It was odd for my family to be on a vacation like that. We couldn't usually afford anything like it. We were in Florida on the worst vacation ever. I couldn't stop thinking about that day. That day I went to the art museum with Miss Edmunds. When I came back Leslie was gone. How could she just leave me like that, how could she just die and leave me crying there? It was bad enough that I had to sit here on the hotel room floor while May Belle begged me to play with her. Then I had to talk to my parent's old friends like I was having the time of my life. Why? Why did I have to be angry with Leslie for dying?
As I looked out at the blue ocean a pod of dolphins swam passed our beach side Hampton hotel. The nest day we would go to visit Leslie's parents. I didn't think that I would be able to talk to them. There was just too many memories of Leslie attached to them. They had decided to move to Florida after Leslie died, so that they could try to get their minds off their beautiful little girl that drowned last month. My parents decided that I needed to get my mind off Leslie's death so they brought me there, but the truth was that all this extra time made me wish that Leslie were there to share this vacation with me and the girls. At least I got to see P.T., who grew a lot over the time that I didn't see him.
We woke up the next morning and crept past the thin-walled hotel rooms so not to wake anyone up. We piled into the tiny rental car and drove down the palm tree lined streets. With one window raked I could hear the soothing sound of the sweet tasting gulf waters beating the fine white sand coating the warm beaches. I slowly drifted off to sleep. In about an hour and half I woke up. We were just pulling into Leslie's parent's driveway when I woke up.
"So, Sleeping Beauty, You ready to go see some friends?" Ellie rudely sneered.
"Ah, shut up, Ellie" I snapped back.
"Mom, Jess is yelling at me." Oh so that's how it was going to be.
"Jess Aarons, leave you sister alone," mom sighed. "Can we have a vacation without you harassing those girls, hmm?"
"Yes'm" I mumbled.
"What was that, I couldn't hear you," Ellie sneered. All this was happening right outside the Burke residence. I could hear P.T barking from behind the door. My mother rang the doorbell, and the door swung open. Two familiar faces stood in the doorway smiling from ear to ear. Mrs. Burke clasped her hands together and said, "It's so good to see you," she hugged Momma and Papa shook Mr. Burke's hand.
When a nice warm breakfast was being made Mr. Burke lit a match then dropped it. The match lit the drapery in the dining room and the house was burning. Everyone was screaming and trying to get out of the house. But I was sitting there waiting for the flames to envelope in their heat. I felt a pain in my left arm and I looked there. It was on fire. I felt a tingling sensation throughout my whole body. Was that it? Is that what it felt like to die? Next thing I knew I was lying in a warm bed with a very warm blanket. A beautiful girl stood above me. There was a ring of white light around her head. Was I in heaven?
"Mr. Aarons," she said in a melodious voice, "Are feeling okay?"