Companions of the Night: Forever
by Sunshine Aradia
~1
I think about him every day. Ethan Bryne. My first love. My only love.
It was about a month before my nineteenth birthday that I received the first and only word that told me he was alive.
I woke up on the third of april and went out to the kitchen of my father's house. He handed me an envelope. It had my name and the address of this house on it, but no return address.
"Who sent this?" I asked.
"I don't know, Kerry," my father said.
I raced up to my old room, opened the envelope, and read the letter. It said:
Dear Kerry,
I wanted to let you know that I'm still alive. I think about you often.
I am living in Florida with some friends and I changed my name to Michel Pierre. I'm sorry, but I can't give you my address. I just wanted to tell you I still love you.
Remember you asked me if there was any chance that I would change my mind about leaving New York? Well, I've decided to go back. I'll be there in July. That will give you and me both time to get ready to see each other again.
Love, forever and ever,
Ethan Bryne
P.S. My offer still stands.
My heart was beating frantically. I wondered if Dad had left for work yet. I hurried downstairs. My dad and seven-year-old brother, Ian, had left already. I couldn't wait until they came home to tell them where we would go for my birthday, since they had been asking for the past couple weeks.
I decided to buy myself a new dress for my birthday. I grabbed my car keys, my purse, and went out to my van. I drove to Rochester because there was a huge shopping mall there.
When I finished shopping, I headed for home. When I got there, Dad was there. I got ready to tell him.
"Hi," I said, when I got inside. "Dad, remember you asked me where I wanted to go for my birthday?"
"Yeah. Did you decide?" he asked.
"Yeah, I did. I thought about it for a long time and I've decided that I want to go to Florida. We could leave here three days before my birthday and leave Florida a week later. Please?"
"Well, since you've never been there and it will be your birthday...I guess we can go." Dad said hesitantly.
"Oh, thank you, Dad."
"You're welcome, Sweetheart," Dad said. "How was your day?"
"Fine. I bought a new dress. With my own money, of course."
"That's nice. I'll call you down for supper. Ian will be home soon."
"All right. I'll be up in my room. Don't tell Ian. Send him up," I said to Dad.
I figured I should tell Ian the whole story. Everything. Since I needed him to be my back-up in case anything happened while we were down there. I had it all written down in a special journal I kept with me that held nothing but that story. I had time to read the letter one last time before Ian got home. I tucked the letter in the back of the book.
Ian has learned a lot since he was four. Like, he learned to knock on my door and he learned never to ask me to get him anything from a laundromat or anywhere after 7:30 at night.
"Come on in, Ian," I said, when he knocked on my door. "I have a very important story to tell you, but you have to promise never to breathe a word of this to anyone, okay?"
He nodded and I began my story.
*^_^*
~2
"And all of this really happened?" Ian asked, after I had finished telling him about my adventure with Ethan.
"Yes." I hesitated. "The thing is, Ethan wrote to me and I got this letter today." I handed him the letter. "Here's the other thing I wanted to tell you. We'll be going to Florida for my birthday. I'm going to look for him down there." I told him and handed the letter back to me.
"I promise I won't tell Dad about this."
"Thanks."
At that moment Dad called us down for dinner. Ian and I walked down together. Supper tonight would be lasagna.
"So, did your sister tell you?" Dad asked Ian.
"Yeah, she told me. Are you going to your house tonight, Kerry?" Ian asked me.
"Yeah. We'll take my van down. I'll call up the traveling company and get us direction books to help us. You guys make sure you pack a bathing suit, at least one dressy outfit and plenty of T-shirts and shorts, of course."
After supper I left, driving my van to my house. It took me about eight minutes to get there. I had received the keys to the house one morning when I woke up and found them sitting beside my pillow at Dad's. There had been a small note attached that said:
Kerry, Here are three keys. One goes to
the house. The other two go to the cars
in the garage. I love you. Good-bye.
Ethan
I had cried a little when I found them. I had been lucky no one called the police when Ethan disappeared and I showed up in his house. I had made my decision. My plan had been put into action and I hoped he would still be in Florida when we got there.
*^_^*
by Sunshine Aradia
~1
I think about him every day. Ethan Bryne. My first love. My only love.
It was about a month before my nineteenth birthday that I received the first and only word that told me he was alive.
I woke up on the third of april and went out to the kitchen of my father's house. He handed me an envelope. It had my name and the address of this house on it, but no return address.
"Who sent this?" I asked.
"I don't know, Kerry," my father said.
I raced up to my old room, opened the envelope, and read the letter. It said:
Dear Kerry,
I wanted to let you know that I'm still alive. I think about you often.
I am living in Florida with some friends and I changed my name to Michel Pierre. I'm sorry, but I can't give you my address. I just wanted to tell you I still love you.
Remember you asked me if there was any chance that I would change my mind about leaving New York? Well, I've decided to go back. I'll be there in July. That will give you and me both time to get ready to see each other again.
Love, forever and ever,
Ethan Bryne
P.S. My offer still stands.
My heart was beating frantically. I wondered if Dad had left for work yet. I hurried downstairs. My dad and seven-year-old brother, Ian, had left already. I couldn't wait until they came home to tell them where we would go for my birthday, since they had been asking for the past couple weeks.
I decided to buy myself a new dress for my birthday. I grabbed my car keys, my purse, and went out to my van. I drove to Rochester because there was a huge shopping mall there.
When I finished shopping, I headed for home. When I got there, Dad was there. I got ready to tell him.
"Hi," I said, when I got inside. "Dad, remember you asked me where I wanted to go for my birthday?"
"Yeah. Did you decide?" he asked.
"Yeah, I did. I thought about it for a long time and I've decided that I want to go to Florida. We could leave here three days before my birthday and leave Florida a week later. Please?"
"Well, since you've never been there and it will be your birthday...I guess we can go." Dad said hesitantly.
"Oh, thank you, Dad."
"You're welcome, Sweetheart," Dad said. "How was your day?"
"Fine. I bought a new dress. With my own money, of course."
"That's nice. I'll call you down for supper. Ian will be home soon."
"All right. I'll be up in my room. Don't tell Ian. Send him up," I said to Dad.
I figured I should tell Ian the whole story. Everything. Since I needed him to be my back-up in case anything happened while we were down there. I had it all written down in a special journal I kept with me that held nothing but that story. I had time to read the letter one last time before Ian got home. I tucked the letter in the back of the book.
Ian has learned a lot since he was four. Like, he learned to knock on my door and he learned never to ask me to get him anything from a laundromat or anywhere after 7:30 at night.
"Come on in, Ian," I said, when he knocked on my door. "I have a very important story to tell you, but you have to promise never to breathe a word of this to anyone, okay?"
He nodded and I began my story.
*^_^*
~2
"And all of this really happened?" Ian asked, after I had finished telling him about my adventure with Ethan.
"Yes." I hesitated. "The thing is, Ethan wrote to me and I got this letter today." I handed him the letter. "Here's the other thing I wanted to tell you. We'll be going to Florida for my birthday. I'm going to look for him down there." I told him and handed the letter back to me.
"I promise I won't tell Dad about this."
"Thanks."
At that moment Dad called us down for dinner. Ian and I walked down together. Supper tonight would be lasagna.
"So, did your sister tell you?" Dad asked Ian.
"Yeah, she told me. Are you going to your house tonight, Kerry?" Ian asked me.
"Yeah. We'll take my van down. I'll call up the traveling company and get us direction books to help us. You guys make sure you pack a bathing suit, at least one dressy outfit and plenty of T-shirts and shorts, of course."
After supper I left, driving my van to my house. It took me about eight minutes to get there. I had received the keys to the house one morning when I woke up and found them sitting beside my pillow at Dad's. There had been a small note attached that said:
Kerry, Here are three keys. One goes to
the house. The other two go to the cars
in the garage. I love you. Good-bye.
Ethan
I had cried a little when I found them. I had been lucky no one called the police when Ethan disappeared and I showed up in his house. I had made my decision. My plan had been put into action and I hoped he would still be in Florida when we got there.
*^_^*