Somebody to Love
By: Sokai
Disclaimer: I, Sokai, do not claim ownership to the workings of W.I.T.C.H. -- I leave that honor up to Elisabetta Gnone. Nor do I own the brilliant song, "Somebody to Love," by equally brilliant Queen. However, I can and DO claim to own this story and its inspired ideas FROM said series and song.
Note: Okay. So I said that I'd probably never do another songfic after my "The Invisible Man" W.I.T.C.H. one I'd done back in February. But after its surprising success, popularity, as well as my friend, Julia's "challenge" to do another, I figure, why not? I've been itching to write something down this entire first week of my summer class anyhow, ironically. LoL But right. Again, while this is a W.I.T.C.H. story, the sentiment is, sadly, greatly personal, because I'd just had an unfortunate "fallout" with one I had hoped for the longest would have been mine. So it's sort of left me wondering and feeling the same things that will be conveyed in this story. Enjoy.
This story was created/written in June 2006.
A mixture of white and multicolored fluorescent lights brightly beamed themselves feverishly onto the grand stage as she tried to stand tall and defiantly after having been announced, like a powerhouse of a mountain going against harsh, howling winds. That's what the sea of people before her were, the more she reflected upon the comparison, the way they continued to hoot and holler with impatient excitement out at her. It was enough to distract her and cause her to lose the accumulated nerve she'd preciously gathered for what she was about to do.
But, no. No. She had worked too hard to back down now.
Her stomach wasn't beginning to do discomfited back flips at that moment because she was within Futuredome stadium and standing upon the very same stage that her favorite band, Karmilla, had once performed upon, with equal amounts of people (or so it seemed and felt like anyway) in attendance. Incredibly, that kind of pressure and attention she could handle, as she usually craved to be the center of attention, anyhow. It was the fact that not only was she about to pour her heart out to her friends and fellow Guardians of the Veil, but she was also about to do so simultaneously to about the bulk of her seaside hometown of Heatherfield.
A pretty drastic move for one who generally only conveyed her most deepest of secrets to her pet turtle, Leafy, in her honest opinion.
However, since her friends had been bothering her nonstop to know why she had been so perpetually cranky, slightly disrespectful, and a bit of a loner for a while now -- completely unlike her traditionally joker-like demeanor -- she'd figured that it was high time that they knew . . . through the help of "Heatherfield's Extravaganza" talent show she'd signed up for months ago, and was mere seconds from reaping the reward to all of her dedication and planning (which honestly made her glad, looking back, to suspect all along that her having an astounding love of music and knack for impersonating famous people would eventually come in handy one day -- as it would soon prove as such right at that moment).
Or, so she hoped.
"I would like to dedicate this performance to . . . all of the hopes and dreams that are slowly fading away within my heart . . ." she said softly into the erected microphone before her, solemnly listening to her voice reverberate throughout the spacious atmosphere of the packed stadium.
Readjusting her grip upon her father's old Esteban Acoustic-Electric guitar clutched firmly within her hands, she took an increasingly nervous deep breath as she opened her mouth and began to sing an acoustic version of a song that she had always fancied, but could never truly relate to until now:
"Can anybody find me somebody to love?
Each morning I get up I die a little
Can barely stand on my feet . . ."
At that moment, her big, turquoise colored eyes locked in upon her five friends and their dates, watching them all stand gathered together to her right within the heated frenzy of a crowd. Genuine surprise began to riddle itself upon each of their faces while they listened to her lyrical words and strong melodic voice effortlessly wafting out into and intermingling with the gentle summer night breeze.
She felt her cheeks lightly flush with embarrassment as she at last sang the truth within her heart . . . Regardless, she was nonetheless glad that, without a doubt, she had now effectively seized the girls' attention.
"Take a look in the mirror and cry
Lord, what you're doing to me . . ."
Although the butterflies admittedly continued to careen throughout her insides as she approached the end of the first verse of the heartfelt song, she was at the same time feeling a little bit more brave -- more free.
For, everyday, it was getting increasingly harder to get up and greet the day, when there still was not anyone waking up everyday, themselves, just to greet her . . . Her very own special, "one-and-only-someone" who would whisper sweet nothings into her ear, or show her the beautiful drawings inspired by or made solely for her. Someone who would serenade her with tear-jerking love songs that were written about her and meant only to be heard by her. Even to have someone be her wonderful "knight-in-shining-armor," and defend her honor or well being if need be.
Deplorably, however, she did not have any of that and, as a result, she was losing the faith.
"I have spent all my years in believing you
But I just can't get no relief, Lord!
Somebody, somebody
Can anybody find me somebody to love?"
She licked her full, caramel tinted lip glossed lips after having finished singing the very revealing and hearty chorus, her slender fingers of her left hand maneuvering themselves in memory to form the correct chords, while her right hand fluently strummed away at the meticulously tuned strings.
More than anything else now, her friends were all, by that point, feeling greatly uncomfortable (as she began to gain more confidence) the more and more they and everyone else within the stadium listened to her musical message -- especially since the girls had each brought along their "significant others" to the talent show, at her purposeful insistence.
"I work hard every day of my life
I work 'till I ache my bones
At the end I take home my hard earned pay all on my own
A minute part of her felt a tad guilty to have more or less "tricked" her friends in that way; however, the majority of her being also did not honestly care how they felt about it. For far too long now her feelings and what she wanted, had either sometimes been ignored, occasionally regarded with a grain of salt, or denied altogether, the way the girls continuously flaunted their sound relationships in her face time after time whether they'd meant to or not.
"I get down on my knees and I start to pray
Till the tears run down from my eyes
Lord-somebody-somebody
Please, can anybody find me somebody to love?"
She loved her girlfriends -- she truly did. They were like family to her; the sisters she never had. Still, she could not help but to vehemently resent them and everyone else all over the world, it seemed, who continued to have great luck in love and relationships.
Why did it come so easy for all of them to find someone who would love them, and yet it was completely staggering to the mind at how she perpetually remained unnoticed? She was a hard worker; she was independent; she was dynamic. But apparently, absolutely none of those qualities mattered . . .
"Every day I try and I try and I try
But everybody wants to put me down
They say I'm going crazy
They say I've got a lot of water in my brain
I got no common sense
I got nobody left to believe
Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah . . ."
Closing her eyes at that moment while beginning to play the song's moving break and faintly smiling at how ironic the "water-in-the-brain" reference was in her case (considering her mystical ability of overpowering said elixir of life), she took it as an opportunity to silently question the existence of God (as did the song) for the very first time in her life and, if He did indeed exist, why did He continue to ignore every act of devotion, prayer and plea made by her in hopes of finally having them be acknowledged?
As she neared the end of the break, she reopened her suddenly lackluster gems and paused appropriately, this time looking up towards the beautifully clear, calm heavens instead of back out into the crowd and at her friends.
Suddenly, she'd found herself greatly regretting having chosen this song -- this manner -- to impart her innermost emotions, for now she felt far more lost, alone, and forsaken than she had at the start.
"Find me somebody to love
Can anybody find me . . . Somebody to love?
Find me somebody to love . . ."
Strumming the final chord of the gospel-influenced song, she felt her eyes brimming with forlorn tears as she slowly peered back down at her obviously moved friends (as their own optical orbs curiously glistened against the arena's platoon of bright lights) one last time before walking off of the stadium's stage without taking a bow or waiting for the eruption of applause that began to occur seconds after she'd done so.
Whether or not her emotionally charged rendition of a an extremely classic piece had been enjoyed or if she'd won the talent show, it no longer mattered. It brought little comfort to the despair she now felt, or lulled away the brutal Epiphany she was now faced with as she headed towards the Futuredome's exits:
No one would or could ever find her somebody to love, it was now clear, because there truly wasn't anybody out there for her to love . . .
-- The End
(A.N. I don't really like it, but oh well. A bit depressing and out-of-character for an Irma fic, but there it is. Okay, okay. So it's a bit more than just "a bit depressing and out-of-character" for Irma to be THAT . . . well, depressing. LoL But that's the beauty of FANfics - I can write whatever I want. LoL And besides, as my pal, Gina, pointed out - which is what inspired me further to write this fic - Irma DID feel a little "blah" with the others having people and she didn't.
But, anyway, in case you hadn't yet realized, yes, this was about Irma. LoL Still, the personal feelings sadly came from both mine and my friend, Julia's personal experiences, which helps to make this story a bit more believable. And again, I didn't outright say "Irma" in this story for the same reason I hadn't for my "Invisible Man" story when I didn't say "Caleb:" because I wanted you readers to be able to better relate and perhaps take on a more personal view towards it in that way. Hope it accomplished that, but I AM sorry if it depressed the crap out of you as it has me. LoL
Oh, and yes, obviously, I'd chosen to cut a verse or two out of the song for relation's sake. Plus, I highly doubt Queen will mind that I've cut out the final "Got no feel/rhythm" verse. LoL But if some of you didn't like that OR this story, sorry to hear that. LoL I'm off to listen to some more Queen, because they rock and this song is my theme song, practically. LoL)