A Friend From the Past

By: Alys

E-Mail: mazzei@isoc.net,

Rating: G-PG

Part: 4

*Serena*

He's so close. No he's not going to, he wouldn't. Serena

suddenly sat up in bed, breathing hard. It was the middle

of the night yet she still couldn't believe what happened.

She kept remembering what happened that afternoon. Even

when she fell asleep she dreamed of it. She had known he

was teasing yet it had still hurt. When he had held her,

and wouldn't let her go she did feel confused. She wanted

to leave but yet it felt right to her. She didn't believe

he had kissed her though. It wasn't anything big, yet

again it was. The weirdest thing about it was it wasn't

cold. It felt warm to her.

"O why did he do this to me?" she moaned, "Now I can't

even sleep. And of course right after he complete messes

up my head, he leaves, just fades away. I really hate that

ability right now. Man, he has got me so messed that I am

even talking to myself. This is not something I want to be

doing!"

Flopping down on her bed she stared at the ceiling

wondering what it was all about. "Why did he leave? Did he

kiss me out of pity? Sorrow? Was it something else?" she

kept running the same thoughts over and over in her till

she finally fell asleep. But is not a night of peaceful

sleep for her.

The next mourning, Serena awoke feeling like she did not

sleep at all. Her night had been full of dreams that had

kept her tossing and turning the whole time. No matter how

hard she had tried she couldn't get Darien out of her

mind. "O well, at least I can talk to him about this whole

thing today," she thought to herself. After taking her

shower, she wandered around the halls trying the usual

places, looking for Darien. She searched till breakfast

bell rang, and had found no sign of him.

"This is so not going to be fun," mumbled Serena as she

entered the dinning hall with the other kids. Quickly

looking around she hoped to get just a glance of Darien.

But again she saw nothing. "Why is he hiding from me,"

though Serena as she took her tray over to her usually

spot. While waking there she noticed that she was

receiving more attention then usual. "I wonder if Jen told

ever one about Darien. She probably did, but I don't think

she could of a good reason he was hanging out with me.

Probably told everyone that they had planed the whole

thing as a joke. Yes, that would make sense to most. They

meet someone out side the orphanage, and got him agree to

be Memory's friend, then he would ditch her, and that

would be that."

Serena was so deep in thought she didn't even notice that

most of the children had left the room. Soon there was no

one but her in the dinning hall, but instead of leaving

Serena decided to sit a think some more. It was almost

half an hour before Serena finally left to pick up her

search for Darien again. She didn't understand why he

would avoid her. All she could think about was that they

really needed to talk, and it didn't seem like that would

be happen soon. Headed outside she though he might be in

the garden. Again she came up empty, and slowly headed

back inside. Before she could get to her room, she ran

into Jen. But not like the usual, Jen was not with Kevin

and Shana.

"So Memory, where's your friend?"

"At his house, I mean that is where he would be if he

wasn't here visiting."

"Visiting… I really don't buy that whole line. You know

what I think? I think that he is playing with you. I mean

who would ever be true friends with you? You are just a no

body without a memory. No, I think he just thought it

would be fun to pretend to be your friend and then…" Jen

let the statement end with out finishing.

"No, your wrong. Darien is my friend. He would never just

leave me and never show back up without telling me…" but

that was when Serena realized how similar the whole thing

was. "What if he did leave me? What if the whole thing was

a big joke? No I don't believe it. He was so caring. He

was there for me. It couldn't be a lie, it couldn't," but

the more she thought it over the more she started to

believe that it could be true.

"I see you finally caught on. I mean when he didn't show

up for dinner, and you showed up with that most horrible

look on your face it was so obvious," laughed Jen as

watched Serena turn and run as fast as she could down a

hallway. And as she ran, Serena started to cry.

"No, this isn't true. This isn't true. He is my friend. My

only friend," thought Serena as she ran around another

corner. She didn't care where she ended up, as long as it

was away from the people that hated her.

Serena felt as though she was lost in her mind and

feelings. Lost in such a storm that not even a light of

hope could save her. She was confused and hurt. Alone and

scared, these feels swallowed her. She was so far gone

that she almost didn't feel the suddenly appear. Almost.

Stopping, Serena turned to see no one else but Darien

standing behind her. His face was set so it could not be

read, and his eyes looked at her as though they were

searching for her lost soul. His eyes made her want to

turn and run again, but the thought of running from the

one person she was looking for made her stand and face the

studying eyes.

"Darien. I-I was looking for you. Where did you go

yesterday?" asked Serena in the barest of whispers, even

thought she had tried to make her voice happy and light.

At first he didn't answer. He stood looking like he was

choosing his words with care, like they were going to be

the most important words he had ever said in his entire

life. Then slowly he opened his mouth.

"Serena. This is the last time we will ever meet. It has

been fun, but this game must end, and I am ending it now.

It has gone to far, and I am must stop it. This was not

supposed to happen. It was all in fun. I never should have

even said hello.

Goodbye Serena. Shall we never meet again," and with that

he faded away, and a summer temperature reclaimed the

hall, not noticing that the winters' chill had claimed the

young girl's heart.

Shaking, Serena reached out to where he once had stood

before her, her mouth moving, silence forbidding her from

screaming the name that had broken her last hope.

Darien.

She wanted to run, to hide. She wanted to get away from

the world that had deemed itself the responsibility to

make her life living hell. But she could not move. She

could not scream, or shout her furies. All she could do

was fall to her knees and let warm tears fall down her

face, and listen the silence that had claimed her world.

"No, this can't be. He-he was my friend. I trusted him. He

was always so sweet and kind, and loving… This can't be

true it can't. This isn't real. It isn't.

That right it isn't real. This is all some weird joke,

maybe some weird dream. That has to be it. God wouldn't do

this to someone. He doesn't take away all hope. He just

doesn't. I just need to wake up. Once I do, things will be

better. They have to be."

And with those thoughts, although knowing that she was in

no dream, Serena forced herself to stand. Looking around,

she realized that she was not in a place she knew. She

turned a full circle. Looking down the halls, listening

for some clue on which way to go. Finding none, she walked

down the hall until she could go no further. Sighing in

defeat she turned and slumped against the wall, only to

have it move out from behind her, and let her fall onto

the floor with a yelp.

Looking from her posistion Serena saw a flight of stairs

that seemed to be heading down. Rolling over she saw that

they didn't lead down, but up. Standing she looked around

to see if anyone was watching, or heard her yell. Seeing

no one, she slowly started to climb the stairs.

There were no windows, and there were no lights. If there

was anything to see, she never saw it. Even if she could

she wouldn't have seen it. The grief that had built up

inside her was in control and how she moved or what she

saw made no difference.

After what seemed like forever, Serena came to a door.

Placing her hand on the handle she wondered if the door

could be locked. But on turning the old knob she found

that it wasn't.

Stepping out into the light, Serena couldn't believe her

eyes.

"The roof," she whispered as she looked around. It was a

flat roof, with a small gate all the way around. It looked

like people probably used to come up here.

Walking over to the edge she looked around at the land

around her and thought about how beautiful it was.

"It's so peaceful. It's so perfect. Why can't my life be

like that? Why can't things stay good? Why am I cursed to

be alone? Every time I think I have found somewhere to fit

in, somewhere where I can trust things will be ok, some

one I can believe in, every time I do the fates see it,

and it ends. Why does my happiness always end? Why does

someone always see fit to end it for me? Always someone

must end the life I found," were words that escaped her

mouth before tears started to fall. Her heart hurt like it

had never before. Looking over the railing, Serena saw the

flowerbed that she had walked through when she was sad.

"I think this time," she whispered looking over the

railing again, "I think this time I will end my life for

me."

End Part 4