Previously:

She felt bothered. She felt. . . not herself.

Edythe realized as Beau thanked the crowd and took a final bow to applause.

When Sky Blue Gets Dark Enough

Chapter 3

Notebook

Edythe knew her feet were on the ground. Could feel the space around her. But she felt like she was entirely other. Expanding. Expanding in a space far away and shrinking down carrying the whole of the universe with her and that universe was the vibration of Beau's thumb on a string and the air passing through his lips.

And then Beau stopped and pulled the straps of his guitar over his shoulder. The instrument swung up into his hand as he shrugged it off. Af first the cry of protest seemed to be coming from inside Edythe but in fact it was the rumble of minds around her. "Encore!" One of the nurses shouted sitting at table 5. "Encore!" A chant began to form from tables 1-7. Edythe twitched, not wanting to share this universe with anyone else. They thought they enjoyed him? They didn't know anything. They don't feel the same-

Edythe pressed her thumb against her palm. What was she thinking? She scrunched up her nose and looked up at the source of all this misery. Hoping perhaps, he would listen to the others. If she couldn't voice her own demands. She could have listened to him play for hours. Perhaps, no definitely longer but she was never one to be greedy.

"Alright. Alright." Beau crinkled his eyes. Damn that dimple when he smiles. "One more."

A secret indulgence was enjoyed briefly, like getting away with a small harmless act of selfishness. She glanced up just long enough to see Royal's eyes cut away sharply from her direction.

"For this," Beau began strumming and a sneaky smile played at his lip. "I'm going to need a volunteer." He was beaming now and it was incredibly rude that Edythe wasn't able to see behind his thoughts. "Don't worry you won't have to sing."

A few hands rose in the air, eagerly. Edythe rolled her eyes at the ladies in their midlife crisis. He's a teenager for heaven's sake. Get a grip.

Beau looked out onto the crowd. Edythe dipped further into the shadows. For a brief moment of panic she thought she saw Beau look in her direction. He wouldn't. Would he?

The odd smirk grew on his expression.

He pointed his finger. "How about. . . Cullen."

Edythe short circuited.

"Dr. Cullen." Beau continued pointing in the direction of Edythe's family. "She is the esteemed guest this evening."

Shocked Carine maintained her composure and held her hands up in a gesture of "Oh please, no. You mustn't."

"Everybody, come on, let's get Dr. Cullen up here." The room erupted in claps at Beau's command in an attempt to persuade Dr. Cullen to the stage.

No one had seen Dr. Cullen in a setting that wasn't professional. The curiosity got the better of all of them.

Earnest nudged his wife. They shared a look. "You just want to fit in, right?" He whispered to her.

"Oh alright. Alright." Dr. Cullen got up. The room cheered again. Everyone watched as Carine, as elegant as a choegraphed scene took her place beside Beau.

"Hi." Beau grimaced. The first and last time they had talked was after the incident in the parking lot. "Thanks."

Dr. Carine smiled pleasantly. She always did have such a good bedside manner."What do I do?"

"I just need you to snap your fingers, like this." He showed her the rhythm. "That's it. Perfect. Just keep that up." He turned back to the mic. "Alright here go. The started playing an upbeat number with Dr. Cullen at his side snapping along driving it forward.

"This is just what the doctor ordered

Put a gold star on my disorder

Yeah, we've talked around every corner

If I'm looking at you and me, we're on kind of symmetry"

Oddly enough Dr. Carine started swaying her hips and really getting into it. Her snaps were crystal clear as if a tap on a real drum. Edythe curled her arms over herself. How come her mother could be so natural next to him?

Jealous - Jessamine thought with a type of humor that only agitated Edythe more.

Definietely not, she objected. Edythe ticked her head to side. But Jessamine was rarely wrong. Was she? Was she really jealous? Jealous. Yes. that Carine doesn't have the insatiable urge to rip into the kid's throat. That's what she must be jealous of.

"I'm a sensitive situation

You're a hot and cold combination

Oh, we both know we got complications

If I'm looking at you and me, we're on kind of symmetry, oh"

This kind of song seemed different from the others. Oddly hopeful and carefree. Like the kind of thoughts you have when no one else is around and you're just sitting there imagining scenarios inside a vacuum.

I try not to bother, not to bother you

But my kind of trouble, likes your trouble too"

What kind of trouble does he like? Is it possible he could have these kinds of. . . whimsical thoughts about Edythe too? What is he thinking.

Before she was ready the song was over and there were several rounds of applause. For Beau and for his volunteer, Dr. Cullen. She laughed and curtsied as Beau bowed and gestured towards her for the applause. "Dr. Cullen everybody." He pressed his lips against the mic. The applause surged again. "Thank you for coming out tonight and supporting your local hospital. Thanks for listening and uh, hanging out in my bedroom while I play. You'll have a good evening."

Beau put his guitar away and closed the latch with a solid thud. And then it was over.

Edythe slipped out the door and drew in a deep breath of the outside air. Surrounded by crickets and the light of the moon. She exhaled the stale air inside her. The entire time she'd been holding her breath until the end. But she was wrong. It was just the beginning.

"Well that was interesting." Jessamine contemplated, her eyes were only on Archie. Her arms wrapped around his, pulling on his sweater. He was confident. She didn't need to know what he saw, not yet. As long as he was happy.

"He's coming over." Archie warned with a quick smile while he stared of into the distance.

"What?" Royal growled? "Why?"

"Hey! Dr. Cullen!" Beau jogged over. "I just wanted to thank you for being a good sport."

Carine beamed at him. "Oh, it was my pleasure. That was so much fun. You're so talented. I didn't know you could play so well."

"Oh yeah." Beau scratched the back of his head and shrugged his shoulder up. "Oh." He looked to the side and saw her husband. "You must be-"

"Where are my manners." Carine grinned and she put her hand on Earnest's shoulder. "Beau this is my husband, Earnest. Earnest, this is one of Edythe and Archie's classmates. Beau Swan. The sheriff's son." Edythe would absolutely hate this. She'd put a stop this if she could. But she wasn't here right now. Carine felt a strange sense of satisfaction. Edythe was sulking outside, most likely listening in and fuming.

"It's nice to meet you, Beau." Earnest was all too eager to met this boy that had shaken things up with Edythe. He held his hand out a bit timidly, still not so used to human interaction.

"Likewise, thanks for letting me borrow Dr. Cullen for a bit." Beau shook his hand. Afterall he had to say something to them right? It was a little unwarranted to bring her up on stage. Why did he do that? It was out of line. Surely.

"No trouble at all. I always enjoy seeing my beloved out of her element." He and his wife shared a look that made Beau feel a little awkward. He looked over the table. Growing even more uneasy now at all these eyes on him. But- he saw the empty chair-of course not hers. She was here right? Did she take one look at him and leave?

"Your songs." Earnest started. "Did you write them yourself?" Beau nodded, used to those questions. But underneath it he knew he shouldn't be here. It felt oddly like going behind her back. But. . . just because she wasn't talking to him. . . didn't mean he couldn't talk to her family right?

"Yeah, yes. I did." They were just talking about his music. Though to be honest, he didn't like talking about his music. But for some reason he felt like, out of everyone in this god forsaken town, maybe they would understand. Seeing as how they were all outsiders.

"You have quite the talent. And the emotional range. . . so refreshing in someone so young. You must have lived quite a few experiences."

Royal scoffed under his breath. "Right. Sounds like you've gotten around a lot." E shoved her elbow into his abs.

"Oh! Oh no. I-uh. It's kind of strange actually." Beau didn't dare look at Royal, but the light Earnest's eyes seemed kind enough. Felt like family. "You might not believe it."

"Try me." Earnest leaned forward.

"Well, mom always said I was an old soul. You know about reincarnation? Well. Some times. Sometimes I think I can remember them."

"Them?"

Beau shrugged. "Sorry. That's kind of silly. It's nothing. I'm glad you enjoyed the performance."

A shuffling sound interrupted his thoughts. "HI!" An intense looking nearly shaved young man stuck his hand out almost aggressively. "Hello there. I'm Archie. Archie Cullen. I'm also in the same class with you."

Beau turned hesitantly. This definitely felt like he was disobeying some unspoken rule. Archie. What an unassuming name. But the guy in front of him felt so very much far from unassuming. There was almost something. . . familiar about him. They shook hands. Beau wasn't even surprised at the cool skin on his palm. He would have to make a note of it when he got the chance.

"Have we met before?" Beau stared at his angular jawline and the bridge of Archie's nose. It was on the tip of his tongue. But surely someone like him would have stood out more. It's not a face one would forget.

"Well." Archie hesitated for a fraction of a second. Did Archie and Carine share a glance. Archie deflated for a moment. "N-no. We haven't met before."

"Are you sure? I could have sworn I'd known you from something." Beau felt like he was looking at an illusion in his mind trying to remember something that wasn't there. "Aw well then. Perhaps it was in another life."

Archie smiled curiously.

"Well. It was nice meeting you all. Thank you again Dr. Cullen. I hope you have a good rest of the evening. I should finish getting packed up." Beau oddly bowed in lieu of anything else to do. He was quite chuffed to be honest. He'd gotten through an almost completely normal and harmless interaction with Edythe's family. Thank god she wasn't here. He spun on his heels.

Reddish brown hair and a flash of amber eyes halted him in his tracks. Edythe stood in front of him. Where did she come from? Her eyes were intense filled with an energy that he didn't quite recognize.

Beau waited for her to talk. But as the seconds ticked onward it felt more and more like their time in 5th period after lunch, in silence next to each other. And the more the tension grew. He couldn't take her eyes off of her. Their weeks long silent treatment. It had to be ending? Otherwise why did she come back?

Something was happening. He felt like he was humming, vibrating, waiting for her to speak and to release him from whatever spell she had cast on him.

With a hopeful heart he waited for her to start. But all that greeted him back was an indiscernible expression and silence.

Earnest noted that Beau sighed, a deflated slump of his shoulders before he moved to walk around his complicated daughter. "Have a good night. It was nice meeting you all." He bowed politely in their direction.

Edythe shut her eyes as his arms nearly brushed against hers, wishing they wouldn't and praying they didn't. Words he couldn't hear past her lips. A reflexive question lashing out from her curiosity.

"Excuse me?" Beau looked over his shoulder, not sure if it was only wishful thinking. "Did you say something?

She heard her question in Archie's mind just a second before she turned around suddenly and asked it outloud. "What are you-" She stopped. Sighed. "Why are you-" She stopped again. She couldn't get the phrasing right. Why was she so frazzled all of a sudden? Why was this so hard? She couldn't ask what she really wanted. It wouldn't make sense. She pushed aside her family's array of thoughts. She'd deal with their ridicule later, but she couldn't possibly let Beau leave without knowing. The curiosity burned her more than his blood now.

"How do you think up your songs?" Edythe finally asked.

"Oh." Beau's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Edythe fought the urge to touch his eyebrows with her finger tips, as if that could help unravel the mystery of his thoughts. She could only pick up clues to all of his reactions to her like a detective at a scene, only left with the evidence of his peculiar expression to root out what he thought of her.

Furiously enough. He didn't answer her. Instead her shuffled into the large pocket in his jean jacket.

Edythe screamed internally. She wasn't used to this. How dare he ignore her and just-

Beau shook loose from his pocket a composition notebook. The cover worn and wrinkled from being folded and rolled back so many times. He held it up for a moment before explaining. "To be honest, I have a hard time keeping track of my thoughts. My ideas come and go like the wind and it's hard to hold onto just the same. So I write them all down. Sometimes it's good. Sometimes it's none-sense. Sometimes I forget about 'em until later and then I understand what I was thinking."

Edythe's eyes widened as she stared at the notebook in his hand like the holy grail. Like it glowed with some revenant power.

Beau cocked his head to the side and snatched the notebook aloft as Edythe reached for it slowly with both hands.

She blinked and stared at her hands. Did she really just try to take it from him? She didn't even think about it. Get it together, Edythe. She couldn't afford to lose it right now. Mind over matter. Mind over matter.

"Oh. Sorry." She whispered, loud enough to hear it. She only had enough air inside her lungs now for one more sentence. Only a few more words. Not without inhaling his scent. And endangering the boy. More than she already had.

"You know." Beau kept the notebook aloft over her head. An expression on his face she couldn't quite read. "Believe it or not, you're not actually entitled to my thoughts."

Edythe blinked. And for a moment they were alone in the room. Just the two of them. Staring at each other trying to figure the other out.

"What are you doing?" She asked with her final breath as Beau pulled out a pen and began to write something in the margins of a page. She couldn't make out the words as he used the notebook as a shield. Still his thoughts evaded her.

"Making an observation." He finished writing. "On you." He watched her expression change, flash again like a kaleidoscope before settling again.

Beau softened at her reaction. Her crinkled nose. Was that a dimple? Frustration lining her jutting jaw.

And before he knew what he was doing he lightly tapped his notebook on the crown of her head. "Boop."

Boop?

He turned his back to her quickly. What was that? He stuffed his notebook back into his pocket and flexed his hand out. God, why did he have to be so weird. "See you later." He muttered and tripped on his way out the door.

Edythe tracked his movement. Not bothering with being sly. She stayed frozen to her spot as she listened to his footsteps all the way to his car. Not bothering to pretend to be human. She listened to the engine turning on. The old hunk of metal leaving the parking lot. And then out of earshot. And Beau was more an enigma to her than before. And the rest of the world came rushing back.

"Well. That was…" Carine started with a smug look on her face that softened at Edythe's obvious distress.

"Something." Earnest finished for her. "Something indeed." He'd never in all their many years together seen Edythe look so. . . so much her age. She looked like a seventeen year old.

"Really?" Archie barked out a laugh. "Breaking and entering? Edythe now, I didn't peg you as a petty thief."

She rolled her eyes trying to push the image in Archie's mind out of sight. She wouldn't. She wouldn't, would she? Standing in the dark in his bedroom. Rifling through his desk. Crouching finally by his bed while he slept. Only a few inches away from his face as she pulled his notebook out from under his mattress.

Psh. Not gonna happen.

"Well. This was boring." Royal started putting on his coat. "Can we please just all go home now? I don't want to spend another second in this place."

"What?" Eleanor baulked. "Are you kidding? Do you need to get your eyes checked? Did you not just what I did? Did you not see the absolute puddle your sister got turned into. . . by a human?" She cackled. "This was hilarious. Beau's a riot. Honestly. I hope you keep him alive just to see him-"

She took a deep breath curiously. Tasting the waters so to speak. And her whole body filled with the fire that Beau's scent left behind. Her fist tightened.

"Royals right. Let's just go." Edythe twisted away from them and headed back outside. But the scent of Beau followed her into the night air and the sound of his voice echoed in her mind. And his elusive thoughts beckoned her. There was at least one thing in his notebook about her. She may not know what he was thinking. But he thought of her.

"Edythe Anne Masen," Carine walked side by side with her to the car. "Are you smiling?"

Beau rolled down his window and let the night air calm his heated skin. He parked in front of Charlie's house for a few minutes but he didn't want to go in just yet. Didn't want to let the events fade away into the monotony of his life. He was sure of it now more than ever. He tapped his notebook and smiled.

If she wanted to know what he thought of her, she'd have to get to know him.