Disclaimer: You know all of this and I'm too lazy to write it out.


Chapter 16- Is This the Tragedy We Are Meant to Live?

Bradin walked solemnly down the empty street at about midnight on Saturday. The air smelled fresh but it was gloomy and the only thing illuminating the streets were the few streetlights every so often. No sound was heard but the waves that crashed against the shore in the distance. He was half asleep but didn't dare go home in fear of the words that might be said. He lost Callie as a friend and he didn't know if he could ever get her back. His eyes hurt. He couldn't stand to cry anymore. Over Callie and over Claire. He loved them so much and now he thought he lost them both. Callie wasn't his friend and Claire wasn't his lover. But his focus set only on Claire at that moment. He wished he had never said anything to her. But his reason was so pure-wasn't it? And now he just wondered if he could pull a stunt just miraculous enough to gain her back. She wasn't a friend. She was his only strength and he wanted her back.

Bradin was afraid to go home in fear of seeing Claire and wanted to avoid her anger. He didn't want to face her, not now and not later. With everything that went on between him and Callie earlier that day, he didn't feel like having any more drama than need be. He thought long and hard about her and no answers on how he was going to apologize came to mind. He was confused and blank-minded; it wasn't going to be easy. He started walking faster, wanting to explain to his world-his life-his Claire.

With his hands in his pockets and his head looking down he continued to walk into endless roads with nowhere to go right then. But what would Ava think? She hadn't talked to him in three days and probably wondered where he was and what he was up to. Only two days were gone and done but to both of them it seemed like a lifetime. Now they were ready to move into her house and Bradin, frankly, was scared. He didn't know where their relationship was going to end up if they lived in the same house. A married couple is what they would feel like and he didn't want to go that far yet.

What he really feared most of all was being alone in the house with her for too long. He thought that if they spent more time with the family, their relationship would grow stronger because they wouldn't spend too much time together. He wanted it to work out so bad and the only way would be to be apart or with others. It didn't make a lot of sense but enough of a reason for Bradin.

He was almost to the ocean when a startling sound broke out and echoed throughout the Playa Linda village. Bradin turned quickly to the sound and saw a bright shade of light coming from one of the houses. Curious, he moved closer. It was a huge house and they looked like they had a decent amount of money. When he continued to walk towards the house the same sound was heard and the light from before came. A scream followed and ricocheted in Bradin's ear. Then it dawned on him what the sound was...a gunshot. Two gunshots that came from the house.

Out of instinct, Bradin started running towards the house, but as he reached the door, he was knocked down by a man; he looked like a shadow in the night, which ran as fast as he could. There was nothing in his hands, or in his pockets. Just a gun...just one gun.

Bradin was hurt now. He was rammed by the man and fell to a deadlock. It was lucid that the man was tough. Tough enough to kill someone without the use of a gun. So why did he? And the greater question was why he didn't take anything; he only took a life.

The man ran until he saw Bradin's face. Then he turned to him, just long enough to mutter one thing. "I'll get you later."

He ran into the house and immediately grabbed the first phone he saw. He dialed 911 and told them the situation. They said that they were on their way and he hung up the phone. He slowly walked through the house, looking for a sign for what went on. After looking all over the downstairs, he made his way up the winding staircase. There was a fresh smell...Bradin couldn't make out what it was. Still walking, he started to examine the walls, the floors...anything that looked suspicious. As he looked at the ceiling, he tripped over something and landed on his face. He heard another scream and felt pain in his leg. What had he tripped over though?

He looked back and screamed. Blood...there was blood everywhere. A wound to the neck, straight through to the esophagus. Bradin felt very faint. He got up and ran until he tripped again. Another body? He heard someone scream below him. He got up and screamed back at the person. It was a girl. He saw the beauty and helped her off the ground. Her eyes were stained with dried tears and her face was flushed but she was beautiful in any matter.

"I'm sorry, are you," Bradin looked at her and recognized her in a second and continued to say, "OK, Marie?"

"Bradin? Oh, thank god, Bradin. Why are you here?"

"I was walking and I heard you scream. What happened here? Who was that guy? Why..."

"Shut up. I don't know so you're wasting your breath with the questions. He shot my parents and my sister ran out. That's about all I know," fresh tears were forming on her face. It was like everything was happening all over again.

Marie wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in to a hug. Bradin held her tight. He hadn't seen her in a while because they were on vacation. He couldn't have imagined that the next time he would see her that she would be hiding in a corner with her parents sporting blood. Marie was strong, usually, but now she broke and Bradin was the only one to help her.

"You need to get up. Come on Marie. Let's go, the cops are going to be here. We have to get out of this house. You shouldn't be tortured in here anymore," Bradin said looking around the house in pity. He knew that she would never be able to face the house again knowing full well what had happened in the house.

"I, I, I don't want them to die. I want them here with me. They are supposed to be here with me," she broke down again, fresh tears falling down her smooth face. Bradin held her tight, most of the tears falling on him. She cried while they made their way down the stairs, careful not to step on them and Marie really breaking down.

They got outside and Marie collapsed. She had fainted. The trauma of what happened finally set in and Bradin didn't know how to deal with it. The sirens of the police cars and ambulance were heard in the distance and got louder as they came closer. Pretty soon they were right on top of Bradin and they stormed out of the car like the house was on fire.

Their first stop was Bradin and poor little Marie. The ambulance rushed to Marie and started to treat her immediately. Bradin, still holding her in his arms, was deep in thought. As a result, he didn't hear the police officer say anything to him.

"Hey, kid. Are you in there? I know this is shocking for you but-HEY!" the police officer screamed to him. Bradin snapped out of his reverie and snapped back into the world around him with the sirens and the people and he wished he were back in it.

"Sorry-I was, uh-thinking," Bradin stuttered. He felt Marie fidget and begin to wake and he helped her to rise on her feet. He realized the consequences of helping Marie and finding her parents. He would probably be severely questioned and up all night.

With all of this going on in his mind, he lost track of his main thoughts. Claire slipped his mind and now he wouldn't get to fix it for a while longer. He had to call her and tell her what had happened though. She deserved to know about her best friend.

"I'm really sorry but I have to call my family to tell them what I'm doing and where I am. Do you think that would be okay?" Bradin asked sincerely. The police officer nodded and sent him away to talk. When he had hidden in a corner, he dialed the number and awaited the moment when he got to speak to his love. The only thing breaking his heart was that the first time they spoke in the short time would be such bad news.

The phone rang once, and then rung again. No answer to the ten million phones in her house. Maybe she's out tonight, thought Bradin. So he figured he would try her cell phone. It was finally answered a moment later.

"Bradin? Hey honey, where are you?" It was Ava. Bradin wasn't sure how she got Claire's phone, but he needed to talk to her immediately.

"I'm at Marie's house and I really need to talk to Claire. Where is she?" asked Bradin. He was fidgeting now and becoming very impatient. Then he heard Ava sigh.

"I guess she left her phone here. She's at home right now. Did you try calling there?" Ava asked sincerely. Bradin shook his head in disbelief.

"She can't be there. I called there already and she's not the kind to not answer the phone. Where is she?"

"She told me that she was planning on taking a shower and then coming over to help us pack up some more stuff. Maybe she's in the shower," Ava guessed. Bradin took the presumption into consideration and hung up with Ava. He returned to Marie's side and waited until he was free to go.


The next morning, Bradin was sleeping on the subjective table with a cup of coffee in his hand. For the third time that day, a different officer came in and sat down on the other side of the table. Bradin sighed and looked up at the man. He was tired of saying the same things and he wanted to go home to Claire. He wanted to smell her hair and look into her beautiful, mysterious, blue eyes, and kiss her soft lips once again.

While these thoughts raided his head, Bradin noticed the uniformed man talking to him. He looked at him for a moment and then all of a sudden felt faint. His face became hot and his hands turned sweaty. He took a deep breath and heard the man speak to him once again, but this time his words were slurred and he talked in fragments. Then, he couldn't hear the man at all. Only the sound of his heart-his beating heart that soon turned on him and he couldn't hear it anymore. Bradin hit the table head on, smashing his forehead hard. Everything went blank.


Sorry for the long delay. It has been a hard winter and I have been so busy with the whole school thing and my stories have been on hold with work and schoolwork and extra-curricular activities. But like you guys care. I hope you guys liked it but it might be a while until the next chapter. I don't know yet-I'll see how it goes. Thanks for all the support and reviews. I'm glad you guys like it!