Come and Rescue Me [ MUSE / MATT BELLAMY ] [ COMPLETED ]

1//

*• 1995 •*

Raindrops land on the window pane as I stare out the glass that is smeared and stained with multiple dried paint colors that used to be the palate for the room I'm sitting in. Thunder shakes the ground outside and I hear the neighbors dog barking from the front porch where it's alway chained up and forgotten. Taking my hand, I pick at the flaking paint and peel it off until it falls apart in my hand.

It has been raining for two days straight and I haven't been able to leave the house since it started, though I have been able to stare out this window for hours watching droplets of water slide down the glass. Cars barely pass by as well as people walking the sidewalks on either side of the street making it seem like it's only the storm and myself.

"Valerie, come down here," I hear a voice call from the bottom of the steps as I stand from the chair and leave my room. I stand at the top of the stairs to see my aunt standing at the other end with the home phone in her hand. "Your dad wants to talk to you." Climbing down the steps, I take the phone from her hand and place it to my ear.

"Hey there, Val, how are you?" My dad asks on the other end of the line as I hear in the background a TV playing. "I hope it's not as wet as it is here. It's been raining on and off for hours." I smile to myself at how he sounds so concerned for my welling being. He's never cared this much when I was home.

"Good, great actually. I wasn't planning on going to therapy cause I feel a lot better," I say as I hear dad breath an unpleasant sigh but I continue on, without a smile on my lips. "The rain won't stop falling and I've been cooped up in the house for days. How's Tucker?" I question as I remember my little brother is still with him.

"He misses you a lot, Valerie. He always asks when you're going to be back. I tell him that you'll be home in a week," I can hear that my dad is uncertain about how long I'll be gone from home, I'm just the same. "But Susana is keeping him entertained and happy." I roll my eyes at the mention of my step-moms name and force a laugh to fall out of my mouth.

"Is he there now? I want to talk to him," the phone is handed over to another person and I soon hear a laugh of excitement. "How's it going, kid? You doing alright? Staying out of trouble?" The boy laughs again and I can't help but to giggle back at how much he likes to talk to me.

"Dad let me drive the car down the block! It was so much fun, Val! Will I get to drive with you next?" He asks though with the excitement slowly seeping out of his voice. I hum into the speaker and nod my head, hoping he ends the uncomfortable conversation now. "Will you be home tomorrow? Susana has your favorite planned for dinner. Grilled cheese."

"Oh, I wish but aunt Gail still wants me to help her with some stuff, though I'll make sure to have a sandwich with you when I get home. I promise," I say as I hear Tucker sigh and hand the phone over to another person. "I'm sorry, Tuck. Love you." I try to fit in before he leaves the phone behind with my dad.

"I'll tell him you said that, okay?" Dad states as I shift the phone in my hand and lean against the wall that the cord hangs from. "I want you to go therapy today. I want you to get better, Tucker and Susana too. We all care about how you're doing." Dad says as I let his words hang in silence before he says goodbye and hangs up.

The phone still rests in my hand next to my ear as I wipe the tears forming at the edge of my eyes. Standing up from the wall, I slam the plastic phone down and stomp my way back upstairs, passing my aunt as she tries to stop me and ask what's wrong. No one ever really cared if something was wrong with me until something terrible happens and then they notice I haven't been myself. I haven't seen my own self in years.