I stood in the sheeting rain, and watched the coal black casket lower into the muddy ground.

The preacher began to pray and the crowd that was my family were surrounding the grave that was to be my grandmother's final resting place. They're sobs filled the air and it was such a mournful sound I felt like I would go insane if I had to listen to it for a single second longer.

My grandma was my best friend, we were so much alike my family sometimes joked that I was her re-incarnation. We had near identical features, It was hard to tell the difference between pictures of her when she was my age and pictures of me now. Our personalities didn't seem to differ much either. I loved her like a mother, and she pretty much had been my mother. Since my mom and grandfather had died in a car accident with a drunk driver when I was four.

We also shared names. My name was Marie Hope Johnson. And my grandmother Isabella Marie Johnson had just given up life on September 15th. Two days after her birthday. She had turned eighty-one. I was in the hospital room with her when the last breath left her body. Before she had past away, she was in a coma like state. And it was only me and her in the room. My family were all in the hospital cafeteria grabbing dinner at the time. As I sat there with her, the beep of her heart monitor filling the room. It was an obnoxious sound but it filled me with hope. As long as that beep filled the room she was fighting for her life. She started mumbling in her sleep.

"Edward, please. Don't go. I love you... Let me come with you.. Please." It was such a hollow muffled whisper I wondered if I heard right. The way she said it... Her voice was filled with such grief. I felt my heart breaking just hearing it. Who was Edward? "Grandma? Im here, I love you."

"He left me." She whispered. "He left me today. My birthday, he left me because of my birthday."

That was when I knew she was having a silly dream. At least she remembers her birthday I thought. She tossed and mumbled for a while longer. Her breathing became more labored. I started to worry. I got up to go tell a nurse when she started to stir some more.

"Edward." She sighed. And with that, her breathing stopped altogether. "NO!" I croaked.

Her heart monitor sounding in one final. Drawn out beep. Then I heard the sound that will haunt me forever. Silence. No more beep, no more shallow breaths coming from her body. No more muffled words said in her sleep. Her fight for life was over.

I was drawn out of my vivid, living nightmare when my Dad placed his hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him and noticed that there was hardly anyone left. They had all gone to the church building for dinner. He had tears streaking his face and he looked so tired and haggard.

"Dad, do we have to stay? I just want to go home." he looked at me, his expression unreadable. "You can go home Mar, I have to stay though. It would be rude of me to leave."

I knew he would be fine, but I couldn't bring myself to leave him. So I told him I would stay. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it lightly. Attempting to smile. "Thanks sweetie." He said, as he opened the car door for me and closed my umbrella.

We pulled up to the building, the smell of food wafting out from the open door. Once inside I came face to face with a picture of my grandma. She was twenty- seven in the picture. Her long brown hair falling in soft waves across her shoulder. Her brown eyes were warm and her full lips were slightly turned up at the corners. The expression on her face looked as though she knew a thousand secrets. I couldn't stand to look at that picture anymore. I needed air.

I ran, and burst through the double doors. I collided with what felt like a wall, but the soft feeling of fabric against my skin told me other wise. "Sorry" I sniffled to whoever it was, I tried to keep walking but my vision was clouded with tears and I was so wracked with grief I stumbled and felt the air whooshing past me. I knew I was going to come in contact with the asphalt so I instinctively put my arms up to shield my face. But instead of hitting the ground I felt arms and I was pulled back on my feet. The arms were instantly gone, and I turned around to tell my rescuer thank you. But when I turned around all I saw was a distinctly male back walking away from me. "Thanks." I mumbled under my breath, even though I knew he wouldn't hear me.