Long vibrations buzzed through the mattress and I grabbed my phone.
6:30 am.
I sighed, not wanting to leave my spot next to Freddie. He looked so peaceful; his dark ruffled hair strewn messily over his face, and his mouth pouted, letting out soft snores. After shutting off my alarm and savoring the last few minutes I could have in my bed, I gently got up and decided to quickly change seeing as though the only other person in the room with me was dead asleep. After doing so, I walked over to Freddie and lightly pressed my lips against his forehead before sneaking downstairs and grabbing my car keys and laptop for another long day.
Freddie POV
My sleepy eyes fluttered open, and I reached out to wrap my arm around Mia only to not find her next to me. It was a Monday, so my thoughts were she probably went to school. I frowned sadly, wishing I could have at least said goodbye and see her off. I sat up and stretched and as I turned to one side to crack my back I noticed a piece of paper folded neatly on her pillow. My hand grabbed it and my fingers gently flattened it back out to read its contents.
Freddie,
I’ve gone to school, and Ellie’s at work. You’ll have your bandmates to keep you company until we get home I guess. I promise as soon as I get home we can spend some alone time together… (; If there’s absolutely ANY problems, please call me or Ellie. Our numbers are taped to the wall beside the telephone.
Love,
Mia
I smiled and set the note down on the night stand. I couldn’t help but think of the things we could do when Mia got home. My feet met the floor and took me downstairs into the kitchen. There was no one in the living room when I passed through, and there was no one in the kitchen either. My bandmates were always late-risers so I wasn’t too surprised to see the house empty. I searched the cabinets for a tea kettle and, upon finding one, set it on the stove. It was going to be a while before the kettle whistled, so I went in the sitting room and studied my surroundings to pass the time. It looked the same as it usually did; the couch was set up against the wall with a loveseat and recliner on either side. A coffee table sat in the middle, cluttered with different magazines. A chuckle escaped my lips as I remembered the other day when Brian asked Ellie if she ever tried any of the sex tips in the Cosmopolitan he had in his hands. My eyes travelled over to the bookshelf next to the television that I hadn’t quite noticed before. I strolled over to the mahogany case and scanned the book titles with interest. Most of the extensive collection had to be Mia’s if you take into consideration that I couldn’t remember ever seeing Ellie pick up a single book our entire stay here. Some of it didn’t surprise me; among the occasional encyclopedia were a few romance novels which Mia was a fan of, and the rest were biographies, music books, cook books, and novels of other genres. I was about to turn away when a certain book from the very top shelf caught my eye.
It was a book with my name on its spine.
Curiously, I shimmied the hardcover out of its place and carried it over to the couch. I sat down and studied the cover carefully. With total honesty I looked pretty good, if not better, for looking a bit older. My back was turned, adorned with a regal cape, and on top of my head was a king’s crown. My dark hair was trimmed short and above my lip laid a thick mustache. It was a bit strange also to see myself so different, but nevertheless I cracked open the book and skimmed through the table of contents.
Early Life, Education, Smile, Queen years, Illness and Death, Legacy
My eyes paused at the second to last chapter, making sure I had read it right. I tried to reassure myself.
“That can’t be right. It must be a mistake.”
My shaky fingers quickly flipped to the page that chapter started on. The title still read Illness and Death, but what caught my heart in my throat was the picture on the page adjacent to it. It was of a middle-aged version of me, sickly and pale. I looked like a walking skeleton. I was fighting myself internally on whether or not I should read what happened to me. In the end, I chose not to and slammed the book shut and threw it on the other side of the couch.
My blood was boiling. She knew didn’t she? She had to have known; she was a big fan of us, of me. The girl I loved knew I was dead and she didn’t even tell me. A queasy feeling was churning in my stomach, telling me I needed to run to the bathroom quickly. My jittery legs took me up the stairs, and I threw myself against the toilet and wretched into it. After a few moments I wiped my mouth and managed to make it to the guest bedroom where my bandmates were still asleep. I flopped face first into my bed and cringed into my pillow. My stomach was still uneasy, but there was nothing I could do about it. I was bound to feel this way forever now, knowing my fate. My eyelids relaxed, and I eventually fell asleep with the nagging thought in my head.
I’m dead…
Brian POV
The sound of whistling had shook me from my sleep. I sat up in my bed and looked around. Deacy’s bed was empty, Roger was still softly snoring in his, and had actually found Freddie asleep in his own bed for once. It was strange that Deacy was up before anyone else; normally it was the opposite. I got up and walked down to the kitchen, where I had found the bassist shakily picking up the kettle and setting it on a hot pad.
“What are you doin’ up so early, Deaks?” I asked.
He then turned around to face me, and he looked absolutely awful. His whole body was pale and covered with gooseflesh. The tip of his nose was bright red, and his usually bright and timid eyes were drained.
“I feewl like shibt.” John said rather stuffily.
I frowned. Deacy didn’t always get sick, but when he did it was painful to watch. It’s like caring for a sick puppy; you watch over him all the time until he’s better and back to his playful self. Roger and Freddie could barely tend to themselves when they were sick, so it was up to me to make sure they got better. Not that I’m complaining, I really don’t mind.
I put my hand on his back and lead him over to the couch. “Just lay down and I’ll take care of you.” I said gently. He did as I said and laid down while I ran quickly up the stairs to the linen closet to grab some clean pillows and blankets. When I returned, I propped a couple pillows under Deacy’s head and tucked the thick blankets over his cold body. As I was doing so, my fingers hit something hard under his back.
“Sit up a bit, I think you’re laying on something.” I commanded softly. John arched his back slightly, letting me slip what I found to be a hardcover book out from below him. I set it down on the end table next to the recliner and made Deacy lay back down. Then I walked over to the kitchen and searched the cupboards for some tea. There was a box of honey lemon in the far corner which I managed to grab on my tippy-toes. My fingers cracked open the dusty box and I poured hot water from the kettle into a cup, dipping a tea bag into it. I set the cup down on the coffee table on a coaster where the ill bassist could reach it easily. He was laying on his side facing the wall and still shivering, so I wrapped an extra duvet snugly around him.
“Tea’s on the table if you want it. Shout if you need me, I’ll be nearby.” I said with a gentle pat to his back. He grunted in reply and I waltzed over to the recliner in case I was needed. Out of the corner of my eye the hardcover I had retrieved from the couch had caught my attention. It wasn’t until I had decided to pick it up and read it to pass the time that the person on the front cover looked all too familiar. Looking at me from over his shoulder was none other than Freddie with his name as the title sitting next to him. I smirked at how well his regal attire suited him. My fingers skimmed through the pages, glancing at the words and photographs every so often. My thumb suddenly stopped on the start of one of the last chapters. It took me a few moments to process what I was seeing, because quite frankly I was stunned.
“That can’t be…” I murmured in disbelief.
A groan came from the couch and John’s eyes were open now, looking at me half-awake.
“What’s wrong, Bri?” Deacy asked sleepily.
I shut the book quickly and held it away from his sight.
“Nothing, Deacy. Go back to sleep.” I ordered.
As soon as he flipped over on his side and covered up in his blankets again, I quietly got up from my seat and snuck upstairs. I had to make sure no one else was going to stumble upon this. Someone must have already if it was just sitting on the couch. My stomach flipped.
Maybe...maybe Freddie already knows.
My feet took me quicker into the room I shared with my bandmates and I scanned it thoroughly for out of view places. I looked at my bed frame that had a single drawer on it, which I remembered had nothing but tattered linens and useless junk inside. I buried the book at the very bottom of the drawer and covered it with the old sheets.
“Mornin’, Bri.” A voice greeted from behind me. I hastily turned around to find Roger sitting up in his bed with a slumberous smile. My foot gradually shut the drawer from behind me as I spoke to him, making sure he didn’t notice.
“Morning.” I replied with a plastered grin. “Sleep well?”
The drummer nodded and slowly got up to stretch. His eyes glanced over to the other bunks on the other side of the room. There was a brief surprised expression, seeing Freddie asleep in his own bed for once. Roger looked back at me with a smirk until he noticed that John’s bed was empty.
“How is Deaky up before me? It’s,” He glanced up at the clock on the wall across from him. “almost ten o’clock.”
“He’s not feeling well. Poor guy looks like a train wreck.” I said with a gloomy tone.
Roger nodded knowingly. “I hate it when he gets ill.”
He walked over to the door and mumbled something unintelligible, probably about going downstairs, before leaving the room. I’m sure he was speaking clear as day, but thoughts were clouding up my mind too much to focus on his words. I glanced over at Freddie and then back at the drawer, then quietly tip-toed down the staircase. John was still sleeping on the couch, heavy snores emanating from his slightly parted lips. Roger sat on the loveseat with a cup of tea in one hand and two pieces of toast in the other. Bread crumbs sprinkled onto the seats with each bite he took of his breakfast.
“Rog, don’t eat your toast there. You’re getting crumbs all over the place.” I said pointedly. Roger’s lips curled downward and stood up from his spot. “Sorry, mum.” He retorted, now walking over to the kitchen to eat at the table. I smirked silently and decided to get myself some tea for the morning.
Mia POV
I quickly pulled into the driveway and got out of my car as uneagerly as possible. School felt like it was gonna drag on forever; all I could think about was coming home and seeing my boys, especially Freddie. My hands fumbled in my pockets for my house key and let myself in. I set down my things on the kitchen table and walked over to the living room where the action was usually at. John was asleep on the couch, and Brian and Roger were sitting on the loveseat together watching the television.
“Hey guys!” I greeted cheerily. Their heads turned towards me and Roger smiled.
“Hi Mia, how was school?” The blonde asked.
I plopped down on the recliner next to me and groaned. “Horrid. I just want to graduate and get the hell out of school forever.” I replied. Brian abruptly stood up and started walking towards the stairs mumbling something incoherent and disappeared. I noticed he had barely even looked at me, keeping his eyes glued to his lap the whole time.
I frowned. “Is Brian okay?” I asked.
Roger shared the same expression as I. “I’m not quite sure, he’s been acting a bit out of sorts today. I’ll go talk to him.”
I nodded and watched him trot up the stairs. My lips curled downwards. Was he upset because of me? I tried to think of something I might have done to hurt Brian, but came up with nothing. A sigh left my lips, and a tinge of guiltiness churned in my stomach.
"Mia?"
I turned towards the couch where Deacy was sleeping. He was sitting up now, his bare feet touching the floor.
"Hey bub." I said sweetly. He blushed and smiled cutely, patting the spot next to him. As I moved to sit next to him I noticed how pale he was. The back of my hand met his warm forehead.
"You don't feel too good, buddy." I said. He nodded and coughed into his arm.
"Yeah I'm a bit stuffy, but I'm getting better. Brian's been taking care of me." Deacy explained.
I scratched my neck. "Speaking of Brian," I began. "Is he ok? He won't even look at me."
John shrugged. "He seemed pretty okay to me this morning until he looked at something on the coffee table."
"What was it?"
"Uh, I think it was a book or something."
I nodded, taking in the information. There still wasn't anything that I could think of that had anything to do with a book.
"I noticed Freddie's not around here." I said with a look around the room. Deacy smirked.
"Of course you did. Come to think of it, I haven't seen him all day. Maybe because I've been asleep, but I've been in and out of it." He said.
I smiled and kissed his forehead.
"You probably should go back to bed, sleep off that fever. Holler if you need anything, okay?"
He smiled and curled back up on the couch while I tip-toed up the staircase. Slowly I made my way to the guest bedroom, where I heard sharp whispers.
"I can't believe it."
"Well believe it Roger, because I'm a goner. The book said so."
"It's one book, Freddie."
"What kind of sick person would go into details on this kind of thing though? Think about it."
"...I suppose you're right."
"I just...why wouldn't she tell me? Tell us?"
"I don't know...I don't know..."
My heart sank. My hand rapped at the door, and a few moments later it opened with Roger in the door sil. He backed away and let me inside without a word. The three men stood in front of me with blank expressions. Freddie wouldn't look at me; his hurt-filled eyes were on his feet. Brian tossed something at me without warning, but luckily I was able to catch it before it could hit my chest.
"Explain this." Brian said curtly.