Rating: PG-13
Summary: New Orleans is not all it's cracked up to be by any means. With the trouble he's caused, and under the impression it might be easier to leave everyone behind for a while, Damien intends to take a vacation. Having packed everything up, Damien leaves the comforts of New Orleans behind and decides to do some sight seeing on his own. What he has yet to realize though is that trouble will continue to follow him. Regardless, Damien's bent on having a vacation away from everyone. Only to gain new friends, enemies, and a love interest along the way.
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Prologue
I’ve never set much store for the rules. I’m sure anyone that’s met me would tell you the same thing. You know the saying rules were meant to be broken? For me it was, rules were always meant to be broken. It was the one thing that even as a kid, I lived by. I don’t think I got that from my parents though. No, I’m almost certain I didn’t get that from my parents. My parents always tried teaching me right from wrong. I say tried though, because it never succeeded. All of their words of ’don’t do this’ ’don’t do that’ fell on deaf ears. I wouldn’t listen. I still don’t, which could greatly prove to be my downfall over the course of this story.
Regardless of what I’ve done in past, what’s done is done. I may have screwed several thing up before, but hell if I was going to let that get into my way tonight. No, tonight was the one night I had to do something just for me. Something that wouldn’t require any of the monsters to come chasing after me for my mistakes. This was one mistake I refused to mess up on. One that gave me an escape. Tonight, there would be no talking me out of it. My mind had been made up. They’d all been complaining as of late anyways about me, right? What use was it to stay behind with the claim that I could change? It wasn’t doing a bit of good in the few weeks that I remained within the Fun House. Even the times in which I chose to avoid the outside world? That didn’t seem to help. Not in the least.
Options are all around you. Sometimes it’s a matter of opening your eyes and seeing what you have and don’t have. And for me, that couldn’t have come at a better time. A lot of my other options were diminished. I tried and I failed. The last option, the one that I do love very much didn’t come easily enough. Nothing in life did though. No, this option would have involved using up every bit of the money I had leftover from as a child, and the money I’d saved up over the year. If my calculations were correct - and I do ever so much loathe math, but it showed how serious I had been about the entire idea - I would have enough leftover to stay gone for a month or two at the most. That was stretching things, but it would have worked all the same.
Originally, the idea was to leave behind a note and go on a week long vacation. Just to get the hell out of New Orleans for a while, and still not have anyone worry that I may be dead at the bottom of the Mississippi River. Though, the more I thought about that idea, the more I didn’t much care for it. A week was simply not enough time to do what I wanted. Instead, my next option was to get out with what I had for a few months. This time though, I wouldn’t be leaving behind a note of any kind for anyone. For all Mikhail, Dorian, Bradon, Georgette, and everyone else knew, I was more than likely just wandering around the city causing some kind of trouble ‘If only they knew,’ I thought. They could worry for a few months. Though, I highly doubted they’d miss me while I was gone. I guess though that’s something to be determined when I come back.
Still, the car - no, I didn’t steal another car - was filled with anything I may need over the course of the next few months. Just the essential items. Everything else was left behind. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was trying to convince myself that I would return, and thus all of the things I did leave behind would be there when I returned. Another part of me, though I wasn’t so sure how big the part, was convincing me I would never come back. Again, that couldn’t be decided yet. Only time would tell. Until then, I opted to stay on neutral grounds. I wasn’t going to decide one way or another just yet.
Knowing that I wouldn’t have to worry about bidding anyone goodbye, I could have made a quick get away and made it to the city limits within the hour or so. The sooner I got out of town, the better of I’d be. It would mean less of a chance anyone had of being suspicious of my departure. But of course, there was still just one stop I wanted to make on the way out of New Orleans. The drive was a familiar one, and one that I had not been on since my ten day stay at some nuthouse. Though, getting to my destination seemed to have taken much longer than what I could remember in the past. All the same, I made it just as the clock read nine. Now, here I was standing on the side of the bridge that crossed the Mississippi River. My new found car was idling behind me. On the side of the road and away from any traffic. Though, no one was out this evening.
Overhead, the clouds had opened up enough to let the barest of raindrops fall from the sky. A drizzle of sorts. The rain didn’t bother my so much, though the monster within me was pacing through it’s corridor. Cats had a natural aversion to water. Lions were no exception to this rule. Still, I couldn’t help but take one last fleeting look at the bridge and the darkened waters below. I don’t think it was simply for the memories. I could easily recall both incidents with the bridge and me without showing up. Perhaps it had been a chance to show the world something. I wasn’t going to let the bridge itself keep me from anything else. My intentions were clear, and death was not part of that. Whether that’s the Prozac talking, or really me…I couldn’t tell you.
Taking on last look at the river below though, I finally turned on my heel and walked back to the idling car. There was no point dwelling on the past. Not when the future was still wide open for me. I would return. I wasn’t entirely sure whether or not it would be within the next few months, or whether it would be years down the line. Either way, it wouldn't make much difference. My disappearance would be a relief to those who thought they had a say in what I did and didn’t do. My being gone would have been the best time for them to throw a party. They would make it a national holiday, I was sure. July 28, 2009. The day Damien Lovett left New Orleans. I could see the headlines of it now, but I didn’t want to think about it. What they did while I was gone was none of my concern. After all…
“No one would miss me…”
The words free now, I ignored any lingering thoughts of fears that may have settled somewhere within me as I sped across the bridge, and for the first time…safely to the other side. There was a first for everything. The first time walking, first time talking, first time making it safely across the Mississippi River without incident. And there was the first time experiencing the world. The latter being my focus now as I continued through the streets. I would show them once and for all that I could change. Not just for them. No, because if I were only to change to please them, it would show just how shallow I was. I would change because I wanted to. Because anything less would either mean a quick death to me, or being run out of town. Whichever happened to come first. They would all soon see though…
I could change and this time, it would be without incident.
Author's Note: I had the prologue finished late last night. Had it posted it and everything, despite my dislike in how it turned out. And then today, I finally decided to sit down, grab up some music, and redo the prologue. I must say I love this version more than I loved the other version. And I like how the ending ties into the title. That's just me though. We'll see what happens with the next few chapters though.
I’ve never set much store for the rules. I’m sure anyone that’s met me would tell you the same thing. You know the saying rules were meant to be broken? For me it was, rules were always meant to be broken. It was the one thing that even as a kid, I lived by. I don’t think I got that from my parents though. No, I’m almost certain I didn’t get that from my parents. My parents always tried teaching me right from wrong. I say tried though, because it never succeeded. All of their words of ’don’t do this’ ’don’t do that’ fell on deaf ears. I wouldn’t listen. I still don’t, which could greatly prove to be my downfall over the course of this story.
Regardless of what I’ve done in past, what’s done is done. I may have screwed several thing up before, but hell if I was going to let that get into my way tonight. No, tonight was the one night I had to do something just for me. Something that wouldn’t require any of the monsters to come chasing after me for my mistakes. This was one mistake I refused to mess up on. One that gave me an escape. Tonight, there would be no talking me out of it. My mind had been made up. They’d all been complaining as of late anyways about me, right? What use was it to stay behind with the claim that I could change? It wasn’t doing a bit of good in the few weeks that I remained within the Fun House. Even the times in which I chose to avoid the outside world? That didn’t seem to help. Not in the least.
Options are all around you. Sometimes it’s a matter of opening your eyes and seeing what you have and don’t have. And for me, that couldn’t have come at a better time. A lot of my other options were diminished. I tried and I failed. The last option, the one that I do love very much didn’t come easily enough. Nothing in life did though. No, this option would have involved using up every bit of the money I had leftover from as a child, and the money I’d saved up over the year. If my calculations were correct - and I do ever so much loathe math, but it showed how serious I had been about the entire idea - I would have enough leftover to stay gone for a month or two at the most. That was stretching things, but it would have worked all the same.
Originally, the idea was to leave behind a note and go on a week long vacation. Just to get the hell out of New Orleans for a while, and still not have anyone worry that I may be dead at the bottom of the Mississippi River. Though, the more I thought about that idea, the more I didn’t much care for it. A week was simply not enough time to do what I wanted. Instead, my next option was to get out with what I had for a few months. This time though, I wouldn’t be leaving behind a note of any kind for anyone. For all Mikhail, Dorian, Bradon, Georgette, and everyone else knew, I was more than likely just wandering around the city causing some kind of trouble ‘If only they knew,’ I thought. They could worry for a few months. Though, I highly doubted they’d miss me while I was gone. I guess though that’s something to be determined when I come back.
Still, the car - no, I didn’t steal another car - was filled with anything I may need over the course of the next few months. Just the essential items. Everything else was left behind. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was trying to convince myself that I would return, and thus all of the things I did leave behind would be there when I returned. Another part of me, though I wasn’t so sure how big the part, was convincing me I would never come back. Again, that couldn’t be decided yet. Only time would tell. Until then, I opted to stay on neutral grounds. I wasn’t going to decide one way or another just yet.
Knowing that I wouldn’t have to worry about bidding anyone goodbye, I could have made a quick get away and made it to the city limits within the hour or so. The sooner I got out of town, the better of I’d be. It would mean less of a chance anyone had of being suspicious of my departure. But of course, there was still just one stop I wanted to make on the way out of New Orleans. The drive was a familiar one, and one that I had not been on since my ten day stay at some nuthouse. Though, getting to my destination seemed to have taken much longer than what I could remember in the past. All the same, I made it just as the clock read nine. Now, here I was standing on the side of the bridge that crossed the Mississippi River. My new found car was idling behind me. On the side of the road and away from any traffic. Though, no one was out this evening.
Overhead, the clouds had opened up enough to let the barest of raindrops fall from the sky. A drizzle of sorts. The rain didn’t bother my so much, though the monster within me was pacing through it’s corridor. Cats had a natural aversion to water. Lions were no exception to this rule. Still, I couldn’t help but take one last fleeting look at the bridge and the darkened waters below. I don’t think it was simply for the memories. I could easily recall both incidents with the bridge and me without showing up. Perhaps it had been a chance to show the world something. I wasn’t going to let the bridge itself keep me from anything else. My intentions were clear, and death was not part of that. Whether that’s the Prozac talking, or really me…I couldn’t tell you.
Taking on last look at the river below though, I finally turned on my heel and walked back to the idling car. There was no point dwelling on the past. Not when the future was still wide open for me. I would return. I wasn’t entirely sure whether or not it would be within the next few months, or whether it would be years down the line. Either way, it wouldn't make much difference. My disappearance would be a relief to those who thought they had a say in what I did and didn’t do. My being gone would have been the best time for them to throw a party. They would make it a national holiday, I was sure. July 28, 2009. The day Damien Lovett left New Orleans. I could see the headlines of it now, but I didn’t want to think about it. What they did while I was gone was none of my concern. After all…
“No one would miss me…”
The words free now, I ignored any lingering thoughts of fears that may have settled somewhere within me as I sped across the bridge, and for the first time…safely to the other side. There was a first for everything. The first time walking, first time talking, first time making it safely across the Mississippi River without incident. And there was the first time experiencing the world. The latter being my focus now as I continued through the streets. I would show them once and for all that I could change. Not just for them. No, because if I were only to change to please them, it would show just how shallow I was. I would change because I wanted to. Because anything less would either mean a quick death to me, or being run out of town. Whichever happened to come first. They would all soon see though…
I could change and this time, it would be without incident.
---
Author's Note: I had the prologue finished late last night. Had it posted it and everything, despite my dislike in how it turned out. And then today, I finally decided to sit down, grab up some music, and redo the prologue. I must say I love this version more than I loved the other version. And I like how the ending ties into the title. That's just me though. We'll see what happens with the next few chapters though.
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