The Heart's Melody (TwoSetViolin)

t h i r t y : brett

Brett's POV

"I'll have coffee, thanks."

The waitress nods her head as she smiled at me lightly. I thank her as she walks away, the red ribbon sashaying as it hung loosely on her black hair.

I look outside the window of the cafe. It was now dark. The dusk reveals itself in a dominant manner. Crows and ravens clawed on the branches of the trees, slightly dancing along with the wind.

A couple interrupts my vision. The girl's arm holding on to the boy's.  Her eyes crinkle as she giggled, murmuring something I couldn't quite catch. The boy stops walking, his face red. He turns away shyly as the girl once again laughs in triumph. She pulls him along until they're far, far away.

Claudette.

A sigh escapes my lips as my mind sews her image in my thoughts.

I shake off the things that consumed my mind. My eyes travel back outside as the lights started to flicker on. The cars moved in a fast pace. Someone in those cars probably had to go home, exhausted from work. Hug their families. Touch their cats. Have nice dinner with nice food. Then have a good night's rest.

But here I am. Unmoving from my situation. Everything I did wasn't enough. Will never be enough to find Claudette. No clues. And if ever there was one, it'd lead to a dead end. And then I'd have to go back to the beginning.

The helplessness I feel right now is nothing compared to everything I've ever felt in my life. Sadness. Anger. Grief. Fear.

Dazing in and out of reality, my vision catches a girl's eyes across the streets, outside the cafe.

Her eyes were brown. Her hair a dark shade of it too, matching her eyes. Her pale lips parted ever so gently as she stared intently at me. Her arms hugged her body, slightly shivering.

I can't believe it.

I know that face because I wouldn't miss it for anyone in this world, especially now that it's the one I've been looking for the past weeks. I know those lips because I've kissed them. I know that hair because I've touched it a million times before. I know those hands, those fingers. The very same fingers I used to entangle mine in.

Claudette.

My Claudette.

"Claudette," I whisper.

My heart wildly rages inside my ribcage as I place my hands on the surface of the table. Sweat trickles down my forehead as if it was blood, even though the cold wind makes me shudder. I slowly push myself to stand up, making sure to never take my eyes off her. My breathing becomes hard, as if I've been running since forever.

The rest of the world blurs out. The gleeful tune of the speakers now become one loud static in my ears. The world seemed to slow down, as if the universe meant for this to happen.

I was still staring at her.

She was still staring back.

She mumbles something.

I don't take my eyes off her.

That was until her forehead starts bleeding. Her nose starts to spew out blood too. Her eyes became pitch black, void of a soul. Her hair becomes white as snow. Her skin starts to become so pale it looks like paper.

What the hell is happening?

She screams.

And even if I couldn't hear it, it's one full of pain. Her face twists in agony, her hands holds up and covers both her ears, as if she was in excruciating pain.

A car sweeps away my line of sight.

And just like that, she's gone.

"Claudette!"

I snap out of my trance and race out the tables.

I didn't notice the waitress coming back, so I accidentally bumped into her, spilling the hot coffee all over the ground. A shocked gasp escapes her lips, apologies following after. She bends down to clean the mess, but I don't bother looking back.

I reach outside. The cold air slaps my skin, hugging me in its freezing embrace.

I look around in panic, my hands shaking. Sweat builds up in my palms as I crossed the street.

But she's nowhere to be found.

She's not here.

I haven't found her yet.

No.

I lost her again.

Tears well up in the corner of my eyes as I tried to breathe in and out deeply, trying to calm myself down.

It wasn't real.

It was a hallucination.

It wasn't real.

She'll be alright.

She's okay.

I'll find her.

I'll find her soon.

It's okay.

She's okay.

These words repeated in my mind as I breathed deeply.

Standing in the midst of the sidewalk, I start to collect my thoughts.

I walk back to my car, my body more awake than ever, no longer in need of caffeine.

I step inside, still feeling shaken up. I rest my head on the steering wheel, my fingers anxiously drumming on its surface.

I don't know how long I stay like this until my phone rings.

I don't answer.

I let it ring until it doesn't.

It rings again.

I ignore it.

Again.

And again.

And again. And over and over again.

Then it stops.

Good.

I'm in no mood to talk today. I have too much on my mind. Plus, I'm deprived of sleep. I'm so tired I could sleep for a month. But not before I found Claudette.

And just as I thought it'd stop, it rings again.

Fury washes over me as I pick up the phone and click it aggressively.

"What the actual fuck do you want?! Look, whoever this is, I'm a busy person so go find some-"

"I know where she is."

A voice speaks from the other side. A voice that seems vaguely familiar, but I don't know why. It's like I've heard this voice before. But I don't know from where.

But then again, I can't trust my senses right now. My eyes have deceived me back there earlier, I can't afford any more slip ups.

"Look, if this is some stupid prank or whatever, I have no time for this. I-"

"Mainpark Louise Street. You'll find a gray warehouse at the back of the park. Beyond the trees. Don't go alone."