Fire, Ice and the Apocalypse (EDITING)

Chapter 12 (Josh's P.O.V)

I wake up drowsy, and open my eyes slowly. I sit up and yawn, my head moving slowly to stare at Katherine. Her beautiful face, so smooth and young. She is the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on. But I just can't make a move without telling her. Or telling her the real reason I left.

I stand up and move my way around until I finally get up with force. My legs are aching all over and it feels like I haven't walked for over a year or more. I maze myself around the scattered chairs and pushed out tables until I got past it. I move my way around until I stare at the grand piano on my right. It's black and shiny surface was a really pretty sight to see. I shrug and make my way over to it. I sit in the old leather seat and lift up the flap. I then position myself to fit where my fingers, that are long and slim, would be on the piano.

There was some music on the top. Let it go. Oh you've got to kidding me! I chuck it away and just start touching the keys, pressing down on the notes with pressure but not enough pressure, so I don't make Christina and George or Tessa wake up. Especially not Katherine. It was then that I got a light bulb moment, and I start pressing down on the keys one by one. The music began to play like a chorous. Now it's turned from a mash up of sounds, into a song. I smile as I keep on moving my hands along the keys, the sound of the music filling ears and making me picture something.

A memory.

It was two years ago when Katherine and I were walking together laughing and talking. We were in year 8 by that time, and we were friends. We sat down somewhere where hardly anyone saw us, and I knew that it was the right moment to tell her. We stared at eachother for a while, Kathrine's blue-violet eyes staring straight at me. I swallowed and forced myself to say it.

" Katherine, I don't want to be friends with you anymore."

As I said it I felt the hard expressionless tone of my voice. Katherine slouched, looking at me with wild eyes. "What?" she asked. I breathed in raggedly, trying to keep in the tears. I know men don't cry, but i'm a coward. I am not strong - not nothing. Hopless doesn't even sum me up.

"You heard me Katherine, I'm not saying it again."

Katherine looked at me desparetly; searching for something in me. I'm telling you her eyes were like acid, sizzling and melting my soul! But I couldn't give in to it - I had to save her. When she didn't reply I went to stand but Katherine's small and delicate hand grasped mine. Katherine was starting to tear up, and that will soon me.

"Josh, why. Why are you doing this? I thought you were my friend. We told everything to eachother, and helped eachother out and stuff. Why is the only person that doesn't see that, is you?"

I rip my hand away from her, and took a step back. I swallowed and breathed in one more time. My togue felt like sandpaper, rough and dry like the desert. I was starting to sweat, and my eyes were also starting to line up with tears. I blink several times to try and stop it. I had to get away from her, and now.

" Well I guess we were never friends to begin with." I say with force. Katherine looked like she was about to say something, but tears rolled down her face as I looked at her. A once joyful girl is now a crumbling wall, and I did that to her. I'll never be able to forgive myself, and I know she won't. I turn around after I said it, not looking back as I walk away from her.

Now I know what she meant on the bridge. Feeling rejected.

I snap out of the memory, and almost fall off the leather seat. It starts to wobble but I put my hands on the keyboard to steady myself. " It seems you were deep in thought. You were playing with your eyes closed, it looked pretty cool but scary. You stopped playing halfway through it, I woke up by then." said the voice.

I look behind me and Isee that it's Katherine, the same blue-violet eyes staring at me, a smile planted on her face. I sighed and nodded a yes, my lips pursing together. She sat down on the leather seat with me, seeing how it can fit two people. I move over to let her sit, her woolen skirt placing under her.

" Yeah."

Katherine turned to face me, and smiled again. "You do play with a lot of passion."

I smile this time, and shake my head. " Music isn't supposed to have passion. It's just supposed to be a simple representation of notes, nothing else." I say.

Katherine scoffes. "Well, at some point you were playing with passion. You face was really sad, you looked like you have lost your only true love." she commented while laughing a bit. I simply scowled while she did so.

" Unfortunetly, my one true love remains myself."

" Well at least you won't have to worry about rejection."

"Not exactly, I turn myself down occasionally just to keep it interesrting." I reply with a blank look.

Katherine shrugged. She placed her long and strong fingers on the keys. "A simple representation of notes is it? I like to say that the piano is an instrument of visions."

I cringe at the thought. Why would she think that?

When I don't answer she shrugs and starts to play. She music was soft and smooth, and I start to picture a meadow. A deer was frolicing in the grass, it's long and leafy stems camoflaging it's every move.

Then suddenly Katherine's playing started to quicken, heating up as the picture slowly turned into something tragic and horrible.

The deer had stopped, it's ears pricked up as a low sound of a growl rumbled through the tall grass. A Wolf barged out of the grass, it's jaws snapping at the deer. The deer ran for it's life.

Katherine's playing kept on quickening, the keys low and high. The low ones giving suspence, and the high ones giving the sound of panic. The picture in my mind slowly changed, and my breath quickened.

The deer was now in the forest, and three Wolves were now chacing it. The deer jumped over a log and ran through the trees, the Wolves high on it's tail. Then suddenly the deer stopped, and looked everyhere for a place to escape, but there was none. The three Wolves have now become six, and they blocked every direction the deer could go. Then the first Wolf attacked, it's teeth sinking into the deer's thigh. At the smell of blood, the other Wolves lurched. In the end, the deer cryed out in pain, before the biggest Wolf, a black fury beast, silenced his desperete cry.

When I opened my eyes, Katherine had stopped playing. She was nodding in approval, and I smiled. "I told you. The sound of the piano can launch visions from the way we are feeling. I was feeling happy, and as I kept playing my passion changed into sadness. It is all because of the way your feeling, it changes as fast as it has come."

"I know now. Thank you."

Katherine smiled, and I did too. Maybe our relationship hasn't changed. Maybe we still can be friends. But that doesn't mean I can ditch her again; I need to tell her why I did it the first time.

I need to tell her the real reason I left.