The Graveyard Butterflies

Chapter Two

Beyond this world within a dream, 

cross the river of the moonlight beam,

to a land beyond reality, 

not mended by mortality,

to a place only in my mind,

yet I am but blind.

   - Adam Snow

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Chapter Two:

New York, February 2.

Amy Gregg leaned forward against the railing that bordered the balcony, forearms resting on the top and hands clasped together as they dangled over the edge. Cold wind batted idly at her hair, playfully tangling the long, curly strands and pushing them back out of her face for her, but the tall girl didn't shiver. She had always had a high tolerance for icy temperatures, and tonight was no exception. 

Unlacing her fingers, she straightened up slowly and braced her palms against the railing, stretching out the muscles in her arms that had fallen asleep hours ago. Content, and with a last glance at the streets of Brooklyn, she turned and stepped back through the sliding glass doors.

Her room was just as she had left it - neat and organized in a way that was almost too tidy. The white walls and plain furniture looked unlived in, untouched since they'd been moved in, and they were; Amy hadn't bothered to make herself feel at home in this foreign place.

Ducking out the open door and headed across the loft, she took the steps of the spiral staircase two at time and was on the ground level in a matter of seconds. The tell-tale sounds of video games drifted down the hall to greet her, and Amy followed the noise with light steps, fingers brushing against the wall to her right as she passed.

"Get the hell away from my rifle, jackbag!" Madison Spencer - or Bat, as she preferred to be called - was screaming as Amy slunk into the room, eyeing the mess in front of her.

Before, when the building had served as a run down hotel, this space had been known as the lobby. When Bat's parents had bought the place and handed it off to their daughter, the room had swiftly morphed into the ultimate gaming room. More couches had been added along with a couple of bean bag chairs, and every gaming console invented since the 1970's was present in the room. An entire wall was dedicated to multiple television screens of differing sizes, including the one huge one that was only a few square feet short of a movie theatre screen. Cash registers and information packets had been swept off the front desk, making room for the various candy and beverage machines. The open doorway leading into an old bar area now had a black drape hanging down, blocking the room beyond from view. 

The girls - and Andrew - were spread out across the couches, video game controls in hand with their attention fixed solely on the second largest tv. Based on the sounds of gore singing out of the surround sound speakers, they were playing one of Bat's war games. Figures.

"Hey, Chas," a voice called lightly over the noise, drawing Amy's gaze to one of the couches off to the right. Alex Hall sat with one ankle tucked under the opposite thigh, an old acoustic guitar laying across his lap as he strummed the chords idly.

She hadn't heard anyone call her by that name - the shortened version of her middle name, Chasity - for a while, and it brought back a rush of memories that were better left untouched. Shaking off the thoughts, she nodded and headed towards him as she replied, "Hi, Alex." Amy motioned towards the curtain. "How's she holding up?"

"Same as always. Izzy hasn't noticed any changes since those three days," he said softly, something changing in the boy's expression. The easy grin was gone, replaced by worry mixed with a seriousness that seemed too old even for an eighteen year old.