Bluebirds Without Wings | Julie and the Phantoms

Cherish

Luke slept for a few hours, but he woke up before the sun did. He almost wore his suit but deemed it useless. He let himself slip into jeans and an knight academy hoodie, still keeping the gun he was given on him. He moved to the kitchen and was drinking coffee when his phone buzzed.

Bobby: At least 300 dead so far. Don't think we'll need you back.

Luke: Is the King dead?

Bobby: Of course not you idiot.

Luke read the message before deleting it and shutting his phone off. It was so weird, such a trip, to be relieved when people were dead. He looked in direction of the Princess' room, dark in the hallway. She didn't know how many were dead, and he didn't know if he had the heart to tell her. Bobby didn't say whose side the dead people were on, and he wasn't going to ask him.

He finished his coffee before walking over to the guitar. An old man in his village had once taught him to tune a guitar without a tuner, and he continued the practice in their little band. He didn't want to try in front of the Princess in case he messed it up, so he picked it up and took it to the front porch to do it while she slept.

He sat on the creaky wooden steps and looked around. There was a dirt path leading into nearby woods and another in the direction he assumed Benny returned on. It was nothing but nature, and he could hear crickets. He stayed still for a moment, letting the cold air start biting at his hands and freeze the guitar strings before he got to work.

It took a while before he got the guitar to sound a little more like his and although it wasn't ideal, it was just okay for the moment. His hands ached, but he kept playing.

If I could take us back, if I could just do that

And write in every empty space the words "I love you" in replace

Then maybe time would not erase me

His mom would not smile if she knew where he was at. How far he had gone for survival. She had told him no so many times, but he was her son. He was so many bits and pieces of her that it didn't matter how much she didn't want him to endanger his life, he was to retrace her steps anyways. He was her as much as she hated it, as much as she tried to raise a son that wouldn't get himself in trouble. She was all the parts of him she didn't want him to be.

But even when he was her, she still smiled and hugged him. She loved him, and Luke hadn't felt that love in so long. He wondered if she still did.

If you could only know I'd never let you go

And the words I most regret are the ones I never meant to leave

Unsaid Emily

"Who's Emily?" the Princess asked from the open door frame. Luke stood up quickly and pointed at the guitar. "Emily is the guitar?" He rolled his eyes, already much warmer than before. He didn't think she'd wake up if he was outside. The walls were thinner than he thought.

"No, I'm saying the guitar is fixed. Somewhat." Luke walked past her and back into the living room, but she didn't move. He put the guitar down and looked at her as he took a seat on the couch. "You're letting the cold air in, Princess." She had a small smile on her face, but she closed it. He watched her, wondering how someone who just got woken up could look so cute in the morning.

She walked over to him and sat at the very opposite end of him, further than usual. He put his hands inside his hoodie pocket, missing her warmth. She was still smiling when she asked, "Who is Emily?" Luke frowned and stared at her. He couldn't tell if she was masking jealousy or if she was excited he had interest in another rhetorical girl who wasn't her.