The Park 08/03/2010 04:20:00
Hey there :) I wrote this story for an english essay, but I haven't done it in class yet. Hopefully they don't search for it, and if they do, Hi Ms Ferre :D It is a one-shot hope you enjoy. AU. Memories are in italics. Stars are where paragraphs end/begin. They are not wizards, as that would have been too suss :P
It was late on a Wednesday night.
The streets were practically empty, just a few people now and again.
The park at the end of Harper Road was silent.
The third house down from the Harper Road park had its lights off in every room, except the third bedroom.
The house looked like every other on the street. Inside it was pretty normal; kitchen was clean, lounge room filed with books nobody had ever read, walls covered in photos of loved ones.
Seemed to be pretty normal.
Seemed to be.
***
Justin laid on his bed in his clean, sterilised room.
Everything was organised, everything had a home.
He knew where everything was.
Usually he was ecstatic with his room.
It was his and no one could take it from him.
But as he looked at it now, all he felt was pain.
It was too neat.
Too clean.
Alex would have never kept her room like this, Justin thought.
Alex… Oh how he missed her.
Glancing at his family photo on his bedside table, taken on their family vacation 2 years ago, Justin felt a sharp pain in his heart.
He closed his eyes and reminisced.
***
His first memory of Alex was from when he was 2.
It was the day their parents brought her home from the hospital.
He didn't want to like her, he wanted to be an only child.
But when he saw her, his hateful feelings melted away.
His mother had let him hold her.
He felt a warm glow in his heart as he said "My Alex"
***
When Alex was 5, and Justin was 7, they were at the park.
Justin was 'it' and was trying to get Alex.
She was running, Justin right behind her, and wasn't looking where she was going.
She tripped, grazing her knee.
Justin ran up to her and pulled out his first aid kit.
He always had a first aid kit when he was with Alex.
He pulled out a band-aid and some anti-septic cream.
Although it was just a graze, Alex had tears in her big, beautiful brown eyes.
"This is going to sting, alright?" Justin warned.
Alex nodded her head, biting her bottom lip.
He put the cream on, then the band-aid.
"Kiss it better?" She asked.
Justin kissed the band-aid.
A smile grew on her face.
She got up, stated "You are still it" and ran away giggling.
Justin laughed and chased after her.
***
Suddenly, Justin felt like he had to go to that park.
He needed to.
He got off of his bed, and put some clean clothes on.
He instinctively went to pick them up, the decided against it.
He left them there, on the clean floor and felt something move inside of him.
***
As Justin got to the park, he saw how nothing seemed to have changed.
The park had the same equipment, same grass.
But he knew that something had changed.
It felt different.
He felt like he was going to faint, so he sat down on the long, blue, winding slide.
This park was brining back too many memories.
The pain he was feeling was unbearable.
He pulled out a packet of smokes from his pocket.
He had found them in Alex's room, before she disappeared.
It had caused a big fight between them.
He opened the packet and the smell of tobacco filled the air.
Justin pulled out a cigarette and put it between his lips.
He lit it up and rested against the slide as he remembered happier times.
***
When Alex was 8 and Justin was 10, he took her to the park.
It was their special place.
A place where they could go and do anything they wanted.
A place they could be free.
This particular time they were playing house.
Their mother had made them bring their little brother, Max, who was 5 at the time.
Justin was the dad, Alex the mother and Max was their child.
Justin knocked on the door of the playhouse, and Alex opened it for him.
"Honey, I'm home!" he said as he kissed her on the cheek.
She giggled and said "Ok honey. Max was a good boy today"
But Justin didn't hear her, not really anyway.
He was feeling really strange, all tingly and warm.
He looked at Alex and the feeling grew stronger.
He tried to shake it off and went back to playing
***
Justin felt this feeling every time he was with Alex ever since.
He thought it was what you were supposed to feel.
He thought it was right.
At first.
Then he realised it was far from it.
***
When Alex was 11, and Justin, 13, they still went to the park.
Instead of playing, they sat on the grass and talked.
Alex couldn't help but laugh at Justin.
Is voice was cracking, and sometimes it would squeak.
Justin gave Alex a look, but he wasn't really mad.
He didn't mind that Alex would tease him, because he loved her.
She would always be his little sister.
His Alex.
***
Justin had finished his cigarette.
He was still sitting on the slide.
He climbed to the top and looked out at the park.
He saw Alex, age 5, running on the grass giggling.
He saw her on the swing, age 7.
He saw her on the see-saw aged 10.
He looked out at the park, seeing her everywhere as silent tear slid down his cheeks.
***
When Alex was 12, Justin noticed that she was changing.
She was turning into a young woman.
He also noticed that his feeling towards her had changed.
Now every time he looked at her, the feeling was intense.
When she got her first boyfriend, Justin tried to feel happy for her.
But all he felt was jealousy.
He couldn't understand why.
One night he saw they were about to kiss.
He couldn't handle it.
Justin screamed at the boy, and the boy left.
Justin and Alex got into a huge fight.
This was the night everything changed.
Justin realised he was in love.
With Alex.
His sister.
***
Justin was on top of the slide.
He slid down and sat on the grass.
He looked up at the moon and screamed as loud as he could.
He felt so helpless.
Most nights he could control himself, but not tonight.
Tonight seemed different, and he didn't know why.
It just was.
Justin pulled his legs towards his chest and sighed.
***
Alex was 14 when Justin told her how he felt.
He was only 16, but he was in love.
He told her everything, from the day he first held her, to the day he noticed the feeling, why he was so jealous of every boyfriend she had.
He didn't leave out any details.
The feeling had built up so much that he felt like he was going to explode.
He needed to tell her.
They were having a midnight feat on their balcony.
Justin had expected Alex to yell, scream, hit him.
He was not expecting her next move.
She leaned in and kissed him.
Her soft, plum lips touched his, and her felt like fireworks had gone off in his stomach.
He pulled away, and Alex looked hurt.
He told her it was wrong.
She said how could something so wrong feel so right.
He said they would be shunned from society.
She said she didn't care.
Then Justin kissed her.
They sat on that balcony for hours, kissing and talking.
It was the best night of Justin's life
***
Justin tried to get off the grass, but he couldn't.
His knees wouldn't support him.
He laid on his back and stared at the stars.
They shined so bright.
He thought about the day Alex went missing.
She had skipped school to go to the movies.
And she never came back.
At first they thought she ran away, but after a few months, they knew she had been taken.
2 years later, and they still hadn't found her.
Most people assumed she was dead.
The pain in Justin's heart got a million times worse.
***
The night before Alex went missing, her and Justin were at the park.
It was about 3 in the morning.
They had been sneeking around for 3 months.
They were lying on the grass, just looking at each other, hands entwined.
Alex touched Justin's face with her free hand and smiled.
Justin was falling asleep.
About 10 minutes later, Justin was asleep.
He started to thrash around, and woke up screaming.
Alex quickly put her hand over his mouth.
"What's the matter? Have a bad dream?" she said, her voice filled with worry.
"Yeah, something like that" Justin said quietly.
"Hey Alex, listen, can you promise me something?" He said, looking slightly sad.
"Sure thing…" Alex replied as she sat up so she could see him properly.
"Promise me that no matter what happens you will always be here, and you will always come back?"
"Of course silly! I'm not going anywhere" she laughed and leaned in for a kiss.
Justin smiled as he kissed her and said "I love you"
She smiled as she whispered back "I love you, and always will, Justin"
They stood up and walked home, hand in hand.
They fell asleep in their own beds, wishing it was different so they could be together.
***
And now Justin blamed himself.
He thought, no, knew it was his fault.
The world was punishing him for loving her.
If he had only kept his feelings to himself, he would still have Alex.
He might not be able to hold her or kiss her, but if she was there, that would be all the mattered.
***
Justin looked at the slide and saw a girl standing on the top of it, looking at him.
She looks just like Alex, he thought.
He walked up to the slide and rubbed his eyes.
He had to be dreaming.
This girl looked exactly like Alex.
He knew that it couldn't be.
She had been gone for 2 years.
It was probably some random girl.
He walked up to stairs to the top of the slide.
The girl was sitting now.
When Justin got to the top of the slide, she turned around.
Justin fell down the stairs.
It was her.
***
Alex jumped down and helped Justin up.
He started crying.
"This has to be a dream" he said, repeating it like a chant.
She looked at him, and he hugged her.
He held her for a long time, as if she could disappear at any second.
He stroked her beautiful long, wavy brown hair.
"Where did you go?" He questioned.
Alex didn't answer.
It was too painful for her to think about it.
She looked into Justin's eyes and he didn't need an answer.
"How?" he asked.
"I promised. I always keep my promises" She said as she kissed him.
Justin's pain faded away, and his warm and tingly feeling filled its place.
Thanks for reading :D
Love Jalex232