Adagio hated going to bed angry.
Standing outside under the flickering fluorescent lights of an exiled motel, a forgotten franchise on the city outskirts forsaken by all.
She placed a slender hand across her cheek in dismay, vibrant eyes now reduced to faint echoes of their former selves.
Mind numb with the blur of another long day. So many nameless faces and a mixture of forgotten lonely places, even the night held no promises of familiarity.
The van parked outside in the parking lot, one that had the stench of decay in full bloom on this icy October night. The ink-colored sky was devoid of any beauty or enchantment. Instead a vast wasteland of nothingness, only matched in emptiness by the abysmal landscape around her.
Withered grass or long stretches of lonely dirt roads were her only companions, the faint howls of creatures on the prowl danced across the stagnant winds. An icy chill of regret traced ever slowly down the siren's spine, the cherry atop this rundown building of dying dreams.
She had decided to fight with her sisters this night, of all nights. A simple lazy evening surrounded by pizza boxes and cheap television had soon devolved into screams and shed tears of bonds broken.
Even hours later the sting of her words had only sunk deeper. The venom of her hatred rotted away the last few rays of sunshine in her increasingly lonely life. Without those she had foolishly pushed away, she was nothing but a shadow surrounded by the infinite darkness.
In such an empty realm, she sadly would no longer exist.
"You seem troubled?" A mature feminine voice echoed a few doors down from her own.
Adagio turned her attention to a peculiar young woman sitting atop the smooth cement walkway of the motel; she wore long black leggings accompanied by a fashionable plaid blue mini skirt. A lovely ocean-colored sash adorned her slender waistline, as it was adorned by a colorful bird, tweeting technicolored notes above in an array of hope.
A short-sleeved umbra sweater clung to her petite frame elegantly, the dark hue of her clothes a perfect contrast to such pale smooth porcelain skin. The most unique thing about this odd stranger was her hair, styled waves of umbra that cascaded down over her face mysteriously.
"Surprised you could see anything with that hairstyle." Adagio gazed down at the girl as her voice dripped with sarcasm.
"Hee, I've been told it's fashionable." She brushed bangs to the side softly, her eyes a calm translucent blue sight of beauty.
Adagio felt her cheeks burn a bright red. If her karma wasn't low enough at the moment, making fun of a blind woman should be enough to damn her completely.
"I'm…" Adagio stumbled over her words embarrassed, a rare occurrence in the siren's life.
"The name's Songbird. So what's bringing you down, on such a beautiful night?" She giggled in a playful tone, her hand flaunted dismissively.
"What makes you think I'm feeling down?" Adagio crossed her arms over her chest somberly.
"If I know anything it's sound." Songbird flashed a pouty smirk towards the girl.
Her hands lifted upward as if to trace out the silhouette of her nighttime companion. "Your footsteps were heavy, full of regret, so you're mad about something." Songbird focused her attention on the siren's breathing.
"Your voice cracked just now, so somber and melancholic. You feel as if you've hurt somebody you loved." She tilted her head upward to face the saddened siren.
"Lastly, that sass, you're probably a redhead. Full of fiery passion, a passion that tends to burn others." Songbird lowered her hands onto her lap with a light sigh.
"Bullshit, you probably just overheard the fight earlier!" Adagio quickly wiped away the tears that stung her eyes.
"A fight you say?" Songbird spoke in a genuinely surprised tone.
Adagio clenched her fists tightly at her side as the fire within burned bright. "My sisters are content to live such mundane and pointless existences." She bit her lower lip in pain, the memories of these past few months raced across her mind.
"What's considered mundane?" Songbird questioned with a tilt of her head.
"Living every day on the road, taking each day painfully slow, and singing at horrid little slices of nowhere!!" Adagio slammed her fist into the wooden pillar to her right, a loud thud echoed into the night.
"Sounds magical." Songbird let a faint smile across her lips.
"You know nothing of magic!" Adagio hissed as blood boiled within her veins.
"And I fear, you know nothing of living." Songbird lifted to her bare feet enjoying the feel of dew-ridden grass between her toes.
"Whatever!" Adagio rolled her eyes out of spite.
Songbird outreached her hand to touch the pillar to her right, easing herself against it with a calm sigh."You discard the open road, though it shares limitless paths towards endless beauty." She giggled, shaking her head amused.
"Each day is too slow? Time is a gift that escapes our grasp far too quickly." She gazed towards the siren with pursed, saddened lips.
Adagio felt the fire extinguish in her soul, a cooling wave of tranquility slowly ebbing across her whole body in gentle waves.
"Song is a gift of the heart, to soothe the broken soul. The fact you're able to share such an amazing treasure at your sister's side, you should be grateful." The young woman stepped back onto the cement, her hips swaying as she walked towards her door.
"..." Not a single word came to the mind of Adagio, as crystalline tears rolled down each of her cheeks.
"Magic is around you, it doesn't take a blind person to see that." Songbird began to hum a soothing melody aloud, vanishing into her room as the door clicked shut behind her.
Adagio let her gaze lift towards the sky, for the first time in forever, she could make out the ballet of glittering stars above.
And she felt at peace.
