Hm… so I'm going to kill this story (hopefully) soon. The travesty's gone on long enough. I have to end it, as soon as possible.

March 25, 2007

Keely-

Hey, there! And happy birthday! See, I didn't forget? I've only been your sister for practically all your life, right? How am I going to forget? So, you're seventeen, eh? Seventeen… those were some good times, I'll tell you.

The weirdest thing happened to me the other day, Keely. I was sitting alone in the library down the street from here, just trying to get away from all the noise, right? Well, I was towards the back… in this corner, see? Well, there's a few tables, and they're kind of boxed in, in a way. On two sides of them, the west and north sides, are the walls of the library. On the east and south sides are bookshelves, so it almost makes this 30 by 30 foot square area, capiche? Well… anyway, I was sitting there, alone, looking over a book… when I could've sworn I heard somebody call my name. So I look up, but nobody's around. I just assume it was nothing, and I keep reading. When I hear the voice again, I decide to tentatively call out, to see if anyone's there. No answer. So, it happened a third time, and I got up. And there was nobody behind the shelves, nobody even near me. I'm guessing it's just somebody from here playing a prank on me, but it sure didn't feel like that, Keely. I can't describe it…

Do you know that feeling you get when you think people are watching you? That's the feeling I got in there. It was slightly unnerving… I couldn't shake it. Even though there was obviously nobody there, I still felt like they were watching me. I don't know who "they" are, but… I felt like there was somebody there. Like if it was dead quiet, I would have been able to hear them breathing. It scared me, Keely.

I still don't know what to do about Max, Keely. I mean, he's a sweet guy, really… but it's just so hard for me, you know? No… no you don't. You have Phil… but it's just so… ugh. I don't really expect you to understand. I think, against my better judgment, that I'm starting to subconsciously grow attached to him. Maybe something will happen soon... I guess time will tell.

A few nights ago, I dreamed of Bonnie. It was weird… it was like, I knew she was dead, but… she was acting like she was alive. And it almost seemed like she knew that she was dead… but she was acting just like she used to. And it wasn't like a nightmare, either. It was just like… a normal dream…

…Upon seeing your contact information on my laptop, Molly said that she has a cousin that lives in Pickford. Jacie Weaver, I think she said her name was… at 1489 Marron Way. Huh. Small world, eh?

Uh… dammit. I had something important to tell you, but I forgot… well, I'll let you know if I remember.

-Ashley

PS - This is what part of the alphabet would look like if Q and R were missing…

Ashley sighed and hit "send". A knock at the door sounded, and she got up to answer it.

"Hey, Max," she said, upon seeing him standing outside the door.

"Hey," he said, "just thought I'd stop by… see if you were up to anything…"

"Oh, no… nothing really. Uh, come on in…"

"So, just relaxing then?" Max asked, as he walked in. "Taking advantage of the break?"

"You know it," Ashley said, shutting the door behind him. "Just finished writin' an email to my sister… and now… just gonna relaaaaaaaaaax…" She collapsed on a chair, and sighed. She thought again about the person calling her name in the library. The feeling she got from it was just frightening.

Eventually coming back into reality, she looked at Max. "I never told you about my sister, did I, Max?"

"I'm sorry?" he said, jumping from his stupor.

"Did I ever tell you about my sister?"

"Oh, Keely? Yeah, I know a bit about her…"

"No, not Keely…"

"Oh… you have another sister?"

"Well… I think had would be a better term to use…"

"Why's that?"

"Well…" Ashley muttered, "she kind of… she kind of committed suicide… but… but that's not what I was going to say… see, I dreamed about her last night… only she was alive. And she was acting normal… but it was like we both knew that she was dead… The weird thing is, I didn't feel anything when I woke up. I didn't feel scared, I didn't feel sad, I didn't feel afraid… I just felt…"

"Flat?" Max suggested.

"Yeah… I don't know why I didn't tell you about her earlier… maybe I just didn't want to… maybe I just didn't feel like I could…"

"Well what would make you feel that way?"

"I don't know… probably Alex… I told you about Alex, right?"

"Yeah," Max replied, remembering Ashley mentioning her ex-boyfriend on a few occasions.

"Right… I guess I just… I don't know. I can't figure out what I'm thinking… Too much on my mind, I guess…"

A brief moment of silence followed, before Ashley spoke up again.

"I mean, it's not like I have anything against you, personally… I mean, you're a nice guy… and I know that you like me… and I like you, too, but it's just that… it's so hard for me…"

Max nodded slowly, and said, " 'More persons, on the whole, are humbugged by believing in nothing, than by believing too much.' …"

"Who said that?" Ashley asked, after a second.

"P. T. Barnum."

"Huh…"

"So, believe, Ashley! Believe in yourself. Believe that there's something better out there. Believe that somewhere in the world, a great new mystery or wonderful discovery is waiting. Believe in Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, and that dinosaurs still roam in the hidden valleys of South America and Africa. Believe in unicorns, pixies, and other mythical creatures… they probably dance in your backyard just before dawn. Believe in a thing called love, and believe that dreams really can come true!"

"Didn't P. T. Barnum also write, 'There's a sucker born every minute'?"

"Oh, thanks for ruining my nice thought with your cynicism…" Max said, shaking his head. "Anyway… I've heard that, but I've also heard that it isn't true…"

"Oh… sorry for ruining your little moment, there…"

"You're forgiven, Ash. Know why? Because I believe in you."

"Which makes me want to believe in myself more!" Ashley laughed. "…you know… maybe you're right… maybe I should believe in myself more… and maybe I should believe in you more…" She looked up at him, and smiled. "Maybe I should just believe…"

Max smiled back at her.

I'm stuck just like a pig
Roasting in your eyes
I believe anything that you want
You gotta teach me how to live
'Cause you make me wanna die
You took it all, now you're all I've got…

Words of wisdom from your tyrant mouth
Words of wisdom from your tyrant mouth…

"Tyrant" - The Bravery

So... yeah, just drop a review, or... yeah.