The archive of the forgotten

The trip

Heroes is blasting on the speakers of the 1975 cadillac eldorado. We are all screaming along as the sun shines on our faces and the wind breezes through our hair. The summer air is fresh in our lungs now that we are free from our strict boarding school and our parents. We couldn't be happier, we drive through the countryside of France. My best friend Alcuin, who is sitting in the seat next to me lights my cigarette while I focus on the road. We laugh as one of them jokes that I look like a mobster with my sunglasses and cigarette.

We arrive at the forest we plan to sleep in. We grab the tent from the trunk. It's so hot, absolutely sweltering so I open a few buttons of my blouse. "Ooooh Takoda, Striptease!" Alcuin says with a smirk. I entertain his thought and dance while slowly taking off my shirt. Jeb can't stop laughing, his laugh is delightful. It is just as bright as his red hair. "Have you worked out?" Reuel says flirtingly. I strut towards him and wink before saying. "I always do." "Good, than you are the one who needs to carry the bags." Kaden says with a smirk. "Seriously?" I say with a disappointed face. "I can help you Philando says with a smile. "Please." I say with a smile. We walk to the car. "You do look very well-trained though Takoda." "Philando are you flirting with me?" I say with a smile, his pale cheeks turn red instantly. I have always like philando, with his beautiful half-long white hair and bright blue eyes, he is absolutely mesmerising. But I once promised alcuin never to date inside of the friend group because it could destroy the thing we've worked so hard on all these years. I plan on keeping that promise, even when his eyes shine like diamonds.

We crack open a beer. "Who is going to drive tomorrow?" "I will" Alcuin says, "I am less of a maniac when it comes to driving." I laugh. "Are we absolutely sure about that?" Jeb asks. "How bad can it be?" Philando asks. "You are giving him too much credit!" I exclaim, "He is right" Kaden says. "Alcuin is in no way sane, why would he drive like he is?" Kaden says while taking a sip of the wine we are drinking out of plastic cups. "So is it settled? The maniac Alcuin will drive?" We all nod in agreement. "So no alcohol for you!" Jeb says with a smirk. "Unlike takoda I can be fun without alcohol." He says with a smirk. I hit his arm playfully. "I am fun too!" "With alcohol, yes" Jeb teases. I hear the clear sound of my laugh.

The comforting smell of fire is filling our lungs and warming our bodies in this joyful night. We might have drunk too much and tried marshmellows paired with scotch. (I hate it, but I hate marshmellows) I look at my very best friends that I've known since I was twelve, Jeb with his fiery locks, silly reuel with his long curly brown hair and tanned skin, Kaden with his cute nerdy glasses and frizzy brown hair, philando mimicking a greek statue and Alcuin, he just has a little special place in my heart. His long golden locks, his olive skin, he is my brother even when we have blood that isn't even close to related. Alcuin is singing and dancing to some songs of the rocky horror picture show (Look it up, sweet transvestite or time warp etc. You'll understand). We can't help but laugh as we sing and ridicule him. But he would do the same so it's all for good fun.

I jump onto a trunk of a tree and raise my plastic cup. "This road trip is the first thing we really do as independant young man. It's the new chapter of our lives. We can be anybody we want to be. Think the way mister Keating teaches in dead poets soceity! We are the society gentleman. We used to say we want to be this, we want to be that when we grow up. Well gentleman welcome to being grown up. Tell be who do we want to be? Jeb?" He smiles an extremely bright smile. "If it is possible..." "Everything is possible." I say as I walk up to him and kiss him of his forehead with so much happiness. "Is a drunk?" Kaden asks Alcuin. "I am not!" I say. Jeb stands up and exclaims "I want to become a painter!" Philando stands up although he hesitates for a moment he says. "I want to be an actor." "Perfect" I say while enthusiastically inciting the same excitement I am feeling. Alcuin jumps onto a tree trunk too, his face only lightened by the flames of the fire. "I want to become a writer" he says "I will be a singer" Reuel says with a daring smile. "and I shall be a poet!" Kaden says while slowly standing up. "What about you Takoda?" Alcuin asks. I smile and look up at the stars. "I want to be free." I say with a smile. "We shall promise to live our lives happily and fully from this moment on. Who's in?" All hands shoot up. I smile.

Alcuin

The next morning we are driving again. Everything is great, queen is blasting through the speakers now. "You do drive like a maniac." Takoda jokes. I laugh, he's not wrong. I like to drive pretty fast. But the guys seem to enjoy it. "But I am our maniac right?" I say with a smile. "Of course you are." I glance at Takoda and his beautiful caramel coloured skin and long black hair. We smoothly drive further inside the country.

We have been driving for a few hours when i begin to feel tired. "Can we switch in a few minutes?" Takoda nods when he suddenly screams "BRAKES" I immediately put my foot as my eyes widen while the massive truck nears the car. I pray for our safety. I curse through my teeth as everything seems to slow down. "Why is that truck speeding in the middle of the countryside" I hear Kaden scream.

Everything turns blurry. I hear myself screaming Takoda's name, I cannot see anything but takoda doesn't respond. I feel a sticky warm fluid on my hands. I look at the others and than everything goes dark.

I wake up with white light illuminating my face "Takoda?" I ask at the person with dark hair in front of me when I realise it is my mum. "You're alright" She says as I hug her. "Mum, dad, where is Takoda, where are the others? Are they alright? Where is Jeb, Kaden, Reuel, Philando?" My mum looks down. "Jeb is waiting till you wake up, both of you were the least injured. Takoda is still fighting, his parents have a hard time accepting." "I need to see him!" I scream and leap out of the bed. "I need to see him" I cry while they hold me back.

Jeb and I look at Takoda, it doesn't look like he should be dead. I hold Jebediah's hand in order to keep myself standing. Takoda's normally so beautifully tanned skin looks like there is ashes rubbed into it. I have seen all of my friends bodies, but this one hurts the most, because it looks like he could stand up and be the silly little Takoda again.

I feel a tear running down my cheek. We began this roadtrip as a new chapter of our lives. We promised eachother to live our lives fully. Not knowing that at the end of the road it would be only two lives, not six.