Breaking Violins

At the end of every day.....

Wednesday 3:02pm

 

Emberlynne’s eyes opened on a whim. What woke her was a mystery. She sat up and stretched her arms. She felt restless now which was odd for her because she was usually a bit groggy upon first awakening. It was well into the afternoon which again was an oddity for Emberlynne. She gave the room a quick look over. It was its usual. Vague messiness but a lack of personnel objects.  Elijah was still asleep. He slept on his stomach, his head not facing her direction; the sheets covered him from the small of his back and downward past his feet. Emberlynne could see that he was pale. His blue veins in his naked back were very much visible through the surface of his skin. She traced them with her fingers. His skin was soft and a bit cold. He must have been sleeping deeply because he didn’t move an inch.

The rest of the room was alit with the light of day and Emmy spotted her kitten, Nightmare, sleeping in the corner near a violin case. Emmy climbed out of bed to feed Nightmare still wearing nothing but Elijah’s T-shirt. The rest of the apartment was empty. The game system was splayed out all over the middle of the living area from the last time her and Paxton played Mortal Kombat. The kitchen was neat. She opened the bland old refrigerator and peeked inside.

Everything in the fridge was newly bought and unopened. Did Elijah always eat out or something, Emberlynne thought.  She finally settled on a can of tuna which she left in the middle of the floor for Nightmare. Emmy walked aimlessly about the living area. She liked the feel of the plush carpet under her bare feet. It was nothing like the hardwood floors of October Hill: cold, cruel, bloodstains hidden under vintage rugs. The only thing about the apartment was that it wasn’t lived in. It had little living history unlike October Hill which had plenty.

She had already gone through the hangover stage earlier that morning and a couple pain pills left her without a headache. She couldn’t help thinking about last night. It shouldn’t have been anything special to her, it wasn’t her first time. She shouldn’t have been so thrilled or surprised. She just slept with another guy. But why was Elijah so different?

She could not even begin to fathom her fascination with him.

She couldn’t understand why when he laughed she felt her stomach drop as if she was falling or when he smiled at her she got butterflies. It was like she didn’t know herself anymore. Getting drunk, late nights, love. Did she dare admit it to herself? Did she love him? After last night she couldn’t imagine herself not loving him.

Bored, she went back into the bedroom and plopped down on the bed. She nudged Elijah who still lay asleep. His skin was ice cold. He didn’t wake.

“Elijah,” She mumbled nudging him more. Her efforts turned to budding panic. The feel of his icy skin and the blue veins visible through its surface added to her panic. She found her heart beating a little faster than it would usually. She climbed over him to the other side of the bed so that she could see his face. It was peaceful. Resting. Frozen.

She found herself shaking him franticly. He still did not wake.

“ELIJAH!” She yelled. His eye brows crinkled in the middle of his forehead in confusion, then his eyes opened.

“What?” He mumbled groggily.  His face was suddenly animated. His hair was a little messy but not quite. His face was clean of any rods and rings. He looked so normal. His eyes were a pretty marble white. He kept searching her face until his own expression grew alarmed.

“Emberlynne what’s wrong?” He asked sitting up now. She shook her head in relief. She exhaled sharply and sat quiet for a moment. Elijah let it go and he too sat quiet.