Frozen
Chapter Seven:
The Funeral Pyre: from Naomi’s Point of View
I watched as Tyler stepped up to Kellin’s sheet-wrapped body. The air was thick with our sadness and I could hear the girls in our group quietly sobbing. Tears rolled down my face as I silently cried. My eyes never left Kellin’s body as Tyler dropped the match, igniting a bright fire that licked at the blood-soaked blanket wrapped around my dear friend. I lifted up my palm, and lightly traced the puckered scar that ran across the pad of my hand.
“I ruled the world with these hands, I shook the heavens to the ground. I laid the gods to rest. I held the key to the kingdom lions, Guarding castle walls. Hail the king of death.” I sang the verse softly as the tears kept streaming down my face.
I looked up to face Tyler as he sang the second verse. “Then I lost it all, dead and broken. My, back’s against the wall. Cut me open. I'm just trying to breathe, just trying to figure it out. Because I built these walls to watch them crumbling down. I said, then I lost it all. Who can save me now?”
I smiled softly as he sang, and motioned for him to look at his palm. His voice faltered, but it was just in time for the second verse, which I took up. “I stood above, another war. Another jewel upon the crown I was the fear of men. But I was blind I couldn't see, The world there right in front of me. But now, I can.
“YEAH! Because I've lost it all, dead and broken. My, back's against the wall. Cut me open.
I'm just trying to breathe, just trying to figure it out. Because I built these walls to watch them crumbling down. I said, then I lost it all. Who can save me now?”
As I sang the next part, Tyler stared at what had made him falter. The puckered scar on his hand. Marci, Lee, and Pressley, too, raised their hands and lightly traced their palms.
“We lost our blood brother today, and we will forever feel that in the bond that we forged a year ago. Kellin’s blood,” I said as I pulled out my knife and ran it across the scar on my hand. “Our blood!” I held my bleeding palm above the fire as did Marci, Lee, Tyler, and Pressley. With our hands, bleeding and held high, we finished the song.
“I believe that we all fall down sometimes. Can't you see that we all fall down sometimes?
I believe that we all fall down sometimes. Can't you see that we all fall down sometimes?”
“I believe that we all fall down sometimes. Yeah,” I whispered.
We stood there, with Andy, Ashley, Jinxx, Jake, CC, Ella, and Sammi watching as the fire burned its course before dying out as the early morning sun rose high in the sky.
XXXX
The mood in the grand room was thick with tension. The past three days had not treated the rather large group well seeing it had only been three days since Kellin’s death. The wounds were still fresh and stung like no other pain in this world.
Feeling uncomfortable with all the raw emotion in the room, Andy cleared his throat. “Um, I’m going to go check on Naomi.” He mumbled. The others nodded and Tyler sent a grateful smile his way. Andy got up from his place on the couch with CC and Ashley and exited the room. He made his way down the familiar hallway and walked towards the office. The door had been ripped off its hinges by the wolves and there were scratch marks on the frame as well as the wall. The wolves had knocked over a few things in the office, but nothing had been really damaged. They had been after food after all; they weren’t trying to vandalize an office.
He knocked gently on the door frame and smiled when Naomi looked up and gestured for him to come in. “This might seem really stupid, but how are you?” Andy kneeled down before her; they sat across from each other on the thick carpet before a roaring fire. The flames crackled as they licked at the dry wood in the brick fireplace.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure what I feel. Before all this happened, Kellin and I weren’t close, but in the end, he was my best friend. Sure, we fought a lot, but he was always there for me, and I loved him for that.” Andy noticed the tears sliding down her cheeks, and reached up to wipe them from her face. Grateful for the care and comfort, Naomi leaned into his hand, thus making it to where he was cupping her cheek in his warm palm. She smiled at the feeling.
“Andy?”
“Hmm?”
“Please hold me,” she whispered. Andy nodded and folded her into his warm embrace. She rested her head on his chest and leaned her cheek against his arm as he tightened his hold on her. Andy glanced up and noticed an acoustic guitar in the corner of the room. “Do you play?”
Naomi looked up, and smiled once she realized he was talking about the guitar. “Yeah. It was my dad’s. He taught me how to play when I was six. It was my way of coping when my mother died.
“I uh, noticed that the song you sang at Kellin’s funeral was, um one of ours. I had no idea you were a Black Veil Brides fan,” Andy smiled.
“Yeah. We all are, but we figured it would be best, considering the circumstances, to not fangirl all over you guys,” Naomi mumbled quietly into his shirt front. Andy nodded in response seeing that her statement was logical and reasonable.
“Well, I just wanted to say that you have a beautiful voice, Naomi. I’ve heard fans sing our songs before, but you really did it justice.”
Naomi smiled at the complement and buried her face even farther in the warmth of the shirt that clung to his chest. “Will you do me a favor?” She whispered.
“Yeah, sure.”
“Will you sing it for me, please?”
Andy looked down to see her looking up at him with big brown eyes. it was cute in a way, because she reminded him of a puppy that would beg to be held, and you just can’t say no when you’re presented with ‘the eyes’. “I’d love to.”
He began humming it first, then let the words fall freely from his lips as he wrapped his arms around her slim waist. It wasn’t until the second verse that she joined in, and their voices mingled with one another as they filled the room.
I watched as Tyler stepped up to Kellin’s sheet-wrapped body. The air was thick with our sadness and I could hear the girls in our group quietly sobbing. Tears rolled down my face as I silently cried. My eyes never left Kellin’s body as Tyler dropped the match, igniting a bright fire that licked at the blood-soaked blanket wrapped around my dear friend. I lifted up my palm, and lightly traced the puckered scar that ran across the pad of my hand.
“I ruled the world with these hands, I shook the heavens to the ground. I laid the gods to rest. I held the key to the kingdom lions, Guarding castle walls. Hail the king of death.” I sang the verse softly as the tears kept streaming down my face.
I looked up to face Tyler as he sang the second verse. “Then I lost it all, dead and broken. My, back’s against the wall. Cut me open. I'm just trying to breathe, just trying to figure it out. Because I built these walls to watch them crumbling down. I said, then I lost it all. Who can save me now?”
I smiled softly as he sang, and motioned for him to look at his palm. His voice faltered, but it was just in time for the second verse, which I took up. “I stood above, another war. Another jewel upon the crown I was the fear of men. But I was blind I couldn't see, The world there right in front of me. But now, I can.
“YEAH! Because I've lost it all, dead and broken. My, back's against the wall. Cut me open.
I'm just trying to breathe, just trying to figure it out. Because I built these walls to watch them crumbling down. I said, then I lost it all. Who can save me now?”
As I sang the next part, Tyler stared at what had made him falter. The puckered scar on his hand. Marci, Lee, and Pressley, too, raised their hands and lightly traced their palms.
“We lost our blood brother today, and we will forever feel that in the bond that we forged a year ago. Kellin’s blood,” I said as I pulled out my knife and ran it across the scar on my hand. “Our blood!” I held my bleeding palm above the fire as did Marci, Lee, Tyler, and Pressley. With our hands, bleeding and held high, we finished the song.
“I believe that we all fall down sometimes. Can't you see that we all fall down sometimes?
I believe that we all fall down sometimes. Can't you see that we all fall down sometimes?”
“I believe that we all fall down sometimes. Yeah,” I whispered.
We stood there, with Andy, Ashley, Jinxx, Jake, CC, Ella, and Sammi watching as the fire burned its course before dying out as the early morning sun rose high in the sky.
XXXX
The mood in the grand room was thick with tension. The past three days had not treated the rather large group well seeing it had only been three days since Kellin’s death. The wounds were still fresh and stung like no other pain in this world.
Feeling uncomfortable with all the raw emotion in the room, Andy cleared his throat. “Um, I’m going to go check on Naomi.” He mumbled. The others nodded and Tyler sent a grateful smile his way. Andy got up from his place on the couch with CC and Ashley and exited the room. He made his way down the familiar hallway and walked towards the office. The door had been ripped off its hinges by the wolves and there were scratch marks on the frame as well as the wall. The wolves had knocked over a few things in the office, but nothing had been really damaged. They had been after food after all; they weren’t trying to vandalize an office.
He knocked gently on the door frame and smiled when Naomi looked up and gestured for him to come in. “This might seem really stupid, but how are you?” Andy kneeled down before her; they sat across from each other on the thick carpet before a roaring fire. The flames crackled as they licked at the dry wood in the brick fireplace.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure what I feel. Before all this happened, Kellin and I weren’t close, but in the end, he was my best friend. Sure, we fought a lot, but he was always there for me, and I loved him for that.” Andy noticed the tears sliding down her cheeks, and reached up to wipe them from her face. Grateful for the care and comfort, Naomi leaned into his hand, thus making it to where he was cupping her cheek in his warm palm. She smiled at the feeling.
“Andy?”
“Hmm?”
“Please hold me,” she whispered. Andy nodded and folded her into his warm embrace. She rested her head on his chest and leaned her cheek against his arm as he tightened his hold on her. Andy glanced up and noticed an acoustic guitar in the corner of the room. “Do you play?”
Naomi looked up, and smiled once she realized he was talking about the guitar. “Yeah. It was my dad’s. He taught me how to play when I was six. It was my way of coping when my mother died.
“I uh, noticed that the song you sang at Kellin’s funeral was, um one of ours. I had no idea you were a Black Veil Brides fan,” Andy smiled.
“Yeah. We all are, but we figured it would be best, considering the circumstances, to not fangirl all over you guys,” Naomi mumbled quietly into his shirt front. Andy nodded in response seeing that her statement was logical and reasonable.
“Well, I just wanted to say that you have a beautiful voice, Naomi. I’ve heard fans sing our songs before, but you really did it justice.”
Naomi smiled at the complement and buried her face even farther in the warmth of the shirt that clung to his chest. “Will you do me a favor?” She whispered.
“Yeah, sure.”
“Will you sing it for me, please?”
Andy looked down to see her looking up at him with big brown eyes. it was cute in a way, because she reminded him of a puppy that would beg to be held, and you just can’t say no when you’re presented with ‘the eyes’. “I’d love to.”
He began humming it first, then let the words fall freely from his lips as he wrapped his arms around her slim waist. It wasn’t until the second verse that she joined in, and their voices mingled with one another as they filled the room.
Notes
Sorry for the late update. School has kept busy, as well as my boyfriend. He leaves on Monday (Feb. 4th) and I am trying to spend as much time with him as I can before he's shipped out for another two or three months. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter, and Holly, let me know what you think. :)<3 Alexis
9/2/13