So Long and Goodnight

Twelve (Helena's p.o.v.)

I woke up and smiled. It was my birthday! I was officially eighteen years old. I decided to pay Gerard a visit. I looked at the dank memes, laughed, closed my eyes, then opened them. I walked over to Gerard, who had his hands behind his back. When I finally reached him, he held out a bunch of flowers that were all different colors. I took them, and he smiled and said, “Happy birthday, Helena.”

“Thank you, Gerard.” I grinned and hugged him. He hugged me back and kissed the top of my head. “Helena,” he said, his smile disappearing. “W-what is it?” I said. “You know I love you, right?”

“I’m aware. You know I love you back, right?”

“I think you’ve mentioned it.” I laughed, and he leaned down and kissed me. We eventually pulled away, and I said, “Thanks for the flowers.”

“It was nothing. Well, if nothing counts as travelling to the outskirts of the Black Parade to find them. Nothing grows here.”

“True, true.”

“Hey, I have a question.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Does your mom know about me? About the Black Parade?”

“No. She asked if I had a nightmare, and I told her I did. I told her that someone pushed me into an endless abyss. She asked who, and I said I didn’t know. Just some random person.”

“Good. No one else can know unless they encounter the Black Parade themselves.”

“Did my dad ever see it?”

“Sadly not. He was placed in Heaven, and when you’re placed in Heaven, you’re not allowed to ever leave and visit Earth. Same with Hell. But with the Black Parade, you’re a phantom, so you can go anytime.”

“So you saw the Black Parade?”

“Yeah. Of course, when I did see it, I was alone. No one was here. So when I died, I was placed in the Black Parade, and I vowed to lead it and protect it as much as I could. My friends saw it, too, but they didn’t tell me. I didn’t find out until they actually came. Sometimes, my little brother would see it with me. We died at the same time, so he’s still a teenager. A couple of years younger than you.” I smiled at the thought of being able to tease his brother. “Of course, he’s taller than you, but still…” My smile faded at that. A frown replaced it.

Gerard sighed and kissed the top of my head once again. “It’s about to fade.”

“Alright. Bye.” He kissed me, then faded away. I sighed, then remembered the dress. I ran downstairs and saw my mother making breakfast. Chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream on top, my favorite.

She set a plate of them down in front of me, and I dug in. She sat down and smiled. “So, it’s your birthday.” I nodded eagerly. “Here you go.” She picked up a small box and pushed it towards me. I lifted the lid and gasped. The dress was even more beautiful than I imagined. I finished my pancakes, then hugged my mother and ran upstairs. I tried the dress on.

It fit perfectly.

I went downstairs to show my mother, and she said, “You look beautiful, sweetie.” I smiled, and she took a picture. I went back into my room and shut the door. I decided to go to the Black Parade again to show Gerard.

When I got there, I stood there and saw Gerard walk toward me. He stopped when he was directly in front of me and said, “Wow. You look…” He chuckled and smiled. “Absolutely beautiful.” He hugged me, and I hid my face in the crook of his neck so he couldn’t see me blushing. “Thank you.” He pulled away and said, “Don’t hide your face. It’s too beautiful for that.” I smiled, then kissed him on the cheek. I saw his cheeks turn red before he faded away. I laid down on my bed and sighed happily, thinking that nothing could ruin my day.

Then it came.

The stabbing pain in my chest, except this time, it was far worse. I screamed out in pain, which caught my mother’s attention. She ran into my room and said, “What’s wrong?!” I gasped out, “Pain. Chest. Hurts. Help.” I screamed out in pain again before everything went black.

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