We Love in Technicolor

HOPE (André the Giant Has a Posse)

"Well, some things in this world you just can't change
Some things you can't see until it gets too late
Baby, baby, baby when all your love is gone
who will save me from all I'm up against out in this world?"

-Bright Lights, Matchbox Twenty

*****

Beverly felt even more shy, after kissing Landon. If that was even possible.

Her face was hot, as she grinned bashfully at the ground, unable to control the swarm of butterflies fluttering in the hollow of her chest. She felt so light, so light, like the very blood in her veins vanished only to be replaced with helium and starlight, ready to guide her up up up, into the stars and stratosphere; ready to be swallowed up by the vast, empty blackness of the sky.

She peeked at Landon, and was pleased to see his lips (god, his lips his lips) quirked up in a grin. His hair was mused from where she pulled at it, and, if anything, that made her flush further.

Beverly tore her gaze away from Landon, and tightened her fingers around his. There was something so quietly intimate about holding hands and she liked the way Landon's hand fit around hers.

"So," Landon finally said, breaking the sacred silence that hung over the both of them like a quilt, "where are we going now."

"Are you still up for something?"

"I'm ready when you are."

Her cheeks stretched into a slow smile. Finally she nodded to the poster tube that was still slung over her shoulder. "Let's go put this stencil up somewhere."

He smiled in response, their shoulders bumping as they walked forward. Beverly buried her other hand into her pocket, thankful that she was wearing Landon's jacket as the night turned colder. Their town was eerily quiet; the only sound she could hear was a stray cat wandering the alleys, and lone cars that passed through the empty streets every now and again.

They walked in comfortable silence while Beverly led the way, but, after a few paces, she stopped abruptly at the sound of muffled voices and a familiar, muted laugh.

"Hey," she whispered, grabbing Landon's attention with a tug of her hand, "I think I hear people in that alley..."

"So?"

"So, I think we should go see― what?"

Her voice turned accusatory when she saw the skeptical look Landon was shooting her.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"I thought I heard a voice I recognized, Landon."

"And what if you didn't? C'mon, let's go."

But Beverly wasn't even listening to him. Instead, she asked, quite suddenly, "Where are we?"

"Uh...somewhere near― wait! Beverly! Hold on!"

She didn't stop. She knew where she was, and she knew the people that were inside the darkened alleyway.

Shouldering past dumpsters, and garbage that littered the narrow passage, Beverly picked her way through the alley until it opened up. For a moment, she didn't see anything in the darkened light.

It was then that Landon caught up to her, pulling incessantly on the sleeve of her jacket, his voice a low, warning mutter when he urged, "C'mon Beverly. Let's get out of here already."

In the near-silence of the alley Landon's voice was a projected plea. At the sound, the oppressive shadows that hung in the darkest corners broke apart until they revealed a small group of people.