Post by SomethingAboutTheStars on Jan 3, 2012 1:11:35 GMT -5
Thank you to Walktherainbows and new member, Greysonlovesme/Kailyn! Thanks for reading, guys, it really means a lot.
Prologue: thegreysonchanceforum.com/index.c....read=789&page=1
Chapter 1: www.thegreysonchanceforum.com/ind....play&thread=793
Chapter 2: thegreysonchanceforum.com/index.c....play&thread=796
Chapter 3: thegreysonchanceforum.com/index.c....play&thread=798
Chapter 4: thegreysonchanceforum.com/index.cgi?board=fiction&action=display&thread=807
Chapter 5: thegreysonchanceforum.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=fiction&thread=809&page=1
Chapter 6: You're already here!
Back, neck, shoulder, I’m so, so, sore when I wake up in the morning. I sit up so slowly it’s like time’s moving backwards, and I rub the back of my neck. Everything hurts. I blame it on Stephen. He’s the one offering too many favors. I throw the covers off myself after a few minutes of dreading the action and shiver when all the heat is sucked from my warm cave and out the window. My teeth chatter suddenly and I resist the urge to snatch the blankets back and begin the process of warming them again.
I can’t lie in bed all day today. It’s a good thing I have Sundays off, I can dedicate all of this Sunday to decoding the other message. I change quickly and pull my jacket on. Then I stuff my notebook I my bag and leave, locking the door behind me. I try not to walk to fast, avoiding and suspicious and slippery looking patches of snow. I think grouchily about how sore I am.
Stephen’s just unlocking the café when I get there. He pretends to immediately lock it again. I push open the door, smiling.
“We ready for some actual field trips today?” I ask.
Stephen grins at me. “Yup, I’m ready.”
He lets me inside and takes me to through the kitchen, back where the employee’s lockers and things are. He clicks the lock on his and grabs his keys and his coat. Then we go out and get into his car.
“Is this a favor?” he asks.
“Yes, this is a favor,” I reply. I try and find another bead in my pocket, but I’ve grabbed the wrong jacket, the beads are in the other one. Stephen smirks and I glare at him. He drives to my old school. It’s locked, but I know who can get us in.
For some reason, my manager had made sure I always had the janitor’s number. It was extremely, extremely weird, but I get it now. I flip to the back page of my notebook and find the list of contacts I have. I borrow Stephen’s phone and dial the number.
Some sort of fate is on my side, and they answer. It’s only about nine o clock in the morning, but he sounds exhausted.
“Hey, uhm, Josh. Remember me? I was that creepy…yeah, that’s me. The one with the…yes. And I was the one when we…right. Okay. So I need a favor of you…will you please, please open the school? I know, I know, it’s creepy, it’s…please Josh! I need to get in! John made sure that you were a contact for me! I know why! Please, please, please!” I’m pleading. Stephen looks surprised.
I hear Josh sigh on the other line. “Alrihgt. I’ll be there in ten,” he says.
I hang up the phone and turn to beam at Stephen. He’s turned his back at me and I hear the raspberry sound of air behind forced back by a hand.
“You’re laughing at me, aren’t you?” I say, grabbing his shoulder.
Stephen spins around. “I just might be,” he says. His eyes are sparkling.
“Hey, stop that!” I shout at him. I yank his hand from his mouth and he bursts out laughing.
“I didn’t even get the full conversations but that was stinking hilarious!”
“That I’m begging the old school janitor to open the doors?”
“Yes! And you’re seventeen, you’re homeschooled, you have been for the past two years, and you want to open it now?” Stephen is giddy laughing at me, and I push him over. He’s off balance and tips. I push him harder. He falls. Now I’m the one laughing.
Josh gets here in ten minutes, as promised. I’m still trying to hold in grins and so is Stephen. Josh gives us a look and unlocks the door. He presses the key into my hands as I walk inside.
“Just in case you need to do anything,” he says. I nod, thank him. Then I take off one of Stephen’s bracelets, the one with only one bead on it and I place it into Josh’s hand.
“I owe you,” I tell him.
“Don’t worry about it,” Josh shrugs.
“Don’t even try that with me,” I say.
“Dude, not smart,” Stephen says.
We look at each other. We’ve said our sentences at the same time.
Josh raises his eyebrows. He says, “Well, how long are you going to take? Should I stay or should I go?”
“Stay,” I tell him. “We won’t be long at all.”
He nods and leans against the doors obediently.
“Come inside,” I urge as we walk in. “It’ll be warmer.”
Josh shrugs. “I don’t really care.”
“Alright, if you insist…” I say. I shrug and leave him outside.
I’m almost lightheaded with excitement. I feel so off balance, like Stephen could tip me over now. I know my way around the school easily, and I lead Stephen to the band room. As suspected, it’s locked. Stephen starts to look discouraged, but I don’t. I have a key. And I’ve watched Josh open every single door in this school using one key. He just keeps multiple on the ring to confuse people. I stick the key into the door and twist. There’s a satisfying click and the door swings open.
I pull Stephen inside and nearly trip down the stairs. I’m glad I don’t; there’s a set of drums at the bottom and stacks of music stands. I swerve away from them and bound down the stairs on a clearer path. Left side. Left side. I get to the closet and I’m glad to find it open. They never did bother to lock the closets when the rooms were locked. And I’m fairly sure that this close isn’t locked.
On the left side, there’s an insanely old black upright piano. Its paint is peeling, and its bench is in a broken mess on the ground.
I pull my notebook out of my bag. There’s enough light to read. I check the note.
The pages floating away; you, me. I’m sorry to have left you. Secrets must be kept. Beneath the keys of a note, ivory. Remember how you always loved the letter G. Think of how you were going to marry at your school. The band room scared you, the metal instruments, heavy. You always cried at the thought of broken things; locked in the closets. You always liked the left side better.
School, check. Band room, check. Closet, check. Broken thing, check. Ivory. Notes. Left. Not check.
“Stephen, help me,” I say. I know what’s going on.
Stephen walks forward. “With what?”
“We’ve got take this piano apart.”
“What?!”
“Just the keys, calm down.”
I make him read the note again.
“It’s beneath one of the G notes. I’ll find it without knowing which is a G, it’s going to be obvious.”
“Wait, Laurie, what’s it going to be?” Stephen asks.
I freeze. “I have no idea.”
But I ignore this. “Help me,” I say again.
Stephen agrees. It’s a strange though but Stephen knows how to take apart the old piano. He’s so careful, like he’s doing a surgery. In a way, he is. He takes off a few boards first and then he starts taking off the keys. So carefully. They’re glued down, and he slowly pulls them up. Slowly. Carefully. It’s painful.
I watch him finish and he emerges with a note. He’s beaming. I’m beaming. He hands me the note and I throw my arms around his neck.
“Thank you. Thank you.”
Prologue: thegreysonchanceforum.com/index.c....read=789&page=1
Chapter 1: www.thegreysonchanceforum.com/ind....play&thread=793
Chapter 2: thegreysonchanceforum.com/index.c....play&thread=796
Chapter 3: thegreysonchanceforum.com/index.c....play&thread=798
Chapter 4: thegreysonchanceforum.com/index.cgi?board=fiction&action=display&thread=807
Chapter 5: thegreysonchanceforum.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=fiction&thread=809&page=1
Chapter 6: You're already here!
Chapter 6
Laurence
Back, neck, shoulder, I’m so, so, sore when I wake up in the morning. I sit up so slowly it’s like time’s moving backwards, and I rub the back of my neck. Everything hurts. I blame it on Stephen. He’s the one offering too many favors. I throw the covers off myself after a few minutes of dreading the action and shiver when all the heat is sucked from my warm cave and out the window. My teeth chatter suddenly and I resist the urge to snatch the blankets back and begin the process of warming them again.
I can’t lie in bed all day today. It’s a good thing I have Sundays off, I can dedicate all of this Sunday to decoding the other message. I change quickly and pull my jacket on. Then I stuff my notebook I my bag and leave, locking the door behind me. I try not to walk to fast, avoiding and suspicious and slippery looking patches of snow. I think grouchily about how sore I am.
Stephen’s just unlocking the café when I get there. He pretends to immediately lock it again. I push open the door, smiling.
“We ready for some actual field trips today?” I ask.
Stephen grins at me. “Yup, I’m ready.”
He lets me inside and takes me to through the kitchen, back where the employee’s lockers and things are. He clicks the lock on his and grabs his keys and his coat. Then we go out and get into his car.
“Is this a favor?” he asks.
“Yes, this is a favor,” I reply. I try and find another bead in my pocket, but I’ve grabbed the wrong jacket, the beads are in the other one. Stephen smirks and I glare at him. He drives to my old school. It’s locked, but I know who can get us in.
For some reason, my manager had made sure I always had the janitor’s number. It was extremely, extremely weird, but I get it now. I flip to the back page of my notebook and find the list of contacts I have. I borrow Stephen’s phone and dial the number.
Some sort of fate is on my side, and they answer. It’s only about nine o clock in the morning, but he sounds exhausted.
“Hey, uhm, Josh. Remember me? I was that creepy…yeah, that’s me. The one with the…yes. And I was the one when we…right. Okay. So I need a favor of you…will you please, please open the school? I know, I know, it’s creepy, it’s…please Josh! I need to get in! John made sure that you were a contact for me! I know why! Please, please, please!” I’m pleading. Stephen looks surprised.
I hear Josh sigh on the other line. “Alrihgt. I’ll be there in ten,” he says.
I hang up the phone and turn to beam at Stephen. He’s turned his back at me and I hear the raspberry sound of air behind forced back by a hand.
“You’re laughing at me, aren’t you?” I say, grabbing his shoulder.
Stephen spins around. “I just might be,” he says. His eyes are sparkling.
“Hey, stop that!” I shout at him. I yank his hand from his mouth and he bursts out laughing.
“I didn’t even get the full conversations but that was stinking hilarious!”
“That I’m begging the old school janitor to open the doors?”
“Yes! And you’re seventeen, you’re homeschooled, you have been for the past two years, and you want to open it now?” Stephen is giddy laughing at me, and I push him over. He’s off balance and tips. I push him harder. He falls. Now I’m the one laughing.
Josh gets here in ten minutes, as promised. I’m still trying to hold in grins and so is Stephen. Josh gives us a look and unlocks the door. He presses the key into my hands as I walk inside.
“Just in case you need to do anything,” he says. I nod, thank him. Then I take off one of Stephen’s bracelets, the one with only one bead on it and I place it into Josh’s hand.
“I owe you,” I tell him.
“Don’t worry about it,” Josh shrugs.
“Don’t even try that with me,” I say.
“Dude, not smart,” Stephen says.
We look at each other. We’ve said our sentences at the same time.
Josh raises his eyebrows. He says, “Well, how long are you going to take? Should I stay or should I go?”
“Stay,” I tell him. “We won’t be long at all.”
He nods and leans against the doors obediently.
“Come inside,” I urge as we walk in. “It’ll be warmer.”
Josh shrugs. “I don’t really care.”
“Alright, if you insist…” I say. I shrug and leave him outside.
I’m almost lightheaded with excitement. I feel so off balance, like Stephen could tip me over now. I know my way around the school easily, and I lead Stephen to the band room. As suspected, it’s locked. Stephen starts to look discouraged, but I don’t. I have a key. And I’ve watched Josh open every single door in this school using one key. He just keeps multiple on the ring to confuse people. I stick the key into the door and twist. There’s a satisfying click and the door swings open.
I pull Stephen inside and nearly trip down the stairs. I’m glad I don’t; there’s a set of drums at the bottom and stacks of music stands. I swerve away from them and bound down the stairs on a clearer path. Left side. Left side. I get to the closet and I’m glad to find it open. They never did bother to lock the closets when the rooms were locked. And I’m fairly sure that this close isn’t locked.
On the left side, there’s an insanely old black upright piano. Its paint is peeling, and its bench is in a broken mess on the ground.
I pull my notebook out of my bag. There’s enough light to read. I check the note.
The pages floating away; you, me. I’m sorry to have left you. Secrets must be kept. Beneath the keys of a note, ivory. Remember how you always loved the letter G. Think of how you were going to marry at your school. The band room scared you, the metal instruments, heavy. You always cried at the thought of broken things; locked in the closets. You always liked the left side better.
School, check. Band room, check. Closet, check. Broken thing, check. Ivory. Notes. Left. Not check.
“Stephen, help me,” I say. I know what’s going on.
Stephen walks forward. “With what?”
“We’ve got take this piano apart.”
“What?!”
“Just the keys, calm down.”
I make him read the note again.
“It’s beneath one of the G notes. I’ll find it without knowing which is a G, it’s going to be obvious.”
“Wait, Laurie, what’s it going to be?” Stephen asks.
I freeze. “I have no idea.”
But I ignore this. “Help me,” I say again.
Stephen agrees. It’s a strange though but Stephen knows how to take apart the old piano. He’s so careful, like he’s doing a surgery. In a way, he is. He takes off a few boards first and then he starts taking off the keys. So carefully. They’re glued down, and he slowly pulls them up. Slowly. Carefully. It’s painful.
I watch him finish and he emerges with a note. He’s beaming. I’m beaming. He hands me the note and I throw my arms around his neck.
“Thank you. Thank you.”