I lay in my backyard starring at the clouds above completely taken द्वारा my thoughts-my memories.

I was laying in my-orginal-bedroom the only sound was my beating दिल as I sat up i felt like I was being watched, as if someone was right in my room with me. Someone I couldn't see. Then that's when my mom walked in as if she knew exactly what was going on not only द्वारा the lookin of terror on my face buy she felt it too.

Her eyes met mine for a सेकंड they locked, she broke it as quickly as she made it. Slowly she eased her way around the whole room studying-touching-everything as if she'd never been in my room before-she appeared to be in not quite a trance but something like it I couldn't place my finger on it.

It was when she reached the coner of my room that she stopped-and so did my breathing. I watched her with snake like eyes. She stiffined-taking the posture of wood. Running her palm along the दीवार near the line where the walls connected and leaned in. My ears purked I heard her mutter something in a low voice, I couldn't make it out but soon once she'd reached the end I did. She spoke in Latain a language I didn't know-didn't speak-, but had heard-a lauguage I knew द्वारा ear.

"Sarah?" she called snapping me from shock.

"Yes mother?" I answered.

She hestiated, "Are आप ok?" she asked turning to me her eyes filed with sympthy."

"Yes."

"Good."

"Mom what. . . what was that?"

She walked to the side of my bed, "What do आप mean?" Even though I was five I could tell she was chosing her words carefully.

"You spoke in Latain just now, but whom did आप speak it to, mommy?" I was well educated as a five साल old, I was घर schooled and because of my parents being the way they were they held me at a third grade level instead not kindergarden.

She looked at me her face suddenly expressionless her eyes were wide and lost.

"Mother is something wrong?"

"Uh. No, nothing to worry about my child." She smiled and kissed my head I heard my farther's voice he'd called my mother's name.

Mother ignored his calling she looked at me longing eyes as if she was desperate to blurt out something-dark secret-out to me. Then my farther apeaared in the dooray. He smiled at me and I smiled back, "How are आप sweetheart?"

"I'm fine dad."

"Good." I hugged him-taking him द्वारा the neck- he squeezed me tightly. He gave me one और smile and turned to my mother.

"Ella I-I need to speak with you." she nodded and looked back at me smiling, puttng her hand on my cheek she कहा "Sarah if आप feel like anything is wrong just come to either one of us ok?" she'd कहा with a kind voice but a dead serious and firm mixtured into it.

"Ok, I will." She smiled and pecked my forehead then stood and followed my farther out.

I flashed back to the present the sky was filled with gloom-gray stormy looking-it was going to rain. I sat up and sighed making my way through the back door. I looked at the clock in the hallway it read three-thirty, I'd have to pick up Charles in another thirty miuntes so that left me with और enough time.

I troted up the stairs and took from my closet my black long drench coat. The fall air had grown chilly with the sun packed away behind the clouds. I looked out my window it hadn't rained yet.


Grabing my car keys off my night stand I turned on the lamp to let in some light into the dark filled room. I half smiled enjoying the now life lite room and walked out closing the door behind me. After making sure the the front door was locked I started my car and was off. Making my way to my destination I didn't listen to संगीत for while, for some reason I wasn't in a musical mood. But after I was over my small pity fit I poped on the radio turns out the station concealed country I hated country. So I quickly changed it to hip hop. I sat back in my seat-letting the संगीत consume me-I could feel the tension in my shoulders leaving and my mind clearing just a little.

Soon I stopped in front of the gates to Pine Ridge Cemetry. Turning off the engion I glared at the gates every time this दिन rolled around I felt like a dark बादल was raining over me. I hate feeling this way. Slowly I got out the car and made my way up the concrete, the air hit hard as I drew near the gates-my hair russlted through the wind. I should have tied my hair down, moving a piece out of my face-and mouth-I stood before the gates.

They took on the height of a tree-maybe seven या eight feet high, the gates surrounded the preimeter of the graveyard. Above read Pine Ridge Cemetery in clack the डिज़ाइन was simple curvys and and swirls, at the चोटी, शीर्ष straight lines shoot up each held a spear like end.

Pulling the left gate open I enter the cemetary grounds. Starring at the scene before me made my flinch the ground reached of old and new death. Death wasn't the only thing that wipped in my nose I could smell blood like it's tast it smelled salty-very salty-and of rusted metal. I hated when ever those two wipped up my nose, simply because it made me neaus like now.

Snuggling into my कोट against the wind I contiued my walk worard those-hunting- headstones as my memories flood my mind once again.

Sittting among those whoms' hearts also filled with sorrow I gelt like just another dark shadow drowing in my own depression, like my realtives and फ्रेंड्स around me. feeling that small tingle that आप always get when a tear strolls down made me angry. I just wanted to be strong-not cry-show those around me hw hard-I thought-I was. Nevertheless the pain was to great, how could I not cry after losing both my parents? So I let the tears roll down while I bit my lip holding in the sobs and wails. Silently I listened to the pastor give away a leacher on my parents. Eventually one द्वारा one everyone tossed their गुलाब on my parents graves, I was last.

With out looking I droped the rose into their coffins but turing my head wasn't enough to keep the sobs from escaping. I collapsed to my knees before their casets. Thereafter my aunt Nora came and embraced me leading me away from the burial site and into the church. she sat me at a तालिका, टेबल in a kitchen. I shook horriblely and I flelt just as sick so I lay my head in my arms on the table.

सेकंड्स later I felt her presence still I didn't हटाइए she sat a glass before me then sat in a chair अगला to me. It was moments later that she spoke in a kind voice,

"Sarah hunny I know how hard this must be for you-" at those words I shot up and yelled back,

"No आप don't! आप don't know how hard I'm taking this! आप don't know what I'm feeling! And आप don't know what this means for me-how my life will change!" I sobbed loadly as the image of my mother and farther stood happily side द्वारा side with me between them flashed through my mind. At that moment those memories were dead to me "Their never coming back to me. . ." I sobbed.

Nora quickly took me in her arms and held me clinging tight t o me "Ssh I know it hurts. She was my sister after all. And your farther. . ." she couldn't carry on her words voice broke, I could tell she eas crying right along with me, so I managed to finish for her "Was like your very own brother." Afterwards Charles came in-Nora's eight साल old son-walked in and tossed his arms us both he cried also.

Standing under the big Fall colored पेड़ I some how found comfort. I walked over to their headstones sighing I read the names-on the right-my mom Ella Chambers Nov. 11, 1982 -Feb. 2, 2010 and the-on the left-my farther Vince Hale Aug. 24,1978 - Feb. 9, 2012. I sat in between them both. I managed a small smile, but still I kept quiet. A wind breezed through my hair sending a few strands into my eyes and mouth, with a push of the fingers they were behind my ears. Feeling the tears sting my eyes I shut them, bowed my head and started a silent prayer-each word quietly left my lips, "Eternal res grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen." I raised my head stareing at their headstones. Again there came that image of their smiling faces-only without me-flashed across my mind, I blinked that image away along with the tears. I stood and said, "Your death was for my very being and as a दिखाना of my प्यार and respect," I wrappped a hand around the-precious-locket and continued, "I will pour my दिल on that person who murdered you."

Walking to the middle-so that I stood between the gravestones-I placed my hand on either one of them. And whipered half to myself the other to them "I miss आप two rest easy my fallen parents." I looked up and off into the distance I had the sudden feeling of being watched and yes I was.

'Had he been watching me the whole time? Ever sense I stepped onto theses grounds?' I thought to myself. I could tell it was male because of his figure. No woman could have shoulders like that या a body structure such as his for that matter. He leaned against a पेड़ his head bowed and his hair covered various sides of his face, his arms folded across his chest and one foot held firm t to the पेड़ to me he took on the image of a cowboy just no hat and western clouthing. I took a step closer with that his head rose and we made eye contact.

He didn't step completely from the shadows just into a small रे of sunlight was all that he stepped upto. It showed off his golden blond hair but it still head his face-he wore a gray T and black and jeans with black combat boots to match. Even through his darken face I could tell he'd flashed a smile. Growing tired of the starring contest I called "Who are you? And what do आप want?" His smile only grew and he turned walking away. "Hey!" I called after him but he didn't stop so I ran after him.

द्वारा the time I was half way to him he'd already gone deep into the the woods. As i entered the पेड़ filled land scape I looked left and right but no mysterious guy. I walked on yelling "Where are you?" I stopped when a male chuckled bounced off my neck. I didn't turn I just stood like a statureonly to have him whisper "You shouldn't run after strangers Sarah आप could," he sighed brushing some of my hair behing my neck "get hurt." his lips curled into a smile. I breathed and asked "How do आप know my name?"

"Wrong question."

"What?" I asked confused.

"It should have been 'How do I not[i\] know your name?' I know और than your name Sarah Kaya Hale." My eyes grew wide and I nearly choked on another question, keeping silent I let him continue. "I know your parents died a while back, that आप come here every दिन on the दिन of either of their deaths. Today's your mother's.Yeah-"

"Prove that आप know it आप could have looked on the tombstone."

He smiled "Believe me Kaya I didn't." It bothered me that he called me Kaya my mother mostly used that and after passing I wanted to savor my middle coming from her voice to banned anyone else from calling me it-they knew why. And for some odd reason I did believe that he'd never looked at the headstone that he just knew it द्वारा heart. "That आप do it on the दिन of your mother's so आप won't have to do it twice. And that आप do it as a sign of your प्यार and respect. Oh and did I mention that आप resite a vow?" My hand clenched into a fist I hated that he knew about my vow my goal. Again he chuckle-his voice a musical melancholy to my ears- he knew he hit a nerve."You live with our Auntie, her fiance and her son Charles. Yeah, and now आप seek only revenge over the loss of आप [i]precious parents. . . . But how can आप get it when आप don't even know who या what आप are Sarah?"

I grew और angry at the fact that he-a stranger-knew my goal in life. "How do आप know this?" I asked through greented teeth. He smiled, "Because I'm that shadow your so[i/] afriad to face."

Without further warning I turned around only to face a tree. A tall, wooden tree. "We'll meet again Kaya." I heard him say off in a distance-in all directions- I turned left and right, looked up and sown but I saw only trees and leaves. I stood there thinking 'Had I imagined it, just now? Was he real?. . . . Yes he'd touched my hair [i]moved my hair, behind my neck. who was he?' his words came running cack to me full spead 'I'm that shadow your to [i]afraid to face.'

My cell phone rang breaking me and my thoughts apart. I didn't bother checking the caller ID.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Sarah where are you?! Your suppose to pick up Charles, he called my phone five times!" Nora yelled into the reciever.

"Oh. right. It slipped my mind, sorry I'll go get him now."

"Alright just please hurry he told me everyone was on gone on the last call he made."

"Okay Auntie bye." I clicked end and sighed leaning against the tree. Then another thing hit me, "I didn't see his face."