Shackles on the heart (Book #1)

24. Illuminate your soul

(Lincoln's POV)

Tomorrow is RaeAnna's birthday, I have picked out the perfect puppy for her. I can't wait to see the look on her face when she receives hopefully the best birthday present she has ever gotten. I determined which one to give her by seeing which one was the calmest out of the five, as she is already overwhelmed as it is. It is a male, with brown fur and white spots down his back, also one of the spots on the left side looks like a heart, he has bright yellow green eyes, that sparkle like the sun when he looks up at you. He has such a calming, peaceful aura, I am hoping to drive her spirits up with this, she has been sinking further into herself lately.

The news keeps bringing up a Philip Greene who was murdered behind the station aire apartments, saying how brutal it was. Of course I would never ask her the details of what she did, but I can't help but wonder if he was the man who she talked about in her letter. "Okay son, what all does RaeAnna need for her party?" My dad asks me. "Well, she loves butterflies so let's go with that theme."

"You got it buddy." In the end we got pretty much all butterfly related items. We had a cake designed for her that we will have to pick up tomorrow. "Thanks Dad, for doing all of this."

"No need to thank me. RaeAnna is a wonderful kid and she deserves a great party." I smile at him. "I couldn't agree more." We take all of the stuff into our house, I'm so excited for it, I can't wait until tomorrow to start decorating so I decide to do it all today, I hope this will make her happy.

(RaeAnna's POV)

I wake up drenched in my own sweat, when will these horrendous nightmares quit? Will I have them for the rest of my life? I keep seeing Philips face in my head, I keep replaying the moment when I saw the life leave his eyes, the news keeps reminding me of the terrible thing I did. Whenever my grandma puts it on I just lock myself in my bedroom, the guilt makes it bad enough, I don't need to see it on the news every day as well.

It's Friday today, we don't have school, some kind of holiday or something, I'm not too sure. I don't feel like getting up, but I know Gramma will be in here soon if I don't so might as well just do it. "RaeAnna it's already passed 9. Are you awake yet?" Gramma Rosie asks. "Yes I'm up, I'll be out in a minute."

"Okay I'm making breakfast. You know how much Dakota has been eating so hurry or there will be none left." I smile a bit at that, he has been eating a lot more lately, he is a growing boy after all.

I groggily get up out of bed, to go have breakfast. "Do you want anything specific for your birthday tomorrow sweetie?" Gramma questions me. "That's tomorrow? I completely forgot about it, no I don't need you to get anything for me. You do enough." You don't deserve anything, my brain tells me. "What do you mean you forgot? And you can forget about me not getting anything for you, I know that's what your mother did most years and I won't do it."

I haven't thought about my mom in weeks, I wonder how she is doing. Does she miss us? Does she even care? Has she moved on? I shake the thoughts from my head, if she cared she would have kept in contact with us. "Okay Gramma, fine. Just nothing too big. I don't even have any friends to have over except for Lincoln." This makes my grandma's smile as radiant as ever. "Whatever you say dear." I narrow my eyes at her slightly, this makes her chuckle. She is acting like she has this huge secret and is dying to tell me. What does she have planned?