared centred towards Nathalie as the rain continued overhead, drenching the six bodies gathered around the winged monument. The others dutifully sacrificed their own warmth in favour of Nathalie as a thick shell of jackets, hoodies and coats were placed around her shoulders in a bid to protect her against the freezing rain.
While no one seemed to want to be the first to break the silence it was common sense that soon reigned overcame it, voiced by Matt. “I think we should go. It’s not doing any good just standing out here-”
“That and Val will be going mad by now,” Zacky interrupted, arising laughs from everyone, including a frozen one from Nathalie.
As Matt scowled to his side Brian nodded in agreement, murmuring ‘I’ll help you’ softly in Nathalie’s ear before hauling her to her feet, including the added weight of all the extra layers. Everyone gathered around the pair as they walked back to where the car had been parked, the floor soon as wet as each of them as they all clambered in.
Much to Nathalie’s surprise it was Jimmy that ended up sitting on her left side while Brian was on her right in the back, a downcast expression clouding his normally loud personality. She watched him steadily for a few moments, just to try and figure out what exactly was wrong.
“You know, you can take back your jacket if you like,” Nathalie murmured, moving slowly under the mass of clothes in order to free both of her shoulders. She fumbled through the various layers and attempted to pull at a fur lined hood before a hand reached out and stopped her.
“Don’t worry about it Nat, I’m not cold,” he said softly, rubbing his finger slowly across her knuckles. She looked up at him confused, still unsure about what exactly was bothering him. “I was just worried about you.”
“About me?”
Jimmy chuckled lightly, releasing her hand to flick her lightly on the head. “Only a little mind you.”
A bright laugh arose from Nathalie until it developed into a cough, the layers of warmth she had shrugged off soon pulled back onto her shoulders by Brian. He glanced up at the rear view mirror at Matt in the driver’s seat, with the sound of the engine roaring into life following soon after.
--
Everything was silent during the journey, the glimpses of faces that Nathalie managed to see amongst everyone making her feel more of an inconvenience with each fleeting look. Despite still being frozen she pushed the various clothes weighting down her shoulders onto her lap and placed her arms on top of them, sighing.
Her voice was still strained from the cold and sounded unlike her normally soft tones, but between uneasy silence and that she chose to endure the latter. “So Matt... Do you like the car?”
She watched as his eyes lingered on hers for a few moments in the mirror, a large grin forming on his face. “You have no fucking idea how much Nathalie.” His gaze drifted back to the road as he stopped at a red light, mindlessly tapping his fingers on the wheel. “You shouldn’t have bothered though. The insurance was paying me for a new one anyway.”
Nathalie frowned at this. “Would you have liked their car better then?”
As the green light flashed Matt slammed his foot down on the accelerator, revelling in the speed the car gave him. He didn’t show any real care or concern for his passengers as he hit the brake pedal with the same force at the next lights, turning in his seat to look at Nathalie.
“I’ll manage.”
He resumed driving as the lights changed, causing Nathalie to direct her next words at Brian, only the two of them really understanding the underlying meaning behind it.
“And since I had mini televisions installed in the back, you can show off your Guitar Hero skills to everyone.” She smirked as he turned to her, thinking back to the plastic guitar game he had failed at earlier. It didn’t help she reminded him of the lead guitarist persona he performed countless solos under.
“Synyster Gates.”