The Death Kiss (Nanowrimo)#wattys2017

Chapter 22: Marie's Grave

I must have been in my bed for so long that my hips started to hurt because of lying on my back. I opened my eyes, and looked around. Mom was standing right next to me with a doctor.

"What happened?" I managed to utter.

"You fell unconscious but everything's fine now." Doctor assured me.

Mom looked at me without saying anything. She turned towards him and said," Thank you so much Doctor. David would escort you to the door."

He nodded slightly and followed David downstairs.

Mom looked at me again and said," What's wrong with you, Lily?"

"What do you mean?" I tried to pretend.

"When you heard about the fire, you had tears in your eyes. Then you suddenly fell unconscious. Why is that so?" She asked.

"I don't know what you are trying to say. I had not eaten anything from the morning, maybe that's why..."

"There's something going on between you and Adrian. I'm sure of that. You need to tell me everything. You might be in danger, don't you realize it?" She moved her fingers in my hair. "I'm your mother. You can tell me anything."

I shook my head," There's nothing wrong. I'm absolutely fine."

She stood up from my bed, and sighed. "I don't believe you at all but I want you to know that I'll support you always. No matter what happens."

I nodded silently and closed my eyes.

I kept rolling on the bed for more than two hours, before I decided to get up from the bed. I got dressed and went downstairs.

"Mom, I'm going out."

"Where do you think you're going, young woman?"
"I'm going for a coffee." I said aloud and left the house.

"Lily.."

I saw Mom standing at the door, but she didn't follow me.

I started walking down the streets. I took small steps and wandered aimlessly down the pavement. I wasn't going for coffee, but to the grave yard. My heart felt so heavy that I wanted to cry my heart out on Marie's Grave. The walls of the graveyard and its huge Gate were visible from a distance. When I opened the rustling gate of this barren and cold place, I felt the same feeling which I felt while kissing Adrian for the first time.

There was coldness of death in the air though sun was shining brightly. I walked through the Tombstones, reading the names of all those people who weren't in this world now. I wondered about all the families that have lost their loved ones. I stopped at few deserted Tombstones and removed the growing weeds with my hands. I plucked the wild flowers from near-by and placed them on their Graves. I wondered how come their families forgot about them. Maybe, that was the curse of Time. It healed every single wound.

I kneeled in front of another Grave, and cleared the weeds off the Tombstone. It was a small Tombstone, almost like a large rock. Suddenly, I felt like someone was behind me. I turned around and there was no one there. I tried to read the carved letters on this dirty rock.

"Here lies the one, whose body was never found

JAMES WILSON (1953-1990)"

I kept staring at the words blankly. Somebody had placed this tombstone for James Wilson which meant that there was somebody around here, who cared about him. I had to find that person. I wanted to find out everything I could about him.

Somebody placed a hand on my shoulder and I jumped with fright.

"Hey, it's me."

I looked around. Chase was standing behind me.