You Will Always Be My Heart

Johnny's POV:

Matt called me back. I played him the track. He loved it as much as I did.

Matt tells me to bring the CD over. I take myself and the disc to Matt's house. Zacky and Brian are already there.

Popping the disc into Matt's player I wait. The music starts. There is silence as the guys take it in.

"Play it again." Brian says.

Matt and Zacky nod agreeing with him. I push the button repaying the track. All of us get a chill.

I know they're thinking exactly what I'm thinking. It's totally ironic that Jimmy's last song would be this. This is Jimmy's way of saying goodbye. After all he'd always said he'd never live to see 30.

We all agreed to take some of the material we'd come up with and start doing some demos.

The next day all of gathered at Matt's parents'  house.

Before every one of our previous albums we would gather in their garage. It didn't take long for all of us to agree that's where we were going. Why break tradition?

None of us realized how weird it would be without Jimmy. It took almost three days for us to get used to the silence that Jimmy's beats usually filled.

One day Brian started playing Beast and the Harlot and the rest of us rolled with it. Matt gripped the microphone.

Bringing it up to his lips he jumps right in. There was a visible sigh that passed between the three of us. The song ended quickly so we went right into another.

When it came time to start with the new material we called on a friend of the band. He knew how to play drums. It was enough to have him demo with us.

I was wiped out. I finish my shower then walk into my bedroom. I drop onto my bed.

A bright pink rectangle catches my attention. I pick it up. It's the business card that was in Jimmy's things.

Grabbing my phone I punch in the number. It rings a few times. I'm just about to hang up.

"Ellorynn Theodorra." Comes a woman's voice.

"Um...I...uh f-found your card in my friend's things." I couldn't believe I was stuttering.

I take a breath. "He passed away. I was wondering if you could explain..."

"You would have to make an  appointment." The woman says.

"Alright. When are you available?" I question.

"I have an appointment open for two weeks from tomorrow which would be April 12." She tells me.

"Perfect I'll take it." I tell her.

She tells me an address and to be there at 1:30 in the afternoon.

~ ~

April 12 had finally come. I arrive at the place where I'm going to meet this Ellorynn person. I check my phone again. It says this is the right address.

Seriously this place? I knew this house. Hell I doubt there wasn't many people who didn't know it.

My head turns looking at both ends of the street. I expected The Mistress of the Dark to appear at any moment. The door opens.

I'm kind of bummed out it isn't Elvira on the other side. A woman with hair as crazy colored as the house comes out. She smiles at me.

"Hello you must be Johnny. I'm Ellorynn." She introduces herself.

"Nice to meet you." I answer.

Ellorynn motions me to follow her inside. I walk behind her into the house. The door closes on its own behind me.

I nearly jump out of my skin. Ellorynn chuckles. She leads me into another room.

"This room is my solarium." Ellorynn explains.

I know what a solarium is thanks to Stephen King's Rose Red. Her solarium is different from Ellen Rimbauer's.

It's bright and alive. There isa table under the glass ceiling. All around the table are thriving plants. They look very well taken care of.

"Please have a seat." She offers.

I pull out her chair. She sits down then I push her in. Walking to the other side of the table I take the other seat.

"I'm just going to spit it out. I'm a witch." She says to me.

I wouldn't have been able to stop the laugh that raced from my mouth even if I had wanted to. The look on Ellorynn's face is serious. She gives me a glare as I laugh harder.

I stand up to take my leave. My feet get a couple steps away. All of a sudden something hits the back of my legs. Turning my head I see it's the chair I had just vacated.

Holy shit the chair is chasing me! My gaze shoots to Ellorynn. She shrugs her shoulders. The smile on her face smugly says I told you so.

"It's okay to sit in it." Ellorynn speaks up.

I tentatively lean in to the chair. My butt hovers just over the seat just in case I have to jump up. Ellorynn lets out a laugh of her own.

She makes a point of spinning my chair around before bringing it to ready across from her again. Her arms are folded over her chest.

"In order to get back what was taken from you you'll need to provide another vessel." With those words Ellorynn vanishes.

She really is a witch. My jaw drops. I stare at the empty seat in front of me.

What the hell does that mean? Another vessel?

Notes