Hey. This is a short story I wrote for my english homework. Everything is (c) to me, so don't steal.

I would really appreciate some review-age on this, so please read and tell me what you think.

Anyways... that's all I need to say... let the story begin.

Ghostly pale with plump, ruby-red lips, she truly was a sight to behold. Eyes sky-blue, and framed in thick long lashes, they captivated all who looked upon them. Her luxurious, wavy, black hair cascaded down her slender form in such a way that a beautiful waterfall came to mind whenever I saw it. A body that any and every woman envied and every man lusted for. Emma was truly a goddess bestowed upon us, a gift from the heavens above.

"A daughter, a sister, a friend; May she find peace wherever she now is."

We live in a small town, one of those places where everyone knew each other; and everyone knew Emma. The funeral was the biggest gathering in the history of our small town. Emma was loved by all, a true angel. She was everyone's best friend, everyone's dream girl and everyone wanted to be just like her.

She was 17 when it happened, not even an adult. The doctors tell us that it was quick for her, that she didn't see it coming and she didn't feel a thing. If they only knew how right they were.

Em was one of those girls who were always smiling; the whole town looked to her for courage, for a reason to smile. But that wasn't how Em felt. She once told me that she didn't know what joy felt like, that she only knew this empty void that filled her heart. She always felt lost and alone, no matter how many people surrounded her, but she couldn't bring herself to let people down, so she smiled.

I had never seen her real smile, and to me the one she always wore looked as fake as it was. I had always hoped that one day, she would smile for real and when I had heard the news, I had thought that that dream would never come true.

Accidental shooting, was the official cause of death. She had gone hunting with Kyle and Tim; they had wanted to impress her. Unfortunately, Em had wondered off on her own and a bullet from a tourist's gun took her life in one shot.

They say that when they found her she still had a smile on her face, and covered in her own blood like she was she looked the part of a fallen angel, finally put to rest. Of course, when I heard the news I had chuckled bitterly at that, even in death she smiles for them.

The funeral was an open casket, so that the town could admire her beauty once more. I felt that they were all selfish for that, but there was nothing I could do for it. One by one, each person walked up to her coffin, looked down upon her, cried and walked back to their seat. I watched from the back of the ceremony as everyone payed their respects.

By the end of the funeral everyone was in tears, even the priest; everyone except me. I had been the only one that did not go up to see her yet, and with each passing second it was becoming harder to do.

Finally grasping the courage that I needed, I walked up to Emma, readying myself to see it; that fake smile that I had come to despise. I finally got to her casket and for a moment I could feel all the eyes of the town boring holes into my back, before everything faded into the background at what I saw.

There, in death, Emma was smiling. She was smiling a real and true smile, her first and last honest smile. Seeing her there, being the happiest she had ever been, I smiled too. Leaning down I placed a kiss on her cold forehead before walking away from the funeral, leaving taken aback and horror-struck mourners in my wake.

A week later, after the town had stopped gossiping about my heartlessness, I went back to her grave. They didn't understand, and I wasn't going to explain either.

"Why aren't you mourning her loss child?"

"Why are you smiling; you heartless girl!"

"She was always jealous of her."

"She doesn't care!"

The shocked questions and hateful accusations ran through my head as I gazed down at her grave. They didn't understand; they never did.

Tracing over the engraved words on her tombstone I smiled a small smile.

"You're free now..." I whispered as I my fingers ghosted over one particular word.

'Sister.'

Aww, sad. Lol. Um, please review.

Yours truly,

A Stranger.