If I Can Say It

Why Are You My Reflection?

Virgil shivered violently, coughing into the sleeve of his hoodie. The rain may have stopped but the cold winds kept coming, puddles reflecting the light from the street lamps. Winter was nearing and Virgil was terrified that he might not survive. 

Tears pricked at his eyes and he wiped them away angrily. He kept walking, not sure where he was going but hoping the the exercise would warm his too-skinny body. Time, he's not sure how long, passed by and with every step he took, he could feel his body weakening. The first few snowflakes sent terror and sadness racing through him. 

As the flakes fell even faster, whipping into a storm, he ran with as much energy he could muster into an ally way that supplied some cover from the ever growing storm. Slipping into the alley, he walked in far enough to not be seen easily from the streets. Collapsing onto the floor, he listened to the chatter of the people in the building beside him. The words muffled by the walls. 

Closing his eyes, he let the words, soft and intangible, flow over him, bring memories of his home and family. For a second, he could pretend that he was there. That he wasn't sitting in some random alleyway. That the cold cement beneath him was a soft couch, the brick wall and pillow and that the cold was just a soothing warmth from the fireplace. His shook himself out of his thoughts. 

The sun was growing slowly over the horizon, despite being hidden by the towering buildings. The snow that had seemed so daunting in the dark now seemed pathetic as it melting under the suns heat. The voices of the people next door had stopped. Time had flown by. 

The world was now quiet in only the way it can be in the early mornings. Before the world and its people catch up. Where everything is still and calm and free. Virgil took a deep breathe, enjoying the calm before the storm. He's not sure where it came from but the words set themselves free and his voice echoed in the empty alley.

Here my voice,

Pray that I am not alone

Stay with me,

Please don't break my bones

Words don't hurt,

They bruise and bleed

Nothing can help,

The pitiful like me

This cold is a reminder,

Of a future I'll never see

Echoing in my skull

Saying that I'll never be free

Close my eyes,

Close my heart with it too

Because now I can see

That I'll never belong...with you

His voice was smooth and rich, like a hot chocolate on a cold night and just as quickly as the words came, they left. Leaving Virgil feeling more alone then ever.

"Hello? Is someone out here?"

A second voice entered the dormant alley, followed by a man with golden curls and a bright blue shirt, so contrasting and different from the dark exterior. Virgil froze, stumbling carefully to his feet, eyes glued to the stranger in front of him. The mans eyes scanned the alley before turning and locking onto Virgils own. They widened in surprise and he moved forward as if to confront him. 

Panicking, Virgil flung himself backwards, out of the mans reach. The melting snow gave way beneath his feet and he fell backwards, slamming his head into the cold concrete. The mans startled shout was followed by charging footsteps. As Virgil's gaze blurred, the blurry face of a man with bright blue eyes watched him with concern, the first he'd seen in awhile. He blacked out with his song playing over and over again in his head.