The Blood Lake

Mae

I exit the bathroom after cleaning myself up and see my parents sitting on the couch. My Mom is staring at the wall and my dad has his hands in his lap. "Mom?" I say trying to grasp her attention. "Hi Delly, are you alright?" She said her voice edged with concern. "As alright as the situation will allow" I reply "And you?"
"Oh sweetheart, don't worry about me." She motioned for me to sit with her.
" You are our main concern right now, and I never really like Lottie anyway." "She was such a snob and today proved that." I sat down and she put on our favorite show. Gilmore Girls, I like how there is drama but not too heavy, just a lot of feel-good, we need that right now. 3 hours passed and it was dinner time. Dad made my favorite, Shepards Pie. I hate the pity but I'll accept the food. I eat for the first time since the day yet to be named and I eat a lot. Not eating for over 24 hours does something to you. "So Dellah...your father and I have been talking and we think you should get therapy". Mom says gently. Wow, that was short-lived. "Mom, not right now this is all so sudden." I can't believe her right now. I just got home from a living nightmare and she wants to schedule a shrink. "Just think about it Dellah you witnessed a pretty gory event, and they were your best friends and I'm worried about your mental health, I don't want to lose you." She acts like I'm some suicidal freak. "I'm going to be in my room."
"Dellah Anne." My dad sternly states
"I'm going to bed," I say sharply. I've never disobeyed my dad before but today nothing is as per usual.

It's the next day, Sunday morning I roll over and check my phone, 8:30 am. I go to text Mel and then I pause, everything comes flooding back, and her distorted face flashes in my memory. I exhale and go to get dressed, I pull out a sweater Marcus bought me for my birthday one year. Blush pink, I hate pink and he bought it as a joke but I wear it anyhow and pull out a pair of straight-leg white wash jeans and throw them on. I look presentable so that's a plus, I brush through my curls, turning them to waves, and then pick up half of the matching necklaces Mel and I picked up at the mall. I don't think I'll take it off again. I then head over to the mirror on top of my dresser and curl my eyelashes and brush on some mascara, something Mel has begged me to do since the seventh grade. I don't know why I do this and I'm sure my mother will notice but she most likely won't point it out so I don't come up with a reason either. I make my bed then sit in the swing chair in the corner of my room and scroll on my phone. The local news app buzzes, "Local teens brutally murdered with a chainsaw on a camping trip in Bellsburg only one survives." I click on the notification and see Mel, Marcus, and me in our junior Prom photo. We are smiling ear to ear all dressed up, Mel had gotten me to wear makeup after an hour of begging so to me I look unrecognizable. Underneath the photo was a little caption describing which one of us was which and then further down the article states:

"Ameilia Hart, daughter of Charlotte and Richard Hart, and, Marcus Fredricks, Son of Mae and Jackson Fredricks were on a camping trip in Bellsburg four hours north of Scottsdale with Dellah Everdeen, daughter of Elenor and Andrew Everdeen when tragedy hit and Amelia and Marcus were brutally murdered by an unidentified man with a chainsaw. Dellah Everdeen was the only one to walk away with her life after single-handedly killing the man with his weapon and pushing him into the lake to be sure he wouldn't walk the woods again. This man was believed to be the same man that murdered five other teens over the past two months. If that information is correct then Ms. Everdeen will be deemed a hero by many for serving justice to those who lost family members due to this Man's crimes. We are still waiting on an interview with the survivor, If you or anyone you know have any information on this ongoing case call your local police station."

I kept scrolling and found the comments, seventy five percent of them were written by my classmates, and the rest by adults in the neighborhood. I spend three hours scrolling through and reading all six hundred and seventy-eight comments. Half of these people didn't even know Marcus or Amelia other than an exchange of glances in the hall but still express grief, others call me a Hero, but I don't feel like one.
"Dellah!" I hear my mom calling from up the stairs and jump. "You have a visitor!"
Who in the world is here to visit me? I walk down the stairs and there she is, Mae. She looks run down and tired like she hadn't slept in two days, when faced with me she smiles and opens her arms for a hug. I go to her and let her hold me and I feel her breathing hitch like she's trying not to cry. Her reaction is a sharp contrast to Charlotte and I'm grateful for that. "Hi sweetheart, how are you holding up?" Mae says sweetly with a hint of pity. "I'm okay, how are you?" I don't know what to say to her I've never been in contact with anyone in these circumstances other than Charlotte and that didn't go too well. "I am doing as well as I can. I heard about Lottie and I am so sorry she did that to you, none of this was your fault Dellah."
"Thank you, Mae."
"You are welcome at our house any time, same as when Marcus was still here."
"I'll take you up on that." I am so grateful she said that, I don't know if I can give up baking cookies with Mae along with everything else.
"Oh and Delly.." she leaned into my ear, "I always hoped you and Marcus would end up together, and I bugged him every single day just to be a man and take you on a date but he always said you two were just friends and that was never gonna happen but I still held up hope." I'm not sure where she's going with this but Im intrigued. "Anyhow, do what you want with this information but before you guys left for the lake...He was going to tell you he had feelings for you." Shit. Why would she tell me that, how does she think this is going to help me grieve?! I'm upset but now that she had brought it to my attention I realize all the signs, the way he scared Mel off just to get a moment alone, the way he was more nervous than usual, and even before the trip when he would invite me over to bake cookies with his mom and my stupid ass would always bring Mel along foiling the plan I didn't even know he had. "He was such a goof" I didn't even know if that was the appropriate response until she smiled and said, "Oh the biggest goof, but he loved you Dell and even though she annoyed the hell out of Him he loved Mel too." She starts to tear and so do I, I hug her and for a moment it's like it's only us in the world and this was the closure I needed but didn't know yet. Too bad I didn't get this closure with Lottie, I need to know that I was in good standing with Mel as well. That way I can move on. She breaks the hug "Well honey, I have to go I have a lot to do before the wake tomorrow. Are you coming?" I wonder why nobody told me it was so soon, and the day before I meet with the police. "Wouldn't miss it for the world Mae, is it just for Marcus or?"
"Mel and Marcus, that way everyone can get all the closure they need at once. They died together so they should get sent to rest together, that's how Lottie and I want it."
"Ok, what time?"
"11:00 am."
"See you then."
"take care, sweetheart". She leaves and I can't help but feel overwhelmed, he loved me and he's gone. The wake is tomorrow and I have no clue where I stand with either Marus or Amelia. All eyes are going to be on me I know it, I hope the news won't be there. Who am I kidding? Of course they are going to be there. I guess I will just have to see what happens, seems to be the common theme lately.