𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 ~ 𝗞𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀

~ Chapter Thirty One ~

Dallas, November 1963

"Dusk, I'll take care of James tonight," Mary said as Dusk got ready to head out and perform at one of the local bars for open mic night. Ever since she landed in Dallas, the raven had been taking care of Mary's son. And throughout the years she had stayed with the widow, Mary began to notice her talent for singing.

One night, as Dusk was tucking the toddler into bed, she couldn't help but observe her as she sang a soft lullaby to him. When Dusk finally noticed, she gasped, not expecting to be listened to. "You have the voice of an angel," Mary whispered as Dusk shut the bedroom door. "Thank you. It's always been something I've been drawn to," She replied. A couple of days went by, and Mary then suggested she find a bar to perform at for a night.

Dusk seemed hesitant, knowing that the people in 1963 were not like the people in 2019, but agreed to it anyway. "You sure? I can always perform some other night," Dusk asked, feeling unsteady. "No, you go out and have some fun. You've earned it after everything you've been doing lately," Mary reassured. The raven finished applying a tinted lipstick to her lips before walking out the door and driving to Jonathan's Bar, a few blocks from the Avon movie theater.

Her heartbeat increased as she walked through the bar, the men staring at her like she was a leech. But Dusk had learned to ignore their stares and continued walking and sat down at a table a few feet away from the stage. Different men had gone on, performing songs by Johnny Cash and The Beach Boys, making the young woman dance slightly in her seat. When a third man finished his performance of Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel, Dusk took this opportunity to show these men who she really was.

But the moment she stepped on the platform, the drunken men instantly began booing, telling her to get off and that there was no place for a woman onstage. But Dusk stood her ground, sitting at the large black piano, playing the starting notes of a song she wrote about Klaus. She had spent countless nights thinking about him, wondering if he was okay and if he was even still alive. But she never gave up on him.

You called me out and taught me tough with love, 

With love.

You fought my flaws, my teeth, my claws
With love, with love.

Cause every time I'm slipping away from myself,
You're the one that moves me like nobody else.

Cause when I'm down, and I'm done
And I'm coming unplugged,
When I'm ready to fall,
You're the one always holding me up
With love.

When I'm down. When I'm coming undone. No.
You're always there with love
When I'm done,
When I'm out when I fall,
You're always always-always-always there.

When I'm down, and I'm done,
And I'm coming unplugged,
When I'm ready to fall,
You're the one always holding me up.

When I'm down, and I'm done,
And I'm coming unplugged,
When I'm ready to fall,
You're the one always holding me up
With love.

The crowd was filled with silence as Dusk stood up from the piano. To her surprise, applause came from all over the room, causing her to blink away happy tears. "Thank you!" She smiled, feeling confident in herself before she got off the stage.