by Sarah Cole
We were shocked when the news came out about Warren, but honestly after thinking about it, it wasn’t that hard to believe someone would want him dead. It was only a matter of time. Somehow the news didn’t surpise Leni at all. Later she explained to me that while she was back in Seattle, her uncle paid a visit to her, and she believed there was a connection somewhere between them. She wouldn’t say anymore, although I’m not exactly sure how much more information she had to give. I wasn’t going to press her because if she was being tight lipped about it, I knew it had to be for a very good reason.
“Well it’s about time someone locked away that asshole.” Charlie says looking at me.
I nod, and its true. They never were able to pin anything on them for what happened with Brenden, the drug planting, or for nearly killing Leni. They weren’t quite good enough to take us down, but just good enough to cover their tracks.
“Hey, come on...” Charlie says, shaking my shoulder with her free hand. “It’s in the past… its done, and apparently in one way or another they are paying for everything they did. You have a whole new future to look forward to now.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” I do have a future to look forward to. A lifetime. And it starts the moment that Lennon Taylor promises it to me.
FIVE YEARS LATER…
Charlie:
“But mommy, I want to be Elsa.” Jade whines, pulling up her Hulk mask.
“Honey, we don’t have time to change now. We need to go meet Uncle Jay and the rest of the guys…Fallon! Now!” I shout up the steps where I can hear the guitar riffs of N.I.B. echoing through the halls. Andrew really needs to finish soundproofing that. We have all been teaching her to play, and just like us, she has been bitten by the music bug. She’s addicted, not that I’m complaining. At least she’s not glued to the TV or computer.
“I almost had it Mom. My finger just keeps hanging up on the second string.” She says, stomping down the stairs in her Iron Man costume.
“That’s awesome, baby! You’ll get there! You know any of us will help you.” I say, smoothing back her dark hair.
“Except Aunt Leni. Last time, I had to help her, Mom. And I’m only seven that’s just too much pressure.” She rolls her eyes.
I stifle a laugh. My little drama queen. “Yeah, but she means well.” I say.
“Ok, Jade, you grab that bag for Mommy, and Fally you get that cooler and wheel it out to the car for Daddy. Uncle Jay and Aunt Leni are bringing everything else.” I say adjusting my belt. My God, I’m going to regret this Black Widow costume after I eat.
“Avengers Assemble!!!!!!” Andrew bellows from the doorway leading to the garage, making the three of us burst into a fit of girly giggles.
He’s decked out as Captain America, and my goodness does he fill out that costume. I swear to you; he keeps getting better with age.
“Banner! Stark! Up top!” he calls, causing our daughters to try and high five his just out of reach hands. “Go get in the car, ladies!”
“We’re boys today, Daddy. Duh.” Jade giggles.
“Oh, forgive me. Gentlemen…” he says bowing as they head out to the garage.
“Natasha.” He says, his voice low as he stalks around the kitchen island, pulling me into his firm body.
“Captain.” I say, my voice breathy. Over seven years, and not a day passes that he doesn’t have this effect on me.
“These pants are fucking perfection on you.” He says grabbing my pleather clad black side. “They remind me of those one leather ones you used to wear with the zippers.”
“I still have those.” I smile. While most of my wardrobe is black. I tend to tone it down these days. Apparently black leather and studded boots is not standard attire for parent teacher conferences at a private school. Who knew?
“You’ll have to show me later, baby.”
“You betcha.” I wink, and he leans down. Our lips barely touch when, hoooooooonk. Our foreheads knock together and we laugh.
“We better get out there, we’ll continue this when they are in a candy coma later.” He says taking my hand in his and leading me towards the door.
“Deal.”
Jay:
“They’re here!!!” My four-year-old son, Jagger shouts running towards me, his twin brother, Gibson right on his heels. They’re dressed like Spiderman and Thor. Twins. Yeah, that surprised me too.
“Hey, hey. Slow down, boys.” I call out over my shoulder, as I finish fastening the Velcro on our daughter, Rowan’s Ant-Man costume.
“You think that costume’s tight enough, good lookin’?” my wife, strolls into the room, dressed as Scarlet Witch, and looking ten kinds of hot.
“Probably not since I still can’t sing the high notes.” I joke, adjusting the Deadpool get-up Charlie convinced me to wear.
“I mean I get that it’s Halloween, but did we all have to have the same theme. Don’t get me wrong, Marvel characters are bad ass, but she had to pick spandex wearing superheroes!? Why not Star Wars? Looser pants and capes.”
“Well then, that will teach you to make bets you can’t win.” Leni laughs placing a kiss on my cheek, and I smile at her.
“Well how was I supposed to know her seemingly unrealistic wager would actually pan out?” I ask, setting Rowan down so she can crawl after her older brothers.
Leni pins me with a stare that only she has perfected… the ‘you’re an idiot’ stare.
“Right… I forgot. Charlie Montgomery, soothsayer. Tack it onto her list of awesome.” I mock.
Seriously though. Who would have thought we’d win album of the year at the APMA’s and the Billboard Awards, in addition to signing six bands in six weeks? Yeah, we had this bright idea to start our own record company a couple years ago, and one day the band, Charlie and I just kind of figured… What the heck have we got to lose? Who would have thought bands would actually want our lot to represent them?
The doorbell sounds, “Come in!” I call.
“Hey, Iron Man.” I say to Fallon.
“Mom says that you’re probably running late like usual. Should I assume she’s correct? Daddy says to give you the benefit of the doubt.” She shrugs and Leni and I laugh. This kid cracks me up. She’s so much like Charlie it’s scary.
“Well let’s go prove your Mom wrong. Come on boys!” I call. Lord only knows what they are up to.
“I don’t understand why we can’t just trick or treat in our neighborhood like everyone else.” Fallon sighs, shuffling towards the door.
“Oh honey… didn’t your Mommy and Daddy explain to you that this neighborhood sucks?”
“They explained to me not to use the word sucks.” Little wise ass.
“I think what he’s trying to say, sweetheart, is our neighborhood is full of older stuffy people and business people that aren’t home a lot. So, there aren’t going to be a lot of houses with their lights on.” Leni pipes in, saving my ass, like usual.
“That’s why we have to go to Chase and Holly’s?” She asks. Chase got married to a real sweetheart last year. Aaron is getting ready to pop the question to his girl, Brit, any day now, and Brenden actually just started seeing someone seriously. Man, or woman, we don’t know, but he’s keeping it under wraps for now since he thinks we are overbearing and meddle too much. Which may or may not be the case… we can’t help it.
“Well that, and your mom wants to humiliate me more by having me walk down city streets in this.” I motion to all of me.
I hear a commotion at the front door and Charlie staggers in, tugging Jade, dressed as a mini hulk behind her and Andrew files in not long after in Captain America spandex. I don’t even try to hide the loud boom of laughter that escapes my chest.
“Dude…” I laugh some more, tears springing to my eyes.
“I don’t know what’s better. The midget Hulk or Steve Rogers’ miserable twin?”
“Stop. Be nice!” Leni swats my chest.
“Yeah, be nice. You know this wasn’t my idea.” Andrew says, flipping me off
and tugging at the tight spandex around his butt, and I laugh some more.
“Sorry, Jade had to potty.” Charlie shrugs and Jade runs off to the bathroom.
My kids are screaming and chasing each other, I’m pretty sure my wife and best friend are conspiring against me on a daily basis, and I’m willing to bet my chance of fathering any more children after wearing this costume for any length of time is nil, but I wouldn’t change a thing. My life isn’t perfect by any means. The career I chose is demanding, my wife and I argue and we have our moments, but they never last long. I think it’s because we’ve learned to never take what we have for granted. Things can change in the blink of an eye, so you have to embrace it while you can and just live your life. And what a beautiful life we have…
The End
PLAYLIST:
Chemical Prisoner – Falling in Reverse
Bother – Stone Sour
Endlessly, She Said - AFI
Remember We Die – Gemini Syndrome
Something I Can Never Have – Nine Inch Nails
Hurt – Johnny Cash
The Worst in Me– Bad Omens
Reprise (The Sound of the End) – Bad Omens
Supposed to Be- Icon for Hire
Break – I See Stars
Running with Scissors – I See Stars
Away – Of Mice & Men
Transfigured – Of Mice & Men
Purified – Of Mice & Men
Would You Still Be There – Of Mice & Men
Identity Disorder – Of Mice & Men
Glass Hearts – Of Mice & Men
Heavy in your Arms – Florence & the Machine
White Line Fever – Asking Alexandria
Send Me Home- Asking Alexandria
The Death of Me – Asking Alexandria
Sometimes it Ends – Asking Alexandria
Killing You– Asking Alexandria
Vermillion – Slipknot
Vermillion Pt. 2 – Slipknot
Vices – Memphis May Fire
Beneath This Skin – Memphis May Fire
Alive in the Lights – Memphis May Fire
Miles Away – Memphis May Fire Ft. Kellin Quinn (Acoustic)
Inside Voices – Too Close to Touch
For Your Sake – Too Close to Touch
What I Wish I Could Forget – Too Close to Touch
Walls – The Color Morale
Angels Fall – Breaking Benjamin
Coming Home – Avenged Sevenfold
What if I was nothing – All That Remains
For You – All That Remains
Victory Lap – All That Remains
Here’s to the Heartache – Nothing More
nOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
First and foremost, thank you for reading. I appreciate you all more than you know. I began writing with just a small idea that grew and grew, until it blossomed into book one in this duet, Fading to Light. From there, I knew I couldn’t let these characters go just yet. Even after Charlie and Andrew found their happiness, I still felt this tugging at the corner of my mind that this storyline wasn’t finished yet. There was a darker side to this story…Jay. We only catch glimpses of him in Fading to Light, but we didn’t see the struggles, the real struggles that come with losing everything you hold dear. Everyone handles loss differently. Some people are immovable and unshakable, some trudge on through the hurt until it feels alright to move on, but others, like Jay and even Leni to a certain degree, get lost in the pain, stuck in a never-ending cycle. While I personally have never experienced some of the heavier issues addressed in this book, I can say I know many people in my life who have. I feel it is absolutely necessary to address these situations head on instead of sweeping them under the rug, and back into the darkness. If you or anyone you know is suffering from addiction, self-harm, or suicidal thoughts, seek help. It isn’t easy and it probably won’t be fun, the right decisions rarely are, but they could be the decisions that that save a life. Thank you so much for reading, and be on the lookout for more projects that are coming soon!
Sarah Cole
Suicide Prevention Lifeline
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
1-800-273-8255
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
http://www.samhsa.gov/
1-800-662-4357
OTHER BOOKS BY SARAH COLE
Fading to Light
(Book 1- Fading to light duet)
Now available on Amazon!