White Roses Fade to Black
My Immortal
The time ticked by slowly as Calum watched the clock in Lesley’s living room. He couldn’t find anything else to do; Lesley was busy. He remembered the time when Mike had been run over, and he watched the clock to pass the time, in the hospital corridor.
“Tick… tock… tick… tock…” he mumbled.
Calum felt as if he were going mad. Stress does that to you, he thought. His eyes moved away slowly, and he caught sight of the grandfather clock in the corner. He watched it move: back and forth, back and forth.
“Staring out of my window, watching the cars g rolling by. My friends are gone; I’ve got nothing to do. So I sit here patiently, watching the clock tick so slowly. Gotta get away or my brains will explode,” Calum sang quietly.
Time washed over him as he sang random songs to himself. The words slurred and rolled into one another, making a huge long word, more than a string of words or comprehendible sentence.
“Calum?” a small voice whispered.
Calum awoke immediately. She stood in the doorway; her short, sixteen year old figure lingered there. Her usually curly hair hung limp and wilting about her pale and almost lifeless face. The bloodshot red of her eyes made the blue shocking and beautiful, yet sad and possibly even demented. She was almost glowing; she looked ghostly…
“Calum, I’m hungry,” she again whispered.
Calum nodded. Lesley hadn’t eaten for days, hadn’t slept for days: she’d cried herself into whatever sleep she could scrape.
“I-I’ll make you something, sweetie,” he mumbled, standing up slowly.
Lesley sauntered over to him and held him close, fresh tears that seemed imminent rolled down her cheeks. She thought it might be impossible to cry now, but the tears were shed.
“Thank you…”
*
When Lucie decided not to go to school, David couldn’t handle it alone. He went to the school nurse almost immediately and told her, truthfully, how ill he was.
“You’re incredibly pale and it looks like you can barely keep your eyes open. I’m sending you home. You’re parents in?” the kind nurse asked.
David thought; Dad would be. Of course mom wouldn’t. The dead don’t rise, well, not in real life, anyway.
A few minutes passed, and the nurse looked at him quizzically. He shook his head, looking at the floor.
“Guess you’re walking. You want someone to come with you?” she asked.
David shook his head once more. He wasn’t going home. He was going to Lesley’s; he needed to see if everything was alright. He thought some more, and decided that he’d check on Lucie. He was worried about her.
“See you when you get back then, love.”
He walked out of school, his pack over his shoulder and his cell phone in his hand. Remember, he thought. He dialled the number, remembering each number hastily; he put the phone to his ear and listened to it ring.
“H-Hello?” the voice shakily asked.
“Sweetie, it’s me. I’m going to check on Les and Cal, seeing as he’s probably been kipping down there for the last few days. I’ll either meet you there, if you like, or I’ll come see you afterwards,” David said warmly and kindly.
There came a sniff.
“Uh huh,” came the reply.
David sighed. He loved Lucie with all his heart, and hated seeing the person he loved most of all, hurt and crying. He closed his eyes as he waited for a bus, picturing her happy, smiling face. It faded into a face that was littered with pain.
“I love you Lucie,” David whispered, letting tears roll down his face.
“I love you too David. Miss you,” she replied.
“You too, baby,” he choked.
Then she hung up. The sobs came and David couldn’t control them. Lucie was hurting so much and there was nothing he could do about it…
*
“So tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
Coz your presence still lingers here
And it won’t leave me alone
These wounds won’t seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There’s just too much that
Time cannot erase
When you cried, I’d wipe away all of your tears
When you’d scream, I’d fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still left on me
You used to captivate me by your resonating light
Now I’m bound by the life you left behind
Your face, it haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice, it chased away
All the sanity in me
These wounds won’t seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There’s just too much that
Time cannot erase
When you cried, I’d wipe away all of your tears
When you’d scream, I’d fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still left on me
I tried so hard to tell myself that you’re gone
But you’re still with me
I’ve been alone, I’m alone
When you cried, I’d wipe away all of your tears
When you’d scream, I’d fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still left on me
On me
On me
On me…”
Lucie sang along with Evanescence: seeing, feeling, even breathing the lyrics. They told her story, reminding her that someone she’d classed as family was gone. He’d left her, and wasn’t coming back, yet he was still there, haunting her.
“Mikey? Can you hear me?” Lucie asked.
She knelt at her bed and clasped her hands together, praying for something she was never going to get.
“I know I’m supposed to pray to God, but I don’t do this often. Mike, if you’re there… please listen. I know that- I know that I promised you that I would take care of Lesley… I’m so close to breaking that promise,” she paused.
She sniffed and sobbed, trying to regain herself so she could continue her feeble prayer: her ray of hope.
“I-I want you to know… that whatever happens, you’re still the big brother I never had but wished I did. I miss you so Goddamn much right now, Mikey. I wish you could come back…” she whispered.
She couldn’t finish. The tears welled up and rolled down her face. Sadness and disappointment overwhelmed her body.
“I tried so hard to tell myself that you’re gone…” she sang, silent tears falling onto her drenched pillow.
“Tick… tock… tick… tock…” he mumbled.
Calum felt as if he were going mad. Stress does that to you, he thought. His eyes moved away slowly, and he caught sight of the grandfather clock in the corner. He watched it move: back and forth, back and forth.
“Staring out of my window, watching the cars g rolling by. My friends are gone; I’ve got nothing to do. So I sit here patiently, watching the clock tick so slowly. Gotta get away or my brains will explode,” Calum sang quietly.
Time washed over him as he sang random songs to himself. The words slurred and rolled into one another, making a huge long word, more than a string of words or comprehendible sentence.
“Calum?” a small voice whispered.
Calum awoke immediately. She stood in the doorway; her short, sixteen year old figure lingered there. Her usually curly hair hung limp and wilting about her pale and almost lifeless face. The bloodshot red of her eyes made the blue shocking and beautiful, yet sad and possibly even demented. She was almost glowing; she looked ghostly…
“Calum, I’m hungry,” she again whispered.
Calum nodded. Lesley hadn’t eaten for days, hadn’t slept for days: she’d cried herself into whatever sleep she could scrape.
“I-I’ll make you something, sweetie,” he mumbled, standing up slowly.
Lesley sauntered over to him and held him close, fresh tears that seemed imminent rolled down her cheeks. She thought it might be impossible to cry now, but the tears were shed.
“Thank you…”
*
When Lucie decided not to go to school, David couldn’t handle it alone. He went to the school nurse almost immediately and told her, truthfully, how ill he was.
“You’re incredibly pale and it looks like you can barely keep your eyes open. I’m sending you home. You’re parents in?” the kind nurse asked.
David thought; Dad would be. Of course mom wouldn’t. The dead don’t rise, well, not in real life, anyway.
A few minutes passed, and the nurse looked at him quizzically. He shook his head, looking at the floor.
“Guess you’re walking. You want someone to come with you?” she asked.
David shook his head once more. He wasn’t going home. He was going to Lesley’s; he needed to see if everything was alright. He thought some more, and decided that he’d check on Lucie. He was worried about her.
“See you when you get back then, love.”
He walked out of school, his pack over his shoulder and his cell phone in his hand. Remember, he thought. He dialled the number, remembering each number hastily; he put the phone to his ear and listened to it ring.
“H-Hello?” the voice shakily asked.
“Sweetie, it’s me. I’m going to check on Les and Cal, seeing as he’s probably been kipping down there for the last few days. I’ll either meet you there, if you like, or I’ll come see you afterwards,” David said warmly and kindly.
There came a sniff.
“Uh huh,” came the reply.
David sighed. He loved Lucie with all his heart, and hated seeing the person he loved most of all, hurt and crying. He closed his eyes as he waited for a bus, picturing her happy, smiling face. It faded into a face that was littered with pain.
“I love you Lucie,” David whispered, letting tears roll down his face.
“I love you too David. Miss you,” she replied.
“You too, baby,” he choked.
Then she hung up. The sobs came and David couldn’t control them. Lucie was hurting so much and there was nothing he could do about it…
*
“So tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
Coz your presence still lingers here
And it won’t leave me alone
These wounds won’t seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There’s just too much that
Time cannot erase
When you cried, I’d wipe away all of your tears
When you’d scream, I’d fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still left on me
You used to captivate me by your resonating light
Now I’m bound by the life you left behind
Your face, it haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice, it chased away
All the sanity in me
These wounds won’t seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There’s just too much that
Time cannot erase
When you cried, I’d wipe away all of your tears
When you’d scream, I’d fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still left on me
I tried so hard to tell myself that you’re gone
But you’re still with me
I’ve been alone, I’m alone
When you cried, I’d wipe away all of your tears
When you’d scream, I’d fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still left on me
On me
On me
On me…”
Lucie sang along with Evanescence: seeing, feeling, even breathing the lyrics. They told her story, reminding her that someone she’d classed as family was gone. He’d left her, and wasn’t coming back, yet he was still there, haunting her.
“Mikey? Can you hear me?” Lucie asked.
She knelt at her bed and clasped her hands together, praying for something she was never going to get.
“I know I’m supposed to pray to God, but I don’t do this often. Mike, if you’re there… please listen. I know that- I know that I promised you that I would take care of Lesley… I’m so close to breaking that promise,” she paused.
She sniffed and sobbed, trying to regain herself so she could continue her feeble prayer: her ray of hope.
“I-I want you to know… that whatever happens, you’re still the big brother I never had but wished I did. I miss you so Goddamn much right now, Mikey. I wish you could come back…” she whispered.
She couldn’t finish. The tears welled up and rolled down her face. Sadness and disappointment overwhelmed her body.
“I tried so hard to tell myself that you’re gone…” she sang, silent tears falling onto her drenched pillow.