Tied between two

Fly

The final bell rings. School was finally over. Now Anna didnt know where she wanted to go. her family had already been called and she knew they wouldnt have cared, they didnt like Brody, thought he was a distraction, not that they really even cared what she did with her life, as long as she earned them enough money.
She didnt normally like attention but right now it was all she wanted, someone to cry with. her family wouldnt do that. Anna would have asked Anita to hang around after school for a bit but she knew that her parents were strict so that was out of the question. So, Anna just left, just walked out of the school gates and down the street. After about an hour of mindless walking through streets, she found herself staring at Brody's house. it was a normal house, in the middle of a series of identical houses. the only thing that made his house recognisable was the car parked outside or the small celtic football club sticker on Brody's bedroom window. Anna walked up the path to the front door and opened it -she was past knocking anymore-. she walked through into the kitchen where she knew Brodys mother would be. she stood up as soon as Anna came into view. they both just stood there staring at eachother for about a minute, silently. then, as if on cue, both broke down into tears and braced a hug. Anna began thinking why she walked here instead of going home, until she realised that she felt more at home here than with her own family. she was hugging Brody's mother, something she would never do with her own. She belonged here, whether or not she wanted to be was another question, one she couldnt answer. All she knew right now was the guy she spent life loving died loving her and that the only other person that truly knew Brody like Anna did was the woman who brang him into this world, the woman who left tear stains on Anna's shirt, still spotted with Brody's blood. After a while, they both ran out of tears to shed and Anna sat down while Brody's mother turned the kettle on. they reminisced about all of Brody's annoying habits over a cup of coffee. Anna complained about how her always bit the skin around his fingernails and his mother said that she hated that he constantly walked around beatboxing to himself and how he used to suddenly scream in his room because he lost at a game. Once they finished their coffee, Anna eventually brought up the strength to go up into Brody's room. she walked straight up towards his wardrobe where he pinned up all of his photographs. she picked up one she hadn't noticed before, one she didn't remember having been taken. it was Anna and Brody as kids that must have been taken by his mother at hometime, they were stood in the playground of their first school and Brody was holding Anna's wrist and Anna was brushing her other hand through Brody's -once blond- hair. Anna looked up from the photo and back to the collage of pictures. she pinned the photo back up and wandered to his desk where she saw another photo, one she knew was being taken. it was just a week ago, they were stood in the living room in the same position , Brody holding Anna's wrist and Anna brushing her fingers though Brody's - now brown- hair. she looked up at Brody's mother who was stood in the doorway.
"some things never change" his mother stated. "he noticed that you guys were doing the same pose just yesterday, he came running downstairs once he found the old photo. he was like 'omg mum, look! Always' i didnt quite believe it, felt like i was looking at a picture from a tragic love story and i guess we know what the tragedy was." she grabbed some blu-tac and stuck the picture up on the wardrobe. then she picked up all the laundry off the floor, surprisingly about half of it was Anna's. "you know you're welcome to stay here whenever you like." she said, dumping the washing into the wash basket.
"thank you." Anna replied, she didnt really feel like talking anymore.
"heck, you can move in officially if you want, you practically live here anyways. you'll always be my daughter-in- law" she smiled, picked up the wash basket and left. Anna admired the way some people managed to carry on with normal life so soon after a type of trauma. she respected his mother's strength to carry on especially after Anna felt so weak, so distant from life, surprised she actually remembered how to breath. Anna laid down on the bed in her usual spot and after a while she managed to fall asleep. she didnt even think she was tired but as soon as her head hit the pillow it was like the whole weight of the world came crashing down atop of her and still she tossed and turned until she finally drifted away.

"always" the word seemed to repeat around and around in her head.
"always" it was her own voice, like she was replying to something.
"stay with me..." that was what she was responding to, to Brody, then she saw him. Anna walked through the doorway that he stood beyond. once she stood outside of the darkness she saw them, everyone she knew stood surrounding her. they cleared a pathway from her to Brody. he seemed to glow, like a silver glow shone from his skin, he looked angellic. the glow was brighter behind him, like he had wings. Anna's Angel.
"stay with me.." he whispered holding out his hand for her to take. she walked slowly towards him, everyone's eyes were following her until she spoke,
"Always" then everyone disappeared. Brody didnt move, didnt flinch. his hand was still extended towards her. she turned around, the doorway was still there she could just walk away right? no. she was staying right here, wherever here was. it didnt matter, she was with brody and that was al that mattered. she grabbed Brody's hand and together they walked away from the door. then it was clear, they were on a roof and they were walking to the edge. still, Anna didnt care . Brody stepped up onto the ledge and helped Anna up. they held hands again and stepped forward onto nothing. falling. Falling. it was just Anna falling, Brody called out after her quoting the tattoo she had on her collarbone 'you gotta fall before you fly.' then she hit the floor.

she awoke with a start, gasping for breath. it was the middle of the night. she stood up and went to close the curtains, instead she just stared outside because the lamppost that Anna and Brody always met at, it was flickering. then her collarbone began to tingle -sending shivers across her body- like someone was gently brushing their finger across it. she repeated the quote,
"you gotta fall before you fly."