Journey to the Past

I don’t really do anything anymore. What is there to do when everything in your life has gone?

I woke up and stretched, getting up from the bed and walking out to the bathroom, brushing my teeth, taking a shower, straightening my hair and only slightly teasing it. I never even fucking smiled anymore. I walked out of the bathroom and dragged myself downstairs. I saw Scout already in the kitchen making some breakfast. She just lives with me. Nothing more. We’re old. Best friends. We’re kinda all we’ve got now.

“Morning,” She said.

“Morning,” I muttered.

“Coffee, right?”

“Mhm.”

She brought it to me as I leaned against the doorway of the kitchen carelessly. I took it and sipped at it. This was good stuff. “Thanks,” I mumbled.

“Andy, you should smile. I know your smile doesn’t get old—actually, you don’t get old at all, do you?” I shrugged. “The saying, ‘Age is but a number’ was made for you. You look like you’re twenty one still and you’re—”

“Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.” I groaned.

“Middle aged,”

“UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Shut up.”

I always believed when you hit thirty seven, you’re middle aged.

I sighed and walked off. I wish Alex were here. He’d ask me for pixie sticks and bounce around and be adorable. He’d then probably ask me what his motivation was for the school play, and then I’d help him out. Then he’d end up teaching me how to dance and I’d happily fail at it.

But that won’t ever happen.

I didn’t find Andrea. That was such a mystery—she’s a mystery. I was so set on that once I was knocked out, they would’ve gone back to get her… but she wasn’t there, and there wasn’t any blood in that room other than from… Alex. My Alex… why him… I couldn’t believe he was dead. I miss him every day… I can picture him pulling a prank on his sister or laughing and doing funny things as he always does…

No one found Andrea’s body, or Vinnie’s. What a mystery… people think they actually escaped… but really? It had to have complete and pure miracle luck for them to have escaped… how, oh, how…? Maybe they did… and if they did… that must mean Andrea’s alive somewhere…

I bit my lip and went back to Scout.

“I want someone to return Andrea to me.” I said casually, sitting up on the counter of the kitchen.

“Andy—”

“They didn’t find her. They’re trained people. No one knows where the fuck she disappeared to—her body, which means she could’ve escaped, right?” I told her, cutting her off.

“Andy… I was there… I honestly doubt anyone lived from that… let alone an eight year old girl…”

“We lived, didn’t we?” I pointed out.

“Yeah…”

“I want someone to find her.” I said. “I’d give anything to have her back—Alex too… but he’s not coming back—but I have a strong, strong, strong feeling inside me that she’s out there somewhere!” I shouted. “And I want her back.”

“We can tell like someone about it so they can put the word out…?” She suggested.

“Dad…” I said. It’s a splendid idea. Even though it’s been ten years and I haven’t made music since, people know of Black Veil Brides and Escape the Fate because of what happened exactly ten years ago. It was on the news for a few months or so. Nothing good came out of this after a long time, and everyone just dropped it.

Except I still mourn over Alex and Michelle’s death—everyone’s death, actually—and it won’t go away.

I love intuitions that randomly come out of nowhere, like, the good ones. The bad ones can go fucking die in a ditch.

---
:Andrea.:

We’re in Kentucky. Oh snap. At least we’re getting somewhere…

We’ve decided carefully on what to do. Perform music on the streets get us some money, and we rent motels every few days for one nights only. We live off of coffee coffee coffee from Dunkin Donuts. Extra cream and extra sugar’s the way to go. We might grab some food from there too sometimes, but we don’t eat much right now.

Erin saw this as a way of losing weight? Yeah, like she needs to… -.-

I found a U.S Map someplace once, and I kept it with me.

Covington, Kentucky’s interesting.

And now we were just resting against the edge of a building, sitting there with our coffee and studying the map.

“We need to go… like… left…” I said.

“What way is THE left?” Erin asked me.

“West, dumbfuck.” I muttered.

“Which way’s West?”

“I don’t have a compass,”

“Let’s jack a car that has one!” She said. I smiled like she was nuts and raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to realize what she just said. “Oh… wait… that’s… illegal. Damn!” I laughed and shook my head, ready to take a sip of my coffee. “Fuck,” I muttered. “I ran out.”

“Let’s go into this Dunkin Donuts, then.” She said. I nodded, and we stood up, walking across the street and going into it.

I couldn’t have gotten here from Cali in two days?!

Well… it’s like evening and slightly dark out already and we just left Cincinnati this morning, and we’re in Kentucky. I shrugged. I don’t know, either.

It was like a legit coffee shop, with that bar kind of thingy you can sit at and sip coffee and such and type random shit on a laptop. I was trying so hard to use my iPod sparingly. I need to get a charger for that. THAT’S essential to me.

We sat down on the high seats and ordered two coffees.

“So… California, hmm?” Erin asked.

“Yup. And… a necklace.”

“Religious,”

“Yup.”

“Aww! Maybe you went to like Catholic School or something!” She said. I rolled my eyes.

“I dunno. Maybe. Hey, I don’t really get Catholic school or whatever they’re called, because it’s like… one class, ‘Hey, let’s learn about God’ and then next period it’s ‘Science class. This is where we prove that there’s actually no God with smartness.’ How does that work out?!” I asked.

“Ohman, that’s so true!”

I shook my head at the thought. Silly. I only noticed then that two people took seats next to me—one looked my age and the other looked a little older. They both ordered their coffees and then they turned their heads to look at me.

I looked at Erin slowly. Their stares were a little creepy. Erin softly laughed and I looked at them again. They’re still staring at me? Ok? Kinda creepy. “I’ma go to the bathroom,” Erin said and I nodded.

“Uh… hi?” I asked.

“Hey,” the girl said. She was the one a little older than me. “I’m sorry… you just look a little familiar. I’m sorry…” She shrugged and looked down at the table and then to her friend, who shrugged.

“Sorry,” I said. “I’m, um, Andrea.” I said, extending a hand out. People at the orphanage said we should always be nice to people no matter what. She looked back at me and smiled, taking my hand and shaking it. I gasped when I felt how cold her hand felt.

“I’m Haley and this loser’s Logan.” She said, looking at him.

“Hey,” He said.

“Hi.” I extended my hand out to him and he shook it. His grip was freezing, too. “You’re freezing,” I said.

“I know, sorry. We just stuck our hands in a cooler a few minutes ago.” Haley said.

“Why?”

“Don’t ask,” Logan said, smirking.

“Ok!” I laughed.

Coffee came for me and Erin now. Erin was still in the bathroom, I guess. I took a sip of mine. Yum yum yum! I looked at the two again. “So… Andrea, is it?” Haley asked. I nodded. “Where are you off to?” I smiled.

“I’m going to California,” I said.

“Oh really?” Logan asked excitedly. “I heard that place was epic.”

“It was,” Haley told him.

“Oh. Anyway… why Cali? Or… well, why not? Or well… hey, nice clothes.” I smirked and Haley slapped the back of his head. “Ow!”

“Excuse him. He’s a little insensitive.” She said, growling at him.

“Bleh. Sorry.”

“It’s ok.” I said. “But… I’m going to Cali because I was born there and I wanna find out more about me.” I said.

“More about you?” Haley asked.

“Yep. This is going to sound weird… I don’t know my last name… or anything from my past—like from birth til when I was eight. It’s all nothingness… and now I’m eighteen and I’m off to Cali to find out some more about myself.”

“WAIT A MINUTE!” Logan said. “Ok, answer me this...” He seemed like a jokester. He’s pretty funny. I giggled. “If you don’t remember shit from your past or whatever,” He said. “How do you know you were born in California?” Haley nodded in agreement to the question.

“I just met you and I’m letting out myself at you guys? No thanks…” I said. I sighed and took another sip of coffee, and I then saw Erin coming out of the bathroom. She came and ran when she saw the coffee waiting for her.

We sipped the coffee at the same time and went, “Ahhh” before talking again.

“Let’s go again after this,” She said.

“Yeah, for sure…” I looked back at Haley and Logan, and grew confused. They looked saddened. “Um, why so sad?” I asked.

“You’re leaving,”

“Well, see now…” Erin said. “She has to find her past.”

“Epic adventure.” Logan said excitedly.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“You should come with us! Oh, hi, I’m Erin, by the way.” Erin said, smiling. I raised an eyebrow at her. Is she nuts?! We don’t even know these people and she wants them to come with us?! What?! I gave her a “Are you crazy?!” kind of look and she shrugged.

“Oh,” Haley said. “Well… um… really?”

“We gots nowhere to go, nothing to do, anyway,” Logan said.

“Same here!” Erin said. “So let’s all be friends and go on this epic adventure to California.” I stared at my best friend. What the hell is wrong with her?

“O-ok…?” Haley laughed. “Sure? Why not?”

“YEAH!” Erin yelled, pumping a fist in the air. “Friends! Kay, let’s go.” She started walking out and my eye started twitching as I watched her leave. I’m going to have to yell at her at some point later. I sighed and went after her, and Haley and Logan came with. This is the most weirdest thing that’s ever happened in my life.

We walked out into the streets and I stuck my tongue out, trying to catch a snowflake, which I did. I smiled and twirled around—even with all my stuff—and we started looking for a motel that was super close.

“Ooh, hah, want me to carry one of those for you?” Logan asked me from behind. I looked at him and shrugged, taking off one of the guitars and handing it to him carefully as he slung it around him. “Better?”

“Yeah… um, thanks.” I said.

“So… you don’t remember anything from your past, hmm?” Haley asked, walking by Erin now as Logan walked by me.

“Nope.”

“Why?”

I shrugged. “I dunno. I just woke up with a head ache and just started to wander around aimlessly because I had no idea who I was or why I was there or where I was going or how I even got there or what was going on or anything. It was scary at the time.”

“Your head hurt? Wait, so you woke up? What?” Logan asked.

“Mrs. Trixie, our caretaker at the orphanage we were at said that she hit her head on something which caused her to have amnesia for those eight years, never remembering a single thing from that time. Other than that, like, since she woke up, she’s only remembered things since then, but never before.” I nodded in agreement.

“Crazy.” Haley said. “That’s kind of sad, actually.” I nodded, shrugging. “So… something must’ve happened if you hit your head that hard—so hard that you lost that much memory.”

“Well, it’s just a guess… I mean… who knows. Maybe I was just… I dunno, really.”

“Say you did hit your head,” Erin said.

“Oh, are we going to brainstorm now? Ok.” I said. Didn’t know we were going to get right on with finfing out my past out so soon… but I guess it’s now or never, right?

“Yep. Anyway… say you did. You obviously didn’t do it on your own… someone had to have done it to you.”

“Oh,” I said. I guess that’s logical?

“Why would someone do that?” Logan asked.

“I don’t know,” I answered.

“We know you don’t know,” Erin said, rolling her eyes. “But maybe someone got mad?”

“So? No reason to do that even if you’re mad. I get mad at Logan all the time and I don’t harm the guy—especially not in that manner…” Haley said. “It’s horrible.”

“You woke up…” Erin said. “That means you were out,”

“Like K.O?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

“Exactly.” Logan said. “That means that you were knocked out by someone—or something, you never know. And because you were knocked out… the force had to have caused the brain damage and caused you to lose your memory.”

Very logical.

“Hey!” Erin said. “See how fun this is?”

“Oh, yeah… so now I know why I can’t remember shit.” I mumbled.

“Wonder why you were knocked out… where…” Erin thought out loud. “That’d be such a great place to start at.”

“When did you wake up?” Haley asked.

“Exactly ten years ago.”

“Motel!” Erin yelled, pointing. I smiled and we ran to it. We checked in and were heading up to our room. I sat on a bed and yawned. “Oh, how nice!” I said. “Oh, maybe I can finally go on the internet here! I’ve never been…”

“What?!” Haley said, sounding appalled. “Ohmygosh! Go on it now!”

“But I don’t wanna waste my iPod battery.” I said.

“Well,” Logan said. “Tomorrow we should go get you a charger that’s like portable. I’ll get it for you.” They had a few bucks with them. Bless these guys. They’re actually pretty nice. I smiled. “I’m going downstairs to get snacks, ‘kay?” We nodded and he left.

“I’m taking a shower first, ok?” Erin said. I rolled my eyes and nodded. She grabbed her clothes and walked into the bathroom.

Haley started to brush her hair with a small brush and I just had the urge to take over. I sighed and walked over to the bed and rocked back and forth on my feet.

“Yes?” She asked, giggling.

“Can I do you hair please? I’ve always wanted to!”

She shrugged. “Okey dokey, then.” I smiled and sat behind her, brushing it out and making it look pretty for bed. “Do you like doing hair?”

“I love hair and makeup and stuff… but Erin doesn’t let me do anything to her. I dunno. Whatever. I just love being a girl sometimes.” She laughed. “Other than that, I’m close to music.”

“You remind me of someone I used to know.” Haley said, sighing with comfort. “She loved playing music… guitar, bass, piano… and she did hair and makeup and nails and all that for a living—actually, she went to a high school for it and then actually ended up working at salons and stuff.”

“Oh! I play piano, too!” I said. “That’s so cool! And she went to a high school for it? That’s crazy! I wouldn’t mind doing something with hair, makeup, nails and such or with music. For now, I just perform out in the streets. I got fifteen bucks today.” I giggled. “Do you want a pony tail or no?”

“Fifteen?! Crazy! You must be awesome at it! I’ll have to hear you play later on. Promise this, ok? Promise you’ll let me hear you play?” She turned her head around to look at me. I nodded, smiling. There’s obviously something about Haley now that I felt so completely comfortable with her. “Oh, and no ponytail, please.”

“Okey,” I kept brushing. “Oh, so… who was this person that plays music and does salon stuff?” I asked.

“She was my older sister.” She said.

“Aww,” I said. Maybe I shouldn’t ask anymore questions now. “Done!” I said. “You have healthy hair.” I said.

“Thank you!” She said to me and she gave me a hug. I was kind of shocked at first, but then I felt, well, normal. I hugged her back without hesitating. Even if I had met her an hour ago… talked to her for a small bit, I felt like… we would be really, really, really great friends… or I felt like… something… about her was strange to me… not in a bad way though.

I shrugged the thought out and walked to my bed. Logan came back in with chips from a vending machine. He threw them to us and looked around. “Where’d Erin go?” He asked.

“Shower,” I said.

“Oh, I see.” He sat down next to Haley.

“So… you should tell me about you, Logan.” I said.

“AWESOME! Story time. Ok… where to begin…” He thought for a bit. “Ah, I know!”

Erin came out, just in time. She sat down next to me. “What’s up, guys? Ooh, chips!” She grabbed the bag and opened it up, munching on them already.

“Story time about Logan,” I said.

“He may mention me. Whatever he says about me, though, is total bullshit. He’ll just say it because he thinks I’m annoying.” Haley said, looking at him.

“See, I don’t remember you being as much of a bitch when you were like twelve.”

“Oh well. It’s been a few years. Just tell the story already.” She rolled her eyes.

“Ok, mom.”

“Ugh, mom.” Haley muttered.

“Right?” He agreed. “Anyway… hmm… was born February 15th…” We listened, excited now.

-Friend-
Noun: a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.