The Immortal Bittersweet Symphony (of Airiene Evagno)
By Silence of the Shadows
A/N: Thank you for the reviews! Though I'm not really getting any…Please review after reading! Sorry for the delay of this chapter. I needed inspiration. I was totally uninspired, plus, school is really harsh on me.
BTW, other countries, REAL countries and their languages may be included.
Note: I placed a question mark before an exclamation point in some sentences, but it may not be seen.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Whisperer. It has been mentioned here.
Chapter Five: Notebooks
The first thing we unpacked a few hours ago was the beds. Then the desks and chairs—it was really our rooms first. After that, we left it to the movers to move the rest. Although they didn't finish, Mom said we'd handle it. So they left.
We were really sweating and stinky. Jade and Taylor went first in the two spacious bathrooms upstairs. I just wet myself for the moment outside with the hose while Trinity and Mom washed their hands and fixed up things. Ailish took the bathroom downstairs. We only have two powder rooms and one bathroom downstairs.
Like Retsoul, Crosston is very cold at night. It's worse when you drench yourself. After I felt I was cleaner, I grabbed my towel and enveloped myself in it. I sat on the sidewalk and gazed at the black blanket of sky painted with sparkly dots of stars.
I then wondered about school. Surely, some people there would tease me. I would never reveal to anyone the reason we came here…
"Airiiiiiiieeeeennnnnnneeeee! Ailish is finished! Come inside!"
I sighed. I wish we would find Dad soon so Mom can return to her non-like-this self. I dried my hair a bit, wiped my feet on the rug and went inside, slightly muddy.
"Oh dear…Jade! Are you finished?" Mom called as she saw my muddy footprints.
"Yes, Mom…" Jade answered. "Could you clean up the downstairs? Only a small part. Airiene came in from outside."
"Alright."
"Oh, and Trinity?"
"Yes, Mom?" Trinity came rushing from the kitchen.
"Please fetch Airiene some clothes."
Don't think that's royal treatment, that sort of thing goes to everyone in the house. So I took a shower and while I was putting on some shampoo, I heard a knock on the door.
"Airiene, I'll just put your clothes on the toilet cover." Trinity said through the door. "Okay." I answered and continued my shampooing.
After my shower, I dressed up and went upstairs.
For the mean time, I was to share a room with Ailish. My bed was nearest to the window, Ailish's was closest to the door. Our beds are queen-sized.
Ailish and my room consisted of two desks, our beds and two walk-in closets. Though the walk-in was already in there, I just included it. Our other things are to be placed tomorrow.
In between our beds, there is sliding wall. There's a button on our sides that we press, and the wall advances up until we can't see each other's bed anymore. Mom installed that in case we both need the room and we both need the privacy. That doesn't fix Ailish's "phone privacy" problem though. Mom said she would install a soundproof wall that would reach to the opposite wall. Of course, I don't use the phone often; I used to but since I had no REAL friends in school (the "friends" completely backstabbed me badly even if they claimed they didn't and said it was my fault, but heck, I barely did things. I listened to their conversation and talked to them only. Nothing else. It makes it look like as if they have a total right to backstab you and make comments about you right in front of your face but using a name to blur your own, but no. I hate them with my own life. The person who gets to kill them is so darn lucky.) whom else could I talk to?
I lay there in my bed. It felt nice and comfy. After standing for so long. The last time I sat was in the car. It felt so good to be clean. To be fresh and to lay there on my soft and fat comforter…
"Airiene, dinner." Ailish called, interrupting my musings.
"What's the food?" I asked.
"Uh, I wasn't calling you to dinner; I was calling you to help make dinner. Mom's taking a shower, after that she's going to have a hot relaxation bath in her swimsuit. She said she'd do that until we install a Jacuzzi in our backyard. She needs it." Ailish explained.
"Okay. Not my fault if you vomit, if you mess up the room you got to clean it."
"Yes, ma'am."
I rolled off my bed and walked out of the room, through the hall, down the stairs and to the kitchen. I saw Jade in the kitchen with her cellphone pressed against her ear by her shoulder chopping up potatoes. She's using her cell because we don't have a telephone number yet.
"Jade? You needed my help?" I asked.
"Oh, hold on…just a sec…no, it wasn't Sal…she's not here. She's in the hospital with Gian, Reuben and Lance. No, Gian sprained his ankle. They'd be back tonight. What did you say? Who was it speaking? Oh, sorry. Yeah. That was Airiene. Not really! But on the phone. Yeah…hold on." Jade wiped her hands on the apron she had on, put the cell phone away from her ear and covered the speaker. "Yes, Airiene?"
"Aile said I have to help make dinner. What do I do?" I answered.
"First, pour olive oil into the pan, afterwards chop five cloves of garlic then put 'em on the pan. I'll instruct you as soon as you're finished with what I told you." Jade instructed and went back to her conversation.
I put the pan on the stove and preheated it. I got the olive oil and poured it on the pan. After there was enough, (I didn't fill the pan) I chopped up five cloves of garlic into bits and pieces and scattered them on the pan as I listened to Jade's conversation.
"Huh?" (pause) "Oh yeah! Haha! I can't believe she said that." (short pause) "Maybe that applies to her mom. My mother is definitely not gonna go to rehab or the mental hospital. She's perfectly fine!" (medium pause) "…what's that?" (pause) "Uh…hmm…I guess so…yeah…most probably…" (pause) "Uh huh…what did he say?" (long pause). "What?! That…that's so sad." (A/N: I place a question mark before the exclamation point in 'What?!') (pause) "Oh…man…that really sucks. Margo, don't worry about it, there's a possibility—" (pause) "A possibility means there's a chance! Don't think possibility means less chance."
"Um, Jade? I'm finished." I spoke.
"Oh? Hold on." Jade covered the speaker of the phone and said; "Okay. Stir it a bit."
I did so.
"What else?" I asked when Jade paused.
"Tomato soup."
With those two words, I knew what Jade meant.
So I began preparing the ingredients for tomato soup, and I'd like to skip the procedure, thank you.
When I was mixing the soup, Jade called for my attention.
"Airiene. Margo wants to talk to you."
Among Jade's friends, I like Margotte Satchire the best. Margo is gentle and kind, not really the party-type. When Jade's at a party she's not in, she calls and I talk to her.
"The soup."
Jade's brows did a dance on her face.
"I'll do it."
I snatched the phone from the counter.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Arianna." Margo said. Her voice projected sadness, at the same time hopefulness.
Arianna is my real name. They used to call me Aria, but during prep (a grade after kindergarten but before first grade), my teacher misspelled my name. She spelled it as Airienna, and my classmate called me Airiene. So up to now, they call me Airiene. My full name? Arianna Xevelaire M. Evagno. I don't know why, but the others' middle name is C. Mine is M.
"Hi, Margo." I replied.
"You heard snippets of my conversation with Jaidyn, haven't you?" Margo asked. Margo has the tendency to use real names. "Yep." I answered. "Well, I'd like to tell you what happened."
"Go ahead." I said with happiness projected.
"You heard of Angelo Iceburn?"
I know, his last name is ironic.
"Gelo? Yep."
Some people call Angelo Iceburn Gelo. It sounds weird, though.
"He…well, you do know that he…he w-was my boyfriend right?"
Was?
"Yep."
I keep saying yep… I hope Margo isn't discouraged by it.
"Well, at around four in the morning, he got into an accident."
There was a pause. Sobs filled the silence.
"He went out to buy me flowers and get-well cards because I'm sick. And then…there was gang violence. They shot him."
Margo, on the phone, burst into tears. The very sound disturbed me. it reminded me of when Dad disappeared. And when Mom started acting unusual.
"I'm sorry, Airiene. I know I should control myself." Margo sobbed. "Margo, it's alright to just cry. Just let it all out…at least Gelo went out in the morning to buy things for you…"
"It cost him his life!" she cried violently. I could hear it. "I'll never hear his real voice again. I can never touch him and he feels it. God, I'm so pathetic!"
I flinched when she used the Lord's name in vain. Excuse me for being religious. I just am.
"Margo, you're not. Don't think about what you don't have and think of the memories he left with you. The trick in life is to look at the positive side, though we usually look at the bad side."
It's because people 'innocently' bring up things that contradict what you have and don't have. I thought.
"That's true…But it'll take a long time for me to get over this! I probably will never get over this…" Margo hiccupped.
"Hold on." I covered the speaker.
"Jade! When did the gang violence happen?" I asked.
"This morning." She answered, stirring with the wooden spoon.
"Alright." I said. I uncovered the speaker and spoke. "Back."
"Okay. Hi." Margo sniffed. "Oh my God. What if he'll come back to haunt me or something, just like in Ghost Whisperer?"
Yet again, I flinched. But I shuddered when I remembered the episode Margo, Jade and I watched together. The teenager's boyfriend died, and the boyfriend wanted to tell the girl something but…oh, it scared me. I'm thinking scary thoughts now. "I'm sure not. He loves you, he won't come back to haunt you. He knows you will be scared." I answered. "I hope so…there's no guarantee." Margo sighed. "A brighter topic, shall we?" I asked, in favor of something cheery. "I was hoping to receive coping advice, but I don't want to bother you—"
"It's alright. But, if you keep thinking about it, the more it will bother you. Think good thoughts, keep it up everyday. Facing death is hard." I answered. "Thanks so much, Arianna. Though it may be hard when you don't think of it thoroughly, but if you do think it through, it may seem easy…maybe it is."
"Possibly." I commented.
"Hey, Airiene! I need help here! And I want to talk to Margo!" Jade yelled.
"Margo, I think you heard that." I added.
"Sorry, no, what did Jade say? I heard her voice, is all."
"She wants to talk to you, and she needs help with the tomato soup." I answered.
"Oh, alright then. Thanks for helping me." Margo thanked.
"It's no problem." I bade, and handed the phone to Jade. In return, she handed me the scalding wooden spoon.
"You burned the spoon?" I asked, looking at the browned portion of the big wooden spoon.
"Uhh…a little." Jade answered sheepishly. "I suppose 'a little' means half of the spoon," I said, looking at the spoon. "That means you burned the soup?"
"I don't think it's possible to burn soup." Jade shot back smartly. She placed the phone on her ear and started a lively conversation by saying what a smart aleck I'm acting…
And so, I finished cooking the soup and poured it in a big bowl. Jade was cooking steak.
"I'll wait upstairs." I said, and took off to my bed.
I got my notebook and started doodling. I drew a convenience store, and a guy holding a bouquet of flowers and a brown paper bag with a get-well card in it. The guy's mouth is shaped like a cookie, and two gangsters held up their guns, pointed towards the man.
In the next page, I drew a man flailed his arms and the bouquet and the paper bag flew. There was a blood spatter and a gunshot wound to his chest.