Fire and Ice [Slow Updates]

Chapter Four

The library wasn't packed when we arrived. The only people around were the librarians and a few elderly people, so it was comfortably quiet. The three of us split off to find books that we wanted to read. We were all interested in different types of books. I liked science fiction, mystery and fiction, Evelyn liked fiction and romance, and Grace preferred non-fiction and history.

After a few minutes, I found a book and joined Grace at the table we always sat at. Evelyn was still searching for a book to read. She always took the longest with finding a book. Many people thought that it was strange that three teenagers enjoyed going to the library, as most people were so attached to their phones and laptops nowadays. The librarians were always happy to see us, since they rarely got teenagers in, and quiet ones at that.

Evelyn finally found her a book, and the three of us sat at our table, reading silently. My book was about a man who was murdered, and the killer was unknown, which apparently caused tension in the entire town. When it was four, the three of us put our books up and headed out, waving to the librarians as we did. They waved back, smiling at us.

It was silent as we drove to the cemetery. We all had people buried in the cemetery, since it was the only cemetery in town. Evelyn parked the car, and the three of us got out. "Meet back here in thirty?" She asked, and Grace and I nodded, before we split ways.

Grace's twelve year old cousin, Mary, was who she always came to visit. They had been extremely close, and when Mary died in a car wreck, Grace had been extremely distraught. Evelyn came to visit her grandmother, who had passed away last year. She had been a sweet woman, even when Alzheimer's took her over.

I walked along the sidewalk, carefully avoiding each grave I walked by. I always thought that it was disrespectful to step on graves, regardless of who they were. When I reached my sister's grave, I brushed leaves and dirt off of it, kneeling down before it, reading the inscription on it.

"Lily Ann (Penelope) Graser. Beloved sister, daughter, and friend."

Penelope was written in parentheses because anyone who knew her knew that when she was ten, she decided that she didn't like the name Lily Ann, and after reading through hundreds of names, chose Penelope, or Penn for short.

"Hey, Penny," I whispered to the grave. I always called her Penny, to get on her nerves. I was the only one who ever called her that, and I knew that she secretly enjoyed it, despite her constant complaining about it. "I miss you."

I went on to tell her about how everything was going. As I talked, tears began to well up in my eyes. After another couple of moments, they began spilling down my cheeks. "I miss you so much, Penny," I whispered. "I just want you to come back. Why did you have to die?"

I continued crying until I felt a hand on my shoulder. Looking up, I saw Evelyn crouch down beside me, hugging me.

"It's okay. She's in a better place," she whispered to me as I cried into her shirt.

Slowly, my tears dried up, and I sat back, wiping my eyes. "I just want her to come back," I whispered. Evelyn nodded. "I know. But she can't come back, and she died for a reason."

I shook my head. "What reason? Who killed her?" Evelyn shrugged. "I don't know, but whoever killed her has to be wracked with guilt. You can't live easily knowing that you killed somebody."

I nodded. "I hope so."

We sat in silence until Grace came over. "Ready?" She asked, and we began walking back to the car. The party wasn't too far away, only fifteen minutes. There were only two cars parked outside when we arrived. When we parked, Tristan, our friend, came out to greet us. "Think more people will show up?" He asked, wiping sweat off of his forehead. "We're getting ready to start."

"Drugs this time?" Evelyn's eyebrows arched. We hadn't ever tried any drugs, as we didn't want to get addicted to them. We didn't want to ruin our lives over a substance that would completely wreck us. Tristan nodded. "If Shelly ever gets here, but we already have the cigarettes." He grinned. "Alcohol, too."  Evelyn turned to us. "Well, let's go." We weren't bad teenagers when we partied. We were typical teens who experimented and tried out stuff we shouldn't, but we did anyway. It was just who we were.