Prologue: Beginnings, Endings
The wind and rain battered against the big front window as two girls sat in the very first booth, laughing loudly. They'd been coming to this restaurant, with its cornflower yellow walls and blue booths since Josey had entered high school four long, tiring years ago. The tall, lanky girl had her chin length white blonde hair pulled off of her face in two messy buns, the purple tips sticking out at odd angles. To her dismay the first inch of her hair was growing out already into her mousy brown. She really would die it again . . .someday. If she ever stopped being lazy.
Between the two girls sat two cups of coffee and two plates that had once contained Bon's ever popular, ever cheap all day breakfast special. The other girl at the table was just as tall but smaller, very slender, verging on scrawny. Her dark hair fell in wispy bangs around her face as the unruly mass of waves fell around her shoulders. She was two years older than Josey, technically though she was only one year if school counted and would graduate that spring. Zander poured a cream into her coffee and stirred it almost absently mindedly as her companion, old school aviator goggles pushed up on her forehead, sipped her own chipped white mug of coffee. Though the girls had decided it was pond sludge trying to be coffee, both drank it every time they came to eat at 'Their' restaurant.
"You ready to go?" Josey asked, reaching for her olive green canvas jacket. It still had the name of the private who'd worn it fifty years ago stitched on. Malone. Josey's last name was McNeil.
"You bet," her companion dropped a ten dollar bill on the table to cover the meal and the tip. What could she say? Bon's was dirt cheap and good like nothing else. She grabbed her own jacket and tugged it on as they headed out side. She smiled and turned her face skywards, the rain splashing against her skin and into her open mouth as she stepped into the street. Josey laughed at her and followed, not paying attention as she stepped over a fifty dollar bill lying crumpled in the gutter.
There was a loud screech of tires as the girls turned, too late, to see the dark green Mac truck slam into them.
-
Josey swam up through a sea of inky black and it was like pushing cobwebs out of her mind. There was a bright white light on the ceiling paneled with white tiles and a high pitched, frankly annoying, beep was fluctuating frantically. She could feel cold hands on her skin and she lost consciousness to the sound of that beep becoming a steady whine.
-
"The Lord is my shepherd; There is nothing I shall want," the priest stood at a black covered podium as he spoke. The crowd was silent, their clothing as black as the cloth on the small wooden plinth "fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit. He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name. If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear."
The two caskets were closed and the duo of young girls lowered into the ground next to one another. A tall blonde boy was crying openly as he dropped pale lilies on both coffins and turned away. He buried his face against his best friends shoulder and tried to pretend tears weren't running down their cheeks.
A little girl no more than ten touched first one headstone, then the other. Each was hard gray marble and carved with the name of the girl buried beneath it. Her mother took her hand and led her away. The sky was bright blue and the sun shone merrily despite the day's somber dealings.
---
Author's note: Well? What do you think? Gimme some Review love in the form of anything, flames, compliments, couplets, whatever. And yes the boys will be in this. Just not in this prologue. Silly rabbit. Tricks are for kids.