• Chapter 43
    Bittersweet
    I sat quietly on top of the grave kicking my feet in the air. The back of my heels stabbed the ashen stone. I gazed across the darkening forest whose shades of emerald and yellow were starting to fade to a deep olive. The crepuscule was gloaming in the stiff coldness.
    Red. A pair of gleaming red eyes narrowed down on me. I shuddered, chilled by the sight. They narrowed in closer, deeper and deeper into my eyes. The wintry sensation grabbed me by the shoulders. I let out a scream trying to keep the cold from taking me away. It couldn’t take me, I wouldn’t let it. I struggled, trying to thrust the cold off. Shutting my eyes tight I tried desperately to escape.
    “Hai.” I opened my eyes, finding tears trickling down. My breath was short and wavering. It was like being left without air, almost like drowning. Like someone had taken the breath completely. “Hai!” Edan tuned me around and for the first time, stared me right in the eyes. “What is it?”
    “I saw,” I was barely able to choke out the words, “a pair of ruby eyes. They were watching me.”
    “I think it’s time we head back now,” he breathed gently grabbing my hand. I could taste the worry in his words. It was bittersweet. Bitter like pain. Sweet like knowing that someone cared. The bittersweet taste was not pleasant. Not at all.
    “No. Don’t take me back. Not yet.”
    “I have to, it’s almost curfew.” That wasn’t the reason. The bittersweet was too heavy. I glanced up at the sky, waiting for the stars to arouse. I wanted him to see the strange three that shone brighter than the others and in a perfectly straight line. But not even the moon was out. Bitter was overruling the sweet.
    “Alright, just promise me you’ll go slower this time.”
    “Were you scared?”
    “Yes.” A forthright answer for a forthright question.
    “Good, you should be.” Now everything was bitter. I wouldn’t be scared for long; that I could swear. Soon there was just a quiff of wind and the sound of trees rustling. Truthfully I know I should be scared, and deep down I was. I was horrified.
    Horrified in the bitter flowing world.
    Completely Horrified.
    Terrified.
    But that world slowed down, letting me go gracefully. Edan looked down at me swiftly, pulling a simple yellow leaf from my hair. He let it go, allowing the wind to carry it away in its unseen arms.
    “I’ll see you later,” he muttered. I nodded, unable to use words afraid for them to come out bitter. I brushed the dirt off of myself, hoping that it wouldn’t look like I sat outside in a graveyard for hours, and opened the door.
    “Where have you been?” Drea shouted. Out was the only word that could escape my lips. “Well you’d better not be ‘out’ tomorrow. Since tomorrow’s Saturday we got permission to visit Cana all day, but the really good news is that they should be letting her out in just a few days!” Drea took a deep breath.
    “That is great,” I said hoping to perk up my voice.
    “I know!”
    “Well I’m going to head up to my room.”
    “Yeah me too I’m kinda tired I was up late last night.”
    “High on sugar again?” I teased.
    “Don’t tell my mom,” she whispered. Bittersweet. Maybe the world was actually a sea of bittersweet.







    Chapter 44
    Nothing
    I actually managed to scream.
    I hadn’t done that before. The nightmare was too much to handle now. The ember flames and smoke. The little girl’s words. The cacophony gun shot.
    It kept getting worse. But this time. It was completely terrible. More than that, it was like looking Death in the eyes. What was different this time was one thing.
    The little girl cried. I couldn’t see her, but her cries were heartrending. Was it the little girl who got shot? It couldn’t be. It had to be someone else. You don’t mutter the word run to yourself, you just run.
    But there was nothing I could do no matter what the case. The only thing I could do was pray. Pray that this wasn’t real.
    But if somehow it was.
    There
    was
    nothing
    I
    could
    do.


    Nothing.

    Bonus Material (there its not junk I hope your happy Ever)

    I was planning on telling you this story but there was something more important Id like to tell you first.
    To start I must admit many characters die (or have died) in this book. And that was hard for me to write until now. I havent really known anyone who died.
    But I was going through some pictures and I found one of my 4th grade pom squad. I looked at one of the coaches and thought "Thats Jamie." Only then did I remember that she died about 5 years ago (i is in 8th grade). She was in a car accident and died by the end of the season. I was too young to truly understand death. Nobody was. In fact we forgot about her, the only time we remembered her is when we saw someone with a pink tshirt that had a penguin on it that said "Jamie Power". Its been years since we talked about her.
    I'm sending this as a shout out to keep her in your prayers (hoping that she found heaven). She was a beautiful kind hearted person. And I regret not getting closer to her.
    I still remember the day when we asked the other coaches were Jamie was. They said she was in a car accident and got amnesia (woah deja vu.... youll find out.) The next day they came back and said "She remembered you and you and you." but when it was my turn.... she forgot me. But I didnt cry. Now I am. A few weeks later she died.
    I miss you Jamie