The Life and Death of William Grace

Three months ago I knew nothing of the strange world we live in, I was your everyday teenager, hanging with friends, mouthing off to my parents and causing trouble as often as I could. A regular kid, right? Yeah well that was three months ago.

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Blake, Lucy and I were hanging around the rocky cliffs facing out to sea as normal. We just kind of sat there for a while in silence, “Hey guys…” I heard Lucy’s soft voice, it pulled me out of my pondering. I was constantly day dreaming –thinking of my birth parents.

“Yeah, Luce?” Blake responded. I looked over towards Lucy, the bright midday sun making her stand out with her straight black hair. She looked down at her hands picking at a stray strand on her fingerless gloves before looking up at each of us.

“Do you think… Do you think we could stay like this forever?” She looked back up to find both of us staring at her with puzzled faces.

“What do you mean, Stay like what forever?” I asked curious. A strong breeze picked up, as if to snatch my words away. I glanced at Blake, his moose brown hair spiked up, my grey eyed gaze meeting his green one.

“Stay friends forever, let nothing come between us foster friends forever.” Lucy smiled her light blue eyes alight with happiness, “Okay?”

I couldn’t resist, I grinned a lopsided grin at her and Blake. “Sure! Foster friends forever, right Blake?” I snatched Lucy’s pale hand and held it in mine before reaching out my other hand to Blake. Lucy mimicked my outstretched arm.

He looked at our outstretched hands and smiled his usual sharp toothed grin before grabbing our hands, “how ‘bout a blood pact to seal the deal, dudes?”

“Blood pact?” Lucy asked, I heard a flicker of emotion in her voice but shrugged it off, “you mean like blood brothers?”

“Yeah, we share blood and it’s a way of ensuring we’re together forever. I read it in a comic,” he smiled and pulled out his penknife. Blake always read comics or books about vampires and werewolves, in a way the brown haired boy was obsessed.

“Isn’t blood meant to be powerful stuff though? Like if they had your blood they can control you or something?” Lucy asked her voice wavering.

“Nah Luce, that’s just in books, stuff like that isn’t real you guys are just paranoid.” I smirked and grabbed the knife from Blake, “how we gonna do it B?”

“Hmm…Across the finger tips like in Darren Shan?” He grinned and I could’ve sworn his eyes glowed.

“You’re so much like Steve, I swear. No that would hurt too much and take ages to heal, rendering our hands useless,” I thought for a moment, “how ‘bout just a slash across the palm?”

“Sounds simple enough”

I looked sideways out to sea and roughly drew the knife across my palm, handing the knife to Blake I winced, “Do it quickly.” He nodded, glancing at the blood swelling on my palm. Slowly Blake drew the knife across his palm, I winced looking at the knife cutting into his flesh, why was he doing it so slowly?
Eventually Blake passed the knife to Lucy and she quickly slashed across her palm.

“Now what?” Lucy asked.

“Give us your hand, we’ll do it first.” Blake answered grabbing Lucy’s hand. He held her hand with his cut one and then did the same to me and I to her. “Now we’re blood siblings!” Laughed Blake, slinging his arms around our shoulders.
I grinned from ear to ear and I knew Lucy was doing the same, “Bonded forever,” Lucy whispered staring out to sea.

As long as forever lasts, the words appeared in my head I felt like I had to say them or the moment would be lost. “As long as forever lasts,” I whispered to the sea, the wind picking up and blowing our hair. Lucy was in front of me at the edge of the cliff, she turned and smiled. It looked like she had wings, angel wings.

“Friends forever!” Blake crowed into the wind, before racing down to the beach.

Little did we know that in three months, our lives would be thrown apart and one of us would be dead.