They had all seen the video, for the captor had turned the camera from Sara to the wall on which the film played. They were in shock at what they saw, the past that Sara had hid so well from them. Playing on the screen, the reporter told them everything, Sara's small face filling the screen confirming it all.
All was still within the room when Sara screamed out as the screen turned black. Slicing the silence like a light in the pitch dark. Her scream had startled them all, for it had been deathly silent for a long while. Her scream had caused them all to wonder how she had kept her secrets hidden in the dark, so far away from each of them.
But then again no one had ever asked why she was so attached to certain cases, why she felt so much for the victims, why she always put too much of herself into a case. Now they all knew. Sara had been a victim. And now she was again. Reliving a new hell.
The screen stayed dark for what seemed like forever. But then it turned up again, blaring white and blinding them. A slideshow appeared and began its reel. Picture upon picture of Sara. At work. At home. In bed. In the shower. Personal snippets of her life, stolen from her without her ever knowing.
He had followed her, stalked her, and manipulated a trust that she had never given out to begin with. He had stolen her with the sunrise. He had stolen her from them. He had taken her life and was playing with it. Fluctuating it with the flip of a coin.
Would she flip heads or tails? and which symbolized death and which life? Or would both flip and mean the same. Was it hopeless to think that they would see her alive again.
Pictures still faded across the screen. Sara smiling. Sara laughing. Sara frowning. Sara deep in thought. Every type of emotion splayed across the screen. And then came a short video clip. It showed a younger Sara smiling into the camera long silky hair curling around her face, her eyes were shining in the sunlight, and her voice spoke to them.
"There was a time when I thought that things would never stop getting worse. When finally the bottom would crumble from underneath me and I would fall forever into the bottomless chasm that was my life. But now, now I'm here and you guys have shown me that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Not only have you shown me that but you have brought me out of that tunnel and shown me that life is not always cruel. That life can get better if you only let it. And I just want to thank you all for that." Her voice breaks off but she recovers after a few moments and begins again, "I want to thank you for bringing beauty and spirit into my life. I want to thank you for teaching me how to love and trust again. But what I want to thank you most for is for teaching me how to live again. For without that I would be nothing." Her voice breaks off once more but then she regains her composure for the last time. "So here's to you guys. Here's to every memory that you've given me. Here's to us separatingand going off to college. Here's a goodbye that is not really a goodbye, for I will always be right here," Placing her hand on her heart, "with each you."
The clip ended with the face of a happy Sara with tears falling down her face. She smiled directly at the camera her hair blowing in the wind, the waves crashing behind her, seeming as if she were smiling at them. And then she faded away into the darkness.
A/N: Keep in mind that I have interpreted Sara's high school years to have been the best of her life. From her statement about being a "science geek" and the face that she made within that episode to have been a cover up. So therefore anything about a memory pertaining to high school is my own interpretation. For I believe that Sara should at least have four good years of memories to look back onto.
I apologize in advance if I do not update for a while (on any of my stories)as I have personal issues to attend to and will have no time to write.
Thank you. And as always reviews warm my heart.