Fan Fiction ❯ Runaway ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

Two months had passed by, and they were still three away from reaching the Dallas, Texas concert. Angel had grown used to living with Isaac, Taylor and Zac, and they had grown used to her.

They were all, at this moment, at the venue in Kansas. Isaac, and Zac were at the buffet backstage, and Taylor was sprawled in a seat in the front row, watching Angel, who was on stage, tinkering around on his keyboard. A worried frown creased his handsome face as he thought of his friend. He had grown close to her, closer than Isaac or Zac had, and he had discovered a well of emotions just waiting to flood out, but Angel kept them buried. She was a lot happier than when he had first met her, but there was still an ever-present black twinkle of sadness in her eyes.

Taylor heard Angel singing softly, playing an unfamiliar tune on the keyboard. He had to smile. He had recently discovered Angel's incredible music skills. She made up songs in flash, and sang them in a crystal clear, beautiful voice. She did not know that he knew her secret, for he had only heard her singing to herself a few times.

Taylor was about to call up to Angel and ask her if she wanted to grab something to eat, when he saw her rub her forehead. He frowned worriedly. She had been having headaches more and more often; in fact, they never seemed to go away. Occasionally she had dizzy spells, but she hid them from Isaac, Zac and him, almost as if she was ashamed.

"You okay, Angel?"

Angel looked up in surprise.

"Taylor! I didn't know you were sitting there! Yeah, I'm fine, why?"

"No reason, it just looked like you had a headache again."

Angel shrugged, stepped away from the keyboard, and leaped down to sit by Taylor.

"How's it going? Excited for the concert tonight?"

"Of course! I'm always excited for a chance to play."

The two sat in silence for a few moments, and then Angel spoke up.

"Hey, Tay, why are we playing Tulsa next week? It doesn't make sense. Didn't you guys already play there?"

A look of pain crossed Taylor's face.

"Yeah, we have, but Zac and I just have to be back there next week."

"Why?" Angel asked curiously, wondering why Taylor had tears sparkling in his eyes.

Taylor leapt to his feet and walked quickly away from Angel, not wanted her to see that he was crying, leaving a hurt Angel behind.

The two did not speak of the incident again. Angel tried not to show how hurt she was that Taylor was giving her the cold shoulder, so she went off by herself quite often.

When they arrived in Tulsa, it was early in the morning, and she was in between sleep and alertness. Off in the world of the awake, she heard Taylor talking to Isaac.

"Hey, Ike, Zac and I are going now. We'll see you later." Taylor whispered.

"Okay." Angel heard, rather than saw, Isaac give Taylor a hug.

"Thank you." A teary-voiced Taylor whispered back.

As soon as Angel heard the quiet shutting of the bus door, she got out of bed and hurriedly got dressed. She was going to find out where Taylor and Zac were going, if she could manage to find them.

Angel left a note for Isaac, and then silently left the bus. She followed her heart, and started walking down the street, away from the Hanson's house, where they were parked.

One of the places Angel went when she ran away was Tulsa, and she had stayed there for quite some time, so she knew her way around. She tried to think of where they could have gone, and then all of a sudden it snapped within her.

The tears, the comforting, and unwillingness to talk. She knew where they were.

As she ran, she soon discovered that she was right. They were there, standing in front of dual headstones, heads bent, and backs shaking in silent sobs.

Angel snuck silently behind them, far behind them, but close enough so that she could read whose grave they were.

The head stone was actually one, expanding over two graves. The stones over the graves were the traditional rounded headstones, but there was a simple square block that connected the stones. Printed on the stone was:

Together Forever

In Birth

In Life

In Death

The headstone above the grave that Zac was standing at read: "Erik Machintoshe - January 24, 1984 - September 21, 1999".

The headstone above the grave that Taylor was standing at read: "David Machintoshe - January 24, 1984 - September 21, 1999".

Angel sat beneath a nearby tree, and forced back violent sobs.

It was not until ten minutes later that Taylor and Zac moved to leave the graves. Taylor happened to glance back and see Angel's emotional face.

"I'll meet you back at the bus later, okay?" Taylor whispered in a watery voice.

Zac glanced back, saw Angel, and nodded. He trudged away slowly, soon leaving only Angel and Taylor in the silent cemetery.

Taylor moved over to Angel, and sat down beside her.

"Who were they?" Angel asked quietly.

"Our best friends." Taylor said in an emotion-filled voice. "They were about a year younger than me, but a year older than Zac. Erik and Zac were a perfect match; both wild, and hyper, and just plain crazy. Dave was quieter than Erik, and we got a long perfectly also." Taylor sighed shakily. "Zac hasn't been the same since. He's moodier, quieter, sadder."

"I noticed. Everyone noticed." Angel agreed. "You're different too."

Taylor nodded in agreement, a tear slipping down his face.

"What happened?" Angel asked carefully.

"We were recording when we heard about it. Dave was driving, and it was dark out. He stopped at a stop sign, and when he didn't see anyone coming from around the bend, he went. There was a semi-truck with its headlights off. The driver was drunk." Taylor breathed in shakily. "They died instantly."

Angel looked down at her shaking hands for a moment.

"I know how you feel." Angel said, blinking away a tear that was threatening to fall.

Taylor shook his head.

"No, you don't. You couldn't possibly even begin to know."

Before he knew what had happened, his cheek was stinging from a painful slap, and Angel was running full speed away.