The First Voice

the suicide that started it all

I guess in a way, this entire story starts with my mother. Everything starts with my mother, in a weird way. She's the reason I'm such a f**k-up. Hi, Music Jacqueline Lorraine Cassandra Reese-Turner at your service, along with my lovely twin sister, Magic Jodelle Lucilia Catherine Reese-Turner. I know that our names are ridiculous, but what do you expect from a person named Cinderella Sunshine Reese? However, that's not what the story is about - why is it that normal names evade this family from my mom's side. This story is mainly about how I, the girl named Music, can't even be bothered to actually say a single word to anyone except her girlfriend, Aunt Jacqueline and Lorraine, twin sister, and her father since her mother's death.

Aunt Jacqueline had already lost Cassandra when she drowned in that lake. Mom told me the story so many times, and in a way, it made me lose faith in everything. She always told me how she had been asked to look after Cassandra, and she resented it. Mom didn't know it was the last time she'd ever be able to see Cassandra. Mom said that the last thing she had ever said to her little sister was, "Beat it, brat. I'm working on a song."

The truth is, I never thought my life would be like my mother's in any way, shape, or form. For one thing, she was famous by her own right, not because she was born to someone famous. My mother had pure talent. I think everyone will remember After the Fairytale, and her pet project after the band decided to take a break, the Reese-Turner Hotel. The swanky hotel, that everyone went to whenever they had a marching band competition. It was famous for supporting the arts. I also would never be a true b***h to my sister for no real reason. However, let's mention the suicide day.

It was such a normal morning. My dad decided that for once, on that fateful Old Hollow's Eve (it wasn't Halloween, but it was the full moon on October 24th, and my mom insisted we celebrated the "real Old Hollow's Eve", but I'm interrupting myself, aren't I?), he'd let my mother sleep in. So he made a big breakfast, and we sat there laughing and Avery was over. That's when Aunt Jacqueline woke up and said, "Is it just me, or does this house smell like death?"

My dad sniffed the air, and I had to admit, the place smelled like someone had put a dead skunk in it. I didn't realize how different the smell was from dead skunk then. That it was actually the smell of a five hour old corpse. I don't know how we missed it, actually. I think mom somehow had been planning it. However, the smell of the corpse was getting to me, so I ran upstairs, to go check on mom. It was then that I lost my first voice screaming at what I saw in her room. Hanging from the rafters, the seven year old me saw a corpse of my mother. Her eyes, so dead and cold, her lips so blue... I knew then she was gone, but yet... I still said, "Mom, wake up!"

I knew it was pointless, I didn't know why I continued to try to wake her up from the sleep I knew she wasn't in. That's when dad had came up, wondering why I was screaming at mom, and saw her.... It was awful, because he actually burst into tears. I'd never seen my dad cry, because he was always comforting mom when the publicity of her life finally got to her. Aunt Jacqueline was calling 911, and I heard her, but didn't hear her. It was her last line that finally made me go silent, "I think she's dead."

I never thought of what would be the last thing I said to my mother until the black bag took her away from me.... for good. I can't imagine why, but my voice couldn't work. I was too busy remembering that my mother came in last night, telling me in tears that she loved me, and that if she ever left, it wasn't my fault. My seven year old brain wasn't understanding, and I thought her and dad had a fight. Of course, when I saw the body, it made sense. An officer asked me, "You did see the note your mother left? The one left for you and Magic?"

I hadn't noticed any notes. The police officer had to be kidding. What kind of person would notice a stupid piece of paper when their mother was hanging from the ceiling? I doubt Magic had noticed either, because she was too busy trying to comfort dad. I would call her a suck-up, but what if dad was the next to go? However, I said, "No, officer. I was too busy with the fact that my mommy is dead."

I seriously did say "mommy". And then I burst into tears. My mother was gone. And there was nothing I could do about it. My trust in everything had been shattered. And there went the ability to speak to anyone with kids. It hurt too much to even notice the fact mothers existed anymore. I couldn't think of even speaking a word to them anymore. I was sheltered, at my own hands, yet again.

Reviews

[Akeen V.]

Really cool and descriptive.

[la fille en blue]

I think you had an excellent first paragraph with the strange names, definitely caught my attention. I think the writing style is good and I like the story but it felt a little unorganized, I got lost a few times and it's not even that long. The emotions are very real and I think a reader can certainly relate to them. It ended abruptly though, and along with the confusion of it all, it just seems like something is wrong. I'm waiting for the next chapter :)