Fade Away: Case Closed [ERA contest]

Fade Away: Case Closed (part 1)

Song- Case Closed by Little Mix

Blank-faced, the girl walked out, and in synchrony, the reporters rushed to her. Their microphones were held out in her direction, and it was almost as if the skin-and-bones brunette didn't hear their questions. She stared ahead, mouth shut in a firm line until someone clamped their hand down on her shoulder. With a start, she glared at them, prompting them to cease contact.

"Samantha!" called a man emerging from the doors of the building, glasses slipping down his nose. He jammed them back up as he briskly went her way. He muttered irritably under his breath, despite the victory that was accorded to both of them a few minutes before, "For goodness sake. Where is the security?"

Surrounded by the media-employed men and women, the girl seemed lost, the wind playing with her frizzy hair, lifting tendrils to tickle her cheeks, while the wave tightened and fell back around her. The green scarf around her neck hung loosely, longer on one side than the other, and her coat was open, letting the cold autumn air in. Her gaze fell upon the lone tree in the park across the street, but she was lost in memories, and from the words that danced around her, she only picked up the most crucial of them.

Cruel, violent and twisted in nature, they echoed around her, picking at the healing scab on her heart. Feeling a warm trail on her face, she brought up her hand to wipe away the tears. Relief and anger clouded her senses at the same time– she was glad it was over, but it needn't have happened. Brought out of her daze by her name being called a fourth time, she turned around to face the lawyer behind her.

He smiled at her and she smiled back through her tears, slightly amused about how his mustache deformed itself. He made a discreet motion with his hand. "Come, Samantha, it is calmer inside."

Tugging the flying flaps of her coat closed, she followed him through the crowd. They go into the building to retrieve the bags they had left in an empty office. The tall man invited his client for a coffee at his house and she accepted. They left in the same car, with him driving calmly. He touched a knob, looking to Samantha for approval, and turned on the radio.

Classical music filled the car and the passenger closed her eyes, leaning her head against the window. She let the notes soothingly envelop her, willingly letting her senses dull. The melody repeated with slight variations as she allowed herself to remember the past months.

Exhaustion was recent, but tiredness was old. Four years earlier, she had been tired of everything. Incessantly tired, sad of how nothing would ever change, that her life would always be the way it started out as: boring, meaningless. Between then and now, it had completely ceased being both, but she couldn't have possibly known. She confided in her friend, "I wish my life would spice up a little, bring me wonders every time I thought about it. That I wasn't tasteless, old me."

The mere thought of those two, revolutionizing sentences brought a disgusting after-taste to her mouth, but enough references to the future/present: let us immerse ourselves in this situation that would soon go downhill. Sion, a young proud social butterfly, vowed to make her meet her one. The blondie brought her less-extroverted friend along with her to gatherings, where lay potential love interests.

To the chess club, then the bowling– "oh come along, there's a soccer match to watch!" She enthusiastically introduced Sam to boys and girls, looking for the one who would make Sam's eyes glint in happiness. It wasn't easy. Her schoolmate was incredibly picky.

Then Sion met Jake. At first, the girl was a little hesitant to make him meet her best friend; she thought their personalities would clash. But Jake's vibrant laugh, full of color, was a song that swayed Sam's heart. At first, she only looked to him as a friend, but his natural charisma quickly won her over.