thiscentury Blog and Journals

Chapter 6 - She Lives in a Fairytale

Hannah was a trained story-teller; that much was obvious. The eloquent words she spun wove into an enthralling tale. It was filled with enough drama to fuel an entire season of soap operas. Yet her facts seemed to be historically correct.

            I wasn’t sure I believed every word that spewed out of her mouth.

            “Elisa and I were both young girls living in a small town near Florence,” Hannah said. “We were talented girls, Elisa being a particularly gifted artist and musician. I was a writer. We had a relatively well-off family, especially for the time. Our father had connections with the day’s greatest celebrities and politicians. And of course, this made us very eligible bachelorettes.” She paused, smiling at the thought as if it amused her.

            “I had no interest to marry and Elisa already had her sights set on someone,” she continued. I tried to think of what her love life had to do with where we are today.

            “I know you may think this is all irrelevant, but I promise it will all come together soon enough,” Hannah said to me. I nodded as she continued. “As I was saying, we were two mere girls, very young in the eyes of our parents. But not young enough to escape the difficulties of life, I’m afraid.” Hannah hesitated, looking towards Elisa. “Perhaps you should explain this part.” Elisa nodded, smiling grimly.

            “As it was previously mentioned, I had my eyes on someone. My boyfriend and I were madly in love,” Elisa began, suppressing a shudder. “Our parents did not approve of the match, but they did not stop me when I insisted we get married. At least, not outright. I knew that if we were to be married, we would have to hurry.

            “His name was Alec Dimostri Farren and we had been in love for the past two years. I was a normal, everyday maiden. He was a scientist, forever infatuated with his countless experiments. He was also a perfect gentleman, showering me with love. I was spellbound by his antics. We had something strong; well, at least I thought we did.

            “He sounds nice,” I stated plainly.

            “My ass,” Elisa mumbled.

            “He is the reason we are here, Hayley,” Hannah said sadly. “Continue Elisa.”

            “Right,” she said. “Anyway, Alec came to me one December morning. The 31^st, to be exact. He told me his family was attempting to get him married off to someone else unless we married within the fortnight. Blinded as I was, I became alarmed. I couldn’t lose him just like that! Alec asked me to elope and I, of course, went along willingly. We arranged to meet by the ancient oak tree in the heart of the town. There was a sparsely vegetated forest around it, not enough to really support wildlife but just enough to keep us hidden from the immediate view of others. Alec had found a minister a town over that would oblige to our marriage even without the support of our families. We were to leave the town that night and be married by the last stroke of midnight. Oh, how excited I was as I crept out of my house that night to meet him. Unfortunately, someone decided to delay me. My best friend. She stopped me, tried to convince me otherwise. But I wouldn’t hear her words. She was the only one who would know of where I’d gone and she’d promised that sometime in the future, she would inform my parents of where I’d gone. She did not trust Alec, not one bit.” Elisa looked briefly towards Hannah, breaking off from her story with tears in her eyes. Her expression suddenly turned apologetic, almost pleading. “I-I should’ve listened to you Hannah! I should’ve listened!” To my surprise, Elisa began crying harder, almost sobbing. Hannah reached across the island to place a hand on her shoulder. A comforting gesture.

            “It is not your fault, Elisa,” she said calm as ever. “You could not see past your love.” Elisa gulped, stemming the flow of her tears as she took a shaky breath.

            “I suppose you’re right,” she allowed grudgingly. She turned to me, fire burning in her usually icy blue eyes. “Alec was a liar and a scumbag,” she said simply. “He was also a power-hungry madman. And I shall forever remember those truths when I think of him.” I shivered at the weight of her words.

“I met him at the oak, nothing but a few dresses in hand. Alec had told me he’d already arranged a house for us and as such, I did not wish to weigh myself down with too many material possessions. I stole my mother’s old white wedding gown after she had retreated to her chamber to sleep. I slipped it on quickly, tucking the veil into my bag before leaving. I somehow managed to sneak around the guards, though not without Hannah’s help. I nearly ran to the oak and I was sweating profusely by the time I stopped. Alec was already there, looking at me with his brown eyes sparkling even in the darkness. He was smiling like always, but there was something off about it. It was almost… threatening. I thought nothing of it. I was foolishly excited, almost jumping for joy as we embraced. I did not notice until it was too late that the glimmer in Alec’s eyes, the spark in his smile, did not come from love. It came from greed.

“I asked him where the carriage was and he replied by saying it had not yet arrived. He proceeded to ask me if I had brought all of my belongings and I nodded, not once questioning his immediate smile. His eyes trailed down towards my solitary bag and a confused expression crossed his face. He proceeded to ask me how much dowry I had brought, becoming outraged when I stated that I couldn’t manage to bring any. He was in a greater rage than I’d ever seen him.” Elisa stopped again. “Perhaps you can continue for me, Hannah. I can’t bear his words.” Hannah nodded serenely.

            “To this day, my sister has not managed to tell me exactly what happened next,” Hannah said quietly. “She merely showed up in my room, a small bruise pulsing above her eye, dropped her bag on my floor and left. Scared the hell out of me with the expression on her face. I was surprised enough at her appearance to merely sit still for a good minute before getting up to follow after her. But when I got to her door, I was shocked to find it locked tight. I could hear her inside. Crying. I was confused and scared so I frantically began pounding on her door whilst screaming for help. But when I heard her scream from inside, I knew I we couldn’t get to her in time. By the time we had gotten her door open, Elisa had died.”

            Elisa bowed her head as if she was ashamed of her actions. Hannah held my gaze, her eyes clouded. My own eyes narrowed in suspicion. I tell she’d blatantly left out the explanation of her own death but I didn’t want to spurt that out. This would have to be played carefully if I wanted answers. I turned to Elisa now, feeling suddenly sympathetic.

            “I’m…” I trailed off. “I am truly sorry.”

            Elisa shook her head. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I was a foolish young girl.”

            I sighed, trying to think quickly. “Hannah?” I tried to get her attention again. She looked up at me, dread in her eyes. “How did… How did you end up here?”

            Hannah smiled drily. “I followed Elisa’s path,” she said, laughing once. It was a brief and dark sound. “I saw her lying there, dead, and I realized I had lost my best friend. My only friend and the only person I lived for. I couldn’t sleep for most of that night for I kept seeing her lifeless form lying there pitifully.  When I did sleep, I had a dream. A vision, you could say. I was strange like that. I used to have visions all the time, even when I was alive. Perhaps it was that fact that drove people away from me. They thought I was a madwoman. Anyway, that night, I had a crucial vision. One telling me that Elisa and I would need to stay together, no matter what. One telling me that Elisa needed me with her wherever she was. At first, I thought it may just be my grief playing with my head. But I soon realized that I felt no grief when I had the vision. I knew what I had to do. When my family woke the next morning, they found my lifeless form, lying next to Elisa’s in her deathbed.”

            “Whoa, what?!” I nearly screamed. “You killed yourself because of a vision?”

            “It sounds crazy, doesn’t it?” Hannah chuckled. I gaped at her.

            “SOUIND crazy?” I remarked. “It WAS crazy!”

            “At this moment, it seems like it was,” Hannah replied smoothly. “This is why I felt we should take things gradually, Hayley. You will understand my actions in the time to come.”

            “But-“

            “Enough,” Elisa interrupted me. I instantly shut up, realizing Elisa looked worried. “Sister, I have important news to share with you. I was going to tell you first thing this morning, but we became sidetracked.” Hannah looked at her intently. Elisa pulled a piece of folded up paper out of her cardigan’s pocket. She handed it to Hannah with a wary expression. Hannah took one look at the paper and her eyes instantly enlarged.

            “I don’t understand,” she said.

            “I received a letter this morning,” Elisa explained. “It’s from Marcus. He is coming.”

            “Holy shit! We’re fucking screwed!” Hannah cursed. I jumped, surprised by her sudden stream of profanities.

            “It’s only Marcus, I’m sure we can handle him,” Elisa insisted. I felt confusion coming back again.

            “Who’s Marcus?” I asked.

            “Never you mind,” Hannah said, sparing me a glance. “Elisa, we must hide her.”

            “Yes, I know!” Elisa exclaimed. She stood up, reaching for my arm. “Come Hayley, we must hide.”

            “Not until you tell me what’s going on,” I said, staying seated. Elisa groaned. “A friend is visiting and you cannot be seen. Not if you want to find Josh.” That got my attention. I stood up quickly, trailing behind a frantic Elisa as she ushered me towards my room.

            “Hurry, Hayley, he shall be here any minute,” Elisa said.

            “Too late,” Hannah said quietly as the front door swung open with a bang. We all paused in our actions as the sounds of heavy footsteps pounded on the way to the hall.

            “Crap,” Elisa whispered. I echoed her words in my mind as a tall figure appeared by the entrance to the kitchen. We were all silent for a moment.     

            “Hello, Marcus,” Hannah greeted. “Long time no see.”

            “Yes,” the man said in a soft voice. He did not look towards Hannah as he spoke. I gulped as his dark eyes bore into mine, as if trying to make me squirm. “It has indeed been a long time.”

Hello buzzneters,
OMG! Hey Monday answered my question!! well Alex Lipshaw did, here's the link:
http://heymonday.buzznet.com/user/video/4368821/asked-hey-monday-answered/

It made my day !! :D

I'm starting to make my Christmas and Birthday wish list ! I'm so excited, this year has been by far the greatest year of my life! Getting to see All Time Low live was definitely one of the highlights, there was also so many great new albums released this year. Nearly one from every band I love! :D
My dance floor anthem at the moment is Alphadog by Fall Out Boy! It's so energetic and catchy!

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Coming soon is...

-One of my bestfriend's party. It's gonna be big! I'm so excited, I bought my dress already! I still need heels/shoes though, guess I'm gonna go shopping this weekend again! I also made the best playlist of songs for everyone to dance to, an absolute mix from latest Pop to Old School 90s to HipHop to Rock to Harstyles to R&B to Country. Everything.

-New Moon, I'm not as excited as I was for Twilight, maybe it's because I know what to expect from watching the trailers and too much hype and goss about it all, it's becoming overrated. In the new movie 'Valentine's Day' which is released next year, the goss between Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner dating?
HAHA my friend's and I thought, what would happen if they got married... Taylor Swift's name would become Taylor Lautner. She'd probably keep her name though. 

-I think there's 18 school days left! I cannot wait for Summer Holidays! Almost 2 months of relaxation and fun! A time for chilling out with friends... Movie and TV marathons, the beach, parties, shopping and the most important, 'TOUR' ( my friends and I call it that because we go to each other's houses) aka a jamming session with friends, playing covers of our favourite songs, teaching each other stuff and to top it off with a concert DVD !! :D Wooh! We watched Paramore's Final Riot last time! It was mindblowing.

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Anyway as a part of This Century's Street Team...
Be supportive and help spread the word about this amazing band, 'This Century' hailing from Arizona.
They are an awesome band! If you have not heard of them, you know where to go:
http://www.myspace.com/thiscentury

http://thiscentury.buzznet.com/user/

'So Cruel' from the 'To Love And Back EP' is now streaming in their player.
Follow @ Twitter
http://twitter.com/thiscentury
or be part of the street team
http://twitter.com/ThisCenturyST

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By the way is anyone here participating in The Maine's contest to win 'In Person' on DVD?
http://www.wearethemaine.net/node/9196

Until next time...
<3 bRi.anna.

RAWR IT LIVES!! man i've been so damn slow lately! im sorry guys!

"What is going on in here?" I voice said from the door. Our heads whipped to the side simultaneously and I sucked in a breath when I saw a very angry looking Hannah standing there.

Chp. 6 - I Can Keep a Secret If You Can Keep Me Guessin'

"Oh, good morning Hannah," Elisa said, quickly regaining her composure. The snobby air had returned to her words as she looked over her sister.

            "Elisa, what are you doing?" Hannah asked her harshly. Elisa put on an innocent façade, even going as far as to raise her eyebrows in confusion.

            "What do you mean?" she asked. "I was merely checking on Hayley."

            "Don't give me your nonsense, Elisa, I want the truth," Hannah said in a chilling voice. Elisa's resolve faltered.

            "Um, she's telling the truth," I said quietly. Hannah faced me, her nostrils flared. Elisa was sending me warning signals with her ice-blue eyes. "I was having a bad dream; she came to check on me."

            Hannah stared me down and I willed myself to hold her burning gaze. Elisa had her fingers crossed out of Hannah's line of vision. I was breathing steadily, hoping feverishly that Hannah would accept the excuse.

            "Very well," she said after some time. "Both of you get ready and come to the kitchen. I'd like a word."

            She spun out of the room gracefully, giving Elisa one last contemptuous glance before disappearing from view. The door slammed shut behind her with an echoing thud. I let out the breath I was holding and was amused to hear Elisa do the same.

            "That was too close," Elisa whispered after she was sure Hannah was gone from the hallway. "We must not speak of these matters while Hannah is around, okay?" I nodded without hesitation. "Good. Let's go get ready."

            I stood up and started going through the usual routine I'd had since I was old enough to dress myself. I had gotten so used to the fact that I was apparently in my old room that for a second, I forgot that I was probably thousands of miles from my real home. I glanced towards Elisa, waiting for some sort of instruction.

            "Oh, my bad," she giggled. "Go ahead and look through those drawers; I'm sure you'll find some of your old clothes in there. Your bathroom still branches off from here, just like at your own home."

            "Cool," I mumbled, digging through the orange dresser tucked into a lonely corner of my room. I turned as I heard Elisa leaving my room with a small wave. She was no doubt retreating to her own room to prepare for the day. I returned my attention to my clothes, plucking out my TWLOHA shirt and some skinny jeans. I laughed a little at the shirt. How ironic that I would choose to wear it now.

 Ten minutes of a hot shower and some grooming basics later, I was poking my head out of my room for some sign of Elisa. As if on cue, she strode out of her room, looking like a spectacular super-model. I convulsively looked down to my now ratty-looking outfit before stepping out of my room as well.

            "Oh good, you're ready," Elisa noted, looking up from a piece of paper she was reading.

            "Yeah," I said. "What's that?"

            "Oh... nothing, just nothing," she said hastily. I rolled my eyes, wondering how long it'd take her before she realized what a horrid liar she was. She stole a glimpse of my expression and sighed. "Don't worry about it, it doesn't really concern you."

            "If you say so," I said, shrugging as I followed Elisa out to the kitchen. We both gulped when we saw Hannah sitting on a stool at the large island, staring at her intertwined fingers as she waited for us. Elisa stepped over the threshold first and Hannah's head immediately snapped up to glare at her. I vaguely wondered why the two sisters were being so hostile to each other and hoped it wasn't my fault. Then again, it was their choice to associate with me anyway.

            "Sit," Hannah said simply, pointing to two stools across from her. Elisa followed the simple command immediately, somehow coming off as patronizing even in obedience. I followed her example and sat down quietly.

            "Okay, girls, here's the deal," Hannah began. "I know you were explaining things to Hayley, Elisa." We both opened our mouths to retaliate, to make excuses for what had gone down. Hannah cut us off. "However, I've thought about it and realized that if we want Hayley to cooperate, she needs some details. Now, Hayley, I want you to understand that I do not want to hide anything from you. But I've existed too long and seen too many people led astray from knowing too much. Even more so than those who knew too little."

            "Ignorance is bliss," Elisa mumbled, placing her chin on her palm and looking bored. Hannah ignored the defiance in Elisa's tone.

            "Exactly," she said in response to Elisa's words. "Well, Hayley, even though knowing too much could potentially lead to all of us suffering, you still need to know enough to get by."

            "Okay, well if I have the right to know more," I spat at her. "Then maybe you could start by telling me what the girl from my dream has to do with rescuing Josh. I'm sure that Elisa, at the least, can answer that question."
            "She had a vision, I suppose?" Hannah ignored Hayley, turning instead to Elisa.

            "Yes," she sighed. "Hayley, I'll give you this. That girl is important. Never forget her. But I don't think it's safe to tell you everything about that girl yet."

            My fist slammed down on the counter before I truly had a sense of what I was doing. Anger poured into me, uncontrollable and in an uproar. "God dammit, what can you tell me?!"

            "Shut up!" Hannah nearly screeched, looking towards the roof once again. I bit back my retort, realizing that I should choose my words more carefully. "You sure as heck should watch your mouth, girl," Hannah scolded. Elisa sneered at her sister, her hands balling into fists as well.

            "Well maybe if you weren't so damn confusing, she wouldn't be having these issues!" she said. Hannah sighed, leaning her elbows on the counter and rubbing her temples. I scoffed. As if she had reason to have a headache right now. She was lucky that it was only raised voices coming at her; lucky I wasn't pulling her hair out of her scalp in annoyance.

            "Okay, look," I spoke up before the two sisters could start fighting. "This is what we're going to do. I'm going to sit here quietly. And you two are going to tell me why you are helping me to find Josh."

            There was a pause as the two girls considered my command. Hannah seemed to resolve something as she looked up, staring into my eyes in a way that made me feel as if my pupils would burn. I glowered at her, waiting for her response.

            "Very well," she subjected, folding her hands in front of her regally. "That, my friend, is a very long story. And if you will keep your anger in check, then you'll find that many of your questions will be answered. Be patient. I will understand a few interruptions, but if you do not keep yourself controlled, then I will cease to explain myself. Are we clear?"

            "We're clear," I mumbled somewhat reluctantly.

            "Good," Hannah said. "Now our explanation begins in a time that many mortals would find unimportant. In another age of sorts. Our tale begins back when Elisa and I were both alive."

Dun, dun, dunnn!!! Semi-cliffhangerish ending there? Sorry i've been so slow readers! i've got a week off for fall break now, so hopefully i can update more? I'm feelin some writer's blockish vibes on ATHAS, sadly. i'll try and work on that through the week and i hope you'll forgive me for being so dreadfully slow. Well comments and buzzes are welcomed!

Have a look at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1Y0fjf2d4k

The EP Army concept is simple...show our music to other people, film it/photograph it, and hopefully people will pass the word along!!

Here is what you need to do:

- Have an Ipod/MP3 player with you w/ the To Love And Back EP on it!

- Bring a video camera/digital camera

- Make a creative sign saying "Hey World! I just listened to This Century's EP "To Love and Back" (or something similar!)....hand out fliers if you would like as well with our name on it!

- Approach people and ask them if they would like to check out a band called This Century...then hand them your poster and take a picture or film them listening to a song off of the EP (preferably To Love And Back or Running!)

After they listen hand them a flyer and then off to the next person!

Tips on where to go!:

School

Concerts

Malls

Send all of your pictures and videos to EPArmy@gmail.com EVERY SINGLE VIDEO AND PICTURE WILL BE FEATURED ON OUR MYSPACE PAGE!!! We will also post all videos in a daily bulletin..some videos will be features on other sites such as BUZZNET AND MODLIFE.

Below is an example of the type of video that we're looking for...remember...try and be as creative as possible with this!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml0TMiRVKG0

Sunday was A M A Z I N G. This Century played at my friends house.

I had sooo much fun. The guys are so cool. I love them so much.

We ate fruit roll ups with whip cream. It sounds totally gross, but it taste so good. I swear. 

Joel drew me an angry cupcake tattoo on my arm.

He said he was working on a clothing line and there's going to be a shirt of an angry cupcake. :D 

I don't feel like writing about everything that happened because that's boring so here's some pictures. :)

After they played, Joel said he was admiring my socks the whole time (there were snowmen on it).

 And he thought my last name was sweeet. It's Dang. It made my day. Haha.

JOEL! Peace signs are kinda lame, sorry.

We look pale. Stupid flash.

ALEX! Squinty.. :/ PS: You shouldn't smoke. You're only 19.

Unless you were holding those cigarettes for someone else.

RYAN! Such a nice guy. 

STEVEN! Tour mangager/merch guy.

THIS CENTURY! What the heck. My eyes look so weird. :( 

Aww. Secret lovers?

 I guess not...

JOEL... HAHAHA.

I would've posted my picture with Sean, but I blinked. Haha.

 Check their Myspace and Twitters often.

They'll be posting blogs about where they will be traveling.

 If they come to your city, email them and tell them to play at your house!!

<3Jenny

 *CONTEST UPDATE: I've decided to change it a little. Instead of 20 cookies, you're going to have to get 75 to get a free shirt. I know it may seem like alot, but I've uploaded alot of stuff lately and I'll be uploading alot of videos and pictures. Especially in November with all the concerts I'm going to. If you suggest something of mine that you really like and it gets featured, you'll get 3 points. Keep commenting and buzzing. 

*CLOTHING LINE UPDATE: Ahh. I'm sorry I haven't uploaded anything. Sketching takes too much time so I think I'm just going to make them on the computer so you guys have an idea of what they'll look like. I PROMISE this weekend, you will see something from the line. PROMISE. Oh and would you want those rubber braclets? 

BUY LIGHT'S NEW ALBUM, THE LISTENING & MAYDAY PARADE'S ANYWHERE BUT HERE.

I awoke suddenly, screaming bloody murder at the top of my lungs. I sat up suddenly, my screams not halting in the least as I looked around me. I half expected to see Josh lying in front of me and bleeding. For a moment, the brilliant red of my walls, visible even in the darkness, startled me even more. I could feel my screams changing to hysterical sobs as I trembled, pulling the covers up to my chin to smother my cries. The moon was shining lightly but I could see the sky changing to a dark gray. It would soon be dawn. I tried to steady my breathing and buried my face in a pillow to stifle my sobs. I didn’t want to wake the others. But it was too late to worry about that for I heard Elisa’s voice coming unmistakably from beside me.

            “Hayely, what’s wrong?!” she asked in a hushed voice. I jumped up with a scream anyway, not having heard her come in. “Calm down! What happened?” She had pulled my face away from the covers and was hugging me, trying to soothe me.

            “N-n-othing,” I stuttered, gasping for air. “Bad- bad dream.” She gave me a confused look but asked no questions. I sobbed onto her shoulder for a few more minutes before my tears finally subsided. I sniffed one last time, wiping my eyes dry with my sleeves. Elisa magically produced a box of tissues and I took it graciously.

            “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked in a concerned voice. I was surprised to see her sudden change of attitude. I would’ve expected this behavior from Hannah and not her. I was about to shake my head no but I changed my mind.

            “M-murder,” I whispered. I hadn’t quite regained my coherency yet. Elisa didn’t seem to look at all confused.

            “Josh’s murder.” She didn’t say it like a question. In fact she looked at me in awe. “You had a vision, didn’t you?”

            “What?”

            “What happened in the dream?” she asked me. I gulped as I recalled the events.

            “A vision!” she exclaimed, shaking me slightly. “Hayley, you had a vision! Oh my god! This is perfect! We were right.”

            I didn’t feel like she was talking to me anymore. “Right about what? Elisa, what are you talking about?”

            She looked towards me again with wide eyes but she seemed to remember who I was. Her eyes went nearly back to normal, a ghost of emotion flickering in and out of view. “Nothing,” she said quickly. Too quickly to be an acceptable answer. “I was just blubbering.”

            “No. No, you weren’t,” I argued, my voice rising in volume. She shushed me, looking towards the door almost spasmodically.

            “Don’t wake Hannah,” she spat in a low voice. I nodded quickly, noting the serious tone of her voice. She sighed running a hand through her silky blonde hair. “Hayley, we’re not exactly being very clear with you right now, but it’s for your own good. We don’t want to overwhelm you for one thing… and it’s just safer if we take things slow.”

            “Elisa, if you don’t tell me any of the important details, then I’ll never find Josh!” I complained. She nodded, understanding lighting her eyes.

            “Believe me Hayley, I WANT to tell you,” she said, continuing when I gave her a skeptical look. “No I really do! But Hannah is all about moderation and planning and basically, she’s going to get us fucked over big time! The truth is, we need you AND Josh more than you know.”

            “So let me know WHY!”

            “I can’t tell you everything!” she replied helplessly.

            “Then tell me what you can,” I said with awful finality. She took in a deep, shaky breath.

            “What do you want to know?” she asked.

            “What’s this about a vision?”

            “Your dream. It was too real, too detailed, and much too accurate to be a regular old dream. It was a vision, I have no doubt about it. It’s not strange to get them up here. In fact, it’s rather common. Hannah and I get then all the time.”

            “So what were you guys right about?” I asked her.

            “Umm… well this goes to the whole ‘I can’t tell you everything’ discussion… Let’s just say that you having this vision is proving something to us. That we’re doing the right thing here. You just… gave us some valuable information. The details of Josh’s death are very important for everything we do from now on.”

            “Why?” I asked, not really wanting an answer. I didn’t get one either, but as we sat there in silence, something seemed to click in my head.

            Because as magical as this place seemed, as unreal all these events were, they were real. And in reality, Elisa and Hannah had no reason to help me find Josh. They needed a motive. And the only clue I could find in my so-called vision was….

            “You know something that you’re not telling me,” I accused Elisa. “Something that could change my whole perspective on things.”

            “Wh-what?” she stuttered.

            “Who’s that girl from the alley, Elisa?” I questioned her rather fiercely.

            “I don’t kn-“

            “Don’t lie to me,” I hissed, my words sounding venomous. “Who is that girl? And what does she mean to us? She’s the only reason you two would be helping me!”

            “Halyey…. I-“

            “Elisa, please just tell me!” I pleaded.

            “What is going on in here?” a voice said from the door. Our heads whipped to the side simultaneously and I sucked in a breath when I saw a very angry looking Hannah standing there.

DUN, DUN, DUN!!! sorry these chapters have been so short, but they just keep on coming out like that :( COMMENTS PLEEZ!!! LETS TRY AND MAKE IT TO LIKE.... 10 THIS TIME!! wow is that a big order? buzzes also makes me happyful XD

TADAH!!! CHAPTER 4!!! sometimes it scares me the things i write 

That night, I dreamt of Josh again. It wasn’t nearly as nice as the last time. In fact, it was the exact opposite. This time, I wasn’t actually in the scene that was playing out before my eyes. Instead, I was a bystander, looking over the events and wishing I could take part in them. But the only reason I’d take part in this was to stop it.

            I didn’t know where we were this time, but it definitely wasn’t the sunlit field from the last dream. I felt as if I was in a medieval dungeon instead, but I knew this was one of those alleys back in Franklin. The kind where you only went if you were looking for trouble… or if the corner was already taken. I wondered meekly why Josh was standing in the middle of this gloomy alley, a light rain falling upon us. He wasn’t the type to be here, especially at this time of night.

            Then I saw the frightened expression on his face. He wasn’t standing around at all. He was shooting fleeting glances all around him as he backed up swiftly. There was such an intense fear evident in his widened brown eyes that I could feel my breath hitching in my throat from just looking at him. He was panting when his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. I turned around and held in a startled scream when I saw what was now at the end of the alley. Standing there in front of us had to be the single most frightening man I’d ever seen in my entire life. He would have seemed like an ordinary hooligan to most people but I could see the anger burning in his eyes as he stared at Josh. It was if he were a raging flame, coming towards us and anticipating the sound of our screams as we burned. I had to remember that I wasn’t really there but I still couldn’t hold off the scream when he pulled out his knife.

            Oh god. I knew where I was now. I vaguely remembered what the police had managed to get through to me before I was sprinting towards the hospital that day. Where had they found him? In an old alley, covered in knife wounds and blood. I was about to see the murder of the love of my life.

            I wanted to yell at Josh, to tell him to run and get out of there, but it was no use. Even as I jumped up and down to get his attention, he said nothing. Neither did the disgusting man who was now only a good ten feet from Josh. It wouldn’t have helped much if Josh could hear me because the alley was a dead end. In more ways than one. I heard a whimper coming from behind Josh and realized for the first time that he was not the only victim in this alley. There was a young girl cowering behind him, her eyes showing fear and utter desperation as the fiend cornered the both of them. I tried to put my finger on why she was there. She looked as if she were only 15 or 16, her long blonde hair filled with dirt and tangles. The clothes she wore were tattered and looked as if they were diseased. Josh stepped in front of her, a determined look now on his face. He was trying to protect her, the foolish boy.

            “Give me the girl, boy, and no one has to get hurt,” said the man, contrastingly pulling up his glistening knife. With a start I realized there was already blood on it, fresh blood. I looked towards Josh and the girl and cried out when I saw the blood steadily running from his shoulder down his grimy white shirt. The girl behind him had blood running all over her as Josh held his hands out to show that he wasn’t giving her up any time soon.

            “Over my dead body,” he growled. The man smirked.

            “Your death wish I guess,” he shrugged, pulling the knife up further and lunging for Josh with a snarl. I shrieked along with the blonde-haired girl as she stumbled and fell behind the two struggling men. Josh cried out in pain as the knife found its mark. The silver hilt protruded from his mangled stomach. I couldn’t scream anymore. I could only whimper as the frightened girl took one look at him and one at the killer before jumping up with a start and scampering away, her bare feet smacking against the pavement. I wanted to scream at her to come back and fight that bastard off, to save my Josh, but she had other ideas. With a mumbled curse, the man turned to Josh and ruthlessly plucked his knife out before pursuing the girl. Josh moaned as crimson liquid spurted out in bucket-sized quantities. I cried harder, falling down next to him and calling his name. He couldn’t hear me. He couldn’t feel my hands as I tried to stop the blood from flowing from his wound, but it was no use. I was nothing more than a shadow here.

            “Josh no,” I cried. His eyes looked blank as they searched the darkness around him.

            “No,” he moaned again. “No. Have to go back. Have to go back to my Hayley.” His words turned to mush, the only discernable word being my name. And then the sound of his voice was nothing but a memory flowing through the night wind. The rain water was running red as my vision blurred. His breathing had stopped and his eyes were fixed in a blank stare. He did not twitch in pain any longer.

            I awoke suddenly, screaming bloody murder at the top of my lungs.

man... i love how i think of such violent things while listening to Kelly Clarkson.. and i'm talkin any of that hardcore trashin my ex's apartment kinda Clarkson either O___O okay, so i started while listening to BNE..... ANYWAYS!! COMMENT PORFAVOR! and... maybe a buzz?

Who read my Current Obsessions 2? Remember Zac Seif?

"I started as an acoustic musician in the start of 2009. I did several tours and shared the stage with some amazing bands. After collecting my thoughts about music, I played around with a few styles until I found the one that works - AKA Satellites. I play and record all of the instruments (except drums) on my albums and am blessed for the talent the lord has given me. Talk to me, I'll talk back." -Satellites

Formerly known as Zac Seif, Satellites has been to signed to 8123 management, which consists of The Maine, A Rocket To The Moon, Brighten, and The Goodnight Anthem. Zac said Pat Kirch (The Maine) will be involved in Satellites and will be helping out with the management. Follow him on Twitter.

Download Satellites new album for FREE. Click here, here, or here!

 <3Jenny

In less than 24 hours, I will be partying with This Century. So stoked. AHHH!!!

10 MORE DAYS UNTIL ON YOUR SIDE! :D

THIS CENTURY IS PLAYING AT MY FRIEND'S HOUSE ON SUNDAY!!

AND IM SEEING THEM ON WEDNESDAY. AHHHHH!!!!

IM.SO.EXCITED. :D

Check out jonbiegen's acoustic cover of Jay-Z's Empire State of Mind.

And listen to his band, Love, Robot when you get the chance.

NEW GLAMOUR KILLS LINE IS OUT!!

Tomorrow is FINALLY Friday. This week has been so long and cold :(

I'll try and upload some sketches of the clothing line this weekend.

I hope you have an amazing weekend!

<3Jenny

PS: I'm not going to give out cookies for this journal. It's just a random pointless journal and I uploaded 3 things yesterday. Sowwieeeee! BUT. I'll be posting a picture tonight. :)

PSS (PPS?): Go to my friend, Nikki's Buzznet and show her some love. She has swine flu. :O

Speaking of, a freshman at my school has it.

well here ya go! hope you guys like it! i feel like it's kind of dangerous for me to be writing this O__O

We trekked through the sandy plain for a good ten minutes before the girls stopped. They turned to me, each offering a hand.

            “It’s your first time here,” Hannah said. “So I recommend you grab our hands and hold tight. It’s frightening to a beginner.” I waited for her to explain more but when she didn’t, I hesitantly grabbed their hands, hoping the sweat building on my palms wouldn’t make me slip out of their grips. Hannah and Elisa both turned to the sky, their faces intent. I watched curiously as they both extended their free hands, muttering in what sounded like a foreign language.

            “Ehkhana morkslev hazarath,” they chanted. I could feel the confused expression on my face as I stared at them, too distracted by their strange words to see the massive form rising from the sand. It wasn’t until it rose to eye-level that I noticed it and instantly gasped. The black stones rose one-by-one, red-brown sand steadily trickling off their sides. The stones came together to make a monumental shape. I would have thought it was a grand palace except it was only the size of a small house. The structure incorporated both modern and classic designs, thus, giving the whole thing a magical and elegant look.

            “Well, this is our house,” Elisa said, standing by the now open dark gray door. “You comin in or are you just gonna stand out there and gape at it.” I stifled my remark as I stepped over the threshold and into their foyer. I was astounded by the sudden change. The inside of the house didn’t seem to belong to the gallant exterior. The mix of wood paneling and warm gray stones and hardwood floors didn’t at all match the shining ebony of the outside. I looked up and was shocked to see the warm wood beams hanging above us. I could hear a fire crackling somewhere within the depths of the home. I followed Hannah and Elisa as they strode further into the house. My tiny feet made contrastingly loud noises as the floorboards creaked under my feet. However, Elisa and Hannah made no noise as they glided into what was obviously a sitting room. Elisa pointed me towards a comfy looking red couch and I had to gasp again.

            That couch. That very couch sitting around in this strange house with these two very strange girls. That was my couch. The very couch Josh and I sat around on for hours while we wrote together, sang together, played together, or just talked with each other on was here. I could feel tears pricking at my eyes as memories came flooding back to me but I held them back and merely sat down. As soon as I made contact with the worn red fabric, I knew. Yup, this was definitely my couch.

            “Well, Hayley, you seem to have been through a lot today,” Hannah interrupted my thoughts, sitting down across from me on a slightly darker red couch, a light paisley design highlighted in the flickering flames of the fire. I raised one eyebrow at her, nodding as an answer. She gave me a half-smile before snapping her fingers unexpectedly. Out of nowhere, a foldable table appeared between us laden with steaming hot tea. I stared at it, not sure if it was safe to drink. I heard Elisa sigh.

            “We’re not going to kill you… yet,” she muttered. “Just drink the damn tea.”

            “Elisa,” Hannah warned in a threatening voice. She grumbled in response but said nothing else. Tentatively, I reached out and grabbed some tea. I carefully took a sip and instantly felt comfort with the familiar taste.

            “Do you like it?” Hannah asked me. I nodded again, still not wanting to talk. I heard another sigh, from Hannah this time. “Hayley, you are allowed to talk, I hope you know that.” I started to nod again but thought better of it.

            “Yeah… sorry,” I mumbled. Hannah gave me a look of understanding but Elisa only rolled her eyes.

            “Well Hayley,” Hannah said to me. “I think you have a few questions for us?”

            I looked at her, trying to think of which question to ask first. Honestly, I can’t even remember which question had popped into my head first. I remember wishing I could just spurt out all my questions at the same time and have an instantaneous answer. But all those wishes won’t change my first question.

            “Where’s Josh?” I asked.

            “Oh… um, Hayley, that’s not a very easy question to answ-“ Hannah began.

            “Try,” I cut her off. She sighed, taking a sip of her tea.

            “We don’t know,” she said coolly. I scoffed at her, preparing to argue. She held up her hand for silence and I gladly gave it to her, knowing she had the upper hand at the moment. I shouldn’t upset her.

            “We really don’t know Hayley, but wherever he is, we think you’ll have to find him,” she said. My brow furrowed in confusion. “The fact that you’re still here and haven’t… passed yet is abnormal. Well, no not so much. But there’s just something wrong here, Hayley, and we’re not sure what. But we’ve been getting bad vibes ever since we were sent to receive you. And my instincts are telling me to point you towards Josh.”

            “You were sent to receive me?” I asked. “Who sent you? And where exactly are we if I haven’t ‘passed’ yet?”

            “Calm down,” Elisa said from her armchair, sounding completely at peace. I wanted to groan in frustration and explain that I wasn’t exactly in a position that allowed me to stay calm. “Well it’s kind of obvious as to who sent us, isn’t it? The Big Boss. I mean, it is our job. We shouldn’t even have to be told but we were tipped that you would be difficult so we got here early for you. You should be honored. I hardly ever wake up early on weekends.”

            “Big Boss?” I asked, feeling even more confused than before. “But who is the Big Boss? And where is here?”

            “Ignore Elisa, she will only confuse you further,” Hannah said, drawing my attention again. “Well Hayley I think it’d be best for you if I just explained to you everything you need to know, starting with where we are.” I agreed quietly before Hannah launched into her explanation.

            “Well Hayley, a simple way to describe where you are would be to say you’re in Limbo,” Hannah said. My eyebrows just about disappeared into my bangs. “Have you heard of Limbo before?”

            “Um yeah… I guess,” I admitted. “Not since I watched that Toothfairy movie on Disney though.”

            Hannah giggled. “Disney hardly gets things right but they had the general idea correct I suppose. Limbo is the stop between the dead and the living. Most people are here only for a few hours before they move onto Judgment and have their new homes determined.”

            “You mean like Heaven and Hell?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

            “Oh no!” Hannah exclaimed. “You wouldn’t have made it this far if you were destined for Hell. You see, most people don’t even come to Limbo. They get sent straight to Judgment and it is decided which level of Heaven they go to. Either that or they burn in the eternal pits of damnation whilst doing Satan’s bidding.” I looked at her incredulously and she smirked slightly. “It’s not as simple as I make it sound, trust me. I won’t go into too many details. Anyway, the reason you’re in limbo is because you didn’t ‘die’ from a natural or accidental death. You took your own life and as such, you have to take a different path from the majority of the new arrivals.”

            “Oh,” was all I could manage to respond with. So it was my own fault that I was stuck here when I could be with Josh. But I didn’t have an alternative choice. It was the only way for me to even get close to him.

            “So this is how things work. Suicide victims end up in Limbo. They have a choice. They can stay here for a while and work for the betterment of society or they can take their chances with Judgment. Mind you, we can still end up in Hell.” I gulped as she continued. “That’s how we ended up here.” Her voice was quiet as she finished and she was staring determinedly at the floorboards.

            “What?” I asked, dumbfounded.

            “Never mind that,” Hannah stuttered. “We need to figure out what we’ll be doing next Hayley.”

            “Well, what are my choices?”

            “Simple. You can go on and accept your fate. You can act as any other suicide victim would and choose between getting a job and going to Judgment. Now as for jobs, you’ll do what we do. Guide the other souls who pass through here and sometimes get assigned some bigger tasks by… the Big Guy.”

            “And what about finding Josh?” I protested. Elisa was staring into the flames, not even paying attention. As such, I turned to Hannah for my answer. Her face seemed to age before my very eyes as she answered me.

            “I’m going to be honest with you Hayley. Finding Josh… it goes against nature. But I feel like this is what has to happen. But they won’t be very happy about it and we must oblige to their wishes.”

            “They? Who is ‘they’? I don’t give a crap about what they’re happy about. I’m here for Josh and that’s it!” I was barely keeping my voice from reaching a shout. Hannah winced slightly as if the sharpness of my words cut into her.

            “Hayley, you can’t speak about them like that!” she whispered.

            “But who are they?” I replied, not bothering to keep my voice down. Hannah reflexively looked towards the ceiling as if expecting something to fall onto her head.

            “The gods,” she whispered back. “When we’re in Limbo, they can’t hear everything we do but they can still hear us when we speak of them. Do not attract their attention right now. I will help you Hayley, but you have to be patient with me. I don’t know how much I can explain at one time. I must be careful for the sake of everyone’s safety.”

            “The gods?” I asked. “You mean like Greek gods? They exist?” I couldn’t help but keep the small smile off my face. I had always loved mythology.

            “Yes, yes they do,” she replied hurriedly. “Greek, Hindu, Egyptian-“

            “Roman?”

            “Well, really now! You and I both know the Roman gods and just Greek gods with different names. But yes, they do exist and boy do they fight with the Greeks about whose turn it is to ‘pull the sun chariot’ or whatever-“

            “So science has been wrong all along?” I could feel my curiosity trying to win over me.

            “Yes and no,” she replied. “Look, Hayley this is complicated. I’ve been up here for centuries and I’m still not sure how it all works. Somehow, everything coexists. Just leave it at that and don’t delve into it. We need to focus!”

            “Centuries?” I asked her. “How long have you been… you know. ‘In a better place’?”

            “A better place? I can hardly call this better but I have been up here for quite some time,” she said in a grave voice. “That’s a discussion for some other time. Listen, it’s getting quite late. You should get some rest. We’ll discuss things in the morning-“

            “But what about Josh?” I persisted. “I don’t want to just wait like that! Every second counts.”

            “Hayley we will help you get to him. In truth, I feel rather obliged to do so because… oh never mind that, I’ll tell you some other day. But it’ll do him no good if you go staggering around that desert by yourself looking for mirages that don’t exist. Get some rest and we’ll start in the morning. Okay?”

            “All right,” I reluctantly mumbled, stifling a yawn as I did so. Hannah clicked her fingers and our empty tea cups suddenly disappeared. The steaming water that was left over in the tea pot flew out and put a spluttering end to the fire. I looked at it wide-eyed, wondering why bouts of smoke didn’t pour out. I remember one year when my dad taught me how to put out a campfire. He had said the most important thing was to not pour all the water at once. And yet, it seemed to make no difference here. Obviously, this place would take some getting used to.

            Hannah stood up, her silhouette almost invisible, dark on darkness as it was. a soft glow came from the halls in which lights still flickered. “Elisa, show Hayley to her room,” Hannah commanded before swiftly turning around and disappearing down one of the many halls branching off from the room. I found myself standing without realizing I had moved, drowsiness nearly overcoming me. I jumped when I sensed Elisa suddenly appear next to me.

            “Well?” she asked impatiently. “You comin or not? I haven’t got all night, Red.” I nodded, keeping down my sarcastic remark as she showed me to my room. She led me down the same hall that Hannah had flitted through. We walked in near silence, stopping in front of a bright red door on the left of the hall.

            “This is your room,” Elisa pointed to the door. “Hannah’s room is right down there at the end of the hall. The green door. My room is right across from yours with the yellow door. If you need anything, just come ask one of us.”

            “Thanks,” I muttered as Elisa strode across the hall to her room. She walked in and nearly had her door shut before she seemed to stop herself. She stuck her head through the gap.

            “Goodnight,” she said. There was something playing through her eyes, as if she wanted to say more but couldn’t bring herself to do it.

            “Night,” I said as she shut her door. I sighed, turning around and bursting through my door. I tried not to gasp as I looked around. I should have known just from the door and from memories of the couch outside what would happen here. In front of me was an exact replica of my room. I was far too exhausted to look around and obsess over being able to lounge around in here again. Instead, I stumbled over to my comfy bed and plopped down, almost immediately falling asleep. Even as I fell into unconsciousness, I could feel thoughts swirling through my head. I sighed. This was going to be a long night.