June 2nd, 2011

Today was the official first day of summer. I had all my bags packed and had been ready to leave. All that kept me here was waiting for Rosalinda to arrive. As soon as she pulled up to my house I had known what was coming. Her hair was silky and long, the darkest shade of black. She was skinny and tall and looked perfect in every way. I had felt so average standing next to her.

She gave me a smile and I could tell she was ready to leave. Her eyes did all of her talking for her. I remember looking into them. It was like looking into her soul. Her eyes were bold but mysterious. It had been hard not to stare.

As soon as she pulled up my mom had run outside. She had helped me put my stuff in the car, and then we pulled away. Leaving everything, and everyone behind us.

I remember looking out the window for most of the drive. She kept going at a fast rate of speed, but she had looked like she knew what she was doing. Every now or then she had looked at me or given me a smile. She had always seemed so sweet, so innocent. I always wished she would talk to me or let me in on what had happened to her.

When we were kids we were like sisters. We hung out all the time, we knew each others secrets. Then the day she turned ten, was like the day I didn't exist. She quit talking, and then she quit eating. Everything turned all weird. They had sent her to shrinks, and they took her to counseling, but nothing worked. She seems so happy, but so lost at the same time. My goal for that summer was to find out what had happened.

The miles kept going and the clock kept ticking. Once we had hit Wisconsin I could tell. I had seen the thick forests; I could smell it in the air. I felt at peace. For once, I was actually happy.

Eventually we pulled into the area where my grandmother's house was. Excitement had immediately filled my mind. I was almost shaking. When we had driven down the hill right in front of the house, I had felt overjoyed. The smell of the lake combined with the fresh scent of pine filled my head slowly.

The first thing I had seen was the petite grey house. The front overlooked the lake, and the back porch overlooked the trees. The garage wasn't connected to the house at the time, and it had a second story that was like a little house for visitors. Behind the garage was a garden my grandma had kept since they moved in. Very slowly it grew every year. Just a small addition here and there. Eagles were flying over us at the time, and you could hear birds chirping in the distance. I really had missed this place, but standing there overlooking the beauty, I realized I was finally home.

When we had stepped out of the convertible, my grandmother slowly emerged from behind the garage. Like usual she had on her old worn pants with dirt stains, and a long sleeve shirt with a floral print. Upon her head was a sun hat to shield the bright rays from her eyes. She had always been very layed back; she let us get away with everything when we were kids. So naturally it was easy for Rose and I to sneak away this summer.

My grandma, Ellie, gave us both a proper welcome that day. She gave us both a warm hug and gave us a tour. However we both knew where everything was. I talked with her for a little while, and then Rose and I went to the car to get our bags. It was hard, but we eventually got everything into the guest house, above the garage.

The place consisted of a sitting room, a bed room with two beds, and a junk room. The sitting room had a table with four old wooden chairs, and it had a few love seats. On the one wall there were five windows where you could look out and see the nature below. After that was the bedroom. It had two twin sized beds, with a reading light above each. The room had one closet, and one dresser. On top of the dresser was a small television, and a DVD player. The next room was just filled with boxes. I had always wondered what was in them, but nobody ever asked. Nobody ever looked in them.

As we started putting our stuff away, everything had gotten awkward. We just stood there in silence, until I turned on some music. It was a normal song, "before we come undone" by Kris Allen. Every now and then she would smile at me, but that was all I could get. I was trying my hardest, but inside I knew it would take time. She had to trust me before she could talk to me. That was the way it had to be.

Once we had gotten everything un packed, we were both really tired. We slowly walked down the steps and down to the cottage to get our dinner. My grandmother had always been very old fashioned, and all her meals were home cooked. She made us the best pancakes I had ever had, that night. Homemade is one hundred times better then going freezer bought. The syrup was warm, and she topped the meal off with fresh bakes chocolate chip cookies. It felt good to be back in Wisconsin.

June 2nd, 2011 midnight

I awoke to a cold breeze that night. As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I had seen that the window was open, wide open. Rose was lying in her bed facing the opposite wall, and she was sound asleep. Very quietly I got up to close the window. That when I noticed her shoes lying by her bed. That's not where they were when we went to bed that night.