The silence in the room was deafing. The only sound being the 'tick tick' of the wall clock across the room. Sydney Rose wouldn't have it any other way. She loved the silence; it was peaceful. It was a change to the otherwise constant arguing of her father and mother.
Sydney grew up in the downtown area of a certain city in a certain state. She never became fond of the sounds of the city; they would give her headaches and cause her to scrunch up her delicate face.
Sydney's natural rosy cheeks and hazel eyes were the only thing she had gotten from her parents. Her cheeks from her father and eyes from the long line of women on her mother's side of the family, or so that's what her mother says. Truthfully, Sydney thought she looked just like her father. They had the same rich dark brown hair, ghostly light skin, and long slender fingers, and of course, those rosy cheeks. Sydney was a small, petite girl for her age. Most of the sixteen year olds in her apartment building where a few inches taller than her, and had the womanly accent of curves. Sydney never envied them, she liked her appearance. Though not many girls did, they would always call her "ratface" every chance they got.
Her parents had decided to go on a vacation down to their lakehouse when Sydney's mother found evidence of her business suit wearing husband having an affair with the secretary. Sydney wasn't surprised but was still devastated when she over heard their angry whispering. Nonetheless, her mother decided to give it one more go by forcing him on a vacation, leaving Sydney with the housemaids and no responsibilities. This sort of disappointed Sydney. She had no friends, she was only left to sulk in the empty top floor apartment suite her father had won in a poker game.
She wasn't ungrateful of her blessed class of the rich and business owning group, but it never allowed her to make friends with anyone outside of that radar. They were always scared of getting into trouble with her bodyguards or were too shy to try. The only friend she'd made was a girl two years older than her named Hannah. She and Hannah had met when she had accidentally taken Hannah's order to her table instead of her own. Hannah wasn't angry, just confused at first and later giggled it off. They'd been friends since. Hannah lived on her own, in the middle-class apartments a few blocks away and would check in every now and then. Even so, Sydney never expressed her grievances to her only friend, fearing of her leaving because of it. So she stayed quiet and to herself. She would get lost in music for hours. It was always music that was her escape, nothing else. She never gave attention to books or poems, or even movies and shows. Nothing but music. The lead singer's voice lacing through her mind with metaphorical words expressing pain and long, lonely nights. Sydney would tap her finger on her iPod in time to the drummer's beat, and smile to herself with her eyes fixed to the street outside her window at times.
She sighed and got up from the kitchen island's chair, she had grown tired of the still air outside her headphones. She ran her fingers along the wall as she trailed her way to the rooftop. Grinning to the lights of the city as the door closed behind her. The wind welcomed her by playing with her shoulder length hair and caressing her cheeks. She stood on the edge of the building, not once glancing down at the street she was so familiar with. She brought all the lonely and tired emotions out into her tears running down her cheek. There was no escaping this life of money before family, husbands before daughters. She was exhausted from holding up a smile for her parents and for her only friend, who needed constant reassurance that they were good people.
Music can't save her, she had realized the night before. They're just words not put into action. Useless, in her opinion. She had tried waiting patiently for the years to pass of when she can finally leave, but she was tired of waiting, and tired of fighting the tears.
Sydney stared across to the horizon, nodded her head, and let go of her balance. The wind whipped her hair in her face as she stared up at the starless sky, the city lights glimming on either side of her view. She heard a faint noise, that almost sounded like a shriek, but she was so peaceful she didn't bother to think anything of it. For once she was glad she lived in a twenty story building. It would've been disappointing if this experience ended so soon. She finally felt free.
Sydney's body hit the ground in front of her parents. What odd timing, she thought. Her body layed at odd angles, blood seeping towards their shoes. Her mother began screaming hysterical cries of misery and her father couldn't keep his tears from splashing down on the lifeless body that was once his daughter.
Sydney witnessed it all and allowed a true smile form across her lips. She turned and grabbed the hand of a boy about her age, who smiled back at her. The young teenagers started their way towards the wall next to the entrance doors, a few feet away from the dramatic scene she had created.
It's better this way, Sydney's soft voice was carried by the wind that tickled her parents' ears. Of course, her parents' didn't hear her, but that wasn't new.
She gave one last glance to them, before disappearing completely into the wall.
