"Death" Scene: How I met Jairen

I can see Death calling to me. He visits me in my dreams each night. He enters my thoughts by day. Death comes into every conversation. Only I know he's there, because he only cares for me. I am his only focus, and I can only delay His desires. Escape is impossible. My defeat, inevitable.
Death has many forms. He parades a new form before me each night. An accident at work, a fall from a cliff, a gun to the head. There is only one similarity in each death: all are violent. That is Death's choice for me.
I work at Deb's Diner. I love my job. At age 20, all I can do is Hosting and table busing. But in a year I can become a waitress because I will be old enough to legally serve alcohol. Well, that is, if I live long enough. Death has devised a demise for me at work as an option. It would be a perfect accident, of course. A server carrying a steak knife to the kitchen at a convenient time. The corner is a complete blind spot. All it would take is going around the corner at the same time, and I have a knife to the gut. I've already had several close calls.
Death likes to sneak in on recreation as well. This is Death's personal favorite end for me. It's dramatic and beautiful. I'm hiking along a beautiful narrow trail, with cliff sides going straight down. Then I slip, desperately grasping for the chain which I, of course, will miss. then it is a terrible tumble down the cliff face and into the aching arms of Death.
I'm not scared of Death. Or, really, I wouldn't be scared of death. But Death shares his face. The face of a young man I've wanted for six years. Jairen has started looking at me. Normally I'd be blissful, and in truth part of me is. But there's another part of me. And it's that part which rules with pure terror.
I met Jairen when I was 14. It was my first time going to a dance with my friends. It was June 12th, and Jairen's birthday, but I didn't know it yet. I was shy becuase I only knew a few people, but my friend Ashton know most of the guys. Ashton wasn't going to dance with me himself, but he asked his buddy Aaron to get me started. So Aaron comes and asks me to dance. Aaron was a fun guy to dance with. Slow dances were creative with waltz-like movement. And I learned that I'm a natural dancer. I'd never had lessons, but it was easier than breathing. At first I thought it was because Aaron was really good at leading. But after that I danced with many others, and thought I let them lead, everyone praised that I outshone them all. Towards the end of the night I was sweating a bit, and I was thirsty. So I opted out of the next dance (a fast one) for a drink. I was left to myself. The girls were jealous by then, and the guys were all either dancing with someone else, or were too intimidated to dance.
Then as the song ended, I set my glass on a table, and began walking along the edge of the dance floor. Then from behind, my hand was seized. I was led to twirl into the arms of the most beautiful boy I'd ever seen.
Tall, tan skin, dark brown, almost black hair. Then there were his eyes. In the dim lighting of the room they were nondescript black, but I somehow know that in the sunlight they were a warm chocolate brown. Besides all that he had a classical nose and jaw.
All of those features may go unnoticed on their own, at least by me, except for his smile. He had perfect gleaming white teeth that lit up his face and put a light in his eyes as he asked, "May I have this dance?" I immediately returned his smile and replied "Yes, you may"
"My name is Trisha" I told him as he led me out.
As he pulled me towards him he replied, "Hello, Miss Trisha, I'm Jairen" He continued with "You danced with my brother Aaron earlier tonight"
I blinked. Aaron? The only Aaron I remembered dancing with was shorter and blonde with laughing blue eyes. Is that right? Did I get mixed up? I gave him a questioning look.
"Aaron, the first person you danced with tonight."
"You're brothers?" I ask dumb-founded.
He laughs, "Yeah, pretty cool, huh?"
"You look nothing alike, but I guess you're both good dancing partners."

To Be Continued...

Flying High

Flying High

I wish I were a bird
Just so I could fly
High up in the sky
And get away from things that bring me hurt.
The way that others talk to me
And watch my every move.
And though I do not like this
I just need to know
That I am the example
And they can learn from me.
But I can also learn from them
If I can just be strong.
Learning how to lead the crowd,
I will go where I want and need to go.
But, If I were a bird,
Or I could learn to fly
I'd fly high up in the sky
Until others learned how to.
Then I'd remember how to love

And how to be a friend.