Chapter 1 Justin sat at the edge of the roof, dangling his legs over 14 stories, relishing the feeling of the air below him. Nothing but air. The sky rumbled. It seemed as if the sky was in sync with him, showing his moods, feeling his pain. It was dark, gloomy and it was going to rain any minute. Slowly, tiny raindrops fell. The sky was crying. Maybe for him. Maybe for his foolishness. He didn't know. Maybe it was comforting him, but it wasn't. It just made him madder. He looked down. It was funny, really. He should have been scared shit, considering how high up he was, how low the ground was, how there was nothing below him. Yet, he wasn't scared. Not at all. The prospect of danger only fueled his mind, fueled his anger. He didn't know how long he stood there, motionless, silent, unmoving, reflecting. But it didn't matter. Time was just a number, nothing important, just something man had named to try and make sense. It wasn't important. Nothing mattered anymore. Everything was unimportant. Kinda like him. He had no idea when it had started, but it had. He finally realized the ugly truth and ugly it was indeed. Not the same pretty picture he had always seen, always admired. No, things had begun to change, leaving him clueless, stranded, stumped. His life was like a game of chess. He was nothing but an insignificant pawn, playing in the game. The pawn was waiting. Waiting to be consumed, eaten, thrown away, controlled. He wasn't the mastermind in the game, just a mindless pawn. Where was the control he had felt not too long ago? Gone. In a way, it hadn't left. No, how could it leave when it had never been there in the first place? The game had started and Justin wasn't aware of it until it was too late. Too late to turn back, to save himself, to change his mind. He laughed bitterly. For everything, there was a price to pay. Nothing was free. Everything had a price. And now, he had to pay the price. It wasn't a low price though. It was a high one. Higher than he had thought, that he knew, that he had ever dreamed. If he had known, he wouldn't have been sitting here, wasting his time, fuming. The life before him seemed bleak, dreary, grim. Not to many others, but to him it was. People would die for the type of life he was living, that they thought he lived in. The envy, the foolishness, the stupidity of it all. He wanted to scream, to shout. They could have it. They could have it all. He wanted it to be gone. He wanted to go back in time and change. But he couldn't. Not now, not ever. What was done was done and he had chosen his path. Now he had to stick to it. It was a one-way street. There was no turning back. No regret they said. Sadly, that wasn't true. He was regretful but there was nothing he could do about it. There were a few options, a few roads his life could take. To be consumed by greed, eaten by evil, thrown away like rubbish when he gave up or the worst. Be controlled. Be controlled by cruel man, cruel human nature. It was indeed a dog eat dog world out there. He had been too innocent then, too trusting, too ignorant. Now the time had come. He could feel the effects of his choice. The results of it all. He had lost it all. The freedom, the life, all possibility of love, everything normal. His sense of normalcy was gone. Vanished, disappeared. Sighing, he looked around him. His surrounding mocked him, the sun laughing cruelly at him, the wind whipping his hair, blowing it in his way. It was flaunting its freedom. The freedom that had once been his, once belonging to him, now gone. Taken away. Freedom he lived for, craved for, longed for. Everyday was torture. The only peace he had was when he was asleep. When he could sleep that was. Now, it was a routine, a play, an act. Frankly, he was tired of it. the fake smiles, the fake people. All of it had rubbed off on him, making him fake, unreal, dead, false. As he watched children playing at the beach down below, envy and jealousy swelled, building up within him. He wished he could be like them- normal, carefree and most of all, happy. He hoped they would never make the same mistake as him. No one deserved the life he was living now. No one. No one deserved to be alive on the outside but dead on the inside. ��� Randi walked, a bounce in her step. That was the way she was. Happy, joyful, glad. There was something about her. She was special- the way her eyes sparkled, the bright smile that was always on her face, the laugh that always seemed to be there. There was something about Randi that made you want to be happy, to cheer up, to forget your troubles. No one could be sad around her. She wouldn't stand for it. She just wouldn't. Maybe it was because of her past, her pain. Everyday was a gift. Something that was precious, invaluable. No amount of money could buy the life back. Since that was the case, why spend your day feeling sad or miserable when you could be laughing and having fun? She understood that people had their fair share of troubles but to sulk and pout and lose your temper over it was too much. Times were tough for Randi but she never made it clear. Money was always a problem but as long as you did your best, she believed it would be alright. However, not everyone thought like that. She was constantly being judged, snide remarks thrown her way. She even had friends who kicked her when she was down. Maybe she wouldn't call them friends, more like acquaintances, but she managed to walk through all this unfazed, untouched by it. Some called it innocence, some called it stupidity. Randi didn't know if what she knew was right or wrong. It was just her way of doing things. Not everyone viewed things the same way, but that was what made everyone different. That was why the world was so colourful, so interesting. No one was identical. Everyone was special. As she walked, she realized that tiny droplets of rain were falling from the sky. She loved the rain. Maybe it was because as a child she liked to watch it, listen to the rhythmic pitter-patter of the rain hitting the roof, calming her. As she looked up at the sky, she saw something that didn't belong. There was a guy, sitting on the edge of the roof, his legs dangling down. She was curious. What would a guy be doing there? She walked to the building, determined to check it out. ��� Justin sighed. He felt so much older than he really was. There was only one good thing about his choice. The fans. They were everything to him. Well, almost. They were the ones to give him the strength, the energy to go on. They were always there for him and for that he was grateful. The guys too. He could never quit the band. The guys would skin him alive. Besides, he would miss them. They were like brothers. The older brothers he never had, but brothers all the same. They were bonded together by the friendship, by the love they shared. They were going through the same things. No one truly understood as much as they did. Justin was so caught up in his thoughts that he wasn't aware of the girl who was watching him, watching his expression. He didn't look too happy from the angle Randi was getting. He had a frown on his face, wrinkled brow, hardened features, as if trying to contemplate something or other. The guy seemed a little older than Randi, strikingly handsome. A bandana cover a mop of unruly curls, sky blue eyes stared into the horizon, just observing, not blinking. Randi watched him for a few minutes before deciding to break the cold silence before the rain got any heavier. By now, larger raindrops had started to fall, growing bigger and bigger, sky growing evidently darker. "You plan on staying here all day in the rain, soaked to the skin huh?" Randi asked from behind. Justin had no idea that anyone was behind him and how long she had been standing there. He sighed. He didn't really feel like talking. Why couldn't people just leave him alone? Now he had no choice but to answer her. He turned his head back and looked at the girl, giving her a lazy glance. She was pretty, with her long brown hair tied into a ponytail, large, expressive, curious eyes, dressed in simple khakis and a short sleeved shirt. She wasn't exactly breath-takingly beautiful, but there was something about her that was unique, that made people stop and look twice, their attention with her. She had an air of something or other, Justin wasn't quite sure what, but he felt it. She was different. She wasn't most girls. She was special. She was mysterious and Justin wanted to find out why. He stared into her eyes, gaze unwavering. People sometimes felt intimidated by it but this was how Justin judged them- their confidence, how sure of themselves they were, how strong they were. The girl stared back at him defiantly, boldly, unafraid, unnerved. In fact, her gaze was even more piercing, unsettling than his. He looked away, unable to stand it anymore. He saw her as he looked away, her eyes laughing at him, as if to say ' There's no way you can intimidate me just with a stare'. Immediately, he knew he liked this girl. He could tell she had attitude, character. She had thoughts, views, opinions, not like some bimbo airhead. That made her different from half the female population he hung out with. Interesting. "You know, you still haven't answered my question. You planning to drown here?" "I dunno. That wouldn't be too bad." Justin answered, a tinge of bitterness evident in his voice. "Yeah well.. it's kinda stupid to do this huh? Stand in the pouring rain, talking about absolutely nothing. " "Yeah, well�no one asked for your opinion, did they?" "No, but you don't have to ask for my opinion to get it. You get it whether you want it or not." "Oh, is it? So what do you think now, oh wise one?" "I think.. I think we should go back in, where it's warm, comfortable and most importantly, DRY!" "Nah, how do I know I cant trust you? You could be some old witch waiting to rape me or something?" Justin asked, half jokingly as he eyed her suspiciously. "You don't. Besides, who'd want to rape you?" Randi asked, teasing him. "Exactly. I don't know if I can trust you. And anyway, there are millions of women just waiting to rape me." "Oh wait, I think I hear the ego alarm go off. There's one egoistic male around here. Wonder who it is?" "Nope, no idea. " "Thought so. Anyway, just go in." Randi laughed. "I don't know if I can trust you." "Well, I guess you just have to follow me and find out just how deep the rabbit hole goes." Randi quoted from her all time favourite movie, 'The Matrix' as she walked into the building. For the first time in days, Justin smiled. Not a false, plastic smile, but a natural one. One that he gave unconsciously. There was no doubt in his mind that he would follow her. She seemed different, down to earth. Plus, she liked his favourite movie. That at least showed she had good taste. Why the hell not? He had nothing to lose anyway. He stood up and ran after the puzzling stranger, finally realizing how wet he really was. ��� As Justin entered the building, he spotted her immediately. It was so easy. She stood out a mile away with her uniqueness� Of course, the fact that she was the only person, besides him, who was drenched, helped. He followed her as she walked into the elevator, the pair receiving strange looks all around them. Soon, they exited the hotel and Justin found himself in the cold, unfriendly rain once again. "What you do that for?" Justin asked. "Do what?" "Bring me out in the rain again." "I dunno. I like the rain." "Well, I'm getting wet." "Too bad then. Besides, you were already wet to begin with, so why not go out and enjoy the rain?" Randi laughed as she trotted towards the beach. "Well, that is kinda true, but I was getting used to the dry, comfortable warm shelter." Randi turned and gave him a half smile. "Yeah, well, tough luck." Justin pouted playfully, causing laughter to come from Randi. The pair reached the middle of the beach and Randi sat down on the cold, wet sand. Justin raised an eyebrow. "The sand's gonna get stuck in your clothes, you know?" "I know. I'm not an idiot." Dawn lied flat out on the ground, sand trapped in her hair, stuck to her skin. Justin looked down, reluctant to follow suit. "Relax, sand doesn't bite. It's kinda nice really. " Justin just stood there, unmoving. Suddenly, Randi did something that surprised him. She pulled him down with her onto the sand, where he landed painfully on his butt. "Ow. That hurt. Whaddaya do that for?" "I dunno. It seemed fun. Now that you've got sand on yourself, why don't u just lie down, like me?" "No way." "God, you're a vain one." Randi reached out and pulled him down, their heads knocking as it hit the sand, making Randi giggle. "And you've got a hard head." "Yeah, well, so do you." They grinned at one another, lying in comfortable silence. Randi looked around and saw a little crab trying to carry some seaweed and turned over for a better look. Curious, Justin, too, turned. It was a cute sight and they sat, watching in silence, not a word from any of them. Randi grinned evilly. Justin was captivated by the crab and she was going to use that to her advantage. She stood up quietly, gracefully and when she was sure he wasn't looking, she took his bandana, laughing away as she ran. Justin looked up, startled. How dare she? If she wanted a game, a game she would get, he thought, his brain formulating a deadly plan. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of anything and he was losing time. Ah, what the heck. He started to run after her. Randi saw him running and started running too. She ran as fast as could but she was no match for him. He soon caught up with her, wanting to get back at her. He grabbed her rubberband, letting her beautiful hair down. She managed to escape once again, but her victory was short-lived. He got her soon after and he tickled her sides. She shrieked, hating the sensation of his fingers at her side. "My, my. See what I've found. You seem to be afraid of tickles. Too bad. Now give me my bandana and I'll stop. " "No, never!" Randi replied between giggles. "Is that a never I hear? *Beep* wrong answer!" He tickled her even more, torturing her. "Ok, ok. I give up. I totally give up. Forget it, forget it. I surrender." "Wonderful, but I'm not done." Randi screamed as he picked her up, holding her close. It was a wonderful picture and it briefly resembled a Kodak moment. That was, before she realized what he was going to do. As he approached the sea, Randi understood what he had planned in his evil mind. Well, two can play that game. She started kicking around, wanting him to let her go, but he didn't. "Help! There's a guy who wanted to kidnap me! Someone�" Randi's screams were muffled as Justin put his hand over her mouth, stopping her screams. "Any last words?" He asked as he walked into the sea, holding her just above it. "You are mean." "Ok, wrong answer." Justin laughed as he dropped her in, having more fun than he had in a long, long time. He started to walk away when he felt a hand pulling him down. He fell into the sea, landing once again, on his butt. "You really like doing that don't you, pulling me and making me fall on my butt." "Yeah, I do. But you deserve it anyway. You're a pain in the butt anyway." Randi answered cheekily. "Uh-huh.. takes one to know one." Justin answered as he rolled his eyes, laughing. For the first time since he was 18, there was a sparkle in his eye, the life returning. Randi pushed him playfully, splashing water at him. Justin grinned, splashing water back at her. Soon, a water war was well on its way, drenching the pair further. They played for the next ten minutes, both parties enjoying every moment. Soon, they were tired. They decided to trek out, back to the dry land. By now the rain had stopped and the sun was shining brightly. They sat down on the sand, drying themselves, letting the sun do the work as they sat in compatible silence. ��� |