Don't Let Me Be Gone (Twenty One Pilots)

What's Your Story?

Once Mark came back from visiting his parents, he hit Tyler and Josh with a unique opportunity.

"There's this project, contest thing that my friend is in and I think we should enter it." Mark explained.

"What's it about?" Tyler asked.

"It's a video contest and we can win some big money. And I mean big; the grand prize is ten grand."

"That's sick! What do we have to do for it?" Josh asked, intrigued. 

"They have themes each year and this year is cyberbullying. We basically have to do all original work and it can be anything on video that has to deal with that topic. I was thinking that Tyler, you could write something and then we can figure out a video that work around that writing, yeah?" Mark explained.

"Hmm, okay. That seems pretty cool and we could definitely use the money."

"So we in?"

"We in."

"YES! Okay, but the bad part is... the deadline to send in the submission is this Sunday."

"I have three days to write this?" Tyler asked.

"Sorry, I wish I could of found out about it sooner, but it's worth a shot, isn't it?"

"Of course it is."

"Better get started on it now." Josh laughed.

"Will do..." Tyler said taking out his notebook.

I can do this. I can do this. He thought.

sure you can.

_________________________________________________________

Saturday Morning came along too soon. They cleared out the guest room where Mark placed a line of black tape down the middle of the room and placed the camera on top of it. On the left side of the tape he placed a single piece of tape down, so it viewed horizontal to the camera. On the right side he placed two pieces of tape down to form a plus sign also viewed horizontal to the camera. Mark then set up a small little white backdrop and began to film. 

Tyler stepped up to the piece of tape down the middle of the room and stared at the camera.

"This is a line, and this line is mine. 
You will kindly find my feet and my spine are perfectly aligned.
You will also find that on either side is a plus and a minus sign.
Right now, I'm on this line, minus this, now I'm online... 
This is a line, and this line is mine.
You will kindly find my feet and my spine... are on the plus side.
Now, I'd like to assign and also define what one might find on this side of the line."

I will not pretend that there are no consequences of saying something offensive online, no matter what my ignorant friend says.
Because words are all I have and yeah, I know it's sad we hide behind the mask of the latest social networking fad.
So there's respect in my status whether it's through Mark Zuckerburg or Tom, and I'll treat you the same in person.
Yeah, I'll accept your friend request, mom. 

This is a line and this line is mine.
You will kindly find that my feet and my spine are on the minus side.
Now, I'd like to assign and also define what one might find on this side of the line. 

Now, I might seem unassuming.
But if you only knew what I was doing, brewing, spewing, spitting venom when I'm at that screen, I ruin.
Reputations, I will splatter.
Typing faster, I get madder.
All the insults I will gather.
You're so lucky it's only Satur...day.
You have one day, oh yes, Sunday, for my words to die away.
And on that one day, I must say, you're gonna wish you had a different name.
But then it's Monday, and at school, I'll remind them all of what I said.
Then it's Tuesday, then it's Wednesday, then we'll all find out... you're dead. 

This is a line, and this line is mine.
And now that I've assigned what one might find on either side, you will kindly find that my feet and my spine are on the plus side.
And I'm not moving. 
Where are you?"

____________________________________________________

"I finished editing it. Want to come look at it?" Mark asked.

Tyler and Josh were playing Super Smash Bros which Josh won... several times.

"Yes!!" Tyler said.

Mark put the computer in front of both of them.

The video played through and faded to black.

"Wow, it's really good. Great job, Mark." Josh said, patting him on the back, before quickly pulling his arm back to his side.

His movements were strange. 

"Do... do you think we could win?" Tyler asked.

"I sure think we could! I already submitted it so we're good to go. We should know the winner in two weeks or so."

"Awesome. This is awesome. I should post about it so our 'fans' know about." Tyler said taking out his phone.

He scrolled through the Twenty One Pilots facebook page a while reading through the posts before posting his.

 "view and vote so we can win some booty....get your head out of the gutter. link"

He scrolled down some more before he was bombarded with notifications from the latest post so he decided to get off facebook.

"Tyler, have you seen this music video?" Josh said handing him his phone. 

Tyler noticed Josh's outstretched arm and before he could get a good look at his arm, Josh pulled up his sleeve.

"Tyler?" Josh asked, still holding the phone.

"Oh yeah, sorry." Tyler took the phone and Josh put his arm back to his side.

what is he hiding? Tyler thought.

it couldn't be...

His shook his thoughts away and focused on the music video.

It was The Killers music video for their song Read My Mind.

He loved this band and this song but he never watched this music video before.

The lead singer, Brandon Flowers, stood in the middle, or so, of a busy intersection of streets and businesses in what looked like Japan. The camera showcased him, Brandon, with the background a blur as he started singing. He was wearing a nice outfit and his hands were pressed against each other. As he sang the lyrics  "Just tryin' to keep it in line," his hands shook against each other, in a way, as they moved away from his face in a straight line. It's hard to describe really, but Tyler found comfort in that one moment. He replayed it over and over.

"Are you watching it?" Josh laughed.

"Sorta, there's this one part." Tyler said, motioning for him to sit next to him. 

"I knew you'd like it." Josh said sitting next to him.

Tyler played the part for Josh.

"What are you getting from it?" Josh asked.

"He... he just looks dead in the camera and his eyes are really calm, but there's that moment where his hand kind of like, twitches, like he's suggesting, 'I'm trying to come across as if I'm fine, but really, there's something wrong.' I really like that."

Josh took him phone from Tyler in a swift movement. 

"I like that too. I really like it." Josh said.

 Tyler didn't know why he felt such inspiration from that ten second portion of a music video, but he did and he began writing a song that he might find pride in.

____________________________________________________

Author's Note

Sorry for not updating in awhile... again. Major writer's block + school really sucks. I hope the story is turning at least decent.

• At any of you who are seeing tøp anytime soon, I hope you have a really awesome time! ^-^

Stay Alive |-/

-Alice