Vanilla Lace

"Shit," Bill cursed when he spilt milk on the floor. "Damn bus!" He had stained his pajama pants, and that was what pissed him. It just had to spill. The stupid bus just had to wobble up the hill. Maybe his day just wasn't right. Either that, or he still felt his hangover drumming in his head. It was a major birthday bash the night before, and probably, his body still hadn't gotten over the alcohol.

"Will you keep it down?" Tom groaned, flipping over in his little bunk. The bus was going through a bumpy process as they rolled over the countryside from Moscow to Vienna. It was a longer route but it was more smooth. Traffic-wise, at least.

"Sorry," Bill said. And he started to wipe his pants, putting down his cereal bowl.

Gustav came out from the lavatory. "That was one hell of a bumpy ride upslope," he muttered under his breath, going to make himself bread and jam.

Bill sighed and went to change. He took his clothing and stood in between the bunks, taking off everything but his boxers and he started wearing a tight black Tokio Hotel logo shirt, pulling up his Hot Topic bondage pants and fluffing his hair up a bit. Makeup and hairspray can wait. He was so hungry he could have swallowed a whale.

After a proper meal when the bus had finally settled on flat surface and traveling smoothly again, the boys got together with David Jost and started talking about the week's schedule.

"You get a week in between," David told them, looking at his schedule book. The boys had their own paper. "A show when we get to Vienna, three days of free-and-easy, and when we get to Prague, you will have four days until your next show there. Questions?"

The boys looked at each other. "Nope," Bill shook his head. The newly-turned eighteen-year-old clapped once, smiling at his manager. And the others agreed. Bill was excited to go shopping in Austria because he heard they had the best street stalls in Europe, and he hoped they were right. He was tired of brand stores, seeing how every girl he sees at shows wore just like him. He figured they were easy to find because they looked common, and you could find them in any store. Well, at least most of them do. A lot try to pull of his look and he didn't like it very much. His dressing sense was basically dark. Vampire fiction intrigued him. They brought him endless inspiration and helped make him who he was today, physically.

"Oh, and a few interviews and photo-shoots in between, here and there," David added, winking before getting up and getting on the phone with someone.

"Cool," Bill smiled. Bill liked photo-shoots. He loved the lights and glamor of it all. It made him feel so much more like a star. Thinking, he looked out of the window he was at. The Tokio Hotel TV camera was filming him and Gustav, but Bill didn't bother. He was staring outside. Green grass, bright wildflowers and dull-looking trees that were slowly shedding its once bright and crispy leaves. Fall was drawing near, and the peaceful countryside reminded him of a distant memory, one of which he could not really remember. It all seemed so blurry to him.

The lead singer went away from the window, not wanting to put any more stress on his mind. All he cared was about now was the future. He watched TV with the guys until they reached Vienna a good three hours later. Bill was extremely hungry, and the quartet decided to hang out for some good lunch before heading for soundcheck at the Viennese stadium where they were supposed to hold a show later that night.

As the buses entered Vienna, they got dropped off at a busy district. Surrounding him and the band were old brick buildings, aged and yellow. There were little umbrellas along the road, shielding the district's patrons from the sun's rays. It was a Saturday afternoon, and the lunch crowd was bustling, and every cafe and restaurant was pretty much packed. Bill had his hair down and tucked neatly under a cap, not something he would be normally seen with but that was the whole point. He hoped he wouldn't get spotted that easily by fans. He went with the boys to a cafe at the corner of one of the streets after a bit of walking.

"I'll get a caramel latte and two croissants," he told Gustav who was going to order with Georg.

The younger twin rested back in his chair, looking around the streets and people-watching through his pair of black shades. Tom was talking on the phone to someone, but Bill didn't really listen to what he was saying. He had his eyes fixed on the passing crowd. Vienna seemed lovely like that because no one cared about anyone, and everyone just went about their own things. Its rustic charm gave Bill a nostalgic feeling, as like other pretty places in Europe. There were pretty girls walking by every now and then and he smiled to himself, observing them quietly. He glanced at them before setting his sight on a girl with a dark mahogany hair, curled sightly at the bottom. She stood out because, well, she had an interesting color amongst all the blondes and brunettes. She was wearing a black hooded sweater and she looked distracted. The girl was walking alone, hands tucked and crossed across her chest and passing by Bill. The closer she got, the more Bill stared. He took off his shades then.

Analiese didn't have plans. She would usually work and then return home, not having much of a social life. It was like any other day when she was walking through the busy streets to run errands for various people. She loved sunlight, but unfortunately for her, she thrived in the dark. And there she was, pacing through the cobbled streets of Vienna and going about her daily activities as she realized she was late when she suddenly caught the gaze of a stranger, possibly a girl. Or not. She glanced at him longer and realized he was a man. A young man. No, it was a teenage boy. Probably her age. His gaze was locked on hers as she was passing by him and she felt an uneasy knot in her stomach. He looked so familiar to her, so Goddamn familiar. Wait... It couldn't be.

Bill cocked his head slightly to a side as the passing girl stared back at him. He could read her face; pure shock. He didn't know why, but he felt like they've seen each other before. It was probably one of the fans he had seen at the last meet-and-greet here. He told himself she was a fan, but then the fan broke her gaze and went another way, disappearing to the back of an alley out of his sight in a sudden hurry. Bill was intrigued. That wasn't what fans usually did.

"What are you staring at?" Tom asked. Bill's face wore one of confusion and amusement and Tom read it well. He slipped his phone back in his pocket and looked at his twin before glancing at the direction he was staring, past various interesting stalls and dozens of people.

"Did you see the girl?" Bill asked, turning to look at Tom. "The one with red hair? Sort of brown."

"Where?" Tom raised his eyebrows, looking around. "No. Why?"

"I think she's... Never mind," Bill said, sighing a bit. She's just a fan. If she ran away, she was probably scared. Intimidated. He was sure it was like that. There was nothing much to talk about it, anyway.

"Here," Gustav said, putting down their stuff on the table. It had been a very long queue.

"Took you guys long enough," Tom half-smiled, taking his cafe mocha and drinking it.

Bill felt a certain sense of unsureness in him, but he quickly forgot it when he was passed his croissants. As hungry as a lion could get, he started eating. He took a sip of his drink before taking another bite, engaging in a conversation with the boys simultaneously. The sky got cloudy, and cold gusts of early autumn wind blew through the streets, sweeping up weaker leaves that fell onto the floor earlier that day. Bill looked around, strangely thinking about the girl again. Some things were unavoidable. He felt the wind in his hair and the trees rustled along. He looked up and saw the skies darkening as clouds gathered. It was going to be a drastic change of plans if it rained.

The agile Analiese ran to the back of the alley, her messenger bag clutched tightly by her. It was Bill. She had just seen Bill. The girl penetrated his mind and retrieved his thoughts, and it was him. He thought she was a fan, and that bemused her. She had tried to find him for so long because she yearned to see the only boy she ever loved. Unfortunately, she was unable to properly locate him for long and she would lose sight of him again. And traveling all over the place wasn't cheap. It wasn't all love; for her, it grew with time. Time was supposed to heal, but her scars were still present, her memories were forever there. The more she didn't see him, the more she wanted to. Bill was the only one who loved her silence. The only boy she had ever loved because of that.

She found him a few times and followed him, but he would always move on. She never had a chance to talk to him. She was afraid. And she had only been seen twice by him. By pure accident. Her life only consisted of her and her getting by each day. She could count the number of friends plus acquaintances on one hand, and it all appeared pathetic to her but she, for one, would never let anyone see that part of her. All she hoped was to find Bill, and she had forever to do so but sadly, Bill didn't have forever. She was confused; she stopped looking for Bill and Bill chanced upon her again. Or her him. Whichever way, they saw each other for the fourth time in their lives.

Slowly creeping against the dirt-laced walls of the alley, Analiese stole a glance at the boy she once knew. The one who never hated her even though she lived in a church or never spoke. He liked her because she didn't talk, and only hated her when she did. From that childish moment on, Analiese never spoke. At least, not to humans. The young girl appeared as a mute to the rest of the world because she hid a great secret in between her lips. And this secret was kept a secret from yet another secret, and she hurt whenever she was reminded of it. She looked down at her heart-shaped locket; it was the only thing she had left of her mother.