Not Acid Nor Alkaline ~ Sleep Token FF ~

10.Window

Vessel's POV:

Everything was loaded into the car and van. We drove off, masked as usual, to our rehearsal room, or as I would call it, home.
Not only did this place feel like home, it actually was mine. All the money I earned went straight into this project. I had no own apartment, I had a matress. This was not only cheaper, but it also was useful. Anytime I could grab an instrument or take a seat at the piano and play.

After everything was stored back at its place and the others had left, I was sitting there alone in front of the window, looking outside at the moon that was shining bright.

I slowly pulled the hood down and took the mask of. I got out of the robe and pants and went to the little bathroom I was more than lucky to have here. Under the very small shower the black color began fading more and more. Black trickles were running down my slim body and my true self showed after a long time hiding behind the stage person called Vessel.

I liked being Vessel, more than being myself. It was never easy and the mask was a way to do what I love without me as a person. It was the only way to open up and share my music with other people.

I dried my body and changed into regular clothes. Until now nobody had realised it was me while walking down the streets. And I hoped it would stay that way for as long as possible. But. Nothing. Lasts. Forever.

I sat down at the piano and got my little notebook. Some of the pages had black stains. I turned the pages until I got a freshly new one and wrote down some ideas that had come to my mind during todays Ritual.

I tried to find a melody that suited the lyrics.

In the middle of the night without being tired enough to actually sleep, I got my phone and typed a message and pressed the send button.

Emma's POV:

I was sitting in the underground. It was a new feeling for me. I had wished to have a full face mask right now. I had the illusion everyone was starring at me and I wanted to be left all to myself.

Vessel could sing about his true feeling just by being hidden behind a mask. It gives you a feeling of safety, of being protected, like a shield. I wanted to feel the same now. He managed to destroy my shields after this night. I felt emotions through him, I didn't allow myself to feel in a while.

When I had closed the apartment door behind me, I walked into the kitchen, getting myself a glass of whisky. I needed something strong to numb my thoughts and feelings. I was never a person that liked to deal with her own feelings.

I sat down next to my window looking outside. The full moon was beautiful and really had something magical to it.

I sighed deeply from my heart.
How to deal with my life right now. The past years I studied real hard, partly it was my way to distract me from the rest of my life.

I was working most of the time and didn't actually live.
Now that I finished university somehow, a whole lot of , what I thought, would be me is gone. I never saw anything outside of UK, not even outside of England. Ocassionally I was going out with Abby or Matt, but my whole life apart from that was working and studying.
Tonight was the first night I spend all by myself and it felt good.

My thoughts were drifting off, I watched branches moving in the wind and a steet light flickering in front of my house.

I took a selfie of myself and then another picture of the full moon. Would this be a new beginning? A new chapter in my life?

After I drank my second glass of whisky, I had already forgotten about the other question that bothered me. What's about my classmate from school? Was he really just working there? I doubt it, but who else was he?

I was way to tired to focus on getting any answer, so I went to bed.
Abby was still hanging out with Matt and I didn't want to stay awake until she might return.

The moon was shining inside my room, but it never bothered me to sleep.
My eyelids closed slowly and the darkness around me welcomed me fast.

It was still dark when I woke up. Just a little light from outside fell through the window.
I heard footsteps on the wooden floor, but I could just see a dark silhouette, I couldn't make out who it was.

My pulse went up. 'Who? Who are you?', I asked with crackling voice. The dark silhouette handed me a blindfold. 'Don't take it off!', a dark voice growled at me.

As fast as I could I put it on.
'Who are you?', I asked again. I tried to listen for every kind of noise.
'I am the shadow...', he said, his voice sounded distorted.
'What do you want from me?', I now asked with shaking voice. I was afraid and I had no control about letting him know about it.

'I want you to give me all that you can give', the dark voice spoke to me.
I gulped and slipped back until I felt a wall behind my back.

I heard footsteps coming closer and some fabric was touching my bare skin. I bit my lip to stop myself from screaming.
A hot breath was rushing over my face to one of my ear, a hand held my chin.
'You don't need to be scared...', he whispered