c2

Blue skys, and chocolate earth
Fall away from my eyes, and I feel Him take me in his arms.
And he tells me he's taking me home
But I don't want to go.
Won't go.
I hear Him call me home.
I won't go.
A gate above my head, it opens for me.
And a man tells me I'm at my new home
Why does He call me before I want to go?
I want to find love.
And I want you to love me.
But He makes me leave.
So I hate you instead.
And I hate Him.
I won't go, because I hate Him.

Brian paused in the door of the library. He wasn't expecting it to be occupied. The last time he'd stayed here, every time he'd come here, it was deserted. He was imagining cobwebs and dust bunnies, not a frail looking girl hunched over a notebook, writing in it with such ferocious sadness that Brian couldn't tear his eyes off of her.

She was tiny, her body looked about twelve, but upon looking at her face, he realized that she must be a lot older. And she was dressed in nothing but the tiny hospital gowns that were provided for every patient. A worn green robe was wrapped around her shoulders, and her dark brown eyes were narrowed. Her bony hand gripped the pen she was writing with, and her other hand was playing with a lock of amazingly silky looking carmel hair.

Brian stepped inside, and cleared his throat. The girl looked up, shocked. She dropped her pen, and her eyes widened. "Oh!" She said softly.

Brian stared for a minute. Then he stepped inside, and hurried over to the table. He picked up her pen and held it out to her. "I'm sorry." He said quickly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

The girl blinked a few times, and reached out for her pen with shaking hands. "That's okay." She said. Her voice was soft and weak, like she was scared of something, but still being friendly to it. "It's not your fault. I just wasn't expecting anyone to be here. Usually when I come here, the place is deserted."

"Do you come here a lot?" Brian asked slowly, taking an empty seat at the table with her. It was a simply question, but they both knew that there was a lot more to it that those simple words.

The girl nodded. "Yeah. Ever since I got checked in here." She lowered her eyes. "Almost a year ago."

Brian's heart went out to her. Her was this girl, quiet, sweet, and very pretty despite her sunken feautres, and the obvious extreme weight loss she'd experianced. And she was telling him that she'd been in this hell-hole of a hospital for a year? He'd been there for an hour, and he couldn't stand it already. "Oh. I'm sorry." He said.

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. It's okay. I'm surviving. Oh! I'm Rose, by the way." She extended one hand for him to shake.

He took it. "I'm Brian." He said, not realizing until then that she hadn't shown any signs of recognization yet. Which must mean that she wasn't a fan. Which was just another thing in her favor. "I'm glad I ran into you here. I'm staying for a few weeks, and I was really dreading being alone the whole time. It's nice to know someone."

She blushed, and looked away. "Oh, well. I don't know how good of company I am." She shook her head. "I mean, I'm not really used to being around people."

That was true. Even in school, Rose hadn't had many friends. And here, she didn't know the name of even a nurse. It wasn't that she didn't want friends, it was just that she didn't know how to go about making them. "I'm sure you're better company that I am to myself." Brian assured her, realizing even as he said it that it didn't make much sense. "I mean, I don't care how bad of company you are, it's better than being alone. I mean, not that I think you're bad company! I just meant-"

Rose laughed. It was a sound that was both beautiful and unexpected to Brian. She had a laugh that matched the rest of her personality the way that plaid matched stripes. It wasn't very loud, but it was so happy sounding, and so real, that Brian had to look twice to make sure it was actually coming from Rose's own mouth. She looked so different when she was laughing. Less like a hospital patient, and more like a person that he would have met on the streets or something. But more beautiful. She shook her head. "Can I ask you something?"

Brian nodded. After a laugh like that, she could have asked him if she could cut off a part of his body, and he would have said yes.

"Why are you here?" Rose asked. That certainly sobered up the conversation.

"Heart problems." Brian said simply. "I've got surgery tomorrow."

Rose's eyes widened. "Oh. I'm sorry. That sucks." She tucked a peice of her perfect hair behind her ear. "Are you scared?"

Brian shook his head quickly. "Me? No." Rose raised his eyebrows, and he sighed. "Yeah." He admitted, nodding. "I am."

Rose reached across the table, and rested her hand on his. "I know how you feel." Her eyes were warm and understanding. Brian felt like he could just curl up inside those eyes, and never feel fear like this again. "Come back to my room with me. I've got something for you." She gathered her notes, and led the way out of the library and back to her little room.