The Secret of Happiness Is Freedom

It had been a week since I had to go with my brother. I did not enter the tall building he drove to. I was told to sit in the car and not to touch anything. My brother and were close at a time. Everything changed when he turned seven. I was only five. That day I lost more than a brother. I lost my best friend. Now we barely say two words to each other.

Today I deiced after a week of hearing nothing from Linde I would go to his house and see if he was there. Linde had begin to cut of my calls and if I text him I never got a reply. I walked to and from my Ballet lessons alone and I missed him. I had no one to count on. I pulled on the black ugg boots. I threw my bag over my shoulder and left the house. I walked the short walk on my own humming the tune of pink Floyd's comfortably numb. I got to his house and knocked the door.

"Hey Jude is Linde there?" I asked his brother

"Umm Mikko's out. He isn't gonna be back for awhile" He stammered

"You know Jude, you can always trust a dishonest man to be dishonest. You can never trust an honest man for you never know when he will be dishonest" I sighed

I turned and started the journey back to my house. I wiped the tears from my eye's. Knowing Linde was avoiding me hurt. It had suddenly dawned on me I really had no-one to count on. Only myself. I dragged my heavy body back to the house. I opened the door and walked straight into my brother.

"Sorry em." I sniffed

"Mama and dad are out again. You have to come with me" he grunted.

"OK" I sighed and turned back outside and into the car.

We traveled in silence the only noise coming from the radio. He stopped at the same building and sighed.

"OK Aurora I'm going to be longer this time so you better come in" He huffed

I nodded silently and got out closing the car door silently. I walked a few steps behind my brother at all times. He knocked at the door and a small man wearing a black beanie hat came to the door.

"Hey Migé, sorry about this you don't mind her sitting in do you?" My brother asked as though I wasn't there at all.

"Naw dude it's all good. Whats her name?" the guy know as Migé replied

"You know I am here." I snapped

"Sorry guess were not use to female company" Migé laughed

"It's okay. Names Aurora or Rora for short" I smiled

He smiled back and lead us into a small room. There stood two other people I didn't know and one I did.

"Oh so this is where you were at huh Linde." I snarled looking at the tall blond man.

"Rora what are you doing here"

"I'm here with my brother" I snapped "Why do you care?"

"Rora don't be like that." He sighed

"Haista vittu runkkari!" I swore.

The five guys looked at me with wide eyes.

"Anteeksi!" He stammered

"Haista vittu runkkari!" I repeated this time more violent.

I sat on an old couch and pulled out an old battered book.

"Rora" Linde started

"Jätä minut rauhaan!" I sighed letting my hair cover my face.

The five guys stood up and took there place behind various instruments. I looked up through my hair to see my brother behind a keyboard. I looked up this time my blue watery eye's probably giving me away.

The tall skinny man took a deep breath and began to sing.

"Love is a flame that can be tamed, and though we are it's willing pray, my darling we are not the ones to blame."

The rest of the guys then began to play. Each one of them had a smile gracing their features. Linde however kept his head down and only looked up at his fret board. When he broke into his solo I couldn't help crack a small smile. I had heard it the day before we stopped speaking. It was the day he had gotten the call from the mysterious 'Valo'.

It was the singer that really caught my attentention. He had black hair that was the length of his jaw and had a slight curl to it, his eye's were a shade of green that I had never seen before. I couldn't help but stare at him. His voice was like a drug. It left you wanting more.

The must have played at least six songs. Maybe more, I was too busy staring at the singer to count.

"Em, I' going outside for a smoke. I'll be back okay." I explained

"Yeah, just hurry up okay?" he smiled

"Wait I'll go with you." The singer grinned holding up his own pack.

I smiled and lifted my own lighter and cigarettes out of my bag. We walked through the house and out the back door. I sat on the steps the lead from the house into the garden.

"So your Burtons sister?" He asked

"Yeah so your the singer for his band." I replied

"Ville Valo." He smiled offering his hand

"Aurora Puurtinen or Rora." I shook his hand. I took a deep drag of the small white stick.

"So your the girl Linde talks about." He grinned

"Erg, so he'll talk about me and not to me. Delightful" I snarled sarcastically.

"Sorry, if you don't mind me asking why are you two not talking?"

"Oh well about a week ago I think he started completely ignoring me, cutting of my calls, ignoring my text's and getting Jude to tell me he wasn't in." I sighed blinking back tears.

"Well that's not nice." Ville said as though it were simple

"The worlds not nice you get use to it." my word were bitter.

"So do you play anything?"

"Umm a little bit of guitar it's mostly what you played in there since Lilly Lazar taught me." I smiled

"Lilly Lazar?" Ville asked amused

"Oh well it's a nickname I have for Linde." I laughed

"So what about you Mr Valo play anything?" I cut in

"Well drums and Guitar but it's nothing special."

So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell,
Blue skys from pain.
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

I answered my phone sighing.

"Hello mama."

"No I'm with Bur.. Janne." I replied

"Yes. My lesson is tomorrow." I bit back a growl.

"I will when I go back." I compromised

She hung up on me leaving me to snap down the phone.

"Mothers huh?" I whimpered

"Come on love, the guy's will think I've kidnapped you. Don't worry about her you'll be fine" He believed his words as they slipped past his lips.

I sniffed and walked back inside to see the four men sitting on the sofa

"Mother phone you?" my brother asked

"Yea, you?" I smiled knowing the answer.

"Yeah. We have to leave now and I have to take you to Madam Petrova's."

"I have no stuff." I stammered trying to stop him from taking me

"She left it over at the studio." he smiled sympathetically

"I'm not going." I spat

"you know what she's like" he tried

"Yeah well I'm sorry but she isn't going to threaten me with starving a stupid sock puppet." I grinned

"Come on."

"Fine but you have to stay I'm not staying with that Russian by my self." I whined

"Come on then" He pulled me toward the door.

Before we left Ville slipped a small scrap of paper into my hand.

Call Me if you need some on to talk to
Ville

I smiled and stuffed the small piece of paper into my jeans. I smiled. I liked this guy. I got into my brothers car and we started the drive to hell.