A Tale of Two Cities
Chapter 2
22nd December 2005
L.A. – California
“We are.......MY..........CHEMICAL.........ROMANCE, thank you....and goodnight”
Screams erupted from the crowd, which echoed on the walls of the large venue, as the 5 men left the stage, glowing with happiness and satisfaction that they had completed 1 more show that will go down in history of their personal memories.
They didn’t need to say anything to each other, as they knew in their hearts that they had given each other the best gift of that evening. The best show so far in their careers and for one of the men, the evening was going to get even sweeter.
He was going to look up his baby sister and give her a surprise visit in her L.A. home. He hadn’t seen her in over 3 years and couldn’t wait to catch up with her.
As youngsters, they used to be an inseparable pair, the best of friends and the most troublesome duo in the neighbourhood! Both were similar in features and personality but, somewhere down the line, they lost each other.
Both siblings didn’t experience a harsh upbringing, but they didn’t have a trouble free one either. When they were both of a young age, their mother walked out on the family leaving only their father to sustain them. He tried his hardest and brought the children up as strong independent individuals who respected the work that he did in order to keep them at a sustainable level.
After his death in 1998, it thus started a downward spiral in the siblings’ relationship; both wanting different things in life and wanting to go different ways.
He wanted to continue with his passion of music and she wanted to fulfil her dream of going to college, living a comfortable life and the possibility of starting a family. Both very different paths and soon, realisation dawned on them, that they weren’t so similar.
His band was thrown into the limelight soon after their second album was released on a major record label and soon became a worldwide success in a matter of a few months. From then on he began his path of happiness and success, whilst living a little girl, scared and alone in the hands of a demon that terrorised her very being.
I’ve been so lost since you’ve gone
Why not me before you?
Why did fate deceive me?
Everything turned out so wrong
Why did you leave me in silence?
4th January 1996, a date for some reason he couldn’t forget. He remembers that day as if it were yesterday.
*Flashback*
Sprawled out on his double bed with the faint sound of Black Flag playing softly in the background, his ears detected another noise. The noise of someone entering his room. Suddenly a jolt on his bed caused him to grumble and turn to face what was disrupting him from his Sunday lie in. Coming face to face with a splitting image of himself, his sister came into focus. Right on top of him with a cheesy grin on her face, she began jumping on his bed causing his sheets to come off, exposing himself only in his underwear.
“Oh brother, how many times do I have to say this? Girls don’t like boys wearing underwear with hearts on! It’s a big turn off” after saying this she erupted into a fit of giggles.
Thud was the sound of her falling of the bed because her oh so lovely brother pushed her off.
“Well that’s not very kind” came her voice from the floor which made him smile into his pillow.
“Oh you’re giving me the silent treatment now ey? Well well well what shall we do about that?"
“Piss off is a solution”
“Hmm good point, but that is the incorrect answer”
After that came silence and he wondered if she had left the room. Turning round he saw that his room was empty so fell back onto his pillow wanting to continue his dreams.
Unfortunately that only lasted a matter of seconds as soon the terrible sound of her talking started again. This time, it wasn’t directed at him but rather to the person on the other end of the telephone conversation.
“Hey Kat, you don’t know me, but I’m the sister of your friend, Frank? Ye that’s right! Well I overheard something the other day and I’m not sure if I should tell someone.....”
He sat listening for this for a while, wondering where she was going with this.
“Ye well, what I heard was that he has a huge crush on you...”
Oh dear god. His eyes snapped open and he threw himself off the bed and ran frantically to the place where he could hear her voice, which was luckily not too far away.
“And also I heard that every time he thinks of you, the little thing in his underwear goes......”
Snatching the phone out of her hand he immediately switched “end call” and gave his sister a look that could kill.
She just smirked at him and said “Look whose up!”
“I am going to kill you” replying with sincerity in is voice and anger in his eyes.
“Oh please, you could do that even if I paid you, and besides you wouldn’t last 5 minutes in prison” stopping she laughed. “You’d be their bitch”.
He stared at her for a moment before slowly a smile inched its way onto his lips.
“Yer, I think you’re right” he said before laughing his loud laugh.
It must have been quite a sight seeing the two siblings standing on top of the 1st floor landing, one in their boxers (with hearts :D) both laughing hysterically.
“Sorry about telling her, do you want me to call back and tell her I made a mistake?”
“Na, s’okay, she turned out to be annoying as hell. So what the hell do you want anyways??”
“Oh yer, I forgot about that! Well you remember how I applied to the college in Berkley? Ye well I got a letter from them today.........” she said this slowly, each word becoming quieter and quieter. The news she was about to reveal didn’t seem good.
“Oh hun, there are other colleges that you can apply to”
“But I don’t want to apply to anymore.....”
“Oh course you can, you have a talent and I’m not going to sit back and watch you waste it” He said this with sincerity in his voice and waving his arms dramatically for effect.
“Wait.....hang on a sec” pausing to think things over in his head “why were you all excited and jumping on me this morning? ......you’re doing that stupid thing where you pretend to be all sad about it then spring it on me that you did get in aren’t ya?”
“Wow took you long enough, but ye, now u talk about it, I did get in” she said with complete calmness before smiling the biggest smile he’s ever seen.
Those last few weeks before she left to go to Berkley College were probably the happiest he ever saw her, and was probably the last time the siblings would spend as much time together.
a/n - should I continue with this or....ye know....give up??
L.A. – California
“We are.......MY..........CHEMICAL.........ROMANCE, thank you....and goodnight”
Screams erupted from the crowd, which echoed on the walls of the large venue, as the 5 men left the stage, glowing with happiness and satisfaction that they had completed 1 more show that will go down in history of their personal memories.
They didn’t need to say anything to each other, as they knew in their hearts that they had given each other the best gift of that evening. The best show so far in their careers and for one of the men, the evening was going to get even sweeter.
He was going to look up his baby sister and give her a surprise visit in her L.A. home. He hadn’t seen her in over 3 years and couldn’t wait to catch up with her.
As youngsters, they used to be an inseparable pair, the best of friends and the most troublesome duo in the neighbourhood! Both were similar in features and personality but, somewhere down the line, they lost each other.
Both siblings didn’t experience a harsh upbringing, but they didn’t have a trouble free one either. When they were both of a young age, their mother walked out on the family leaving only their father to sustain them. He tried his hardest and brought the children up as strong independent individuals who respected the work that he did in order to keep them at a sustainable level.
After his death in 1998, it thus started a downward spiral in the siblings’ relationship; both wanting different things in life and wanting to go different ways.
He wanted to continue with his passion of music and she wanted to fulfil her dream of going to college, living a comfortable life and the possibility of starting a family. Both very different paths and soon, realisation dawned on them, that they weren’t so similar.
His band was thrown into the limelight soon after their second album was released on a major record label and soon became a worldwide success in a matter of a few months. From then on he began his path of happiness and success, whilst living a little girl, scared and alone in the hands of a demon that terrorised her very being.
I’ve been so lost since you’ve gone
Why not me before you?
Why did fate deceive me?
Everything turned out so wrong
Why did you leave me in silence?
4th January 1996, a date for some reason he couldn’t forget. He remembers that day as if it were yesterday.
*Flashback*
Sprawled out on his double bed with the faint sound of Black Flag playing softly in the background, his ears detected another noise. The noise of someone entering his room. Suddenly a jolt on his bed caused him to grumble and turn to face what was disrupting him from his Sunday lie in. Coming face to face with a splitting image of himself, his sister came into focus. Right on top of him with a cheesy grin on her face, she began jumping on his bed causing his sheets to come off, exposing himself only in his underwear.
“Oh brother, how many times do I have to say this? Girls don’t like boys wearing underwear with hearts on! It’s a big turn off” after saying this she erupted into a fit of giggles.
Thud was the sound of her falling of the bed because her oh so lovely brother pushed her off.
“Well that’s not very kind” came her voice from the floor which made him smile into his pillow.
“Oh you’re giving me the silent treatment now ey? Well well well what shall we do about that?"
“Piss off is a solution”
“Hmm good point, but that is the incorrect answer”
After that came silence and he wondered if she had left the room. Turning round he saw that his room was empty so fell back onto his pillow wanting to continue his dreams.
Unfortunately that only lasted a matter of seconds as soon the terrible sound of her talking started again. This time, it wasn’t directed at him but rather to the person on the other end of the telephone conversation.
“Hey Kat, you don’t know me, but I’m the sister of your friend, Frank? Ye that’s right! Well I overheard something the other day and I’m not sure if I should tell someone.....”
He sat listening for this for a while, wondering where she was going with this.
“Ye well, what I heard was that he has a huge crush on you...”
Oh dear god. His eyes snapped open and he threw himself off the bed and ran frantically to the place where he could hear her voice, which was luckily not too far away.
“And also I heard that every time he thinks of you, the little thing in his underwear goes......”
Snatching the phone out of her hand he immediately switched “end call” and gave his sister a look that could kill.
She just smirked at him and said “Look whose up!”
“I am going to kill you” replying with sincerity in is voice and anger in his eyes.
“Oh please, you could do that even if I paid you, and besides you wouldn’t last 5 minutes in prison” stopping she laughed. “You’d be their bitch”.
He stared at her for a moment before slowly a smile inched its way onto his lips.
“Yer, I think you’re right” he said before laughing his loud laugh.
It must have been quite a sight seeing the two siblings standing on top of the 1st floor landing, one in their boxers (with hearts :D) both laughing hysterically.
“Sorry about telling her, do you want me to call back and tell her I made a mistake?”
“Na, s’okay, she turned out to be annoying as hell. So what the hell do you want anyways??”
“Oh yer, I forgot about that! Well you remember how I applied to the college in Berkley? Ye well I got a letter from them today.........” she said this slowly, each word becoming quieter and quieter. The news she was about to reveal didn’t seem good.
“Oh hun, there are other colleges that you can apply to”
“But I don’t want to apply to anymore.....”
“Oh course you can, you have a talent and I’m not going to sit back and watch you waste it” He said this with sincerity in his voice and waving his arms dramatically for effect.
“Wait.....hang on a sec” pausing to think things over in his head “why were you all excited and jumping on me this morning? ......you’re doing that stupid thing where you pretend to be all sad about it then spring it on me that you did get in aren’t ya?”
“Wow took you long enough, but ye, now u talk about it, I did get in” she said with complete calmness before smiling the biggest smile he’s ever seen.
Those last few weeks before she left to go to Berkley College were probably the happiest he ever saw her, and was probably the last time the siblings would spend as much time together.
a/n - should I continue with this or....ye know....give up??