Faking Normal

Music is a main character in Faking Normal. It doesn’t show up with long dark hair, brown eyes, Chuck Taylors, and the best vintage U2 shirt from the neighborhood Goodwill. No, music waltzes into Alexi’s world through an unassuming, understanding admirer, Captain Lyric. This anonymous guy leaves lyrics on her fourth period desk, starting a conversation and speaking a language that reaches Alexi in a way nothing else can. Here are some conversations that occurred between Captain Lyric and Alexi before page one of Faking Normal. These characters chose these particular lyrics because they wanted to share pain, compassion, and hope with each other; and because they wanted to express their pain without owning it.

Captain Lyric: "Is there anyone out there? You know me I am the son."

Alexi: "Of a lost country, of a new world. And we’re born to run and we never look back."

Captain Lyric: "Let me in the wall you’ve built around."

Alexi: "We can light a match And burn it down."

Alexi: "There’s an old voice in my head that’s holding me back."

Captain Lyric: "Well tell her that I miss our little talks."

Alexi: "Soon it will be over and buried with our past."

Captain Lyric: "We used to play outside when we were young."

Alexi: "And full of life and full of love."

Alexi: "I have come back to you broken. Take me home."

Captain Lyric:" And my body bears this trouble. Take me home."

Captain Lyric: "And now my heart stumbles on things I don’t know."

Alexi: "My weakness I feel I must finally show."