Number fifteen: Secrets.
Pairing: None.
Disclaimer: See chapter one.
...
There was a slight breeze in the air as Annie Shan pushed open the rusty gate of the graveyard and slowly walked inside. The sun was high and bright in the sky, making everything glow softly, the small meadow flowers that bloomed around the graveyard, the old oak trees that sat like guardians in the corners, and the mossy headstones.
It had been a year since Darren's death, but Annie still visited his grave every week, to keep him updated on her life and the life of his friends and family. No one knew she did this, this secret frequent visit, and she liked it that way.
As Annie neared Darren's grave – set in the corner of the graveyard, close to one of the guardian oaks – she felt the familiar feeling of loss, and had to stop briefly to catch her breath: the sight of his grave always made her gasp sharply, to lose her breath momentarily, and she always had to stop, to regain control of herself before continuing on.
A few meadow flowers had grown close to his grave, and Annie stopped to pick some before sitting cross-legged in front of the smooth headstone. She laid the delicate flowers at the base of the stone and gently traced her fingers over the engraving of her brother's name, "Hey, Darren." She whispered, looking around herself to make sure no one was nearby.
Annie sat in silence for a while; head bowed, hands clasped neatly in her lap, before she looked back up at the headstone and grinned, "I got an A in my English assessment." She paused before continuing, "We had to write about a classic horror novel, and I decided to do Dracula, because I know you would have loved it..." Annie sighed, "The teacher loved it, said I understood the story very well, and I said that was because you told me all about it before you died..."
Birds sang in the trees, insects buzzed busily through the plants, the graveyard – ironically – was full of life. But Annie couldn't shake the feeling of being alone. Completely alone.
She loved and cherished these secret visits.
But they always caused more pain than she could have ever imagined. The visits to the graveyard only reconfirmed the fact that her beloved brother was dead and she would never get him back.
Not in her lifetime.