"Amy. Amy wake up sweetie. Amy? Amy please your gonna be late for school!" Amy's mother huffs. "C'mon girl. You already missed your bus and now I am going to have to drive you!"
Amy stirs under the sheets. Mom! I DON"T WANNA GET UP!"What mom? What time is it? I missed my bus?" She peers her head out from under covers. "I'm sorry. I thought I turned my alarm on last night."
"Well, you didn't" Her mother walks out to the door. "Get dressed quickly. I need to get back here so I can get ready for work." She walked out of the room leaving the light on.
Amy sat there thinking to herself. What happened last night, I can't even remember what I was doing. Wait. The voices! They didn't come back! Maybe now that I started to be social maybe they are gone. Or maybe that girl with the pink hair scared them off. She laughs and falls back onto her bed staring at her ceiling painted with cheap green latex paint. Her room is small and quaint. She keeps her room neat and organized with her stuffed animals on the right shelf and her collection of comics on the other. She doesn't have a television in her room but a radio that sits by the edge of a small window that looks out towards the inner city streets. There are a couple of posters on her wall of movies that she is fond of. Her carpet looks old and is filled with water stains from past leaks in the roof.
"Well." Amy says with relief, "I think maybe all the worrying is over!" She smiles and walks down the hallway to her bathroom and starts to take her shower. "I wonder, is Mr. Leary is gonna give us that pop quiz today."
Once Amy got herself dressed and prepared for school, she went downstairs to the kitchen. "Mom, I'm ready for school. Where are you?" She looked around the room and her mother came into the kitchen holding her keys and purse.
"Are you ready?" She smiles and walks out the door waiting for Amy. "Next time please check your alarm before you go to bed."
Amy and her mother got into the car and began to drive slowly out into the busy street.
"so, how are you liking the city so far?" Asks Amy's mother, "Are you making new friends?"
Amy thinks about Jordan and Brian but she decides to keep them from her mother, "I guess so. People here aren't all that friendly." She thinks about how friendly Jordan and Brian were to her. They are the only two people who actually wanted her company. "I just don't fit in like I did back in our old town mom." She looks out the car window and stares at the closed shops. "It really isn't the same."
"I know sweetheart but this is where the business is at! Look around!" Her mother turns down an old street and looks around with an optimistic smile.
Amy looked around. "There is no business here mom. This city looks as old as dirt! All I ever see is smoke and dust in the sky and dirty old buildings that look like they are begging to be demolished by a wrecking ball."
"Don't be so negative Amy! Look for the bright side. The light of the town."
I've had enough talks about the light. "Mom. Are you really that blind?" Amy stopped herself from speaking afraid that she may say something that she will most likely regret.
Amy finally reached school and hurried out of the car. "Bye mom. I love you. Will I see you after school?"
"Well, it all depends if my boss lets us out early of if I get all the paper work done fast enough. If not, I will be home around eight or nine-ish. I love you too Amy."
Amy's mother drove away quickly down the street. "Well, I guess I should get to class then." She walked quickly down the hall and reached room 263 two seconds after the bell rang. She opened the door and went to her seat.
"Hello class." Greeted the teacher. "I am the substitute for the day. Your teacher, Mr. Leary is out on business and he should be back tomorrow."
Amy looks around and notices that Jordan is not in class. Where is Jordan? Great. As soon as I make a friend, he doesn't even show up to school.
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School let out at 2:30 p.m. and Amy decided to take a walk to the arcade to find out where Jordan went. " He probably skipped school to be a bad ass." She reached the arcade and went inside. She walked towards the back area where the small restaurant is, and looked around for Brian. If Brian was around then most likely Jordan will be around. No sign of him. The arcade was empty. No one was inside taking care of anything that most likely needed to be done. Amy scanned the room closely.
"Can I help you with anything Miss?" An unfamiliar voice lurked from behind Amy.
"Uhhh!" Amy was startled, "Ha-Have you seen uh Brian around here?" Amy turned around and looked at the man who was speaking to her. He was a middle aged man with brown hair graying at the temples. He had lines on his face from age. His eyes were kind but seemed to have a permanent look of concern.
He smiled "Ah. You must be Amy. He told me that you were new here to the city. I'm his father. I haven't seen Brian around today. I seen him leave for school this morning and he hasn't come back yet. It's unusually quiet today here."
"Do you have any idea where he may be or where Jordan may be?" Amy hoped for him to give er the answers quickly.
"Actually, no. I have no idea where they could be."
"I didn't see Jordan at school today and I don't have any classes with Brian so I really don't know if he went today or not." Amy look at a nearby clock on the wall. The hands clicked loudly twisting her stomach every time a second went by. "I will go look for Jordan some place else then. If I see Brian I will tell him to come back here to the arcade." Amy felt almost sick.
"Thank you Amy." Brian's father walked to the door. "Brian and Jordan are usually here by now."
Amy walked out the door, "Thank you." Amy started to pace quickly down the sidewalk. Why does my head hurt so bad? Maybe they just ran off and don't feel like sitting around in a decrepit old arcade. Yeah, I'm just gonna go home. I'll see Jordan tomorrow. "Why should I even care about them anyway?"
As Amy walked passed the old closed stores and the empty parking lots she started to hear whispers. She looks around and realize that they aren't coming from around her but inside herself. Her mind.
Amy, you were alone but not anymore. Like the wind that changes it's course in a matter of seconds, like the ocean, like the weather. Our hearts carry sorrow, and your heart carries the key to unlock who truly knows us. We will never break you we shall lift you high above this dirt that you creep upon away from the ground you lay rest until the time you are risen again to cry the tears that we sing. For you Amy, you have befriended the pieces of the puzzle that will take you one step closer to joining our chorus of twisted ceremonies. The light will be yours! Come to us.....
"NO!" Amy started to run trying to escape the voices she thought had disappeared. "WHY! No no! NO! Amy began to hear a chorus of voices, men, women, even children singing in pitches that sounded wonderfully beautiful but made her stomach turn in circles. As Amy ran quicker the voices accelerated into a frenzy of voices that began to sing off and on tune. The song was painfully discordant. Some sounded like trumpets, others like nails on a chalkboard, others like angels, some sounded like they were screaming and others sounded like a god punishing the sinful.
Amy's heart began to pound with the noises that were mocking her in her mind. As she ran, she became blinded by a light that burned her eyes. "Please someone help me!" No one was around her. She was alone. Alone like always. Tears rolled out from the corners of her eyes and she fell to the ground. "I can't see!" She began to shout, "Help!" She held her ears but the chorus was still clamorous. She imagined a tiny orchestra of people inside her ears slamming on her eardrums with a club. Amy couldn't take the noises so she screamed. She screamed so loud that eventually she became exhausted and passed out from her loss of breath and the burning light within her eyes.
We promise you the light. This what we are... Come to us. The light will transform you. You'll burn like the city lights and you may watch us fall.
