Touche
Sorrow
“You disapprove?” Kevin asked.
Mimi looked at him with disbelief, “Yes, I very much disapprove. I don’t want her getting killed.”
“Why does she work with them?” Nick asked, “I mean, really why?”
“Um… okay. I tell you. But let’s move this first.” She finally said.
The boys agreed and they finished moving the couch into the upstairs to-be family room. After they had placed it carefully on the carpeted floor, Kevin sat with Nick and Joe on either side and they gazed expectantly at Mimi as she sat on the floor in front of them.
“Once upon a time, Jaden was happy. She was spunky and loud and kind. She had so many friends. Actually, I don’t think that there was a single person in Maine who didn’t like her. Her best friends all played an instrument like the devil or sung like angels. And Jaden, oh, she was… is the world’s best guitarist, I swear, no offence guys.
“Well, they were messing around one day, and I was listening. I thought that they could be a really talented group and so when I said as much, they tried it. They got pretty far. You may have heard of what her life used to be, A Hallucination?” She looked up at her audience’s stunned expressions.
“But… the guitarist of A Hallucination was called F-…” Joe’s protest stopped mid-word.
Mimi nodded, solemnly, “Yep, Firefly… I had called her my Firefly since I was 4. She loved it, she loved music… she loved me. But, then, do you remember what put a stop to the career of A Hallucination?”
The three musicians on the couch looked at her then at each other.
“Yeah…” Nick whispered, “We remember.”
“Really?” Mimi was surprised, in the music world A Hallucination was beyond ancient.
“A Hallucination is what brought our music to life. We remember what happened.” Kevin said, “The crash…”
Mimi bit her lip, “I feel so guilty. It was me who asked Jaden to come home that day… my birthday was the next. Anyway, when the tour bus flipped Jaden was, as you know, the only one to survive. However, her arm was damaged almost beyond repair. They wanted to amputate it, but she refused to let them. She wanted to play, she wanted to work, and she wanted to live.
“But during her recovery she was bored… and angry. She got into fights. Eventually Firefly’s Grave came for her. She was thrilled to join them. Jaden quickly shot up the ranks, gaining respect. Eventually her arm healed… and so, she tried to play. But, she couldn’t.”
“Why?” asked Joe when Mimi paused.
“Grief, I suppose, and guilt.” Mimi said, staring at her knees, “Her mind hadn’t forgiven her for surviving when the others didn’t. She just can’t play… that’s also the reason that she doesn’t know of you. When she hears music like what hers used to be, or when she tries to go back to her guitars, her subconscious makes her relive the accident.”
Mimi looked at him with disbelief, “Yes, I very much disapprove. I don’t want her getting killed.”
“Why does she work with them?” Nick asked, “I mean, really why?”
“Um… okay. I tell you. But let’s move this first.” She finally said.
The boys agreed and they finished moving the couch into the upstairs to-be family room. After they had placed it carefully on the carpeted floor, Kevin sat with Nick and Joe on either side and they gazed expectantly at Mimi as she sat on the floor in front of them.
“Once upon a time, Jaden was happy. She was spunky and loud and kind. She had so many friends. Actually, I don’t think that there was a single person in Maine who didn’t like her. Her best friends all played an instrument like the devil or sung like angels. And Jaden, oh, she was… is the world’s best guitarist, I swear, no offence guys.
“Well, they were messing around one day, and I was listening. I thought that they could be a really talented group and so when I said as much, they tried it. They got pretty far. You may have heard of what her life used to be, A Hallucination?” She looked up at her audience’s stunned expressions.
“But… the guitarist of A Hallucination was called F-…” Joe’s protest stopped mid-word.
Mimi nodded, solemnly, “Yep, Firefly… I had called her my Firefly since I was 4. She loved it, she loved music… she loved me. But, then, do you remember what put a stop to the career of A Hallucination?”
The three musicians on the couch looked at her then at each other.
“Yeah…” Nick whispered, “We remember.”
“Really?” Mimi was surprised, in the music world A Hallucination was beyond ancient.
“A Hallucination is what brought our music to life. We remember what happened.” Kevin said, “The crash…”
Mimi bit her lip, “I feel so guilty. It was me who asked Jaden to come home that day… my birthday was the next. Anyway, when the tour bus flipped Jaden was, as you know, the only one to survive. However, her arm was damaged almost beyond repair. They wanted to amputate it, but she refused to let them. She wanted to play, she wanted to work, and she wanted to live.
“But during her recovery she was bored… and angry. She got into fights. Eventually Firefly’s Grave came for her. She was thrilled to join them. Jaden quickly shot up the ranks, gaining respect. Eventually her arm healed… and so, she tried to play. But, she couldn’t.”
“Why?” asked Joe when Mimi paused.
“Grief, I suppose, and guilt.” Mimi said, staring at her knees, “Her mind hadn’t forgiven her for surviving when the others didn’t. She just can’t play… that’s also the reason that she doesn’t know of you. When she hears music like what hers used to be, or when she tries to go back to her guitars, her subconscious makes her relive the accident.”
♠ ♠ ♠
This story is in Spanish when you're not looking.