There is a story her eyes would have to notice,

There is that story her mind wrote the opus,

There is the story her shined cared to show him,

Every day the sun comes up, and she went down

Every night her mind went out, and the flowers drown

“God I hate this song,” Mark commented, “it’s only been out for a week and it’s already overplayed! The radio will be absolutely unlistenable for the coming months…” 

“When has radio ever been listenable?” Without her noticing, Mark had become her companion. The pair remained on the outermost rim of the whirling crowds, leaning against the wall, observing the ball of excess. 

“Nina Schultz made it worse.” Mark said, his voice firmly anchored amidst the background noise, “Even Rock stations are playing her songs now, can you believe that? She sounds like a six-year-old who smoked three packs a day! Riding on an EDM beat played backward, absolutely horrid, dreadful to the ears, ruined one’s appetite. I hope the producer that signed her… Nick Applique, I think, I liked his previous work as a musician! But now he just keeps churning out these… garbages! Signing with Nina Schultz when there are so many more talented neo-folk female vocals out there… ” 

He emoted a lot, gestures galore with his hands flailing all around as though they were trying to draw out some intricate patterns in the air. His passion was so unbefitting to the utter inanity of the topic at hand that, after a while, his harangue just shed all its seriousness and self-importance, becoming more or less a bemusing physical comedy. Son couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“Ah! I knew there was some chirk in you!” Mark exclaimed, “You know the first time I saw you I thought you couldn’t emote, physically.” 

“I’m bad at faces,” she said, returning him a smile. 

“Hey, you want to meet my friends upstairs? We are quite a cool crowd if I do say so myself, a diverse bunch no doubt. I’m sure they won’t mind newcomers.” 

Somehow, maybe it was Mark’s sunlit disposition’s doing, she felt slightly assured that these new people wouldn’t be half bad to be acquainted with. However, between them and the staircase to the second floor was a wall of drunken dancers. He evidently noticed her concern. 

“Seriously? You are concerned about the crowd?”

“I don’t know if you watch the news, but hundreds of people died in that New York nightclub fire because they overpacked the venue.”

“It was also because they used pyrotechnics indoors! Come on! If this frightens you so much,” he offered her the hand, “I can lead you through it.” 

“This is very corny,” and hilarious as she had to use all her might to not burst out laughing, “and I don’t think it will work either. What, you're gonna push people over just to make out a path? I mean, you are fit but not that fit.” 

“Oh, please. I host this party, everyone here knows me. Well, except you, apparently,” he reoffered his hand at a higher altitude, “I can lead you through it?“

Sure, why not? She had only taken a few sips of her drink so her judgment couldn’t be that impaired. Although that drink station guy did spill out quite a long list of ingredients when it came to the hideously named alcoholic concoction…

And his hand held onto hers; it felt rough, full of wrinkles and callus, giving his already gigantic character an attractively mature edge. With this peculiar conjunction, the interweaving of ten fingers, the pair cut through the crowd with ease like an icebreaker to a frozen lake in early Spring. The sound of the music slowly faded, and though the dozens of contorted faces that they came across, each shaded with a different color of neon, did disturb her just a little at the start, they slowly faded as well, blending into the bouncing light and the undulating air. Wind started singing in her ears; had they really been walking in such a quickened gait that even wind could sing? She wasn’t sure. She only felt warm, romantic even, and feet stepping on soft clouds. 

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏ 

“How did you feel about him when you two first met?”

“Boring enough of a guy. Anodyne to a fault. Just like every other guy.” 

“How well did you get to know him since that party?”

“Not well at all. We barely talked outside of class.” 

“That’s not what we heard.” 

We. Had the police gotten their inquisitive hands gotten so deep into this mug pool that the principal started using a plural pronoun when questioning her? Not what we heard. Must be Whelk who had talked; that resentful broad opened her mouth and forked tongue would come out. The undigested chocolate pancakes within her were clogging up the digestive tract; her limbs went soft, her hands started to shake, and her vision narrowed. Fear caught up as she realized the terrible truth: she was surrounded by students eager to frame her for Mark’s disappearance and adults who saw her as the number one suspect. 

“I don’t know what you heard, but if they contradict me, they are lying.” 

“I’m sure you wouldn’t call all your friends liars,” the principal smirked, “now tell me again. How well did you get to know Mark since the late summer party?   

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏ 

“...I don’t get it. I know that persistence is the key but I just don’t feel like…” 

“You are casting too much doubt. Skepticism and preconception is the enemy to salvation. To be rid of thoughts we must empty ourselves, to embrace the intrinsic nature of being a vessel. Thoughts are the dust and sands, pour, them, out!”

“I don’t know Brandon… Reverend Fong won’t like what we are saying…” 

“Days of the cloth are over. Please listen to me, our task is far greater than that of religiosity. For once in all of human history, the end time has truly come, of humanity’s own creation. This is the healing process for our soul before we face true judgment! You have seen me when I’m at my worst, and look at me now! Rise and grind everyday, never miss a day of gym, eat healthy, make tons of new friends… Thoughts are our enemy. Thoughts are our enemy!” 

“Son?” Mark emerged in her vision, “you were zoning out.” 

“Yeah…” She was actually eavesdropping, but the couple standing behind her had moved away, “sorry. What happened back there?”