Chapter I
"Where is it!" I yelled furiously into the closet.
I was looking for my My Chemical Romance band t-shirt. It was the last piece of clothing I had that wasn't bright that my mom had bought me.
"Reverie, hurry up! Your cereal is getting cold!" my mom shouted up to me. I stared at that sentence for second then went back to searching.
"Jesus Christ! I wore it a week ago! I know it's clean!" I turned around and walked over to my bed when I saw something hanging on my door on a hanger.
It was the My Chemical Romance shirt. I slipped it over my head and brushed down my jet black hair then stared into my mirror.
My ice blue eyes stood out because of the eyeliner. I was such a strange person. I had fringe bangs and long, chopped, diagonal like hair.
I slipped on my black skinny jeans and rushed downstairs and inhaled breakfast.
I pulled my white and black striped jacket off the hanger and slipped it on, then put my back pack over my shoulder
I was almost to the door when my mom said, "Wait, Revie, give your mom a hug!"
I turned around and gave her a quick hug and shot out the door, desperate to get to the bus stop on time, and made it there
right before the doors closed.
I found a seat in the very back where no one sat on the first day of school.
This was going to be a terrible year. I was going into eighth grade, it was also my third year being emo, and not to mention atheist.
But I was also sort of happy. This was my last year in my school in Cranston, Rhode Island.
"Reverie Deon! It's still summer why are you wearing a jacket?" asked my worst enemy. Her name was Jenny Ray. She was also, the cheer leading captain. And let's just say, me and cheerleaders don't mix well, especially if it's the captain.
I looked at her with a confused expression. "Jenny, it's August thirteenth, why are you wearing a mask when Halloween is still more than two months away?" I retorted. Jenny was the kind of person who always wore too much makeup.
After I had said that, she had a flared expression on her face and turned her little preppy blond head around to talk to her friends.
I turned forward and watched as the bus stopped and the doors opened, and nothing could have prepared me for what I saw next.
Up walked someone new, someone I had never seen before, and apparently Jenny saw him too (did I mention he was a boy) because her head had snapped up also.
But this wasn't any kind of guy. He looked like me. He had
a Marilyn Manson shirt on with a black jacket. He had long, fringe banged, white blond hair.
When he was in hearing range of Jenny she spoke. "Would you like to sit h-here." she asked.
He looked down at her with a blank expression then continued walking. And I let out a suppressed giggle.
He was heading toward the back! I put down my back pack to make room for him and put on the same expression as his.
He sat down next to me and stared my face and the rest of my figure for about five seconds when he turned his attention toward the front.
"My name's Syrinx." he said in a beautiful voice, while still facing the front. It was a voice I had never dreamed of. But then I realized something. His name was like mine also. Reverie and Syrinx were both songs composed by Claude Debussy.
I looked curiously at him then said, "I'm Reverie." but continued staring at him.
Once I had announced myself he looked at me with the same look I had. He opened his mouth to say something but we both hit the seat in front of us when the bus jerked to a stop in front of the school.
We walked off the bus together then Jenny came racing after us, well more like him and said, "How about I give you a tour of the school?"
And when I though my pinnacle of joy couldn't get any higher, Syrinx said, "The principal gave me a tour the other day." and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
We both walked to social studies first period together, which was extremely lucky for me.
Practically all that Mr. Long was talking about was himself and at the very end what we would be doing for the year.
After that period, I learned more about a teacher than I would ever want to know. Some personal stuff I'm surprised he would even speak of.
The bell finally rang and we both walked off to advanced art.
"We have this together too?" I asked into the air.
"I guess we do." I heard Syrinx's voice beside me, I had forgotten he was there. "Do you not like me?" he asked.
"No, no! It's not that, I'm just...surprised."
He stared at me for another second then walked into the classroom.
Once everyone was in the room, she started talking about what we would be doing for the year and thanked us for choosing to do advanced art.
She then handed us all a cube of clay and on each table a bucket of water.
I dipped my hands lightly in the water and began rolling the clay around in my hands, turning it into a ball.
I took my thumb and began dipping it into the clay, forming a dent, then sharpened the end.
With a stick that had been passed out to us, I drew a heart on each side of the three dimensional heart, then drew a jig jag line down the middle on each side, then put it on the parchment at her desk.
When I turned around, Syrinx was right there, with the exact same figure I had made and placed it on the parchment.
I raised my eyebrow, but he just gave a small smile.
I went to algebra and he went to english, the first time since I met him today that we weren't together.
After math, I had lunch.
I got what I needed from the salad bar then sat down at a deserted table.
Right after I had sat down, of course, so did Syrinx.
"Do you mind telling me why you copied my creation in art?" I asked.
"Yes, I do." he replied.
I thought for a second. "So you like Marilyn Manson?"
"Yeah, and you like My Chemical Romance?"
I nodded and began eating my food.
"You know I didn't expect to find some one like you here."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, you're emo and atheist, like me."
I was taken aback. He was atheist? Wait! How did he know I has atheist? "How did you know I was atheist?"
"You have that look that says 'Why did you abandon me?' "
"What do you have after lunch?"
"Gym."
Damn! We have almost everything together!
"What do you have fifth?" he asked.
"Gym, too."
"I have reading sixth, algebra seventh, and science last."
"That means for the rest of the day, the only thing we don't have together is seventh period!" I said, excited and a little pissed at the same time, I didn't even know why.
He just smiled.
"What are you so smiley about? You have to spend the rest of the day with moi."
"Yeah, but you're the one cool kid in this school, you actually laugh when I mess with someone."
"Yeah, well, you're the only person who thinks that, everyone else thinks I'm a total pain in the ass."
"Yeah, well, I don't think you are."
I just stared at him, no one had ever said something so sweet to me before in my life.
The rest of the day went by smoothly with Syrinx and we got on the bus together after eighth period.
On the bus, I began reading 'The Song of the Sparrow' for the literally tenth time.
Almost to his bus stop, a strand of hair fell in my face. Syrinx, of course, just had to push it out of the way and all the blood rushed to my face.
"Okay, that was all I needed to know." he said out of nowhere.
"What?"
"That you have a crush on me."
I stared wide-eyed, mouth hanging open at him. How did he get so good at interpreting?
But he just stood up right when the bus stopped. "Good-bye
Reverie." and he walked off the bus, into the rest of the day, and tomorrow, this whole day will happen again.
Chapter II
"Well I think he likes you, Rev." my best friend Ceceilia told me through the phone. The only problem with her was that she was hundreds of miles away in California.
"You really think so?" I asked. "Because I don't like him." I lied.
"Really? Then why would you use up the last of my minutes talking about him?"
"Awwww! CeeCee!!! Don't use your last minutes on me half way through the month!"
"Why not? You are my best buddeh." she said nonchalantly.
"What ever Severs. I got to go, or I'm going to run out of minutes too. Bye!"
"See ya Revs."
I started calling Ceceilia, Severs in sixth grade, when we had started cutting, but we don't do it as often because another friend of mine, Lepus-a guy this time- parents found out and was sent to a mental hospital for a few weeks.
I sat down on my not-so-comfortable bed and kicked off my shoes and lay down. I stared up to my blank ceiling, as if looking for something.
"Lights out Reverie!" my dad called up to me. Then a song ran through my mind. It was a My Chemical Romance obviously.
It was 'My Way Home is Through You' and the words were: Mom and dad think you'll be saved, They never had the time,
they're gonna medicate your lives, you were always born a crime, we salute you in your grave...
And it was sad to me, that those were actually lyrics that I can, and did fall asleep to tonight, as I slipped from reality, and into myself, into a reverie.
The next day, Friday, I had even less than yesterday to wear.
I slid on some regular blue jeans and a shirt that said "True Love is just a Myth" and it was so true in my point of view.
I ran downstairs and slipped a piece a bacon off the counter and shoved it in my mouth as I put my jacket on once again.
"Bye mom, love ya." I said as I put my back pack over my shoulder and raced out the door. Then I realized, that was almost a complete copy as yesterday.
I got to the stop a few minutes before the bus arrived. In the time I had, I pulled out my book I was reading yesterday.
When I got on the bus, it looked like Jenny wanted to scald me in bubbling, freshly ejaculated lava, or she was just wearing too much blush again. Either way, it made me feel special inside that she was seriously considering to have someone assassinate me.
I sat in the back once again, still no one else there,and let anxiety take over me. I opened the book and began flipping through the pages faster than I had ever done before.
By the time we were at Syrinx's stop, I had started where Gwynivere had came to the camp, to where she was already shot by the arrow.
Syrinx, once again, passed by Jenny's hopeful gaze and sat
beside's me. This time, he was actually smiling.
Then I saw something in his hand and I smiled too.
He was holding the book that gave My Chemical Romance it's name. He was holding 'Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance'
"So, you like Irvine?" I asked.
"He's pretty good." he replied. There was nothing I could really say to that, and I ducked my head back into my book.
I racked my brain for something to say to start small talk, then he said something.
"So. You really want to know why I copied your creation in art?"
I nodded my head and waited eagerly for the answer, but this came.
"Well then. I guess you got to get used to disapointment then." with a large pearly smile on his face and he laughed as I rolled my eyes.
"You think I haven't heard that before?" I snapped at him, with venom. "And besides, I've had enough disapointment in thirteen years than most people have had in their whole lives." With my face flushed, I turned my face towards the front.
"Come on Reverie. I was just playing, and I don't want to lose my first friend."
I stared at him, feeling pissed with myself for saying what I did, then he wrapped his arm around me and I blushed even harder.
When I looked back towards the front I caught Jenny's eye, and it's looked like she was going to explode with steam.
Once again we were slammed into the seat in front of us and we walked off the bus.
Jenny was lagging behind us and I turned around and stuck my tongue out at her. By now though, Syrinx's arm wasn't wrapped around me anymore.
Maybe eighth grade wasn't going to be as bad as I though it would. It was certainly already a shitty one for Jenny.
Soon we were at the lunch table from yesterday, and soon, my day was ruined. How was that possible? Because the pissed bitch of the year came walking up to where we were sitting.
But that wasn't the worse part. She even placed her tray down and sat down besides Syrinx.
"Excuse, um, Bitchy, the face lift table is over there." I said.
She rolled her eyes at me. "I'm not here for you, Eyeliner."
"Oooh, I'm so insulted. I'm going to go sulk in bathroom then have pity sex with my boyfriend." If I had one I added mentally.
I thought I saw her eyes gleam with tears, but then she snapped her head to Syrinx.
"So, how has your school year been so far." she asked him.
He just smiled, then I did too. "Well, if you really want to know..." he said slowly lookng away. "My eyes were raped when I saw your face."
Jenny and my jaw dropped, but he just sat there, smirking, looking satisfied with himself.
"Oh my god! You are just like her! Heartless and cruel!" she screeched.
"Cruel is just your opinion. Because it looks like Reverie and I enjoyed that a lot." and it was true. My eyes were watering from trying to keep from laughing, but still giggles escaped.
When she had finally left the table, tears overflowing her eyes, and mine too, I finally let my laughter out.
"And we all want to party when the funeral ends!" I sang. It was also apart of a song by My Chemical Romance called 'Kill All of Your Friends'
He laughed and we began eating again. "You know Reverie, you make me realize, that there a some real bitches on this fucked up Earth. But then there are people who are over-dramatic, but still love life, and occasionally themselves, and not become there own doll."
"And you make me realize that Jenny and I are both bitches. Totally different bitches, but still so. Only, well yeah your right, she is her own doll." we smiled then continued eating, only for a second, then the bell rang, and we went off to gym.
In gym, since it was only the second day of school, we didn't have our uniforms yet, so we were allowed to mingle.
Jenny and her cheer leading friends sat on the girl bleachers, probably about our little feud. The nerds stayed as close to the doors as they could so they could quickly get class. Then there were the jocks who were throwing a football. Then there was me and Syrinx who were just sitting, propping ourselves up on the bleachers talking.
"Hey, I'm getting my new Marilyn Manson album today, you want to listen to it with me?" he asked.
"Sure. Which one is it?"
"Holywood."
"Okay, I've got to ask my mom and dad first, but they'll probably let me, they've always wanted me to have a friend besides Lepus and Ceceilia."
"Who're they?"
"Oh, they've been my friends since pre-school. They both cut. Only Lepus stopped after being sent to a mental hospital. Not because he was changed, but because he doesn't want to get sent back there."
"Isn't Lepus a constellation?"
I shrugged my shoulders then continued talking. "Ceceilia moved to California in sixth grade. I call her Severs."
He smiled at me with his pearly teeth and our eyes locked and I noticed for the first time he had eyes so dark they looked black. That seemed kind of strange since the fact he had white-blond hair.
I gathered up my stuff when I noticed that the bell was going to go off soon and got ready to leave as quickly as I could. When the bell did rang, I didn't exit as quickly as I had liked because I was waiting up for Syrinx.
We walked off to English together and I smiled as we passed by Jenny at her locker. Once again I stuck my tongue out at her secretly.
I smiled to myself. This was probably one of the best days of my life. Now all I had to do was get my mom and dad to let me go over to Syrinx's house. Because truthfully, they didn't want me to have a guy friend. Especially if it was one of my type.
Oh well. I shouldn't let sad thoughts dampen my day just yet.
I was always a good persuader.
We walked into Mrs. Doster's classroom and took the seats closest to the door.
Of course no one said I had to tell the truth. "Mom, dad, I'm going out." I said as I walked toward the door.
"To where?" my dad asked with a skeptical look.
"Where I've been going since the beggining of summer, the coffee shop in old town. Just relaxing. Don't worry."
"Do you need money?" my mom asked this time.
"I'm using my own. Love ya. Bye." And I shot out the door as quickly, yet casually, as I could, then looked at the piece of paper Syrinx had given me.
I read the address then used my knowledge of five years of exploration in the neighborhood to find his house.
When I had found the brick and wood house, I stopped to make sure this was the address. It was.
I walked up to the front door, but before I could knock on the door once, Syrinx had opened it. "Glad you found the house."
This confused me. This was the Gantley's house. I knew them well because I had babysat their son, Joey, when I was in fifth grade. And from what I knew, they hadn't moved.
When I walked in, even the furniture was here. What was going on? I had a feeling that this wasn't Syrinx's house at all. Did he have to live with the Gantley's because they couldn't find a house?
As we walked up to his room, he said something. "You know, I don't even know your last name. Mine's Carm."
"Deon." I said. He nodded then stopped at a plain door, the same as all the others on the floor.
"This is my room." he said as he opened the door. The colors of the room were dark. This couldn't be the Gantley's house. But then again, Joey had taken on the goth look.
I walked in and looked around. It was just a room. Nothing much to describe. There were albums scattered across his bed and a cd player on the floor. There was also an mp3 player, and I got an idea
"Hey Syrinx. You want to get social?"
Chapter III
"So, what's the cafe' like?" Syrinx asked as we wove through the people walking along the side of old town.
"Not that bad. Not until oh, around, five o'clock? Kids from our school start flooding in after homework, in this case, after talking about getting homework soon." I said.
We passed the shaved ice booth that was going to close the first day of September, and waved hi to Margaret who worked there. She and I have been friends since I was five, when my dad would take me here everyday to get shaved ice.
The booth was the last shop before the cafe' and when I opened the door, the sharp, yet dull scent of coffee wafted up to my nose that made me feel warm and relaxed.
I inhaled deeply and said, "This, is the cafe'" I spun around then spoke again. "Do you want anything to drink?"
"Sure, I guess I'll have coke." he said. I walked behind the counter.
"Hi Allie." I said.
"Reverie, what are you doing? It's your day off." she said.
"I know, but me and my friend are thirsty, so I'm putting my money in the register and getting two cokes." I was lucky I had brought money.
I put my money in the registers and got two cans from under the counter, then handed one to Syrinx.
"Thanks." he said, and we sat down at the table in the very back of the cafe', to the left, where we were almost unnoticeable.
Once we had settled down, he pulled out his mp3 player and ear plugs. Thank god I had remembered to tell him to download it before coming here.
"So, you work here?" he asked.
"Yeah. Started last year. Before, I would come here, to write, dark poetry." I blushed a little as I admitted it. I wanted to be a dark poetry author when I grew up.
"Really? I'd like to hear a poem sometime." he took a sip from his coke.
And almost like he had hit a switch, I began reciting.
"Love is my slayer
It beats me down hard
As I whisper my prayer
It won't play an ace of spades card
For It'll trump me in life
and everything else
People ignore my cries
and pleas for help
People don't care
If I live life alone
People mock me with fake tears
In my monotonous tone
People say life is hard
I say it's another word for hate
People say death is a tragedy
I say it's fate"
I blushed harder realizing my action and looked at Syrinx looking for a comment or some kind of response to what I had
just done.
He was just staring into his can and I was nervous he didn't like it.
It was a minute or so after I had recited that he finally spoke. "Reverie, keep writing. That was...amazing, can't think of words to describe it right now." He put his head in his hand then spoke again. "Have you ever considered becoming an author?"
Could he read minds? "Actually, that's what I was planning on having as a job." I paused for a second. "I will mope through my years in middle school, a few insults, then get a job as a poetic author." Then I took a sip from my own coke.
"Well, better get started on this music." he said. He put a ear plug in his ear, and I did too.
He skipped through the songs on the album until he came to 'Lamb of God'
I decided to relax and let the music, smells, and taste take over me.
Then I heard Syrinx humming across from me. I smiled. For once in my life, I was glad I had chosen the path I had.
I realized that I had heard this song before and began humming too, then the worse voice I could hear at this time, pierced the sound of the music.
"Well isn't this sweet?" Jenny asked.
"If they kill you on their TVs." I said, trying to ignore her. Why did she always pop up at these special times?
"Eyeliner, I'm talking to you." she said, annoyed. I smiled at that emotion.
"And I'm ignoring you. You have the pity sex yet?" I asked.
She scowled at me. "At least I have friends." she retorted. "Unlike those weird-ass, crying little, bitches, who act like nobody cares, and rant on about death, you call your friends."
That did it. Nobody talks about Ceceilia or Lepus like that. Even if they were kidding.
I could hear she and everyone who had been listening snickering, not even trying to hold it in. For the first time, since a long time, my eyes welled up with tears that wasn't from music.
"You snotty little bastard!" I screeched at her. "You call them friends, but you are just gathering people onto your side for when you fall!" the tears were streaming now.
"Reverie calm down." Syrinx said in a soothing voice, and I hated what I threw at him. He was just trying to help.
"Syrinx, j-just shut-up right now, this is between me and the bitch."
My throat was getting tight but I still turned back to Jenny. "You, are just gathering an army. An army to take on any one who stands in your way of fame, popularity, and beauty, and any one who throws an insult at you after you did the same. And you know what? You can burn Hell!"
Allie had come into view now and she spoke. "Reverie, what's going on?" she gasped when she saw my tears and turned to the crowd who was still giggling. "Carry on." she scowled at Jenny and the rest of the group.
This time Jenny's boyfriend Corey spoke. "Whoah, psycho emo bitch on P.M.S." Everyone started laughing again and I smiled.
and sniffed. I fixed my hair which had also gotten wet from the crying.
He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and we walked off towards my house.
By the time we had reached my house, my face was dry and my eyes mostly weren't red anymore.
"Well, I'll see you Monday." he said. "Oh, and I have something to give to you." He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a piece of folded up paper. "Open it when you get inside your room. Goodnight." and he left.
I went inside and to my room before either of my parents good open their mouths, determined to see what the note said as soon as possible and tell Ceceilia and Lepus about it.
I threw myself onto my bed and opened the piece paper. My eyebrows furrowed. The note wasn't much. Two words and three numbers.
In ransom, it read:
Cemetery Romance, 6-6 6
I only understood the first part. He wanted to meet at the cemetery. But 6-6 6? I laughed silently seeing that it was 666. Syrinx was truly creative.
My side shook because I had set my phone was on vibrate. It was Lepus.
I opened my phone. "Hey Lep."
"Hey Reverie. So, how was your date with Syrinx?" he asked.
"Oh it was goo-" I stopped mid-word. "How did you know I went out today?"
"I don't know..." he dragged on the sentence.
"Lepus, what have I told you?"
"No eating the potato right after coming out of the oven?"
"No," I laughed. "The other thing! No secrets!"
"Oh, that. Well, look out your window."
I hung up then looked out my window. In my back-yard, there stood, waving at me, was Lepus.
