Summer Breeze

The girl sat out on the high, 16th floor balcony of her hotel room. She relaxed contentedly on the side of the thick enclosure, gazing at the stars, her eyes just dark orbes glistening from the reflected moonlight. Her feeling of well being vibrated from her in waves, and she hummed quietly to herself. A breeze blew by, blowing her dark hair around her face, causing her to shiver. Her thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the sliding door as her best friend stepped out into the chilling night air.

"It was a good concert wasn't it? I had a lot of fun." the dark blonde said sitting down in one of the two lawn chairs.

"Yeah" said the first girl, turning to her friend and grinning broadly. "It was. A night I sure as hell will never forget."

"Me neither" said the other girl sighing.

"Elly, what's wrong? You think you'd be ecstatic after your first Hanson concert. Especially being able to stay in the same hotel as them, WITHOUT parents in the same room."

"Yeah, but for some reason . . . Zee? Will you sing me "Memory"? Just like you did at the competition? I'm just in the mood for it. Please Zanthia?"

"Sure Elly love, no problem" Zanthia smiled at her friend then turned back out and looked at the full moon, shining it's magical rays down upon the earth .

Midnight.
Not a sound from the pavement.
Has the moon lost her memory?
She is smiling alone.
In the lamplight the withered leave collect at my feet
And the wind begin to moan.
Memory.
All alone in the moonlight.
I can smile at the old days
I was beautiful then.
I remember the time i knew what happiness was.
Let the memory live again.
Every street lamp seems to beat
A fatalistic warning
Someone mutters and a street lamp gutters
And soon it will be morning
Daylight.
I must wait for the sunrise.
I must think of a new life
and I mustn't give in.
When the dawn comes tonight will be a memory too
And a new day will begin.
Burnt out ends of smoky days
The stale cold smell of morning.
The street lamp dies another night is over
another day is dawning
Touch me.
It's so easy to leave me.
All alone with the memory
of my days in the sun.
If you touch me you'll understand what happiness is.
Look a new day has begun.

She sang with all her heart and all her soul. She sang for her best friend Elly and she sang for all those she ever loved. She sang for herself and the pure joy of it.

Zachary Hanson sat out on the balcony of his 17th floor room. He sat in the exactly same place as the dark haired girl below him, though he had no idea this was so. He was sitting out, enjoying the crisp night air and the clear starry sky. He was exhausted from the concert earlier and knew he should go to bed, but he just couldn't bring himself to. He was enjoying the night too much.

Directly below him he could hear someone humming but ignored it and absorbed himself in his thoughts. Later hearing female voices, he again tried to ignore them and just gaze at the stars. All of a sudden a soft voice floated up from below. It was beautiful, and somehow didn't seem humanly, he felt almost as it the night itself were singing to the moon. He relaxed and drifted, listening to the song and the words. It told of beauty and pain. Loneliness and the memory of a happy time long ago. The plea of help, of love was clear and was reflected full in the emotion of the singing. Zac wistfully wished he could convey that much feeling into one, just one of his songs. He put that much into each and every one of his songs, but it never seemed to carry across. Listening to the song he was nearly reduced to tears, and the image of the silver moon swayed and blurred in his vision.

Suddenly he felt a hand of his shoulder. He turned to see his two brothers. Isaac's hand on his shoulder and Taylor standing behind him. He didn't remember hearing the sliding door open, but that was of no matter. He smiled at them weakly and turned back to look at the moon.

Zanthia finished her outpouring and slowly collected her feelings and awareness back into herself where they belonged. She realized her eyes were tearing and brushed the wetness away. She then turned to look at her friend who was sobbing quietly, even with a small sad smile on her face.

"Elly? Elly love what's wrong? Please tell me." Zanthia climbed off the concret balcony rail and kneeled next to her friend, putting her hands on Elly's arms and attempting to look into her teared up blue eyes.

Elly hiccuped slightly and a half grimace half grin passed across her face. "Remember you said . . . said no parents? Well that's my problem. Kind of. My . . . my dad. I love him, or at least my memories of him . . . but I hate him for what he did, abandoning my mom and me like he did when I was so little . . . He just left us. No warning. No apologies. No regrets. Agh! I don't even know why it's getting to me now, of all times and places. I should be happy happy happy . . . but I'm not." She then broke into another fit of sobbing.

Zanthia climbed onto the chair next to Elly and encircled her arms around her, holding her tight. Elly leaned into her for support and comfort, just letting the sobs wrack her body.

"I know, Elly, I know. Shhh . . . it'll all be okay someday. You know, It hurts me because it hurts you, but there is only so much I can do or say. If I could, I would take all your problems away from you, put them upon my own shoulders if that was the price to pay to ease your pain. But I can't. Elly, just know this. I love you. You are my best friend. My sister by choice. I will always, always be there for you. " she paused, quiet for a while as Elly's sobs eased up. "I was wondering when you'd crack though, you kept this bottled up for so long Elly. It was inevitable. I was waiting for you. As I've told you before, I know you better than yourself." Zanthia laughed a little, " Maybe a little too much better. Whether that a good thing or not I don't know. However I DO know that I love you." Elly sat up, wiped her eyes and smiled at Zanthia as she finished her little speech.

"Thank you Zee. I needed that."

Zanthia smiled back, "I know."

"What would I do without you?" They both laughed quietly.

"I don't know. I just thank god that you . . . that I . . . that . . . well, that Hanson . . . that their music brought you through that time when I was . . . well . . . wasn't there for you . . . "

"Zee, it's no big deal. I forgive you. I did a long time ago. You still haven't forgiven yourself for that have you?"

"Nope, never will."

Zac was freezing, he didn't have a jacket like his brothers did, but neither he nor either of his brothers wanted to go back inside. They all 3 wanted to hear the quiet conversation taking place below them and it's outcome. They strained to hear the quiet voices. When they heard the girl called Zanthia's mention to Hanson, they looked at each other surprised. The three could resist it no longer and did their best to look over the edge of the balcony to the one below. It was not very successful. They could not see much without falling over, but what was in view was of two girls, one dark haired and the other lighter. The dark haired one was obviously the one comforting the other. Concluding, she must be Zanthia, the one who sang. The other: Elly. Neither looked up in their direction or noticed that they were being watched, even though both gazed up into the night sky. Loving the night, the moon, the stars and the company they kept.

Elly looked up into the night sky and directed her voice there, quietly but strongly. It carried on the breeze as it caressed her cheek. "Isaac Taylor and Zachary Hanson. Thank you for writing and singing songs. For having the courage to do what you love and for just being yourselves. And thank you most of all, for sharing, and for . . . for everything. I know you can't hear me, but I love you, and I thank you, with all my heart, soul and being. Oh, and one more thing, that was a great concert tonight. You rocked."

Elly then turned to her friend smiling and Zanthia smiled back. "You got that right."

"And thank you Zee, for being there for me. For being my 'crying shoulder'." she giggled a little, "and for putting up with me."

"Oh Elly, you know I'd do almost anything for you."

"Yeah, I know. I think I'm going to go inside now, it's freezing. Thanks Zee." She reached over and gave her best friend a huge warm hug, "I love you. You're the best."

"I love you too. I'll be in in a bit."

"Okay." Elly walked through the sliding door into the warm room and closed the door softly behind her.

The three brothers had pulled up their heads, they didn't want to be seen on some off chance. They continued to listen though. They were astonished at the way Elly addressed them. Their first thought was that she had seen them, but that proved to be not so. They could tell from her tone of voice and her speech. She really did not think that they were listening. Of course, who would have thought that they would be exactly one floor above them? And out on their balcony too?

Zac crouched down next to his brothers on a lawn chair. Freezing and shivering he tried to ignore the increasing cold and the fact he had no coat. A breeze came up and whipped at his hair. It wasn't helping.

This time it was Zanthia who looked out into the night sky. She gazed at the moon lovingly. A breeze came up and whipped her hair back from her face, making her feel almost as if she were flying. Then, just like her best friend she spoke, possible with a little more strength and more like she was talking to someone who listened. " My dear Hanson's, I have so much to thank you for. Elly for one. You were there for her when I wasn't." As she said that the words rang with pain, regret and anguish, but also love. "I . . . I thank you with all my heart and soul for my best friend. She already thanked you for everything else, as I would have. But, you saved her life, through your music, if not directly. Just for that I love you. Of course there are so many other reasons, but that is the first and foremost, besides the music itself, which I love dearly. Thank you. For everything." Zanthia then brought her eyes up the the balcony above her and smiled, "Oh and Zac, next time you go outside in weather like this, make sure you bring a coat. That way you wouldn't freeze."

Zanthia's grin widened as she heard a gasp from above. Without another word, she opened the sliding door and stepped inside to join her best friend.

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