It's already evening in Harmony and it's the perfect time for going out and relaxing after a hot summer's day. The park is full of different colored flowers, which cast a scent impossible to describe in words; many couples find this the perfect moment for a romantic date, and love is floating in the air.
"It's so nice, isn't it? This place." Charity said to Miguel as they continued to walk through the park while holding each other's hands. "I like to consider it a little piece of heaven." She continued.
"Yeah, I know ... that's why I invited you out in the first place. I'd do anything to make you happy and you know that." Miguel said, smiling at his girlfriend. "So, I bet you can't wait for that ski trip!"
"Sure! It gets really hot here this time of year, and I think a change is welcomed!" she responded. "Plus, I'm so happy that my premonitions finally stopped! They were driving me insane; do you know how hard it is to sense all that pain, how it is to see all those frightening things?" she asked.
"But you're happy they've stopped, right?" Miguel inquired. Curiosity was running though him.
"I should be ... I guess." Charity said with a serious voice. "Still, I can't help but wonder why!"
"Maybe that's god's will."
"Not one of them was wrong; all that I've seen really happened." She continued, so concentrated on what she was saying that she didn't even hear what Miguel said earlier.
"But they're gone now. You have to stop worrying about them and be more concerned about yourself, about your life, about ... me!" Miguel insisted while looking in Charity's bright green eyes. He was obviously trying to make her forget all the bad moment's she's been through, and make her see the good side of life. Why? Because he cared. He cared more for Charity than for anyone else in the world and he was prepared to do anything to make her happy.
"Theresa! I can't believe you've done this; that dress must have cost a fortune; you know what I've always said: taking money like that from someone is dishonorable; we might be poor, but we still have our pride." Pilar said to Theresa, who was getting ready for what seemed to be a date.
"Mama, it was a gift from Fox; it would've been rude to say no to him." Theresa replied while carefully putting on some mascara and lipstick. "I don't have time to talk right now since he must be here any minute." She continued after taking a quick peak at the clock.
Pilar decided that the best thing she could do is to leave the room and let Theresa decide what's best for her. As she walked towards the kitchen door, she noticed a picture of Theresa and Ethan in the trash bin; in her head she could hear herself saying to Theresa over and over "I don't know what to think about you anymore!", but those words didn't came out of her mouth. She took one last look over her shoulder to Theresa and left.
"Better get ready, Theresa; you have a big night ahead of you!" she said as she finished putting on one of her bracelets. She felt really excited, but she couldn't explain to herself why; sure, she and Fox were friends, but never did she thought that they could be more than that. She always considered Ethan to be the knight in shining armor that will one day take her away on his white horse, but now she was actually having doubts about it. What if Ethan and her were never meant to be together? Was that why all those problems appeared on they're way to happiness?
The doorbell rang, and Theresa jumped to her feat from the couch she was sitting on. She took one last look in the mirror and headed towards the front door. The doorbell rang again and Theresa opened.
"Hello Theresa."
"Oh, hi Whitney. Come in." Theresa said, as her face filled with disappointment. She then looked again at the clock and felt her stomach turn upside down; it was 7:22. "Fox said he would be here to pick me up by 7 ..." she thought. She felt so confused she didn't realize she was still standing on the doorstep.
"I'm really sorry Theresa. Sometimes life is cruel." Whitney said.
"What?" Theresa said with a worried voice, a few moments after she realized where she was.
"Please let me in. I have something important to tell you." Whitney asked, with a rather cold voice.
"Oh, sorry! Yes, come in... take a seat." She said to her best friend. She tried to put herself together. Why was she feeling so bad?
"You'd better sit down." She said with the same cold voice. "You might be shocked by what I have to say to you." She continued.
"Whitney, you're scaring me! What is it? Is it about Fox? Did something happen? Is that why he didn't arrive yet?" Theresa asked, as she felt her heart beating faster and faster. Nothing could prepare her for what she was going to hear.
"Theresa, I'm sorry! Fox is ... dead ..." She responded.
"Want me to go get some popcorn?" Miguel asked Charity.
"Hmm ... I don't know ... sure." She responded.
"I'll be right back! Don't go anywhere!" He said.
"Don't worry; no one's gonna' kidnap me!" she said with a smile on her lips. She walked towards an empty bench and sat down. She thought it was better to keep her thoughts about the premonitions to herself, because she knew that Miguel didn't want to hear more about that subject. She looked towards her right to see where Miguel was, but before she could focus "Craahh!" a loud noise came from behind her. She immediately jumped to her feet and turned around to see a red-eyed crow looking straight at her from the rosebushes.
"Go away!" She said, flapping her hand so as to scare it. "Go away!" she repeated, more loudly this time. The crow flew away and Charity still wasn't relieved; in the rosebushes she spotted something. She couldn't tell exactly what it was; she had to go closer. "What is it?" she kept asking herself. She kneeled and picked up the withered red rose, which she thought was dropped there by the crow, since all the roses in the park were white. She looked carefully at it; it's color kept reminding her of the crow's eyes, a dark red; what was it about the rose that made her look at it without blinking.
"Ouch!" she shrieked as she felt one of it's thorns go through her smooth skin. She could feel the pain quickly spreading through her body like venom. She was feeling sleepy, exhausted; she tried to move but the pain was unbearable, she tried to scream for help but she couldn't even open her mouth. Everything around her was fading away; everything was black in a blink of an eye. Her hand was feeling heavy, then her arm, and in just a matter of seconds so did the rest of her. She couldn't even think straight anymore because of the headache; she didn't realize what was going on: why was this happening so fast? She tried to keep her eyes open, but with no success. She fell to what should've been grass, but instead it felt like cold cement. All of her senses where fading away. She could hear screams in the distance, but couldn't understand a word. "Ahhh....! hhhiii...!" the voices were screaming. Charity felt like she was going to throw up! In her head she saw again the crow's red eyes, the rose ...
"It's so nice, isn't it? This place." Charity said to Miguel as they continued to walk through the park while holding each other's hands. "I like to consider it a little piece of heaven." She continued.
"Yeah, I know ... that's why I invited you out in the first place. I'd do anything to make you happy and you know that." Miguel said, smiling at his girlfriend. "So, I bet you can't wait for that ski trip!"
"Sure! It gets really hot here this time of year, and I think a change is welcomed!" she responded. "Plus, I'm so happy that my premonitions finally stopped! They were driving me insane; do you know how hard it is to sense all that pain, how it is to see all those frightening things?" she asked.
"But you're happy they've stopped, right?" Miguel inquired. Curiosity was running though him.
"I should be ... I guess." Charity said with a serious voice. "Still, I can't help but wonder why!"
"Maybe that's god's will."
"Not one of them was wrong; all that I've seen really happened." She continued, so concentrated on what she was saying that she didn't even hear what Miguel said earlier.
"But they're gone now. You have to stop worrying about them and be more concerned about yourself, about your life, about ... me!" Miguel insisted while looking in Charity's bright green eyes. He was obviously trying to make her forget all the bad moment's she's been through, and make her see the good side of life. Why? Because he cared. He cared more for Charity than for anyone else in the world and he was prepared to do anything to make her happy.
"Theresa! I can't believe you've done this; that dress must have cost a fortune; you know what I've always said: taking money like that from someone is dishonorable; we might be poor, but we still have our pride." Pilar said to Theresa, who was getting ready for what seemed to be a date.
"Mama, it was a gift from Fox; it would've been rude to say no to him." Theresa replied while carefully putting on some mascara and lipstick. "I don't have time to talk right now since he must be here any minute." She continued after taking a quick peak at the clock.
Pilar decided that the best thing she could do is to leave the room and let Theresa decide what's best for her. As she walked towards the kitchen door, she noticed a picture of Theresa and Ethan in the trash bin; in her head she could hear herself saying to Theresa over and over "I don't know what to think about you anymore!", but those words didn't came out of her mouth. She took one last look over her shoulder to Theresa and left.
"Better get ready, Theresa; you have a big night ahead of you!" she said as she finished putting on one of her bracelets. She felt really excited, but she couldn't explain to herself why; sure, she and Fox were friends, but never did she thought that they could be more than that. She always considered Ethan to be the knight in shining armor that will one day take her away on his white horse, but now she was actually having doubts about it. What if Ethan and her were never meant to be together? Was that why all those problems appeared on they're way to happiness?
The doorbell rang, and Theresa jumped to her feat from the couch she was sitting on. She took one last look in the mirror and headed towards the front door. The doorbell rang again and Theresa opened.
"Hello Theresa."
"Oh, hi Whitney. Come in." Theresa said, as her face filled with disappointment. She then looked again at the clock and felt her stomach turn upside down; it was 7:22. "Fox said he would be here to pick me up by 7 ..." she thought. She felt so confused she didn't realize she was still standing on the doorstep.
"I'm really sorry Theresa. Sometimes life is cruel." Whitney said.
"What?" Theresa said with a worried voice, a few moments after she realized where she was.
"Please let me in. I have something important to tell you." Whitney asked, with a rather cold voice.
"Oh, sorry! Yes, come in... take a seat." She said to her best friend. She tried to put herself together. Why was she feeling so bad?
"You'd better sit down." She said with the same cold voice. "You might be shocked by what I have to say to you." She continued.
"Whitney, you're scaring me! What is it? Is it about Fox? Did something happen? Is that why he didn't arrive yet?" Theresa asked, as she felt her heart beating faster and faster. Nothing could prepare her for what she was going to hear.
"Theresa, I'm sorry! Fox is ... dead ..." She responded.
"Want me to go get some popcorn?" Miguel asked Charity.
"Hmm ... I don't know ... sure." She responded.
"I'll be right back! Don't go anywhere!" He said.
"Don't worry; no one's gonna' kidnap me!" she said with a smile on her lips. She walked towards an empty bench and sat down. She thought it was better to keep her thoughts about the premonitions to herself, because she knew that Miguel didn't want to hear more about that subject. She looked towards her right to see where Miguel was, but before she could focus "Craahh!" a loud noise came from behind her. She immediately jumped to her feet and turned around to see a red-eyed crow looking straight at her from the rosebushes.
"Go away!" She said, flapping her hand so as to scare it. "Go away!" she repeated, more loudly this time. The crow flew away and Charity still wasn't relieved; in the rosebushes she spotted something. She couldn't tell exactly what it was; she had to go closer. "What is it?" she kept asking herself. She kneeled and picked up the withered red rose, which she thought was dropped there by the crow, since all the roses in the park were white. She looked carefully at it; it's color kept reminding her of the crow's eyes, a dark red; what was it about the rose that made her look at it without blinking.
"Ouch!" she shrieked as she felt one of it's thorns go through her smooth skin. She could feel the pain quickly spreading through her body like venom. She was feeling sleepy, exhausted; she tried to move but the pain was unbearable, she tried to scream for help but she couldn't even open her mouth. Everything around her was fading away; everything was black in a blink of an eye. Her hand was feeling heavy, then her arm, and in just a matter of seconds so did the rest of her. She couldn't even think straight anymore because of the headache; she didn't realize what was going on: why was this happening so fast? She tried to keep her eyes open, but with no success. She fell to what should've been grass, but instead it felt like cold cement. All of her senses where fading away. She could hear screams in the distance, but couldn't understand a word. "Ahhh....! hhhiii...!" the voices were screaming. Charity felt like she was going to throw up! In her head she saw again the crow's red eyes, the rose ...