What's That Word?

[Rachel Nash]

”’My heart is broken. Sweet sleep, my dark angel. Deliver us from sorrow's hold.’ Yeah,” Rachel smiled and quickly scribbled a note in her notebook. ”That definitely works! Maybe I should break off there and move onto a new verse.”

Rachel tapped her chin with the butt of the pencil and leaned back against the tree. She found that the peace and relative quiet of the outdoors was usually good for her when she was trying to come up with new song lyrics. Although as she looked over the lyrics she’s written down so far, Rachel had to giggle.

”I bet money someone’s going to look at all of these and figure I’ve got some ‘tragic past’ or a lost love.” She shook her head and smirked a little before refocusing on her task. ”Ok, what’s next?”

Despite her spatial awareness, Rachel wasn’t exactly paying attention as she observed and tested some of the lyrics for her song. However she did here a noise that made her look up and notice she wasn’t alone. The surprise on Rachel’s expression was soon replaced with a smile.

”Hey there! Didn’t expect to find anyone else out here.”

[Layla Harlow]

She was supposed to be working on school, maybe a project that was due? She couldn't even remember the homework load that had been piled onto her this week. Her personal life was distracting, a little frustrating and she still had a mystery of what she was going to do to fix the problems that she was facing. It wasn't just her own that she had to worry about now, Jack planned on running away to Africa to follow his love, Nicholas was being bullied and she had to somehow figure out a way to take care of them both. She'd been successful in at least holding off Jack's impromptu relocation, but her son's bullying problem was still posing as a problem. He couldn't very well beat the other kid up, nor would he, as he wasn't a violent boy by any means.

Layla knew she had to tell Patch, that he might be able to offer some advice on the situation or at the very least accompany her when she met with the principal and the parents of the other boy. One more fat lip or bruise on her baby boy's face and she was going to lose her mind. She was scatter-brained enough, and the lake in Montana had always been a comforting refuge. It was a quiet place with a soft breeze and a relaxing sensation surrounding it. Perfect for thinking and a way of calming herself down. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, a distant expression on her face and a bubble surrounding her that blocked out the rest of the world.

However, her bubble hadn't left out the faint words of someone nearby. Poetry or lyrics, Layla couldn't distinguish, but whatever they were, she related all too well to the words that were said. A pang in her chest left her slightly breathless and she tried to tune out the rest. A tragic past and lost love was what made Layla who she was, and as this girl spoke about it, she was reminded of all the terrible hands she'd been dealt. What she hadn't expected was for the girl to notice her, though she had ruffled a few leaves when she brought her hand up to her hair.

Layla cleared her throat and offered what she thought was a smile to the woman beside her, "Hi, uh, yeah. Sorry I didn't mean to interrupt you. That was really uh, beautifully put."

[Rachel Nash]

"Hi, uh, yeah. Sorry I didn't mean to interrupt you. That was really uh, beautifully put.”

There was something in the way the other girl said it and how her smile did not seem to reach her eyes that made Rachel’s own falter. While she wasn’t an empath, it was obvious to Rachel that something had bothered the girl enough to shake her. She tried to think over all she'd done to pinpoint if it was something Rachel herself had personally done to upset the girl. All she could think of was the lyrics or maybe her mention of tragic pasts and lost loves. Rachel re-strengthened her smile, hoping to put the girl at ease. She was also admittedly pleased to have her work complimented.

”Thanks! I’m trying to write a song, so I’ve got to test the word out. It’s kind of funny how clunky they sound at first with no instruments.” Rachel shook her head and laughed softly before glancing back at Layla. ”Hey I’m not bothering you am I? I can move if you want some space to yourself. Lord knows I’ve been working on this stupid thing for long enough.” She waved the notebook in the air with a slight grin. ”Or,” She added, drawing the word out a little mischievously, ”You could help me with the lyrics if you want. I’d love to have a second opinion on them to be honest. Up to you.”