literature

TG - Emily's Song

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Emily's Song

The bar was filled with the sliding and tapping and rattling of glass on wood punctuated by the random crash. This was mostly drowned out by the soccer game playing in one corner, a game of eight-ball in another, the clatter of a pinball machine, and the ending strains of a ubiquitous rock song from the speakers in the ceiling. And a dozen conversations passed one another above that.

Despite all the noise, Nick Lyden could hear perfectly as Emily asked, "Why are you here?"

Nick snickered to himself as he and Emily both raised their glasses at the same time.

With a little smirk, he noted to her, "Kind of a deep question for a night out."

Emily leaned her head towards him with a smirk mirroring his. Her sleek black hair still managed to glow despite the subdued light on her. "Don't have to think too deeply on it."

Nick stared into his glass. "We're here because of Kallie. For the karaoke." His hair was long and black, a little like Emily's. But it didn't have her shine and he sure didn't have her charismatic smile. As she smiled, someone in the table next to them gave a lingering look at their table. Nick raised his glass to him.

Nick first met Emily when he was headed to the men's room during a much-earlier night out. He was washing up, dried his face with a paper towel, and flicked his eyes up into the mirror.

And there she was. He couldn't believe it. He shook his head and asked her, "Who are you? What do you want?"

She gave a strange sort of smile and responded, "Kinda deep questions for a night out. But call me Emily. That sounds like a good name, doesn't it? As for what I want…what do you want?"

It would be the first of their many conversations. Nick found her questions insatiable. From that odd first encounter, they'd meet often to discuss whatever came up. Emily once digressed on the nature of sporks, wondering why so few things work so well when blended together like that. Nick just marveled in dumbfounded wonder. Then he laughed.

No matter the location for a night out, Emily would come along. Nick never really thought that long on their relationship. She was just a part of his life and he didn't mind in the least.

He loved how she dressed. He knew she could tell from the look he gave her from top to bottom. She'd pose a little for him with her outfits. No matter how plain the outfit might've looked on anyone else, Emily always added a special something to it.

It didn't hurt that he enjoyed how she always managed to match her clothes to whatever he planned to wear out. This tonight, he had on his silver jacket and jeans, which matched her twinkling, silver blouse and denim capri pants.

As the din settled I bit, Emily glanced towards the lit stage in one corner of the bar. He knew Kallie was setting up karaoke for the evening. He sipped his drink and Emily mimed the motion with her head turned towards the stage.  

"But really…why are you here?" Nick wondered if Emily was serious but he didn't sense concern about her.

Still relaxed, he asked, "You want the short answer?"

She barely reacted to his question, except to say, "Your call."

The aroma of his drink wafting over him, Nick mused, "I'm here because of you. I'm with you and you're with me. That's what we do. And you started it, after all." He gestured around with his drink, as though saluting a crowd which didn't notice.

To add some theatricality, Emily clapped her hands for Nick, who lightly-bowed his head. She looked him back in the eye and said, "That's right."

Fresh glasses came and Kallie stepped up for a sound check. She was tall. Bigger than most girls Emily or Nick ever knew. And she never cared for basketball in the least. But, in a pinch, she was the best bouncer around.

As Emily watched Kallie and Nick watched Emily, Kallie looked across the room from the small platform which had been set up. Her hair was wiry on the edges and always stained with sweat. Dressed up in a collared shirt and vest with the bar colors and the always-cleanest slacks around, she bent her face over the microphone and spoke. The usual announcement about signing up for a spot and the songbooks going around. Her eyes flicked to Emily, with a calm smile.

Nick cracked his fingers with Emily cracking as well. He contemplated a duet but he knew Emily would just laugh it off. They both knew that Kallie would warm things up by singing first and settled in for that. In the time between, Emily scanned the songbook and called out random selections. Nick had no idea what he would sing, if he did.

Kallie's selection was "The Show Must Go On" by Queen. Nick loved the emotion she put into it but he knew she would never be a professional singer. Nor did Kallie profess any desire for that life. She was content to sing her best on her little stage between tossing out the rowdy ones and serving up mixed drinks.

As the lyrics went, Nick noticed a quietness pass over Emily. He felt it as well. She softly mouthed, "What are we living for?" A moment later, she said a version in Nick's direction, "Do you have anything worth existing for?"

With a smile a bit wider than he intended, he answered, "Same answer." Emily lowered he head. Perhaps it was a bit too much. He didn't mean for it to have romantic overtones or anything of the sort. He gave a shrug to blunt it.

From the stage, Kallie's song ended to a smattering of applause crowding out the rest of the sounds. Chuckling over the microphone, Kallie looked at to their table. She said, "I'd like my friend to come up for the first song. I hope you don't mind…" Emily gave a nudging look to Nick. He shook his head and sighed but stood. There wasn't much of a reaction from the bar, so he gave a little bow. There were some murmurs.

Kallie urged him on-stage and passed the microphone to Nick. He smiled as Kallie had picked a Pixies song. Nick really enjoyed the song and sang it as well as he could most things.

He cleared his throat and waited for the lyrics to appear on the screen. He had to clear his throat again, as it felt odd for a moment.

Once the beat started, he relaxed and waited. At least he knew Emily would clap for him by the end.

But, as the first words came up, he knew something was wrong. His voice was off. Not the way it always was when he tried to sing. His singing was actually good this time. The problem was, to his ears, he could hear himself singing in what sounded like a high falsetto. Only, no matter what he tried, it seemed like his natural voice.  Nick knew for certain that was impossible, so he continued while trying to ignore it.

The strange voice didn't go away. He shivered a little. His skin was strange. It felt so smooth. The hand holding the microphone appeared out of sorts, like seeing through distorted glasses. With a nervous warble, he tried to sing on but the lyrics were too sparse to be a real distraction. Kallie lingered near to him.

Ignoring just made new feelings. His jacket wasn't there anymore. It was against this strange new skin. And his jeans felt different, clingy. His hair felt like a massive wig, though it felt so natural and sleek.

He looked up and Emily wasn't at the table. No one was. Not even her drink was there. He figured she'd just run off to the restroom. But it didn't feel right. None of it did. His hand…her hand trembled. And the microphone slipped out of her hand with a thud and an undulating feedback as sounds echoed back on themselves over and over.

She covered her ears, clutched her eyes shut, and crouched in place. Kallie was at her side. "Em, are you okay?"

Nick shook her head. Emily's head. No, her head. Emily shook Nick's head. Not Nick's head. Emily shook her head. Her own head. She felt sick.

Kallie leaned her head close and whispered, "Or Nick? I can call you 'Nick'. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to press you. But the doctor. The doctor told me it might help."

Nick-Emily leaned away from Kallie and ran all way the across the bar. She heard just the cacophony of her own vibrating/thrashing/crashing thoughts rising above all else.

In a mental jump cut, s/he was in the bathroom. S/he wasn't sure which. He ran the water over her face as he gasped in her voice. All like waves. No hold. No comforting shore. She felt the warm splash over his cheeks as she coughed over and over in his voice saying her sounds. Staggering, Nick-Emily looked up in the mirror.

Nick would be there, s/he hoped. But Nick wasn't. No Nick standing in the back to float driftwood questions. Just a face-dripping woman, with sleek black hair, wearing a silver blouse (wet in places from the splash) and snug denim capri pants. The door squeaked open. Kallie appeared and approached.

Her eyes were tear-streaked and her cheeks red. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't mean anything bad to happen. I'm so sorry. I just wanted to help you…"

"Why?" Nick-Emily shivered a little when s/he spoke.

"I'm not sure how much you can accept. I've told you this so many times. But something happened to you a while ago. You were Nick once. Then you became Emily."

The words scuffed against Nick-Emily with a glimmer of familiarity barely twinkling.

"Go on…"

"It was too much for you. Your entire self-identity collapsed. You became Nick again in your mind to cope. But Emily was still there, so they say you made her into a separate person. Like an imaginary friend..."

"No. I am Nick. Emily's around here. I'll show you."

And then standing over the table. Looking everywhere. Just Emily by himself standing alone by her chair. Shut eyes.

This isn't right. This isn't right. Not Emily. Nick. I'm Nick. Not Emily. I'm not a woman. I'M NOT! I'M NOT! I'M NOT! I'M NOT! I'M NOT! I'M NOT! I'M NOT! I'M NOT!...

Nick's voice. "Not what?"

Looking up, he could see Nick's standing up from the table across from her.

Tense, s/he asked suddenly, "Where are you going?!"

Nick gave a little smirk and noted, "Kind of a deep question for a night out."

No, that was his line. He was standing. Looking across at Emily. He couldn't understand why she was so distressed. Nick settled into his chair as Emily swallowed and dabbed her blouse and face with a few napkins.

Kallie approached. Nick chimed in, "Sorry about messing up that song. At least Emily didn't have to suffer through it." He smiled to her. Kallie looked like she had something on her mind. He hoped she was alright. He knew that he'd completely fouled up the song, dropped the microphone, and nearly started a chorus of boos. In all the mess, somehow Emily had to run to the bathroom and there…

Well, he wasn't sure beyond that.

He shook his head and lifted his nearly-finished glass in salute to Kallie. "Sorry again."

She nodded and said, with a solemn sigh, "That's fine…Nick. We'll talk later. Alright?"

He nodded back.

Emily looked around as she sat. "I'm not quite sure what happened. Uh...the song. I had to go…uh…"

Nick tensed a bit then shrugged as he told Emily, "Don't have to think too deeply on it. Nothing to worry about."

That helped Emily to relax a bit and bring back her smile. "You're right…shall we have another drink then?"

"Your call."
Kiriban prize story for :iconescape421521:

You can probably guess the works and films that I owe for this idea. It was fun to write. Not too long. ^^
© 2010 - 2024 majorkerina
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kinuyasha2's avatar
This one was really terrifying for me.  I've read a bunch of your stuff, and none of it scared me half as much as this.