you take me, to nirvana

Chapters: 1

Rating: 14-A

Word Count: 1,553

“I swear that lady hates me.” Sophia continued to babble on about how Mrs. Stevenson gave her a 61% on her Great Gatsby essay resulting in Mrs. Stevenson hating her. 

Sophia and I had been friends since grade school. I remember how she stumbled upon me after some boys had teased me and threw mud on my drawings during recess. The memory of her going after those boys and beating the up after I told her what happened to my drawing made me smile. And somehow with our complete opposite personalities; Sophia being outgoing and seeming to have not been born with a filter, we still are friends today after all those years.

“And this time I didn’t even do it the night before!” She continued. “I actually planned out my time and organized all my thoughts and ideas and-” She stopped when I raised my eyebrow at her, not believing a word she said. “Alright, alright, I did it two nights before it was due… But that’s still my best timing and planning for any assignment I’ve ever done!” I laughed at her pleading but stopped when my eyes landed on the alleyway between the dress shop and the old bookstore. I thought about what happened there three nights ago. It had been my first time walking this way since that night as I began taking the long route home from school.

“Earth to Melanie.” Sophia snapped her fingers in front of my face, bringing me back to reality.

“Sorry,” I shook my head, not being able to take my eyes off the alley. “I just remembered that work wanted me to stop by quickly to help organize some storage.” I was surprised how the lie rolled off my tongue so easily.

“Do you want me to wait up for you?”

“No.” It came out too quick and harsh, but no suspicion seemed to rise to Sophia’s face as I looked at her. “I’m probably going to be an hour or more. I’ll call you later tonight though.” We parted from each other after saying our goodbyes and I watched her turn the corner before heading in the direction of the alley.

I easily slipped between the space between the bookstore and dress shop only hesitating for a moment before making my way deeper into the alley. My eyes rested on the dumpster where I hid myself that night before moving my gaze to where the three guys use to be standing. I could still picture Muscles pointing his gun directly at me and Mendes forcing him back into the wall. A part of me felt guilty and cowardly for running and leaving behind Mendes who had saved my life that night, but I knew that if I stayed behind to help him the end result would have been much different for me. 

My eyes latched onto the marking in the brick wall that Mendes was standing against. I moved towards it, tracing my fingers over the sunken hole where the bullet had been shot into. A chill settled inside of me but it wasn’t from the memory of that night. I turned around searching the area, feeling like I was being watched. Looking up I saw a shadowy figure move from the rooftop of the dress shop. My stomach sank, making me feel sick. The feeling of being watched by someone was enough to make me quickly escape the alley and head home. 

* * *   

I locked the door behind me once I got into my house and began pulling back the front windows blinds to make sure no one had followed me home. Once I was sure I didn’t see anyone I was able to let out the breath I had been holding since the alley. I sat my school bag down on the island in the kitchen, grabbing an apple in hopes that eating something would calm my nerves or at least distract me.

Throwing my school bag back over my shoulder, I began making my way up the stairs of the house and into my bedroom. Since I was an only child, my house always felt empty when I came home. Both my parents worked late, usually not making it home until seven. I opened the door that lead into my room breathing in it’s familiar scent of paint. Canvases and watercolour papers were sprawled across the floor in one corner of the room. My newest painting sent chills running down my spine. I had began painting it after I had ran home three nights ago between the bookstore and dress shop. The canvas was covered in cold black paint  creating a picture of a figure holding a gun straight out. It was the same image I hadn’t been able to shake out of my head of Muscles pointing his gun at me that night.

“It was either between a bookworm or painter.” I almost let out a scream when I heard the voice. Turning, I found Mendes, the guy who had asked to break down his hundred, the guy I had watched in the alley. He was sat on my bed with his legs stretched out playing with my stress ball that use to sit on my desk. I watched as he got up, butting the stress ball back on my desk as he made his way over to me. I held my breath standing still until he pushed by me and towards the painting. His fingers brushed over the canvas, following the lines I had drawn. “Definitely a painter.” He smiled to himself.

“What are you doing here? How did you find me? Who are you?” A million questions ran through my head but those three were the ones I wanted answered now.

“You just have that innocent look about you, that’s why I thought you had to be either deeply in love with books or painting.” He turned to me with a smirk on his face. “I was kind of betting my money on a bookworm though.” I watched him close the space between us, my mouth agape not knowing what to say to him. His hand came up to my face making me stiffen as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear that had fallen from the loose ponytail it had been in. “You should start wearing it down more often, you always seem to have it up.”

A new question aroused from inside me. “Have you been watching me?” He only gave me a smile before stepping away from me to study my room, picking up things as he did so and putting them back down. “Who are you?” I asked again.

“I’m Shawn.” He told me, his back still facing me. “And you?”

“If you’ve been stalking me the last few days I’m sure you already know it.” I told him coolly. He only gave me a shrug knowing he had a smirk plastered to his face. “Why are you here?”

“Because you need me.” He turned towards me now taking in my confused and disgusted face. “Why would you go back to that alley today?” He asked. So he was the one who I had felt watching me. “If someone from Brad’s gang saw you there they would have killed you without any hesitation. You’re on their wanted list, Melanie.” I wasn’t too sure what shocked me more, the fact that I was on a hit list or the sound of my name coming out of his mouth that seemed to make my heart skip a beat.

“Why would they want to kill me? Just because of that night?” 

“Yes.” Shawn said without any hesitation. “And they probably assume you have connections to me.” I was hardly taking in anything he was telling.

“How do I know that you’re telling the truth?”

“Sometimes you just have to believe the things someone tells you.” I was fed up with his answers that didn’t fully answer my questions. “Look,” He began when he saw the frustration on my face. “I’m here to protect you and make sure nothing happens to you.”

“I don’t need your help.” I tell him. “That’s why we have the police. They’re the ones who will protect me.”

He only gave me a sad laugh and shrugged his shoulders. “They won’t do much for you until they have evidence.”

“You’re my evidence!” I argued raising my voice.

“They police and I aren’t on the best of terms.” He explained to me. “So I won’t be around when you give them a call. But my offers still on the table.”

“Get out of here!” I yelled at him. I didn’t know what else to say to him as he continued corrupting all my ideas on how to protect myself. “This is my house, my property. You’re trespassing and I’ll call the police if you don’t leave in the next five seconds.” 

Without another word I watched as he gave me another smirk and moved passed me and out my room. I followed him, not trusting that he left until I saw it with my own eyes. We walked down the stair and towards the door. His hand hovered on the handle before turning towards me.

“Just don’t do anything too stupid.” He smiled before leaving me alone in my house.

* * *

Rating: A-14

Word Count: 1,356

Biography: Melanie Hill is your average teenage girl: trying to keep up her GPA in school, working at a cafe to save money for university in the fall and having big ambitions that she promises to follow. Everything in her life seems to be going as planned, that is until the night a mischievous boy came late into Melanie’s work. Her life rapidly begins to change paths and for the first time she realizes that she doesn’t know what she wants anymore or which pathway to choose. The one thing Melanie does knows is that she’s beginning to fall in love with the dark side.

“You should go home.”

It was a little past eight, by now the sun had began to set. It always took me a few weeks to adjust to the long summer days when it didn’t turn dark until nine. At the moment, I was busting the last of the dirty tables in the now empty cafe that I was going to work at for the entire summer in hopes of helping to pay for university come September. I looked at Abby when I didn’t hear her respond and saw that she was crouched over the bar top looking ill as ever.

“Did you hear me?” I asked her as she answered me with a single nod. She lifted her head painfully looking even more pale than a minute ago and began to argue with me, telling me how she was fine before cutting her off. “Abs, you need to go home and try to sleep this flu off. I’m alright to close up the cafe by myself. Plus, I really don’t feel like mopping up your vomit.” She gave me a weak laugh before hesitantly agreeing.

“Thanks.” She gave me a relieved and appreciative smile. “I owe you.”

The cafe remained silent after Abby had left which I didn’t complain. The entire day seemed to have dragged on with the flood of customers streaming through the doors and the noisy atmosphere of the cafe that made me miss the calming sounds of nature as I held a paint brush and canvas in my hand.

The sound of chimes ringing through the room told me the someone had just came through the doors. I peeked my head around the corner of the espresso machine to let them know that we were closed, but as soon as my eyes rested on him the words slipped my tongue. I took in his dark chocolate hair that sat in an organized mess on his head. His dark eyes could fool people into thinking he was nothing but innocent but the tattoos that peaked out from underneath his plaid shirt said differently. He was tall, definitely around six foot and was built of lean muscle.

I cleared my throat, regaining myself. “We’re closed now, sorry.” The words didn’t come out as strong as I had hoped for.

The inked boy gave no regards to my words as if I had never spoken them. “I need change for this hundred.” He held the bill up to my face as though I was blind. I stared up at him with a mixture of disbelief and retort. “Please.” He spoke the word like he had maybe spoken it twice in his life.

I plucked the bill from between his fingers and opened my cash register. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him looking around nervously and impatiently as if he had somewhere to be.

“What do you want it in?” I asked

“What?”

His head swiftly turned to me as soon as I spoke like I had sent him out of a daydream. “The hundred you gave me. What do you want me to break it into?”

He regained his composure though I could see a small flush rise into his cheeks. “Just 20′s.”

I counted out his bills and handed them to him. He took them quickly and shoved them deep into his back pocket. Giving me no thanks or a sign of appreciation before disappearing out the door and into the night.

“You’re welcome.” I muttered.

* * *

I rattled the handles of the doors that lead into the cafe to make sure it locked behind me. When the doors made no sign of budging, I turned on my heels and began my walk to home. The cool summer breeze was refreshing on my skin from the steamy and humid cafe I’d been in all afternoon and evening. The moon helped the street lights light up the pavement beneath me. The night sky was clear making the stars look brighter than ever. If I had my sketchbook and pencil with me I know that I’d sit in the middle of the road and sketch the picturesque sky.

A yell from the alleyway between an old book store and dress shop made me come back to reality. My head turned in the direction as I stopped walking and began looking down the ominous alley. All I could see was darkness but curiosity drew me towards it. I only had to travel a few meters down it to find four guys arguing over something.  Three of them stood side by side against the old book store’s wall while the other was alone and out of place facing them. Creeping over to the dumpster that sat outside the dress shop’s back door, I hid myself behind it, peaking around the corner so I could see and hear.

I almost let out a gasp but covered my mouth quickly before any sound came out. I recognized one of them as the boy who had come into the cafe to exchange his hundred for twenties. The other three I didn’t recognize but I could tell that they were as much trouble as the hundred guy.

“I guess you don’t remember the boundaries we set, Mendes.” The guy who had said it was definitely shorter than the hundred boy or Mendes ift hat was his name, but he was built twice the size in muscle.

“This is our turf,” The lanky guy added who stood to the right of the first guy. The guy on the left of Muscles looked the complete opposite as he was massive in size though he looked dazed and had nothing to add to what the two of them were saying “You’re not allowed to come this way anymore.”

“Listen,” Mendes spoke up. “I’m only here to try and make things right with you guys.” The two laughed as though they had just been told a hilarious joke while the big guy continued to look dazed. “Here.” Mendes held up the five twenty dollar bills I’d given him. “I know it’s not all but look at it as a down payment. I’ll keep coming here every week until I pay off my debt.”

Lanky looked as though he were considering it but Muscles spoke with no hesitation. “What do you think we’ll give you after you pay off your debt?” He snarled. “Your spot back?” He began to laugh and the other two chimed in before Muscles held up a hand as a sign to stop. “This is what will happen if you even try to come on our territory again, Mendes.” Muscles reached his hand to his hip pulling out a metallic black object. At first I didn’t recognize what he held in his hand, as I had never seen one in person, until Muscles had his arm fully outstretched. I jumped out from behind the dumpster and screamed stop the same time the trigger was pulled. I watched as the bullet whizzed passed Mendes’s head and settled into the brick wall, missing him completely. I realized then and there that muscles wasn’t actually going to shoot him, only scare him and that now I was completely exposed.

In unison, they all turned to me, taken aback at first. I looked between them before setting my gaze on Mendes. I knew instantly he recognized me as his face was masked with shock and confusion. As if I were watching a slow motion film, Mendes turned to face the three other guys where to my realization Muscles now had the gun pointed at me. Mendes ran into him with all his force, slamming Muscles body against the wall of the book store while holding his fire arm upwards. The gun shot up into the night sky, echoing through my body.

Without another breath, I turned from them and ran. I didn’t care how sore my legs were or how my lungs seemed to burn every time I breathed. All I knew was that I had to keep running and that I couldn’t look back.

* * *

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,012

The old, wooden screen door shut with a harsh clang as Shawn stepped onto the porch that whined beneath his feet. He gripped the unstable railing to help lead his aged legs down the steps, remembering the pride he had felt after building the poorly constructed deck. It was the first of many projects that he had promised his beautiful wife that he would complete after the two had bought the house together. Shawn would tell her how he would transform the old, worn house into their perfect home. He never did finish any of the other projects though, only wrapping tape around the rusted pipes and hanging pictures over the holes in the walls. 

Shawn smiled to himself at the memory of reassuring his wife that these were only ‘temporary’ fixes and once he had the time, he would then fix them. With a smile and roll of the eyes that told him she didn’t believe a word he’d said, she left him to make up dinner for them both.

The hill grew harsher on Shawn’s tired joints as he continued his truck up the trail that lead to his and his wife’s special escape. He remembered the days it was easy to walk this hill, the two of them even racing each other time to time. The destination he was heading towards was the spot they had claimed to be theirs after finding it when they were only children. They then claimed it to be their escape from the real world. The two would climb the branches of the matured maple trees to fight off the fire breathing dragon that towered above them or lean against the stumps as Shawn would play around on his guitar. 

“I’m sorry that I’m late.” Shawn wheezed out between exhausted breaths. He placed the tulips he had carried up the hill in front of his wife who had been waiting for him. “I got held up at the market. Linda sure knows how to hold up a conversation.” He chuckled a little at the memory of the conversation he had with the obnoxious cashier at the market. Their conversation, or well, her gossip, continued on for around 20 minutes holding up the growing line behind Shawn. Linda had been crowned for being the towns gossiper, she always seemed to know everyone’s busy in the knick of time.

“Annabelle is back in town today.” He told her about their granddaughter. “She told me her university has a reading week to study for finals so she was able to come home today.” Shawn turned to his wife thinking about how much Annabelle resembled her grandmother. Annabelle was the mirror image of her when she was that age. Shawn smiled at the thought before remembering, “She brought a boy home with her.”

At this comment, Shawn could see his wife’s eyebrows raise in curiosity and interest as she pried for more, not wanting him to leave out a single detail.

“His name is Noah,” Shawn began. “He’s quite the gentleman.” He thought back to the conversation they had standing in front of the shop he had picked up the pink tulips for his wife. “He seems like a very literate young man, very polite too.” He smiled to himself thinking about the two of them. “You could tell that he loves our Annabelle. They reminded me of us when we were that age.”

He took the moment of silence between them to watch as the sun finishing it’s setting. The moon had even began to peek around the soft clouds that still hid most of the stars. Shawn pulled himself to his feet with the help of his cane. He knew that it was time to climb back down the hill before it became too dark for his old eyes to see.

He looked down to where his wife was sat facing the setting sun. Reaching a hand towards her, he stroked his thumbs over the engraved lettering on the grey stone. “A loving Mother and Wife. Forever in our hearts.” The tombstone read. A sad smile spread across his lips with a tear streaming itself down his cheek. He missed his love’s warm smile and contagious laugh. He missed her sarcastic remarks and joking manner. He missed embracing her in front of the fireplace to warm her after a cold winter’s day, both of them getting lost in thought. He missed her being there… with him.

“You won’t ever stop being a part of me, (Y/N).” He whispered to the stone that marked where she laid. “But it’s time I start moving forward and find happiness in things other than coming out here each night. It’s not because I don’t care about you anymore,” He quickly reassured her. “But because I won’t be able to truly live the rest of my life being happy until I do this.” He said this out loud more for himself than for his wife knowing that she would have told him the same five months ago if she could.

His hand fell from the stone as he turned his back towards her and began his journey down the unsteady hill. Going down took longer with each step he took, knowing he wouldn’t be able to retrace it. He remembered the promise he had made his wife while she laid almost lifeless on their bed. He promised her that he would continue live and not hold back on life because she was gone. He knew he had to stick to that promise and giving up this would make him fulfill it.