Prologue

A heavy weight planted itself on my shoulders as opened the letter. As my eyes began to scan the hurried scroll, my stomach dropped with dread and my hands began to shake. I covered my mouth with my hand to hide the quiver in my lips. The happy chitter chatter and obnoxious laughter that I was once participating became white noise. All I heard was an ebbing hum in tune with my heart beat.

I couldn't breathe.

After reading the letter, I clutched it tightly in my hand. I looked at the people around me; heads thrown back in laughter, shoving each other playfully, and talking through mouthfuls of food.

I stood abruptly, my mind buzzing. Everyone looked at me. My head turned from person to person, their expressions varying from concerned to curious. As I started to hyperventilate, I could see them asking me what was wrong, but I couldn't hear. A few started to stand. Black spots appeared in my vision. All at once, I knew my life had changed. I should be crying, why couldn't I cry? But, I couldn't feel anything.

So I ran.

My feet pounded against the familiar stone paved corridors and up the spiral staircase that would take me to my safe place. All I could hear was my frantic breathing, quickening heartbeat and footfalls.

Unable to move any further, I let myself collapse against a wall and slid down it. The frigid breeze from the astronomy observation tower gave me goose bumps.

Looking at the sky with all the stars, I felt the numbness residing. I started to feel. The sounds of the night filled the eerie silence. Slowly, like a poison I started to feel the loss. Whimpering, I wrapped my arms around my knees.

She was gone.

I screamed at the top of my lungs and curled myself into an even tighter ball. My heart was breaking with each breathe I took, my body turning cold. Warm tears streamed down my cold cheeks. My hands, numb from cold clutched the letter tighter into a ball.

It couldn't be true. It wasn't true. I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it.

The words in the letter weren't a lie though. As much as I wanted to believe it, I'd never see her again. I was alone in the world.

"Lexie," a soothing voice whispered over my sobs. My breath caught in my throat and I looked up.

Before I could register what I was doing, I jumped up from the cold dirty ground and into his open arms. My sobs renewed themselves with vigour; my shoulders shook, I couldn't breathe and my legs started to give out. He just held me tighter, letting me cry on his shoulder.

It couldn't be an even more beautiful night, yet the worst night of my life.

My hand slowly released its hold on the letter that changed everything. I felt it flutter in the wind while in my soft grip. I released it then, suddenly repulse by its contents. Burrowing my face into his warm, comforting embrace I voiced the one truth I wished never had to be true.

"She's gone," I whispered.