Chapter Three

! Trigger warning ! Mentions of self harm scars

Emma's P.O.V

"Okay, you ready to go? We gotta be back here by four thirty, Mara and Matthew are already at the diner waiting for us," Gracie says as we push the piano off the stage.

"Have you looked at the dress your mom brought you yet?" she asks as we head to her car. "Nah, I was going to last night but after I got my stuff put together I was tired," I say buckling up.

She drives a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, jet black that she calls Black Widow, it also has a big black widow logo on the back windshield.

Gracie drives like a crazy person, super fast and blaring music. She's also upgraded the muffler in her car and her speakers so the base pumps so hard your brain literally vibrates I'm not kidding.

We head to the diner my dad used to work at when he was in high-school. Sitting in a booth at the back is Mara and Matthew with Mara laughing loudly.

"So you two excited?" Matthew asks as we sit down, "Yeah I'm pretty pumped" I say nodding.

"So are we able to go back and help yall get ready?" Mara asks after our food comes. We come here all the time so when they got here Matthew and Mara ordered our usuals.

"Yeah, we have our own dressing room so yall will be fine," Gracie says waving them off.

I pick up my cup and groan, "You good? you've been groaning all day" Gracie says turning to me.

"Yeah, I just didn't land a lot last night so my body like really hurts. But I'm fine," I say nodding.

"Okay, just checking" she says going back to her burger.

---

"You two are so good at makeup," Matthew says as he finishes curling Gracies' hair. "It comes from staying up till like two in the morning doing our makeup all those years" Gracie laughs.

I finish blending out my eye makeup, then apply mascara. I did a dark smokey eye, I guess I probably should have looked at my dress and I could have matched them but oh well.

"Okay, you need to go get dressed," Gracie says standing and swatting her hands in my direction.

She had gotten dressed as soon as we got here then started doing her makeup while Matthew did her hair.

He offered to do mine but I told him not to worry I can do it myself.

I ended up just pulling it into a loose bun in the back of my head, my curtain bangs hanging nicely.

"Okay, okay," I say standing and grabbing the garment bag my mom handed me when I got home last night.

I go into the stall and open it up, "Shit." I mutter. "What?" Mara asks from the other side of the door.

"I told my mom to just bring me a dress my size, but I didn't tell her to have it covering my arms. This has spaghetti straps, my scars guys" I say putting it on.

It's pretty like really it truly is, it's a dark red with a black sheer overlay on it. It has some black sparkly swirls all over, and it goes to about my mid thigh.

I'm pretty sure she picked it because it's my two favorite colors.

I zip it up and put my docs back on then step out.

I go to the mirror where I was getting ready and stare. "I didn't realize how bad they were" I whisper turning to look at my arms.

The marks covering the top of them, some darker and bigger than others, there's barely any of my regular skin to see around them.

"You don't have to wear it Em, you can go put your other clothes back on," Gracie says standing up.

"No, that'll cause suspicion as to why I didn't wear it," I say and continue looking at myself.

"Well, your mom might be upset because it clashes but you can wear my jacket over it," Matthew says taking off his zip up hoodie and handing it to me.

I put it on, "Okay, we have to go out to our seats, do great guys," Mara says and she and Matthew leave.

"What if I... showed them?" I ask looking at Gracie, "If you're ready go ahead" she nods.

I grab a dark red lipstick from my makeup bag and apply it. "Okay, but I'm gonna have to leave as soon as we're done so I can get home and hide" I say looking at her in the mirror.

"I bet you could leave your bag and keys backstage. And you finish singing before I'm done with the piano so as soon as you're done you could go off and get a bead start" she says placing her hand on my shoulder.

"Okay, let's do this" I whisper more to myself I think. I grab my bag and keys and we head backstage.

"I have to leave as soon as I'm done, is it okay if I leave these here?" I ask one of the tech kids by the door, he nods.

I place my stuff down and we wait in the wings. The grand curtain closes and the previous act comes off. Me and Gracie are the final act because she had to wait for me to submit the form so she was the last one.

We go on and the piano is pushed on, I stand in front of the mic and then look at Gracie. She's sitting behind the piano, I hold up a finger and run off the stage real quick throwing Matthew's jacket on my stuff.

I run back on and stand behind the mic waiting for her to signal them to open the curtains.

Mara's P.O.V

Me and Matthew made it to our seats next to Emma and Gracie's family.

"And for our final act, Gracie and Emma Walker", Mrs. Aliquenez announces. The curtains open and Gracie starts on the piano.

"Where are her arms?" I hear one of Emma's family members ask.

Looking at her she's standing with her arms behind her back, but she's got them to where you can't even see her shoulder bones.

"She took the jacket off" Matthew whispers to me, I nod.

Is this the real life?

Is this just fantasy?

Caught in a landslide,

No escape from reality

Open your eyes,

Look up to the skies and see,

Emma sings beautifully.

"Is that a hickey?" one of her uncles asks referring to the burn on her collarbone. "Now think, where would she have gotten a hickey?" Wyatt says, "Then what is it?" I'm pretty sure that was her Aunt Addison.

Me and Matthew look at each other, then back to the stage where Emma is still singing.

I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy

Because I'm easy come, easy go

Little high, little low

Anyway the wind blows doesn't really matter to me,Me, to me

She moves her arms a little from behind her back and you can kind of see her arms but not really.

Mamaaa,

Just killed a man,

Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger,

Now he's dead

Mamaaa, life had just begun,

But now I've gone and thrown it all away

She brings her arms out from behind her back and crosses them in front of her placing her hands over the tops of her arms. You're able to see some of the scars and listening to her family they can see them as well.

Mama, oooh,

Didn't mean to make you cry,

If I'm not back again this time tomorrow,

Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters

She puts her hands down and now her arms are on full display, I hear some gasps within the audience.

Too late, my time has come,

Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time

Goodbye, everybody, I've got to go,

Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth

Mama, oooh

I don't want to die,

I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all

She finishes singing with a quiver in her voice like she's going to cry, she looks at Gracie and then runs off the stage while Gracie ends the song. Everyone applauds and Grace stands and exits the stage, the curtains close, and the house lights come on and we stand and head to the lobby.

Me and Matthew stand by the dressing room doors, "Where's Emma?" I ask seeing Gracie come through the doors by herself. "She headed home, figured she was gonna need a head start on them," she says pointing towards her family.

We head over, "Gracie you did wonderful" Daniel says hugging her, "Thanks Gramps,". "So, what's on Emma's arms?" Gracie's dad asks, "Um, that is an Emma question," she says looking up at him.

"And where is Emma?" Emma's mom asks looking around, "She uh, left...?" Gracie says shrinking a little.

---

Look at Emma go, showing her arms. Next chapter could be a little triggering but there will be a warning at the beginning.