House of the Damned

After breakfast, I made my way back up to my room—there was nothing else to do—when I noticed one of the caretakers, Jasmin, on one of the living room couches with a laptop, scrolling down and staring at the screen intently.

“What’re you doing?”

She looked up at me. Her eyes were welcoming enough, but I could tell that she was tired and upset about something.

“Ah, nothing. Just…checking up on bills…”

And with that she closed the window before I could go behind her to look, hastily replaced the laptop on the coffee table, and left the room before I could utter another word.

I stood alone in the empty living room. I could still hear the clinking of plates and glasses back in the kitchen, and I knew they wouldn’t be out for a while.

That laptop looked awfully tempting. It was considered a privilege here to use the Internet for recreational purposes, seeing as none of us owned a computer ourselves. I hadn’t used one for anything besides class work in months; I hoped I remembered how to use one.

I sank into the couch and started up the laptop. The screen flickered on and I waited for it to load. As it did, my mind wandered off to Jasmin again.

Despite having had known her the entire time I’d been living at the orphanage, Jasmin was the only adult working there who I’d never quite been able to…figure out, somehow. She was nice enough, sure, but so quiet. She’d dye her hair black every now and then and I had heard from another kid that she liked to listen to alternative music. She just seemed strange compared to all the other caretakers, who were normally cheerful and happy people…

I carefully clicked on the Internet icon, using the touch pad just the way I’d seen Jasmin use it.

Now I thought about what to look at. I probably had an entire quarter of an hour, after all.

I went to Google—a search site I’d heard was very common—and typed in Frank Iero.

Almost immediately the results popped up. Wikipedia, some fansite, Youtube videos, another fansite…

This band that he said they were in…just how big were they, to have so many things about them, anyhow?

I selected the Wikipedia article and watched the screen fill up with information. Frank Anthony Thomas Iero, Jr…former rhythm guitarist of My Chemical Romance, Leathermouth and Pencey Prep. It sounded like he was best known for playing in this My Chemical Romance.

Is this the band whose tour he died on…?

More curious than ever now, my mouse hovered over the blue link, clicked, and waited for it to load.