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Author Topic: So Far Away, But Still so Near. (One-shot Vaughan Music Player Recovery)  (Read 319 times)

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Yule.
A time that most families come together in celebration. They all sit around and share stories of their pasts and laugh about the mistakes they made along the way. Part of Aspen wished she could've had the chance to experience what Yule was really like sooner. Already, despite her sister's engagement, Aspen had lived more on this single holiday than she ever had. All the ups and downs and feelings still whirling around in her gut yet Aspen was still determined to have a good day. Some gifts were already exchanged and now she found herself glancing at the package on her desk before leaving for Tink's get together downstairs.

"I'll be back later..." a farewell to the roommate who had secluded herself in the bathroom.

As the door shut behind her Aspen placed an earbud in each lobe, scrolling through her playlist before landing on an accompanment she had been working on. The notes were all there, each keystroke playing its way into her mind as she chewed on the words forming in her head. She knew what she wanted it to say, she knew what word each note stood for yet she hadn't written them down. She didn't need to.

"So far away, but still so near. The lights come on, the music dies. But you don't see me standing he-.." The soft tone of Aspen's voice cut off as her foot caught something on the floor, causing it to ricochet a few feet in front of her.

It was a small silver box, familiar to the very one Aspen was just humming to in her pocket. A music player, one easily hooked up and recorded on... just like hers. A few more steps before she knelt down, placing hands on her knees as she examined the foreign instrument. If it wasn't hers then who could it belong to? Or better question, why would they leave it laying out so carelessly? Aspen's own was almost just as precious as her diary, so why leave it laying here?

A trap...

Aspen jumped up, looking over her shoulder and all around only to find herself standing alone. Okay so maybe it wasn't a trap, maybe someone really had just misplaced it. It was only right to find who it belonged to then wasn't it?

Slowly she knelt back down, pulling out her own player to place it on pause as she unhooked the earbuds. With a soft 'snap' she fit hers into the other, scrolling through the songs only to add confusion to the whole ordeal. 'Aspen', a song with her name. Tilting her head she couldn't help but hit play and before she knew it an all too familiar tune was roaring in her ears.

Aspen.

Pizza lovin' Aspen
How do you get to love it so much
when it's just crust and tomatos and cheese
Ooooh, Aspen
Secretly, deep down, we know pizza loves you too
because you had to make this date
to get some inside you.
Pizzaaaaa, Pizza lovin' Aspen"


Immediately she flushed red, shooting back up and looking over her shoulder for Vaughan. This was his player, it had to be. No one else would have it, at least not in this format. She remembered the first time she ever heard it, how she was back then. A sliver of a smile appearing as Aspen made a note to herself to truly thank him for it one day, something she had never done.

Aspen took a small detour before heading to Tink's get together as she took a right instead of a left, continuing down the Stage 4 hall before finding herself coming up on Vaughan's door. Quickly she placed it on the floor before knocking, then booking it down the hall to hide in the gap of another doorway. No way in hell was she going to let him know she was the one who found it.

Moments passed with no movement. Peering back into the hallway Aspen walked back to his door, knocking on it much harder this time before running once more for the solace of the other doorway. Again nothing as Aspen waited, and waited... and waited.

Another try as she stepped out, this time picking up the music player and knocking again.
Nothing.

Okay so maybe she would just set it on his bed? He clearly wasn't in there, or he was passed out, or... Aspen flushed red again. It was obvious her mind jumped to the gutter pretty quickly on that one. She paused and listened, waiting to hear anything on the other side of that door.
Again nothing.

With a deep breath, Aspen pressed against the handle and to her surpise the door 'clicked' open. No wonder his music player was laying in the hallway. Leaving your door unlocked like this was just asking for trouble. Anyone could easily come in and swipe your stuff this way. With a gentle push the door opened and Aspen felt the breath leave her body before her brain could even process what she saw.

Nothing.

His room was empty, no sign of anyone or anything that signified someone lived there. There was nothing on the desk, the sheets on the bed folded up for the next candidate to make their own. There was no guitar, no sheets of music, no books... nothing. It was almost like he was never even here, just an eerie presence that was missing from the space it belonged in.

Clutching the player Aspen was overcome with an all too familiar feeling. She couldnt' breathe, everything around her was closing in and she couldn't move. Her mind was frozen, her muscles tensing with each passing second while her mind held her prisoner to the panic attack coursing it's way over her. Vaughan was gone, and not like moved on gone, but gone gone....TRIM'd gone. It was the only explanation and suddenly Aspen was gripping the only peice of him that was left in her tensing hands.

"Vaughan..." she choked, the weight of her legs giving out as her knees crashed into the floor, her fingers wrapping even tighter around the player. Aspen felt remorse for the candidate she barely knew, the realization that this could have easily been any one of them dawning on her.

Kneeling in his doorway Aspen sat, the panic attack slowly fading and freeing her muscles from the hell it always entrapped them in after a few minutes. The moment she had control of her legs she was up again, bolting down the hall as fast as she could back to her room. She wasn't going to Tink's party tonight, she wasn't going to ruin Yule for them too.

Back in her room Aspen pushed open the bathroom door and took a place next to Heather, still holding the music player to her chest as she let the cool tile seep through the back of her uniform.

"The hot cocoa wasn't for yule..." the only words Aspen muttered as she stared at the ceiling above them.



 

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