Chapter one
James burst into the room. "That's not a bad costume, Ed."
"I thought I told Em to stop you at the door." I replied stiffly while holding pins in my mouth, not looking away from my costume. James glanced around the room, taking in the scenery he had seen a million times before. He walked behind me, looking at my work.
"Like Em could stop me from doing anything. I bribed her with lychee soda." he said as he slammed down onto one of the many bean bags tossed around the cluttered room.
"That isn't fair. You know how she never has the chance to buy any herself. Be careful with that bean bag, okay? It's made of leather, cost me a nice chunk of change." I said, glancing at him while still pinning on the costume. He thought about this for a second.
"Who cares, it's a bean bag. So, you done yet?" James replied flippantly.
"If it was done would it look like this? It looks like this dude had a bad day at the acupuncturist." I retorted, gesturing to the pins. James, reaching into his ever present backpack for something, replied seriously
"You better get it done soon, or we are leaving without you."
"It isn't like you are driving all by yourself, is it? Besides, I'm almost... there!" I spoke, as I finished sewing a small patch of fabric on the costume. I felt a slight sense of accomplishment as the costume was completed. I sat down in the bag next to him and admired my handiwork. James pulled two warm cans of soda out of his bag, and handed one to me.
"You did pretty good." James admitted. I laughed.
"I did really good." I corrected. James laughed, popping the top of his can. I sat there, relishing in the sense of achievement. Warm soda was as good a reward as any.
"Guys! We have to leave now!" said a small voice in the hallway. I sighed, swishing the can. James groaned loudly.
"How could you have possibly gotten Em?" said James, trying to roll out of the beanbag.
"I have honestly no idea. I think that she actually flipped a coin." I replied sarcastically. James has a hardcore pudge, smokes overly much, and has the tendency to snort when laughing
"Yeah, I'll bet." James said. He rolled out of his bean bag right onto his face. I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Now go get Em and then change. She hasn't seen this yet." James said nothing, but just grumbled under his breath.
That left me time to prepare. I jumped lithely to the desk, fumbled with the drawers for a minute, and pulled out a small blue box. The smooth velvet felt odd under my dry hands.
“Such a small thing...” I whispered to myself. With haste I shoved the blue box into the pocket of my costume, already knowing the plan.
“Come in” I said distractedly, hearing the rap at the door.
Although it has been years since I have seen a human, I remember her with vivid detail. The short hair, dyed the most electrifying shade of blue, her eyes the color of dried leaves.
“Wow” She ogled at my costume. I laughed.
“Keep it in your pants, Em. Anyways, there is this seam in the pocket that I just cant seem to reach, can you pull it out for me?” I asked.
She looked up at me, and I said “Right pocket” She dug, and I still relish in her face of surprise as her skinny fingers brushed velvet.
“Pull it out” I replied. She did, and I walked up to her, held the box in her hands and said
“Emily Lauren Banks. We have known each other for a while.”
“Oh god, Ed, are you serious?”
“Yes. I want you, so much that will devote the rest of my life to you. Marry me, em.”
“Ed...” she said, tears in her eyes, looking at me. I raised my eyebrows at her, and she giggled. “Of course I will, Ed." She whispered.
I held her tight. She snuggled into my chest, and hummed. It was a good thin when Em hummed, but she did it rarely. When Em was happy, She hummed, like how a cat purrs or a dog wags its tail.
“Love it when you do that” I mumbled into her hair. She hummed a confirmation.
“We should change into our costumes.” I reasoned. It was getting late. She hummed an off note.
“We kinda have to, Em.” I retorted. She let go, untying her arms from me, with her skinny fingers trailing. She looked up at me innocently. I chuckled.
“Go on now. Put the ring on, if you want." I said, still smiling.
“I thought you would never s-”
“HEY GUYS!” Em and I jumped.
“DROP YOUR LINEN AND HIDE YOUR WOMEN! WE GOTTA GO!” screamed James from outside the door.
“It’s official. Go get changed.” I told her.
We were all out in the car, decked out in our respective costumes. James was Dante from dmc, Em decided to go traditional and be Leia, and I was Ichigo from bleach. We were all going to comic con Florida, which was about 50 miles from us. Em was the one with the best endurance, so she was the natural choice to drive.
James and I slowly fell asleep.
We were slowly awakened to Em swearing.
Goddammit, this car sucks.
Hey, guys? We need to go get some gas.
Guys?
Hello?
Hello?
HEY! WAKE UP!
Is that a train?!
We woke up to Em screaming at us and a blinding light. The train was so close. So close...
Then time slowed. I could see the train, which was interesting only because it was loud and big. Because it would kill me. I could see Em crying, her freckled face running with tears for a life not lived, the children she would never see, the man she would never marry. I felt the impact. Everything was in vivid detail, and I saw glass flying from the window. One shard was getting close to me. Getting closer. Closer. CLOSER. I looked at Em. She was covered in glass. The train flew into her teary face, drying her tears, and smashed her into a pulp.
I saw James scream in words that would fall upon ears that cannot hear. He was crying too. He tired to open the door before he died. It was locked the whole time, but he didn't know that. I saw the train fly into him, making his mutilated form fly into me so slowly.
The shard that I was busy not looking at punctured my neck. I felt every centimeter of its ragged length as it flew into me. I might have bled to death if the train was not there. But, sadly, it was.Then the train flew into me. It was finally my turn to die. I embraced it.
My body felt like it was being ripped apart, mauled, by hands I couldn't see. It hurt. I felt my arms rip and tear and pop out of their sockets, and they were slowly torn into chunks of flesh and ligaments and bone. It hurt. The same with my legs. My torso. My head.
Then I didn't have a body to feel.
And it didn't hurt any more.