Original Stories Fan Fiction / Romance Fan Fiction / Fables/Fairytales Fan Fiction ❯ Song Bird: Beyond The Dark City ❯ Normality ( Chapter 1 )

Song Bird

 

Beyond The Dark City

 

Chapter One

 

Normality

 

 

Alicia Noble had never skipped school before, maybe for one class period in the afternoon but never for two periods. She was cautious and forever darted her head around to see for her mother or some other family member. Larissa and Belle laughed at their friend's uneasiness while Lizzie just grabbed onto her arm and told her no one would find out about this. The girl was defeated by her three best friends' and smiled. She pretended to be cool and collected so no one would know this was her first time. Of coarse Lizzie knew but Belle and Larissa hadn't a clue that Alicia was your regular can-do-no-evil sort of girl.

 

 

The group of four walked along the empty road, leading towards the shopping center to meet a couple of Larissa and Belle's friends'. Belle kept a tight hold on Alicia's right arm and Lizzie held her left, the thought she might run back to school must have crossed their minds from the way Larissa kept darting her blue eyes Alicia's way. They made their way through the crowded food court and out into the back of the shopping centre, the part where everyone knew thugs and vandals hung out. They walked out and sat down at a nearby coffee shop, Larissa whipped out her phone and started to dial.

 

 

“Mick, where are you?” she growled into the little pink cell phone and Alicia winced from the sound of her scratchy voice. Larissa flipped her bleached hair over her shoulder before nodding to the phone, as if the person on the other end could see her movements. Not answering the person on the other end, she gave one final grunt and hung up, flipping the phone shut. She then proceeded to grab a hair tie and pull her hair up into a high pony tail.

 

 

Belle pulled her own phone from her bag and started playing with it, she looked up from her phone and smiled at Larissa “What did he say, Lulu?” she asked. Larissa rolled her eyes.

 

 

“He'll be here in a minute with Benji and Jake” she answered, a small tight smirk appearing on her lips. Belle squealed with delight and sat her phone onto the silver metal table. Lizzie shrugged at them and looked at Alicia.

 

 

“Heard from your sister, Lisa?” she asked. The brunette grinned and nodded.

 

 

“Yeah, yesterday” was her answer.

 

 

Alicia's older sister, Christina Noble, was currently overseas with her fiancé and his family for three weeks. Waiting to hear from her daily was like trying to teach your dog to talk, useless and a waist of time. Alicia suddenly had this strong urge to pee, she shifted her body and stood up “I'm going to the toilets, wont be long” she muttered. Lizzie stood up.

 

 

“I'll go too” she offered and went to grab her bag. Alicia shook her head and started off.

 

 

“No, I won't be long” she said and started off towards the public toilets, she took a quick glance and seen Lizzie shrug and sit back in her original spot.

 

 

Alicia got to the toilets, did her thing and walked from the stall. It was pretty empty; she splashed water over her face and looked into the mirror. Plain, that's what she saw. She saw dark brown hair, shoulder length, green eyes and thin lips to match a thin framed face. Alicia saw but a ghost of what she was a month before, a shadow now looked back at her in that dirty stained piece of glass, not a vibrant teenage girl.

 

 

She leaned against the edge of the sink and pulled her music player from my light blue backpack, she swung it back onto her shoulders' and switched the song to `Not ready to make nice' by the Dixie Chicks. The song really spoke to Alicia, this woman was hurt by this asshole and he expected her to just get over it. She always thought a certain song said who someone was, and this song said who Alicia Noble was. She clicked play and started out of those horrible toilets.

 

 

She walked out and down the long, narrow hall. Without looking where she was going, she bumped into someone's shoulder; her music player was on very loud so she couldn't hear herself apologize, let alone what the other person said. Alicia turned her green eyes towards the figure and came face to face with a guy who would most probably be seen jumping out of someone's apartment building with a plasma screen television. The guy had a scowl on his face and a deep bruise under his eye.

 

 

She still hadn't turned off her music player, she couldn't even move. He looked the girl over and scoffed, maybe he got this kind of reaction from a lot of girls? Alicia didn't know, and she really didn't care all that much. With a shrug from her, he looked at Alicia one last time and stomped off to the men's toilets, whoever kicked his ass she has to give props to, he was a jerk. The least he could have done was except her apology or even given Alicia a hint of a smile.

 

 

Alicia walked through the crowd, down the main street back to her friends, already forgetting about the guy she had bumped into back by the toilets. She turned down her music so she could hear what Belle and Larissa were talking about.

 

 

Her favorite part of the song passed by, the young girl listened with contentment and leaned into her chair. Not really caring anymore about what Belle and Larissa were chatting about, Lizzie smiled and joined in on the conversation with a laugh here and there. Belle would smile at Alicia occasionally before responding to something Larissa would say. It was an ongoing conversation between the teenagers, all different words being passed between them but occasionally adding onto each of their different topics.

 

 

Larissa Meradon and Belle Woods, best friend's since seventh grade. They were look-a-likes. Blonde hair, blue eyes, though Larissa's eyes were a lighter blue and her hair white blonde. Belle was darker, like Alicia, they were cousins, which is why Alicia started hanging around with Belle and Larissa in the first place. Family moral's, she could laugh at that. Belle and Alicia didn't even know they were related until last year, than she pulled Alicia into her `click'.

 

 

Elizabeth Crane, better known as Lizzie, is Alicia's best friend. Their first encounter with each other was when they were six years old. Alicia latched onto her fathers' leg in preschool, refusing to let go for any reason; until Lizzie showed up. Lizzie smiled and took the scared little girls hand and from than on they pair was inseparable. Lizzie and Alicia had the same personality but looked completely different; Lizzie had black hair and hazel brown eyes and was a good two inches shorter then Alicia was. Their usual joke consisted of fat jokes and fat thighs, which always made them crack up laughing because they never meant a word they said or resembled the remarks.

 

 

As the song ended she frowned and clicked it again to replay. The melody once again went through her head in an almost hypnotic fashion until someone jerked the sleeve of her school shirt rather harshly. Alicia turned her attention towards Larissa, who had an especially fowl look plastered on her face.

 

 

“Hello, I've been talking to you for five minutes' now Leecie, turn that damn thing down” she snapped.

 

 

The day when Larissa Meradon start's to chastise you is the perfect day to check your wrist watch to make sure time hasn't stopped and you're simply in a hospital bed, comatose. Logic's dictate that will probably never happen, but it's worth a shot at proving the girl who got a twelve percent pass on her high school exam isn't making you look like the ignorant one.

 

 

Giving a simple smile, Alicia put her music player back into her bag and zipped it up, all the while keeping her eyes on Larissa to make sure she got the point that she wasn't in the mood for her kind words of wisdom. Obviously not taking Alicia's very scrutinizing hint, Larissa gave her friend a sarcastic smile and went back to radar the area for the boys.

 

 

“Are they hot?” asked Lizzie, pushing the headband in the front of her hair back into place. Lizzie wasn't all that concerned about what the boys looked like, just a little curious. She wasn't about to waist her time if these guys were complete losers.

 

 

Belle snorted, her eyes widening “Hell yeah, Mick is cute I guess, but James and Benji are seriously hook-up worthy”

 

 

“James? Are you serious Bee? He's a fat slob, F-A-T and that's a kind word for what McKenzie has called him” Larissa leaned back in her seat, finished with her onslaught towards Belle's boyfriend. Belle's face seemed to drop, her whole posture slouching in the silver seat, McKenzie was another girl they hung out with and supposedly a good friend to Larissa and Belle.

 

 

Larissa wasn't exactly a looker herself, but Alicia wasn't about to go butting into the two friends quarrel. As the waitress came around to the girls table, Belle seemed to perk up and looked at Alicia expectantly; giving the green eyed girl the impression Belle had forgotten to pick up any money before leaving for school, again. Sighing and getting her wallet out from her bag, Alicia only hoped she wasn't strapped for cash.

 

 

Fourteen dollar's occupied her black Gooci wallet, giving her the impression a couple of drink's was the best she could do for today. Smiling politely up at the young woman, Alicia ordered two spring water's and a slice of lemon cheese cake for her and Belle to split. Café Tress was the ritziest thing around this part of town, besides some of the more expensive clothing stores in the mall, so Belle and Larissa never failed to come to Tress whenever they got out for lunch. It was like Star Bucks, but twice as expensive in Alicia's opinion.

 

 

Lizzie really couldn't care less; she would have been just as happy with a cheese burger from McDonald's or a milkshake from Wendy's. Larissa, for once, hadn't asked for a Pepsi Max and Alicia was grateful she didn't have to fork out another two dollar's fifty for it. Larissa was too preoccupied with the other side of the street to really notice what Belle or Alicia were up to.

 

 

“See, there they are!” Larissa grabbed onto Belle's sleeve rather violently, just as she had grabbed Alicia's, and tugged the dark blond from her seat. Lizzie sat back, seemingly enjoying the view of Belle being dragged across the street by the short and mousy looking Larissa.

 

 

Lizzie stretched in her seat and yawned loudly, already bored with the day's events. Smiling lightly she got up out of her seat and followed Belle and Larissa, Alicia guessed she was just curious about these three golden boy's Larissa had been cabbage patching about all afternoon. Alicia's green eyes shifted to across the empty street; it was highly unusual for the street's to be empty at two thirty in the afternoon, school would be out soon and parents should have been swarming the streets to try and get a good parking spot. Instead, only a couple of parked car's occupied one-hundred-and-three Millburn Road.

 

 

“Mick!” squealed Larissa, partially tackling the poor guy. The dark blond boy with dark brown eyes and a blue polo shirt chuckled lightly and hugged Alicia's friend back, looking embarrassed at her excited greeting. The other two males next to him, looking roughly the same age, rolled their eyes and simultaneously put their hands into their pockets.

 

 

Gangster-wannabe's was what these guys were. Walking the streets as if they owned the whole damn planet, expecting every girl to come to a complete stop and flirt shamelessly, then when the girl was hooked with their line and sinker, it's time to bum a smoke, which is exactly what one of them was doing to Lizzie. Grasping the strap of her backpack Alicia jumped from her seat, making it screech back and bolted across the road. Traffic was now bustling as parents raced to reach the front of the primary and high school on time and to get a good parking space, making Alicia stop in the middle of the road or risk being crushed. Since when did the traffic start?

 

 

Larissa looked as though she would pee herself laughing at the look on Alicia's face, the car had come out of no where and almost hit her in the middle of the road. Road kill, that's what she would have been if Lizzie hadn't warned her about the mini bus heading her way. As quickly as Alicia had gotten onto the road, she was by Lizzie and Belle's side, waiting eagerly for Larissa and Belle to finish their reunion with these three guys and get back to school.

 

 

“Are you completely out of your mind?” growled Lizzie, her almond shaped eyes narrowed and dangerous.

 

 

“It came out of nowhere” Alicia defended, it was the truth, anyone could have missed that car coming straight at her.

 

 

Rolling her eyes, Lizzie gave a short chortle of a laugh and stepped closer to a red headed boy with a rat's tail down the back of his neck. Belle was holding hands with a dark looking guy, quite chubby and looked of Egyptian decent. This gave Alicia the impression he was James and the red headed boy was Benji, the one whom Lizzie was flirting shamelessly with.

 

 

“Are you quite done yet?” Alicia asked; it seemed everyone was paired off and this only agitated the brunette further.

 

 

“What's with the accent?” asked the chubby guy, his black eyebrows furrowing.

 

 

Alicia had never been to Brittan or England; she has never even left the states, but it seemed she had acquired a sort of British accent. Her parent's always thought it was because her dad had bought most of the old James Bond movie's when she was younger, but as the years went by, it started to get thicker and to the point where people couldn't even tell she was an American citizen unless she kept her mouth closed.

 

 

“Nothing, she's always like that” explained Larissa, obviously finding the whole concept of Alicia's funny speech amusing.

 

 

“Because we all know I just get a kick out of doing funny accents, Lulu” Alicia rolled my eyes, shoved her hands into her blazer pockets and turned to leave. If she didn't start heading back now, she might end up missing her bus home. No one objected as Alicia crossed the street, this time watching the oncoming traffic. She didn't really care that no one objected to her leave. It was funny how her friends could change when some my-pants-are-to-big-for-my-butt gangster's show up.

 

 

The waitress across the street at Tress came out to the table Alicia, Lizzie, Larissa and Belle had been previously occupying, a plate of cheese cake and a bottle of spring water in her left hand and another bottle of water in her right. Alicia ignored the look she received as she quickly made her way towards Saint Havens Girls Academy.

 

 

 

 

The trek back to the school didn't exactly tire her out but it wasn't what some people would call a light walk either. Alicia's school was old, like really old, it used to be a hospital back in 1920, then when it was closed down it was converted to a Catholic school forty-something years later. Alicia made her usual stop at the bus stop fifty meters away from the school, knowing she would stand there for a good fifteen minuets and then have to explain to the bus driver why she forgot her bus pass --- again.

 

 

“Shit…”

 

 

Alicia froze, tightening her hold on the strap of her backpack. She turned around slowly, not liking the feeling that grasped the back of her neck when she noticed the darkened ally way and the lack of other students to keep her company. Today she really cursed bus twenty-nine for being over five minuets late.

 

 

“I-is someone there?” she called out, hoping to not get a response.

 

 

“What do you think?”

 

 

Alicia jumped what felt like meters into the air, so much for wishful thinking.

 

 

“I was just… my boyfriends just around the corner!”

 

 

She was aware that was seriously a lame response, but her knees were buckling and she was too young to die damn it. She heard what sounded like a snort, and then shuffling. She stepped right away and onto the curb that the bus would soon be stopping on. A figure suddenly appeared out of the shadows of the ally way between two large buildings, long braided black hair, tattered clothing and a pair of tattered brown boots.

 

 

“Oh my…”

Alicia kept moving until she was in the middle of the bus stop, trying to get as far as she could away from this psycho. He had the most metallic blue eyes she had ever seen, but she didn't stop to look to long before he lunged at her. Alicia let out an ear piercing shriek as he did so, swatting and clawing at his chest as he pushed her harshly onto the graveled road. Alicia grazed her elbow and the side of her leg, barley noticing the large yellow school bus skidding into the bus stop. He had saved her from nearly being flattened.

 

 

The strange man was still on top of her, hunched over her with little to no movement. Alicia grunted as she pushed him off of her and gently onto his back, the old bus driver exited the school bus, his face pale and his eyes wide.

 

 

“Did I hit anyone?” he asked, almost frantically.

 

 

Alicia shook her head no lightly, staring in complete shock at this man's chest. His chest looked as if it had been clawed out; large gashes were inflicted into his chest and deep clotted smears of blood passed his button up cotton white shirt. She had most certainly not done that much damage when she had tried to claw herself away from him, he was barley conscious and his left leg twitched almost violently, as if his leg alone was having a seizure.

 

 

“Call someone!” Alicia demanded to the bus driver, his eyes turned panicked, most probably thinking he had run this boy over. Alicia tried desperately to cover the strange man's wounds with her bare hands, not really thinking about getting a bandage and that the technique was useless, just that somehow she had to stop the blood flow.

 

 

He started to cough violently as a string of students exited the bus to get a glimpse at the scene being played out. About five people had their cell phones to their heads, dialing nine-one-one emergency, as well as the bus driver who looked just a panicked and pale faced as Alicia did. Alicia waited beside the man for twenty minuets before an ambulance arrived; paramedics checked his pulse and blood pressure before putting an oxygen mask onto his face and loading the man into the ambulance.

 

 

“Do you want to come with us, or follow?” one of the paramedics asked Alicia. Not really knowing why she agreed, Alicia jumped into the back of the ambulance and looked on at the people who had gathered to watch the event. Among the crowed were Larissa Meradon, who was latched onto Mick's arm in total shock, Jonathon Cline, Zack Gelid and Trisha Moss who accompanied him, Alicia's class mates. Somehow Alicia knew she would have a lot of questioning the next day at school.

 

 

-

 

 

Final words

 

 

Alicia: “What just happened?”