Chapter Two: Desley Morgan

“And do you think they once ever thought about me?” Thomas continued his ranting in my ear. “I was out of school for more than a week, and all the teachers were concerned about was making my homework up. Let’s not forget Mr. Briggs. That bag of dicks gave me a failing grade because I didn’t turn my paper in. I was sick!”

I shook my head. “Thomas, You’ve pulled the same move several times already. You go home sick, you’re out for a week, and you come back bragging about reaching a new level in one of your video games. It’s not hard to figure out, man.”

Thomas scoffed and ranted more as we made our way down the sidewalk. The streets were loud and flooded with cars and people either just going to or leaving work. I was a scrawny fifteen-year-old walking with my best friend to a local music shop for his own kicks and giggles. Thomas was a boy geekier than myself. He sported a buzz cut with rimless glasses on his face. His clothes were the findings in thrift shops and other second-hand stores, dingy with plain colors. He always wore the same green sweatshirt. When you’re our age and the social outcasts of your school’s community, your appearance tends to be of less importance. I was content with whatever ratty jeans I could find and an old shirt topped with a flannel. My hair was too much to handle, so I kept most of it hidden under a hat. It tickled the tops of my cheekbones, and I was not fond of it. 

We walked by the countless stores that adorned the sidewalks of our little city. I wouldn’t even call it city, to be honest. It felt more like a cross between a town and a city. When someone talks about a city, the first thing that comes to my mind is skyscrapers, night clubs, crowded streets, and angry cab drivers. We had a few tall buildings, a handful of pubs, slightly busy streets, and mostly annoyed cat women shouting back and forth at each other. Daton. My home was called Daton. It was just a normal half-city populated with the average Joe. 

“Did you watch that video about the lady and the avocado?”

Then there’s Thomas.

“No, because I don’t want that song stuck in my head all day.” I adjusted my hat. 

Thomas retorted, “Fine, be lame then. You’re such a hipster, Desley.” 

I shoved him near the edge of the sidewalk for the hipster remark. Thomas laughed and came back with grabbing my cheek. He was the annoying, older brother I never had. We passed by a couple of kids playing with chalk outside of a pawn shop, their mother busy on her phone. I imagined it my have been a call to her husband by how personal it sounded, and it sounded like he had a lot of explaining to do since she discovered her grandmother’s earrings in a display case. I couldn’t imagine being married. I couldn’t imagine someone dealing with me for that long. 

“Oh, here we go!” Thomas ran ahead of me and darted inside the music shore. I would never understand his routine visits. Thomas didn’t play any instruments nor did he plan on it. All I could sum it up to was a fantasy he enjoyed having. I guess that was okay though. It didn’t hurt anyone unless his favorite subject of imagination was suddenly sold the following week and he’d have to settle for something else. He was an odd one. I followed behind him into the store, being greeted with the sound of classic rock playing through the speakers. There were very few people around, which left Thomas to being able to sit and fantasize for a while longer than usual. The store owner wasn’t ever welcoming of us since we never bought anything. I had to give Thomas credit for being committed to his weird passion. 

I glanced at the picks and effect pedals in the display case next to the check-out. The walls were decorated in posters of rock bands, icons, and racks holding guitars signed by famous musicians. The owner was proud of those. I couldn’t blame him. I knew that some of these he had to pay big bucks for in a bid. Among the racks were signs urging people not to touch or else they would face the wrath of Paul Dillinger, the owner. As threatening as a black and white paper sign may have looked, I still imagine the guitars were covered in foreign fingerprints. Thomas found his favorite spot in front of a random saxophone. It was silver. Brand new. He really was an oddball. The following week would be a different instrument of a different class. I was curious about what his fantasies were. I wasn’t brave enough to take that venture. 

In the midst of my exploring, I passed by an isolated section containing all of the classic instruments. It was rather faint, but I could hear someone playing a piano behind the curtain. With how beautiful the music had sounded, I couldn’t help but be curious as to who was playing. I looked for Thomas and saw that he wasn’t going to be leaving his spot any time soon, so I disappeared behind the curtain. I followed the music, the song becoming more clear with each step as I walked down the small hallway. I came to a room full of wind instruments but empty of people. All except one. I turned my head to the music coming from my right, seeing a baby grand piano lonely on a platform above the rest of the instruments. I made my way up the steps, and as cautious as I was, I slowly moved to the side to catch a glimpse of the pianist. I was amazed. 

There was a girl. I couldn’t determine her age, but she appeared to be as young as I was. I quietly watched her fingers gracefully glide across the keys, striking every beautiful note in timed perfection. Dark hair, a casual dress, and sunglasses on her face. The part that amazed me was the walking cane perched next to her. This girl was blind, and she played like she was a prodigy of classical music. I got closer, assuming she wouldn’t know I was there watching her performance. Her audience of one. I dare not touch the piano out of my own sudden superstition. 

“You can sit next to me, if you’d like,” the girl spoke. 

Her voice made me jump. I didn’t think she’d know I was even in the room. 

“How did you know,” I asked her, slightly dumbfounded. 

“Well, anyone can tell when someone is staring at them. I just simply knew.” She continued playing, not missing a key. “Come! Sit with me.”

I watched her scoot over to one side of the bench, making room for me. I didn’t want to be rude, so I approached the bench and carefully sat down next to her. She never stopped playing. 

“Not bad for a blind girl, huh?” She snickered. 

I watched her hands more and asked, “How do you know what keys you’re playing?”

“I just know.” She changed rhythm. “It’s funny, really. I think this is easier than all the others I’ve played. You can do so much with a piano.”

“Did anyone teach you?”

“Not at all. I just decided I wanted to play a piano, and here I am.” 

I stared in awe of this girl. “I gotta say, this is utterly amazing.”

She cracked a smile. “It’s really not as hard as you think. Teachers just clutter your brain with useless stuff. Why do you think we learn easier as children than as adults? Children aren’t concerned with the minor details.”

I didn’t think I unknowingly entered a psychology lesson. However, what she said did somewhat make sense to me. 

“So, what song are you playing? Who is it by?”

She smiled once more. “It’s by me. I’m making it up as I go.” 

This girl could compose an entire symphony. I had never seen anything like it in my life. For someone to sit down and play such beautiful music on an instrument they’ve never touched was amazing. I wanted to stay and watch her for as long as I could, but I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket. I moved carefully to take it out, trying not to bump the girl or mess her up. It was a text from Thomas.

“Where are you? Pauly pushed me out the door again.”

I rolled my eyes and replied back to let him know I would be leaving soon. I didn’t know yet if I wanted to tell him about the girl.

“It’s okay if you want to leave,” the girl spoke up.

Her voice pulled my attention away from my phone. “Sadly, I might have to. My friend is waiting for me.” I started to get up from the bench. “It was nice meeting you and watching you play"umm"“

“Dayla. My name is Dayla.” She stopped playing for a moment, turning her head to look directly at me. She reached her hand out in my direction, the smile never leaving her face.

I grasped her hand in mine, her fingers instantly curling around my hand in  strong grip. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Dayla.”

“And it was nice meeting you, Desley.”

I froze. I felt the words and thoughts leave my body as Dayla turned back and started playing once again. I was curious to know how she knew my name, but at the same time, I was entirely creeped out. I backed away from the piano, my phone vibrating once more, and I immediately headed for the exit. I wasn’t scared or anything. I just felt like I didn’t want the explanation yet. 

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“You’re telling me she knew your name?”

“Yeah! It was the weirdest thing ever. Like, she even knew her way around the piano without even playing it before. It was so bizarre.”

Thomas scoffed. “She’s probably lying, Morgan. Especially if she’s playing as well as you’re saying she is.” He paused for a moment. “Unless you’re lying.”

Now I was scoffing. “I’m not lying.”

Thomas left my side to turn down an alleyway, a short cut to home. “Well, it just doesn’t seem possible. I don’t know about you, but I’m not convinced.”

I caught up to Thomas’ side, kicking a can out of the way as we left the busy street. We continued to argue about Dayla and the piano and whether or not I was crazy. I didn’t think I was crazy. I mean, I knew what I saw. I knew what I heard. I sat next to her and watched her play. Thomas was hard to win over, making another remark toward my credibility before slapping the bill of my hat, nearly knocking it off my head. I readjusted it and came back with a slug to his shoulder. Thomas laughed and playfully shoved me, taking off further down the alley before I had the chance to do anything back. Thomas, taller than me, could outrun me easily. I watched him disappear around the corner of another alley. I ran by all the garbage and clutter that gathered near the drains in pursuit. My shoe splashed through a puddle as I turned down the alley Thomas went through, catching up just enough to see him turn down another. At this rate, we were going to get lost. Well, I was going to get lost. Thomas spent most of his time wandering the streets. I generally kept myself within the safety of the suburban neighborhood. 

I made a sharp turn around the corner, hoping to be fast enough to see his next move. However, when Thomas came into view, he wasn’t running. He was halted by someone standing before him. I slowed down, my running becoming more of a power walk. One part nervous of why he had stopped running and one part just in case it was one of his tricks. I started calling his name and asking what he was doing, but he didn’t respond. He didn’t turn his head. Thomas did nothing. I walked by a  dumpster, getting close to see that the person before my best friend had his arm raised, a boy who looked to be a little older than Thomas. Long hair, dirty sock hat, dark pants, and a red shirt. There was a cigarette in his mouth. I went to call to Thomas again, but there was a rustle from behind me. I was startled, whipping around to see another older boy bum-rush me into the side of a building. He was bald but looked equally as dirty. He jammed his arm against my throat and held a knife inches from my face. 

“Well, look who decided to join the fun,” the man in front of Thomas spoke. It had taken me a moment, but I finally recognized both of the boys. They were from the high school. The seniors with no future, Keith and Kyler. Kyler’s breath was putrid, which was no surprise to me. If I could speak, I would have asked Thomas if he wanted to trade places. 

Keith waved his knife around in Thomas’ face. “Now, I’m going to ask one more time"where is your money?”

Thomas laughed nervously. “Man, I’m wondering that myself.” 

I forced words out of me. “What’s the matter, Keith? Daddy not giving you enough? Oh, wait!”

Kyler jabbed his arm into my throat, making me gag for a minute. 

“I mean, I might not get an allowance"but at least my daddy pays child support.” Thomas picked up from where I was going with it. Good boy. 

Keith wasn’t having it. “This ain’t a game, you little c**t!” He landed a blow to Thomas’ stomach, dropping him to his knees. “Where is the money!?”

I struggled against Kyler after seeing Thomas go down. I wasn’t very big, but I had to try. 

“Y’know, if your little boyfriend doesn’t have any money, we’re just gonna have to take something else.” Kyler waved his knife. 

Of all the possible meanings behind his words, I could only manage to say one thing, “He’s not my boyfriend, dickface.” 

“I got it, I got it. I got the money.” Thomas said on his knees. “It’s in my hoodie pocket.”

I watched him begin to dig around in the chest pocket inside of his hoodie. 

“No, take the hoodie off and give it to me.” Keith demanded. 

Those were fighting words.

Thomas got to his feet, taking his hoodie off and handing it to him. “Okay, here it is. The money is in the chest pocket.” 

Keith had a smirk plastered on his face. He looked over at Kyler and made a gesture with his head. Kyler loosened the pressure on my neck, spinning me around to face Keith and Thomas as he forced me over to them. He kept a tight grip on the neck of my flannel. Keith pushed Thomas to the side. Kyler leered over my shoulder as Keith dug around in his hoodie, pulling out a fistful of junk. However, one side of his hand appeared to be smoking.

Kyler squinted as Keith opened his hand to see a red, candle-like object in his palm. “What the hell?”

BOOM!

The object blew up in Keith’s hand. Several other tiny explosions followed, startling both of our attackers. Thomas darted between Keith and I, grabbing my wrist so I could follow. I began to run with him, but Kyler still had me by my flannel. It wasn’t a problem wiggling my way out of the sleeves, turning to land a solid kick in Kyler’s chest to knock him back. I was thankful that Keith was more concerned about his hand for the time it had taken Thomas and I to put a decent amount of distance between us and them. We sprinted down another alleyway, Thomas taking the lead since he knew his way around. He made sure not to lose me. We turned over trash cans and other junk to make it harder for Kyler to catch up. Thomas rounded another corner. I was paying more attention to turning another trash can over, so Thomas grabbed me by my shirt to take my attention away. The alleyway we were running down was a straight shot to an open street with lots of people. Thomas was laughing so hard that he was crying. I was still trying to figure out what happened. 

“Did you see his face!? Man, that was priceless!” 

“What the hell did you do, Tom!?”

“He’s probably wondering the same thing!”

I had to give it to him. Thomas was a clever kid. I looked back and saw that Kyler was still in pursuit. Keith managed to catch up by cutting through another alleyway. We weren’t letting up.

“We’ll lose them across the street!” Thomas yelled to me. 

I was bound and determine to take any idea. I didn’t want to think about what would happen if they were to ever catch us again. Thomas made it to the sidewalk before I did. He didn’t waste any time running across the street towards a house with a white picket fence. I turned to tip over one last trash can before I came to the sidewalk. Keith and Kyler were shouting at us. I didn’t make any hesitation to sprint across the street after not seeing any cars. Thomas was only a few feet away, his hand reaching out and ready to drag me in the next direction. The amused expression on his face, however, suddenly changed. His face went white. I may have judged too soon. 

“Desley!”

I was taken off my feet. I didn’t know what was happening as I lost control over myself. My body was turned sideways. I felt my head smash into something solid followed by the sound of glass breaking. Tires screeched. I felt the hard surface beneath me bend and pop. I was spinning. Maybe I was rolling instead? My world was in a chaotic rotation, finally coming to a stop when there was a crack on the top of my skull and the rest of my body slammed into the asphalt. 

A car.

It was a freaking car.

All I heard was screaming. I wanted to get up and show that I was okay, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t so much as turn my head. I could see my hand, and it was twitching violently in a red pool. Thomas. Where was Thomas? I couldn’t see him. The noise around me started to dull, and it was making the fear rise in me. Stay awake, Desley. Stay awake. I didn’t know how much time had gone by. It appeared to be slowing down and speeding up all at the same time. I was rolled onto my back by a stranger. He didn’t looked like he knew what he was doing. He was speaking, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. I could barely see Thomas from the side, but I could tell he was struggling against another bystander. I wanted to call him a dick. From the looks of things, I wasn’t going to get a chance to. Faces were beginning to fade. The light was turning to dark. All of the feeling and the pain was leaving my body. Then everything turned to black. 

This was it for me. 

My life ended before it had the chance to begin. 

I didn’t even get to say goodbye to my mom. It was unfair. All because of two douchebags. I was not satisfied with this. I was not satisfied with this oblivion. All I had wished for now was a second chance. 

I was still eyeballing the blackness when I had the sensation that I was floating. I looked down and saw my body, unscathed and intact. I could lift my head. My hand was no longer twitching, and I turned it over to see my palm. It was clear to me that this must be death. I looked at both of my palms, then I looked up into the darkness. Was this it? Was this all that there was in death? All of this loneliness? Emptiness? No one to whisper back? It had seemed that way until something had caught my eye. A little light in the far distance. Then there was another. Another one appeared. Clusters of tiny lights. I watched as the darkness lit up with these tiny specks. What were they? Stars? I tilted my head, getting lost in the sea of star-like lights. I felt something scrape the bottom of my foot, my body taking on another strange sensation. There was pressure against my heels that traveled up to my legs as if something was trying to make me stand. I found my balance, but it was incredibly disorienting to be standing on no surface. I glanced around and saw nothing else besides the lights. I heard what sounded like thunder, and all of the placement of the lights began to shift, some getting further away and others coming closer. In the distance, I could see a form coming towards me with an even brighter light. I couldn’t make it out, but at first it looked like a cloud. A dark cloud, which would explain the thunder. As it got closer, I could see it was anything but a cloud. It was like streams of smoke and thread weaved together somehow, twisting and flowing in their own direction surrounding a blinding light. I was scared at first, but I felt the need to get closer to it. It was warm, and it felt like life. I began to walk closer to it, my hand outstretched. A glowing ball departed from the center and hovered just before the strange form. I didn’t know why or how, but I knew it was for me. It came closer to my face, its softened brightness painting my face a gentle blue. It lowered to my chest. In one swift motion…

…I clasped my hands around it…

…and everything went black.