Beyond Her Final Breath (Book 1- Shadowland Duology) | Wattys2015

.Chapter Thirteen.

The school gym was eerily quiet after school, enough so that it made the hairs on the back of Nathan’s neck stand on end. The flickering lights overhead shone off the waxen floor. Nathan’s shoes squeaked over the slick surface.

                “Hey, Nathan.” Sandra’s voice bounced off the pushed in bleachers.

                Nathan spotted her waving arm from a group of girls standing in the middle of the floor. The volleyball team in uniform whispered amongst each other. A few heads turned to him as he walked closer.

                “Hey,” Nathan greeted as he neared Sandra.

                Her brown hair was pulled into a high ponytail, tendrils of hair framing her face. Stamped across the back of her jersey, the white number twenty five shone with a plastic glare.

                Evelyn peeped around the doorway into the gym. She stepped into the gym and made eye contact with him. Nathan focused his attention on Sandra, trying his hardest to ignore Evie.

                Heels clicked on the wooden floor and the volleyball coach entered the gym. A dark blue jersey was clutched in her hands, and a somber look on her face.

All the girls sat down. Sandra tugged him to the ground with her. He sat down and crossed his legs, shooting a nervous smile at Sandra.

“So… what exactly are we doing?” he whispered.

Evelyn stepped over the volleyball players, sitting herself in the middle of the circle the group made.

“I don’t really know. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

Evelyn glanced at the exchange between the two and frowned. She slid over to where Nathan was sitting.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Sandra whispered.

Nathan smiled. “Me too.”

“Stop flirting with Sandra!” Evelyn hissed. Her eyes widened with shock, and she slapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh my gosh. I remember her name!”

“Thank you, Nathan, for joining us today. We all know you were really close to Evelyn, and she cared about you alot.” The coach smiled sadly at him.

“It’s no problem,” he replied.

“I think I remember her.” Evelyn’s voice was full of wonder with just a hint of confusion.

The coach continued, unaware of the ghost in the middle of the room. “As you all know, we are all here to have our own memorial- of- sorts for our varsity star, Evelyn.”

Evelyn stood up and went to the middle of the circle. “That’s Coach Flemming, isn’t it? And that’s Madelyn and Alexa…”

Nathan tried to keep his face composed.

“As you all know, Evelyn was murdered.” A tear slipped down Coach Flemming’s face. “Why someone would do that is unknown to us.”

Evelyn ran over to Nathan, excitement clouding out the mood around her.

“I can remember some of their names,” she whispered.

Nathan’s mask broke, and a grin escaped through the cracks.

“Why are you grinning?” Sandra jabbed a bony elbow into his ribs. “You shouldn’t be grinning.” She glared at him from behind her glasses.

“Sorry. I just- uh- remembered a joke from earlier.” He composed his face.

“Must’ve been some hell of a joke.”

She casted a suspicious glance at Nathan before returning her attention to the coach.

“And in memory of her, I thought we should exchange memories,” Flemming continued. “Any volunteers to go first?”

A girl with a daring short haircut and a pretty smile raised a hand.

“I’d like to just say that Evelyn was always so nice. I didn’t really know her, but she was a great teammate. It’s a shame we will never have another game together.”

A couple of the girls had watery eyes, and a few were downright sobbing.

Coach dabbed her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt before clearing her throat. “Anyone else willing to share?”

“I guess I’ll say something,” Sandra said.

Her eyes stared intently at the scuffed toe of her sneakers. Her familiar chipped blue nails fingered her white shoelace. She glanced over at Nathan and he gave her a reassuring smile.

“Evelyn was- Evelyn was an amazing. She helped me learn how to spike and… she’ll be missed greatly.”

Something gnawed at the back of Nathan’s mind. Is this the only side of Evelyn they knew? She was way more than a volleyball player. He had to say something for her.

“If you all don’t mind,” he began. “I would like to say something as well.”

Eyes rested on him, and he had the strangest desire to run a comb through his hair.

“Of course, Nathan. We would love to hear from you,” the Coach said.

Nathan closed his eyes, letting his mind wander to where he wouldn’t let it anymore. His heart ached, but it was the good kind of ache. It was the ache of old memories, the good kind that filled you with a warm glow. Everything about her invaded his senses.

The way it felt to sweep her hair over her shoulder to give her delicate neck kisses. How it smelt like green apples and her favorite lotion whenever he held her close. The glowing vibrancy in her eyes that lit up an entire room. It was her little quirks too. How her nose would scrunch up in an adorable way when she laughed. How she always seemed to have the most bizarre objects in her pockets. How she always seemed to see the best in everyone, including him.

                Voice strong and clear, Nathan spoke. “Evelyn, my Evelyn, was full of imperfections. She was more than a volleyball player, or a student, or that girl you pass by everyday. She was human.”

                Nathan took a deep breath. He owed it to her, to himself, to get it all out. He had failed: at the funeral and the school memorial… he would not fail now.

                “I remember one time, I tripped over my feet and fell. My knees were bleeding as well as my palms. And you know what Evie did? She pulled band-aids out of her pocket and bandaged me up. It was like she was always there for me, you know? Don’t even ask me why she had bandages on her.

                I never really had the chance to make it up to her. Not a day goes by where I wonder… what could I’ve done to show her just how much I cared? Did she know how much I loved her when she died? Or did I fail her?”

A small, warm hand grasped his. He looked over at Sandra, and she gave a reassuring squeeze. Just like his sister, Sage.

He continued. “I just hope, that if Evelyn is still with us, that she knows that I did care. I still care. And not a day goes by where I don’t think of her.”

His eyes met Evelyn’s. With shock, he realized that her eyes were filled with tears.

“Thank you, Nathan. Thank you so much,” she mouthed, overcome with emotion.

Nathan smiled back.

A/N: I'm sorry for the sudden ending, but the next chapter is REALLY good. ;) Vote/comment/follow to show me some love. <3 

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-Sophia ^_^