Okay all, it's been poked at, prodded, shaken, and viewed from every angle. My first Ronin fic ever and this is as good as it gets....enjoy!
Rowen awoke to a light breeze from the window over his bed. Outside he could hear birds singing and felt the warm sun beating down on his face as he greeted the day. He stretched his arms and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, thinking Spring is finally here!
He turned from the window and saw that the other four beds were empty. Everyone else was awake, but that didn't surprise him. He checked his watch and saw that it was nearly noon. Smiling to himself, he though about how great a time he had last night. Sherri was the sweetest girl he had ever met, and he couldn't stand being away from her. They had been seeing each other for months now, and everyday Rowen felt more and more sure that she was the one for him.
Rowen pulled on a shirt and stumbled down the stairs. He could hear Sage and Mia arguing about something pointless as usual in the kitchen, so he opened the screen door and stepped onto the porch. Ryo, Kento and Cye were throwing a frisbee in the front yard, and trying to keep it from White Blaze. Rowen smiled, remembering the last time they found a frisbee Kento had left in the front yard. The red plastic had been holier than a church.
Ryo saw Rowen blinking in the bright afternoon light, and shouted to him.
"Whoo! Hey, lover boy! Catch!" He called as he floated the disk to Rowen. Rowen squinted before jumping off the porch and catching it in mid-air.
"Oh, a hot shot!" Kento teased. Rowen winked at him, then threw it to Cye. But the other Ronins weren't interested in their game anymore.
"So? What did you two do last night?"
"I went to bed at three, and you two were still out gallivanting!"
"How was the movie?"
Rowen didn't speak for a moment, thoroughly embarrassed. The guys and Mia loved Sherri as much as he did, she was like a sister to them. Rowen felt uneasy telling them what they had done sometimes, as if he was a secret spy or something.
Rowen was saved for the moment when Mia came out and told them lunch was ready. Then he was sunk again as Sage came out and took up the role of best friend/lady killer.
"So, did you take my advice, slick?" he asked, clapping Rowen on the back.
"Sage, if he took your advice, he'd scare off more women than he could count!" Ryo couldn't resist. The look Sage would get when anyone downed his love life was priceless.
"I don't see you holding a steady girlfriend now, do I Wildfire?" Sage teased back.
Rowen broke up a potential wrestling match (with Ryo the most promising victor at the moment) by following Kento's beeline up the porch stairs to the dining room. Cye followed with Sage in tow. "..don't know when to be quiet..." the little Ronin mumbled to himself.
They sat down to eat; cans of Spaghetti-O's.
"Uh, Mia? Hate to say it, but you lost your touch," Sage said as he stirred the soupy circles with his spoon.
"Well, I haven't been to the store yet. And someone-I won't name names, but his initials are KENTO-stayed up late last night, watching some movie marathon. For some odd reason the kitchen is now bare. I felt like Old Mother Hubbard this morning."
Kento turned red and opened his mouth to protest his case, but was interrupted by Mia again.
"So Rowen, how was your night last night?" she asked with a smile in her eyes.
Rowen suddenly felt everyone looking at him. He stirred his Spaghetti-O's and realized he wasn't hungry anyway. He smiled to himself, then began to tell them what he did with Sherri last night.
"Well, it was her mom's birthday, so we went to her parent's house first. They are really nice. She has a big family, too, with four brothers."
"Ohh, so if you mess up, big brothers are going to come around and beat you to a pulp!" Kento teased. Rowen smiled. He really was afraid of that, the oldest was the size of a Mac truck, but he wasn't going to tell the others.
"We saw a movie, it was really bad. We sat through half of it, making fun of the actors the whole time. Then she wanted to go for a walk, so we did."
"And that's it?" Mia looked at him skeptically.
"Yeah. I took her home then I came home."
"At four in the morning!" Ryo exclaimed.
Rowen smiled. "The view was beautiful on our walk."
The phone rang, and Rowen sprang from his chair into the kitchen before anyone else could get there. It was Sherri, like he had hoped.
"Rowen! Did you get a good night's sleep?"
Rowen glanced back at the table, where the others were listening to his end of the conversation.
"Yeah, of course. How about you?"
"I was lonely, but we'll make up for that tonight. Tell Mia I won't keep you out so late anymore, ok?" Rowen could hear her smile. Suddenly he had an urge to see her smile. It drove him crazy when he saw it, which was odd for the shy, quiet Warrior. Sherri brought out the best in Rowen.
"What are we doing tonight?" he asked, not caring. As long as I can see her smile...
"I don't care. I haven't seen the rest of your friends in awhile, why don't we hang there for awhile?"
Rowen agreed. He trusted his friends to leave them alone after awhile. Besides, he had a chemistry kit and knew where they slept. He would have to remind Sage of this.
"I'll drive out later. I have a few errands to run first. Say, six o' clock?"
"I love you," Rowen whispered.
"I love you more. See you tonight." The line clicked.
Rowen turned and told Mia that Sherri was coming. Mia went pale.
"Oh Rowen! This place is a mess!" she exclaimed. Cye quickly jumped up and offered to help. Ryo joined in, and after being prodded, Kento and Sage offered to help, too.
"Well, ok. Ryo, you dust. Here, use this," she handed him a feather duster. She pulled out the vacuum and pointed at Sage. "Make sure you get the nooks and crannies." She disappeared into the bathroom and returned, handing Kento a sponge and a bottle of 409. "You get bathrooms." Kento made a face at her when she turned around. Cye caught sight of it and nearly burst out laughing. Mia paid them no attention. She simply handed the Windex to Rowen then bustled out the door, exclaiming that there was nothing in the house to eat.
The five Warriors watched her go, then slowly the dust was lifted, the vacuum ran, the bathrooms sparkled and the windows shone. Cye giggled to himself before clearing the table and the now-congealing uneaten Spaghetti-O's.
At quarter to six, the mansion looked great. Rowen admired it silently. He knew his friends would come through for him. His only worry was that Mia wasn't back yet. He kept checking the driveway for the red jeep to pull up, but it didn't. The others were just as curious as to the delay but were currently passed out on the couch, watching TV, too tired to move.
At least they showered, Rowen thought. The five of them had worked up a sweat and had been smelling pretty rank by the time they finished cleaning the first floor of the oversized house. Good thing we didn't have to do the upstairs.
Six came and went and neither the red jeep nor the blue Honda Prelude were spotted coming up the drive. Rowen paced from the den where Sage and Ryo were discussing tomorrow's training sessions and Kento and Cye were beating each other with pillows, to the front room with the bay window overlooking the woods and driveway. At quarter past six, Rowen was ready to walk to town to find Mia or Sherri.
"What's up, buddy?" Ryo asked from behind Rowen. Rowen jumped three feet in the air. "Ryo! Sorry...you just startled me there."
Ryo smiled. "Well?"
"Mia left like six hours ago. And Sherri's never late. I'm just a little worried."
Ryo nodded. "You know Mia takes hours at the store. She practically has to rent a truck to feed Kento alone."
Rowen looked back out the window. "I just have a funny feeling."
Ryo silently agreed. He didn't say anything, but he and the others felt the same way.
At six thirty, the red jeep finally came up the driveway. Rowen was literally ready to start walking to town. Ryo had seriously offered to have White Blaze go ahead as they caught sight of Mia, speeding up the unpaved road, throwing up a cloud of dust behind her and weaving frantically from one side of the road to another. Rowen didn't like this. He didn't like it at all.
He liked it even less as Mia finally stopped, got out of the jeep, and ran across the yard to the porch where the five Ronins were now assembled. She had tears running down her face and was trying to speak as she gasped for breath.
"Rowen....Rowen!" she managed to say.
Rowen suddenly had an idea of what was going on. He followed Mia back to the jeep in a trance, and she tore through one of Sage's herb gardens turning around and going back the way she came. In the rearview mirror, Rowen saw his four friends watching them leave, each with a mixture of panic and curiosity on his face.
Rowen tried to make out what Mia was saying, but she just repeated over and over, "I saw it...I could have stopped it.."
Halfway to the town, there was an exit ramp to the freeway. Somehow, a moving truck had exited then continued drifting, into oncoming traffic.
Mia stopped outside of the yellow tape police had started to set up. She looked at Rowen as if she wanted to apologize.
Instead, Rowen got out of the car, asking her "What could you have done?"
He walked slowly, to the side of the road. A guardrail ran alongside the road there, protecting the drivers from driving off the incline on the side of the road. Rowen saw a navy blue Prelude had crashed through the guardrail, flipped over and slid into a tree. He felt his gut turn to ice and suddenly very faint.
A police officer asked him what he thought he was doing, but before Rowen could speak, Mia was there, explaining to the officer, guiding Rowen to an ambulance, taking him to Sherri. She lay on a stretcher, where paramedics had left her when they realized there was nothing else to be done for her. Three other cars were involved in the accident and only one paramedic team was currently there. They knew what Rowen knew-he could see it as soon as he took in all the blood she had lost and the gashes across her chest and stomach. He took her hand, which was beginning to grow cold in the spring evening. Without thinking, he took off his sweater and wrapped it around her. He stood beside her, bare chested, holding her hand, numb with shock.
Sherri opened her eyes and smiled, that amazing smile that used to make Rowen so happy inside. He couldn't be happy, though. He stared into her tear-rimmed blue eyes, and the pain he saw in them killed him. He fought to hold back his own tears as she tried to speak. Rowen saw her lips move, but she didn't make a sound. Rowen knew what she was saying. He leaned over her and whispered back.
Mia stood further back, crying silently while she watched Rowen and Sherri spend their last moments together. At last, the paramedics came back to them, and took Sherri away in the ambulance. Rowen stood, watching the lights flash once then stop. He felt as if his heart was leaving with the ambulance, that he couldn't go on living once they disappeared from view. A light rain started to fall, sending the police officers assembled running to finish their business before it started pouring.
Finally, Mia put a hand on Rowen's shoulder. He turned away from her and she could see he was finally breaking down. He walked back to the jeep, tears blurring his vision. The cool rain ran down his back and gave him goosebumps. He didn't feel it. Rowen leaned on the jeep for a moment.
She's gone.
He looked at the sky, into the rain and through the clouds he could make out Orion. The constellation shimmered behind a wavy line of rain clouds, which Rowen could barely make out from the light of police sirens and the moon. He found it hard to believe that not last night he had walked hand in hand with Sherri, looking at that same constellation, talking about what they wanted to do in the future. She wanted to be a doctor. She wanted to be remembered by all the people in the world she helped. Now she was only remembered in his memories. The thought sickened his heart and he slid to the ground, sure he was going to pass out.
Somehow, he didn't know how, he was back in his bed. Outside, a storm threw sheets of water against the windows, wind whipping the trees around. Lightning lit up the sky, throwing shadows of tree branches creepily across the walls. The thunder rolled, shaking the house softly with every boom.
Rowen was curled in a ball, hugging his pillow to his chest with his head buried underneath of it and his blanket pulled tightly up to his neck. He didn't want to move. He peeked out from under his pillow, seeing the door open a crack. The hall light filtered in, and Rowen watched little specks of dust dance in the light. He thought of how insignificant they were, so minuscule and unimportant.
Are humans that way too? He asked himself. Are we all specks of dust, meaningless to everything but ourselves and our friends?
Rowen heard Sage and Ryo talking in the hall. He couldn't hear what they were saying.
I mean, we will all die one day...who will miss us besides each other?
Rowen didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to think about anything. He shoved everything from his mind. Sherri kept surfacing, though, whispering to him, telling him she loved him. Her smile...Rowen rolled over in the bed, mumbling to himself. Please let me sleep...
Sage looked at his friend, tossing in his sleep. Neither he nor the others knew quite what to say to him. They were all scared. Scared, because this was new to them. Rowen was hurt but this time they couldn't help to protect him. They understood what he felt, though. Each of them loved Sherri as much as Rowen did. She was smart, funny, pretty, and had so much potential.
"It's such a waste of a life," Ryo observed.
"Did Mia find out about the driver?" Sage asked.
"Yeah. He was drunk."
They were quiet for a moment, then Sage asked his other question.
"Yeah, the driver survived," Ryo said dismally.
Silence ensued, and Sage quietly shut the door as he and Ryo walked down the hallway to the den where the others were. No one said anything as they watched the news coverage. Sherri was one of four cars involved with the accident, and the only causality. The other drivers were in critical but stable condition. The driver of the moving truck wasn't even hurt.
"Such a waste of life." Cye whispered.
"Makes you wonder about this society, doesn't it?" Kento whispered back. None of them trusted themselves to speak above a whisper.
"She-was right behind me. Then all of a sudden..." Mia trailed off.
"You couldn't do anything, Mia," Ryo sympathized. "It was an accident...a terrible accident, that's all."
Rowen had finally given up on sleep. He was kneeling on his bed, his face pressed to the glass of the window, watching the rain streak past him in torrents. He felt like tomorrow would never come.
Why Sherri? He had asked himself that for hours now. Why her, of all the people in the world, my Sherri? His Sherri, his girlfriend, the girl he wanted to spend his life with.
He pressed his hand against the window and heard a soft clink as her ring on his finger met the glass. He looked at it, a deep blue sapphire. He had given it to her for her birthday months ago. She always said it was the best present she ever had, to go with the best man she had ever had.
Rowen remembered that moment with alarming reality, and suddenly felt sick again. He had taken the ring at the accident, at her request. He didn't remember much about it, he was in a state of shock.
The door creaked open, throwing a strong line of light on the floor. Rowen froze, not wanting to talk to anyone, wishing he was still curled in a ball pretending to be asleep.
Sage crossed the room and sat on the bed beside Rowen. He saw the ring Rowen was holding and the tears in his eyes. Sage wasn't good in situations like this, never had been. He had no idea what to say. So he said nothing.
The two sat there for what seemed like a long time before Rowen finally spoke. "Was...anyone else..hurt?" he croaked. He didn't shift his gaze from the thrashing trees and rolls of thunder outside.
Sage felt his heart twinge as he told Rowen what the final outcome was of the accident. It made him so mad, yet he was powerless to protect his friend from it.
Rowen said nothing, just continued looking out the window. He twisted the ring around on his finger, thinking. Sage was about to leave and let him sleep more, but Rowen asked him another question.
Sage was taken aback. He put his hand on Rowen's shoulder.
"No matter what, man, we're here for you. Sherri won't be forgotten. Eventually, you'll move on, but she'll always be there in your heart."
After Sage left, Rowen laid back down to rest some more. He rarely ever heard Sage talk like that, and decided he was right. His friends were always there for him, why would he have to worry about who would be there when he died? Sherri would be there for him. And his friends.
Rowen rolled over in bed still holding her ring, finally drifting into a peaceful sleep.
I love you, Sherri, was his last thought before sleep consumed him.
I close my eyes, only for a moment, and then the moment's gone.
All my dreams pass before my eyes, a curiosity.
All they are is dust in the wind.
Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea.
All we do crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see.
All we are is dust in the wind.
Oh, now, don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky.
It slips away, and all your money won't another minute buy.
Dust in the wind; all we are is dust in the wind.
-Kansas, Dust in the Wind
Rowen awoke to a light breeze from the window over his bed. Outside he could hear birds singing and felt the warm sun beating down on his face as he greeted the day. He stretched his arms and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, thinking Spring is finally here!
He turned from the window and saw that the other four beds were empty. Everyone else was awake, but that didn't surprise him. He checked his watch and saw that it was nearly noon. Smiling to himself, he though about how great a time he had last night. Sherri was the sweetest girl he had ever met, and he couldn't stand being away from her. They had been seeing each other for months now, and everyday Rowen felt more and more sure that she was the one for him.
Rowen pulled on a shirt and stumbled down the stairs. He could hear Sage and Mia arguing about something pointless as usual in the kitchen, so he opened the screen door and stepped onto the porch. Ryo, Kento and Cye were throwing a frisbee in the front yard, and trying to keep it from White Blaze. Rowen smiled, remembering the last time they found a frisbee Kento had left in the front yard. The red plastic had been holier than a church.
Ryo saw Rowen blinking in the bright afternoon light, and shouted to him.
"Whoo! Hey, lover boy! Catch!" He called as he floated the disk to Rowen. Rowen squinted before jumping off the porch and catching it in mid-air.
"Oh, a hot shot!" Kento teased. Rowen winked at him, then threw it to Cye. But the other Ronins weren't interested in their game anymore.
"So? What did you two do last night?"
"I went to bed at three, and you two were still out gallivanting!"
"How was the movie?"
Rowen didn't speak for a moment, thoroughly embarrassed. The guys and Mia loved Sherri as much as he did, she was like a sister to them. Rowen felt uneasy telling them what they had done sometimes, as if he was a secret spy or something.
Rowen was saved for the moment when Mia came out and told them lunch was ready. Then he was sunk again as Sage came out and took up the role of best friend/lady killer.
"So, did you take my advice, slick?" he asked, clapping Rowen on the back.
"Sage, if he took your advice, he'd scare off more women than he could count!" Ryo couldn't resist. The look Sage would get when anyone downed his love life was priceless.
"I don't see you holding a steady girlfriend now, do I Wildfire?" Sage teased back.
Rowen broke up a potential wrestling match (with Ryo the most promising victor at the moment) by following Kento's beeline up the porch stairs to the dining room. Cye followed with Sage in tow. "..don't know when to be quiet..." the little Ronin mumbled to himself.
They sat down to eat; cans of Spaghetti-O's.
"Uh, Mia? Hate to say it, but you lost your touch," Sage said as he stirred the soupy circles with his spoon.
"Well, I haven't been to the store yet. And someone-I won't name names, but his initials are KENTO-stayed up late last night, watching some movie marathon. For some odd reason the kitchen is now bare. I felt like Old Mother Hubbard this morning."
Kento turned red and opened his mouth to protest his case, but was interrupted by Mia again.
"So Rowen, how was your night last night?" she asked with a smile in her eyes.
Rowen suddenly felt everyone looking at him. He stirred his Spaghetti-O's and realized he wasn't hungry anyway. He smiled to himself, then began to tell them what he did with Sherri last night.
"Well, it was her mom's birthday, so we went to her parent's house first. They are really nice. She has a big family, too, with four brothers."
"Ohh, so if you mess up, big brothers are going to come around and beat you to a pulp!" Kento teased. Rowen smiled. He really was afraid of that, the oldest was the size of a Mac truck, but he wasn't going to tell the others.
"We saw a movie, it was really bad. We sat through half of it, making fun of the actors the whole time. Then she wanted to go for a walk, so we did."
"And that's it?" Mia looked at him skeptically.
"Yeah. I took her home then I came home."
"At four in the morning!" Ryo exclaimed.
Rowen smiled. "The view was beautiful on our walk."
The phone rang, and Rowen sprang from his chair into the kitchen before anyone else could get there. It was Sherri, like he had hoped.
"Rowen! Did you get a good night's sleep?"
Rowen glanced back at the table, where the others were listening to his end of the conversation.
"Yeah, of course. How about you?"
"I was lonely, but we'll make up for that tonight. Tell Mia I won't keep you out so late anymore, ok?" Rowen could hear her smile. Suddenly he had an urge to see her smile. It drove him crazy when he saw it, which was odd for the shy, quiet Warrior. Sherri brought out the best in Rowen.
"What are we doing tonight?" he asked, not caring. As long as I can see her smile...
"I don't care. I haven't seen the rest of your friends in awhile, why don't we hang there for awhile?"
Rowen agreed. He trusted his friends to leave them alone after awhile. Besides, he had a chemistry kit and knew where they slept. He would have to remind Sage of this.
"I'll drive out later. I have a few errands to run first. Say, six o' clock?"
"I love you," Rowen whispered.
"I love you more. See you tonight." The line clicked.
Rowen turned and told Mia that Sherri was coming. Mia went pale.
"Oh Rowen! This place is a mess!" she exclaimed. Cye quickly jumped up and offered to help. Ryo joined in, and after being prodded, Kento and Sage offered to help, too.
"Well, ok. Ryo, you dust. Here, use this," she handed him a feather duster. She pulled out the vacuum and pointed at Sage. "Make sure you get the nooks and crannies." She disappeared into the bathroom and returned, handing Kento a sponge and a bottle of 409. "You get bathrooms." Kento made a face at her when she turned around. Cye caught sight of it and nearly burst out laughing. Mia paid them no attention. She simply handed the Windex to Rowen then bustled out the door, exclaiming that there was nothing in the house to eat.
The five Warriors watched her go, then slowly the dust was lifted, the vacuum ran, the bathrooms sparkled and the windows shone. Cye giggled to himself before clearing the table and the now-congealing uneaten Spaghetti-O's.
At quarter to six, the mansion looked great. Rowen admired it silently. He knew his friends would come through for him. His only worry was that Mia wasn't back yet. He kept checking the driveway for the red jeep to pull up, but it didn't. The others were just as curious as to the delay but were currently passed out on the couch, watching TV, too tired to move.
At least they showered, Rowen thought. The five of them had worked up a sweat and had been smelling pretty rank by the time they finished cleaning the first floor of the oversized house. Good thing we didn't have to do the upstairs.
Six came and went and neither the red jeep nor the blue Honda Prelude were spotted coming up the drive. Rowen paced from the den where Sage and Ryo were discussing tomorrow's training sessions and Kento and Cye were beating each other with pillows, to the front room with the bay window overlooking the woods and driveway. At quarter past six, Rowen was ready to walk to town to find Mia or Sherri.
"What's up, buddy?" Ryo asked from behind Rowen. Rowen jumped three feet in the air. "Ryo! Sorry...you just startled me there."
Ryo smiled. "Well?"
"Mia left like six hours ago. And Sherri's never late. I'm just a little worried."
Ryo nodded. "You know Mia takes hours at the store. She practically has to rent a truck to feed Kento alone."
Rowen looked back out the window. "I just have a funny feeling."
Ryo silently agreed. He didn't say anything, but he and the others felt the same way.
At six thirty, the red jeep finally came up the driveway. Rowen was literally ready to start walking to town. Ryo had seriously offered to have White Blaze go ahead as they caught sight of Mia, speeding up the unpaved road, throwing up a cloud of dust behind her and weaving frantically from one side of the road to another. Rowen didn't like this. He didn't like it at all.
He liked it even less as Mia finally stopped, got out of the jeep, and ran across the yard to the porch where the five Ronins were now assembled. She had tears running down her face and was trying to speak as she gasped for breath.
"Rowen....Rowen!" she managed to say.
Rowen suddenly had an idea of what was going on. He followed Mia back to the jeep in a trance, and she tore through one of Sage's herb gardens turning around and going back the way she came. In the rearview mirror, Rowen saw his four friends watching them leave, each with a mixture of panic and curiosity on his face.
Rowen tried to make out what Mia was saying, but she just repeated over and over, "I saw it...I could have stopped it.."
Halfway to the town, there was an exit ramp to the freeway. Somehow, a moving truck had exited then continued drifting, into oncoming traffic.
Mia stopped outside of the yellow tape police had started to set up. She looked at Rowen as if she wanted to apologize.
Instead, Rowen got out of the car, asking her "What could you have done?"
He walked slowly, to the side of the road. A guardrail ran alongside the road there, protecting the drivers from driving off the incline on the side of the road. Rowen saw a navy blue Prelude had crashed through the guardrail, flipped over and slid into a tree. He felt his gut turn to ice and suddenly very faint.
A police officer asked him what he thought he was doing, but before Rowen could speak, Mia was there, explaining to the officer, guiding Rowen to an ambulance, taking him to Sherri. She lay on a stretcher, where paramedics had left her when they realized there was nothing else to be done for her. Three other cars were involved in the accident and only one paramedic team was currently there. They knew what Rowen knew-he could see it as soon as he took in all the blood she had lost and the gashes across her chest and stomach. He took her hand, which was beginning to grow cold in the spring evening. Without thinking, he took off his sweater and wrapped it around her. He stood beside her, bare chested, holding her hand, numb with shock.
Sherri opened her eyes and smiled, that amazing smile that used to make Rowen so happy inside. He couldn't be happy, though. He stared into her tear-rimmed blue eyes, and the pain he saw in them killed him. He fought to hold back his own tears as she tried to speak. Rowen saw her lips move, but she didn't make a sound. Rowen knew what she was saying. He leaned over her and whispered back.
Mia stood further back, crying silently while she watched Rowen and Sherri spend their last moments together. At last, the paramedics came back to them, and took Sherri away in the ambulance. Rowen stood, watching the lights flash once then stop. He felt as if his heart was leaving with the ambulance, that he couldn't go on living once they disappeared from view. A light rain started to fall, sending the police officers assembled running to finish their business before it started pouring.
Finally, Mia put a hand on Rowen's shoulder. He turned away from her and she could see he was finally breaking down. He walked back to the jeep, tears blurring his vision. The cool rain ran down his back and gave him goosebumps. He didn't feel it. Rowen leaned on the jeep for a moment.
She's gone.
He looked at the sky, into the rain and through the clouds he could make out Orion. The constellation shimmered behind a wavy line of rain clouds, which Rowen could barely make out from the light of police sirens and the moon. He found it hard to believe that not last night he had walked hand in hand with Sherri, looking at that same constellation, talking about what they wanted to do in the future. She wanted to be a doctor. She wanted to be remembered by all the people in the world she helped. Now she was only remembered in his memories. The thought sickened his heart and he slid to the ground, sure he was going to pass out.
Somehow, he didn't know how, he was back in his bed. Outside, a storm threw sheets of water against the windows, wind whipping the trees around. Lightning lit up the sky, throwing shadows of tree branches creepily across the walls. The thunder rolled, shaking the house softly with every boom.
Rowen was curled in a ball, hugging his pillow to his chest with his head buried underneath of it and his blanket pulled tightly up to his neck. He didn't want to move. He peeked out from under his pillow, seeing the door open a crack. The hall light filtered in, and Rowen watched little specks of dust dance in the light. He thought of how insignificant they were, so minuscule and unimportant.
Are humans that way too? He asked himself. Are we all specks of dust, meaningless to everything but ourselves and our friends?
Rowen heard Sage and Ryo talking in the hall. He couldn't hear what they were saying.
I mean, we will all die one day...who will miss us besides each other?
Rowen didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to think about anything. He shoved everything from his mind. Sherri kept surfacing, though, whispering to him, telling him she loved him. Her smile...Rowen rolled over in the bed, mumbling to himself. Please let me sleep...
Sage looked at his friend, tossing in his sleep. Neither he nor the others knew quite what to say to him. They were all scared. Scared, because this was new to them. Rowen was hurt but this time they couldn't help to protect him. They understood what he felt, though. Each of them loved Sherri as much as Rowen did. She was smart, funny, pretty, and had so much potential.
"It's such a waste of a life," Ryo observed.
"Did Mia find out about the driver?" Sage asked.
"Yeah. He was drunk."
They were quiet for a moment, then Sage asked his other question.
"Yeah, the driver survived," Ryo said dismally.
Silence ensued, and Sage quietly shut the door as he and Ryo walked down the hallway to the den where the others were. No one said anything as they watched the news coverage. Sherri was one of four cars involved with the accident, and the only causality. The other drivers were in critical but stable condition. The driver of the moving truck wasn't even hurt.
"Such a waste of life." Cye whispered.
"Makes you wonder about this society, doesn't it?" Kento whispered back. None of them trusted themselves to speak above a whisper.
"She-was right behind me. Then all of a sudden..." Mia trailed off.
"You couldn't do anything, Mia," Ryo sympathized. "It was an accident...a terrible accident, that's all."
Rowen had finally given up on sleep. He was kneeling on his bed, his face pressed to the glass of the window, watching the rain streak past him in torrents. He felt like tomorrow would never come.
Why Sherri? He had asked himself that for hours now. Why her, of all the people in the world, my Sherri? His Sherri, his girlfriend, the girl he wanted to spend his life with.
He pressed his hand against the window and heard a soft clink as her ring on his finger met the glass. He looked at it, a deep blue sapphire. He had given it to her for her birthday months ago. She always said it was the best present she ever had, to go with the best man she had ever had.
Rowen remembered that moment with alarming reality, and suddenly felt sick again. He had taken the ring at the accident, at her request. He didn't remember much about it, he was in a state of shock.
The door creaked open, throwing a strong line of light on the floor. Rowen froze, not wanting to talk to anyone, wishing he was still curled in a ball pretending to be asleep.
Sage crossed the room and sat on the bed beside Rowen. He saw the ring Rowen was holding and the tears in his eyes. Sage wasn't good in situations like this, never had been. He had no idea what to say. So he said nothing.
The two sat there for what seemed like a long time before Rowen finally spoke. "Was...anyone else..hurt?" he croaked. He didn't shift his gaze from the thrashing trees and rolls of thunder outside.
Sage felt his heart twinge as he told Rowen what the final outcome was of the accident. It made him so mad, yet he was powerless to protect his friend from it.
Rowen said nothing, just continued looking out the window. He twisted the ring around on his finger, thinking. Sage was about to leave and let him sleep more, but Rowen asked him another question.
Sage was taken aback. He put his hand on Rowen's shoulder.
"No matter what, man, we're here for you. Sherri won't be forgotten. Eventually, you'll move on, but she'll always be there in your heart."
After Sage left, Rowen laid back down to rest some more. He rarely ever heard Sage talk like that, and decided he was right. His friends were always there for him, why would he have to worry about who would be there when he died? Sherri would be there for him. And his friends.
Rowen rolled over in bed still holding her ring, finally drifting into a peaceful sleep.
I love you, Sherri, was his last thought before sleep consumed him.
I close my eyes, only for a moment, and then the moment's gone.
All my dreams pass before my eyes, a curiosity.
All they are is dust in the wind.
Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea.
All we do crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see.
All we are is dust in the wind.
Oh, now, don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky.
It slips away, and all your money won't another minute buy.
Dust in the wind; all we are is dust in the wind.
-Kansas, Dust in the Wind