Disneyland's Blue Bayou Restaurant (Call Off Your Ghost)

[Ciel†]

Last night, old friend, big wedding and I knew you'd be there, look at us, all grown up, collared shirts and high heel shoes
(Ami Flynn continued from A Manic Depressive Named Laughing Boy.)

4:10 PM

Ami was really tired when she left the field, so she decided to take a nap in one of the school buses out in the parking lot. She slept for a few hours. When Ami finally woke up, she didn't feel rested. Quite the contrary. She felt stiff and aching, like an gear that's gone ages without being greased. She sat up on the hard seat, hair falling over her face. It took her a minute to remember where she was, another to remember what she had done, a third to remember that she left her machine gun but kept Maynard's, and the fourth was spent flashing back to that one time where she said she was going to kill herself but really she was just full of hot air, or shit, or both. Ami didn't care what she was full of, she was full of something. She wanted to get up but she found herself wondering. What was the point in living when everything was just going to get worse from here on out? She only pondered this for a few minutes before she forced herself to get up. Her back cracked when she stretched. It made her wince.

[Ciel†]

You crossed the room, just the decent thing to do, make sure we've all been introduced, you brought your new friend, I brought mine, shake hands, pay courtesy it's due

4:20 PM

Ami laughed when she found Deanna.

"Fuck me," she snorted. "Just..."

She... She really wanted to lay back down again. Ami plopped down onto the ground, stretching her legs out. Her laughter died out soon enough. When she finished, everything was very quiet. Not because it was actually quiet but because the buzzing was back and it made it hard to hear anything.

[Ciel†]

Although one of us got clumsy, and both of us got wise, and now were not so young, seems our wishing well's gone dry

4:30 PM

Ami decided to check Deanna's stuff. It was kind of scary, really, how quickly she was searching through other people's things. There was a... glove. A glove with large jagged knives that Ami swore she'd seen somewhere before. A water bottle. Shoes. Nothing of real value. Well, besides the shoes. But, really, Ami never really wore heels, and she certainly wasn't about to teach herself how, so it was probably just as well.

She noticed the case next to the bag though. She picked it up.

"I didn't know you smoke."

Deanna didn't respond. Ami opened the case.

"Hope you don't mind,"

Still, nothing. She didn't wait for a response. Ami started fishing around for her lighter.

[Ciel†]

We've been living too long too close, and I'm ready to let you go, I'm ready, so call off your ghost, call off your ghost

4:45 PM

"You know... I always thought you were cool."



"I saw you play once. At Saxby's, it was a few years ago. I came up and said hello after you played."



"You probably don't remember. I didn't stay for very long. It was a school night."



"I wouldn't say I had a crush on you? I... I don't know. I've been reevaluating everything. I'm not sure how this is supposed to work."



"Pretty sure I just wanted to be friends."



"Is Ruby even still alive? She didn't ditch you, did she?"



"Don't answer that. It's just... I had a plan, you know? But it isn't going to work now because of you and Maynard."



"Not that it's because of something you did, I'm talking about how there's no one left. Sorry if you thought I was blaming you."



"It was going to be you, Ruby, Maynard... Zubin and Matt, maybe? Honestly, I was just assuming you guys would go along with it. For all I know you guys would have looked at me funny, if I had a chance to tell you."



"It isn't even that great of a plan. It's kind of stupid now that I think about it. It would have failed. They'd kill us, no question."



"But it didn't matter matter how terrible the plan was, well, is. All that matters is... C'mon, think about it. What alternatives do we have at this point? It's either go ahead with my plan or, what? Start killing everyone and decide who goes home by coin toss?"



"Hah. Or we could kill ourselves. That too."



"By the way... Thanks. For what you did. Back on the ship?"



"I'm not going to lie,  I was really psyching myself up. I made this huge speech for the cameras, like anyone was going to listen. I don't know, maybe you heard all of it. I don't know. I was in my own world at the time so... yeah. I didn't hear you come in."



"That happens sometimes. I just... go off into my own little world. That's neither here nor there though."



"Most people would have tried to talk me down. I figured that of you, at first. You seemed nervous too. I get that, I mean, if I walked in on you with a gun to your - "

-  hydrangeas Maynard gave her a hydrangea said it went well with her hair he was always so nice and she shot him she shot him like a dog and  -

"...But you didn't preach, and you didn't try to wrestle the gun away from me. You were going to let me do it. I chickened out, yeah, but that doesn't change the fact that you..."



"It's like you understood. That's all. You understood, and that's probably the nicest thing anyone's done for me."



"... I don't know. I just really appreciate that."



"I probably won't see you again, Dee. I'm not like the others.  And I hate making promises I can't keep because they always blow up in my face..."



"If I'm still alive by tomorrow, I'll come see you again. Okay? I promise."



The cigarette was down to the butt. She turned her head, spat it out so as to not get any on her, then smiled down at her.

"I mean... it's not like I have anything better to do, right?"



It was a rhetorical question so she didn't expect her to answer. Even so, the stark silence, not just the lack of the response but the lack of chirps and crickets and breeze, the complete, utter lack of sound, made her smile disappear.

That silence told her that she was still alive.

It showed her that Deanna was still dead.

It explained to her that she just spent the past fifteen minutes talking to a corpse.

That silence also reminded her that it wasn't the first time she caught herself literally talking to a corpse.

Then it pleaded that Ami Flynn was losing it and she should really do something before she lost all of her marbles. Please.

But that required giving a fuck. And Ami lost all hers when Hansel knocked over Mallory's pillow fort.

Ami placed the case back where she found it. She reached into the bag and pulled out one of her extra shirts. Ami threw it over Deanna's face, covering both it and the skateboard. Reached out her arm, scooped up her bag and threw it over her shoulder.

"Thanks for the cigarette."







(Ami Flynn continued in The Secret Fate of All Life.)