Thanks to mozzi-girl for reviewing! Sorry this is so short; but next chapter will be my last and it will have Maltara in it.


Natara Williams

I brushed right past Mal, walking up the steps to outside, my legs shaking. Every cell in my body tells me to stop; to go home and give up. But I can't do that. I can't let Laura alone.

"Natara!" Mal calls out in a sharp whisper. He jogs silently across the grass to me, still speaking in a whisper even though we're fairly far away from the house. "I need to get you out of here, look at yourself".

I ignore him. I really don't want to see the state of myself, I'm afraid to. I'm scared that the storm shelter was like my coffin, and I was a body withering away inside. But I'm free now, and even though my brain tells me to do as he says my heart tells me not to.

"I'm not leaving that girl here" I state. As we get closer I can see a shape, something large and deformed near the top; sitting on a windowsill on the third floor. As I squint I can make out human shapes…two of them.

"No!" I run, leaving Mal behind. The door was left unlocked and I burst in, searching for the stairs. After a moment I find them, and bound up to the second floor, then the third. In the dim moonlit room I can see something lying on the floor; a large snoozing dog I believe. There's larger figure on the windowsill. She's facing me, a smaller crying figure on her lap. The window's open, and she leans back slightly as if she's about to let herself fall.

"Miss" I say quietly. I can hear Mal's footsteps behind me as he catches up. "Miss…I don't know what you're planning…but there's always another way".

She shakes her head, shifting the figure sitting on her lap. As she does I catch a glimpse of both faces. It's Laura, and a woman who must be her mother. "No…there's not". In the dim light, her eyes sharpen. "They forgot about him. They left him behind".

"Who, who did they leave behind?" I ask, taking a little step closer.

"Craig" she replies, her voice cracking. "They forgot about him. Mel and Frank. They replaced with…with that boy…Dane…". She makes a small sobbing sound, not unlike a wounded animal. "She…she said she understood her. Said she knew what it was like…to be different…". She looks down at Laura, who's crying more than ever. Her useless eyes are wide, her ears unhearing. But she must know what's going on. "She's a liar!" she cries "She has no idea! No idea what it's like to know your child will never hear your voice…only to find out she'll never see again in a matter of years…".

"She has Usher syndrome…doesn't she?" I ask.

The woman ignores me. "Well, now she knows! Now she knows what it's like! Her, her stupid little friends…even you!".

I take another little step forward, but she notices, and starts to lean out the little more. "This isn't about Laura" I say really quietly "This is about Melanie. So give me Laura…I promise I'll take care of her".

I reach forward. Laura's just an arms reach away. For a moment the woman seems to take in what I'm saying. Then she tilts her face down, engulfing her eyes in shadow. "Liar" she hisses. Then she lets go, falling back and out the window.

"No!" I almost scream as I reach out, my hand grabbing the front of Laura's shirt. She's yanked right out of her mother's grip, and I pull her close to me. Even though she's blind, I still hold her close, hiding her face as if to protect her from seeing her mother. I hear a single scream, and Laura grabs my arm as if she can hear it too. Then everything goes ominously silent. The girl begins to cry harder, and I know that she knows what happened. I try and calm her down, stroking the back of her soft blonde hair. I hear movement nearby, and I look over to see the sleeping dog, the same German Shepard that attacked me, siting patiently nearby. He begins to whine, his mouth slightly open, and I almost flinch when I see him. But a moment later Laura lets go of me, as if sensing the dog is nearby, and kneels down to hug the animal. I'm about to warn her to get back when I see the dog affectionally lick her cheek, as if to wipe away her tears.


Also, I did make a tumblr page for Cause of Death! I made a "Which cause of death character are you quiz", and if enough people like it I will make a better one (since this one is short and only has 4 results). I also make computer-made fan-art and will post blogs about the game! Here's the link (take out the spaces)

butihavepromisestokeep7 .tumblr . com

Any follows would be greatly appreciated.