Sacred.

“Good morning sunshine. Kayleigh, what are you wearing? Did you two… uhh… do it?” Tom burst into my room.

“Heywhat? No, Tom.” I replied.

“Whatever.” He left my room as quickly as he had come.

Kayleigh was still sleeping, and my guess was that she needed the rest, so I held her close, smelling her hair. Beautiful, long, black, layered locks. Damn, her hair smelt good. Minutes later, her eyelids fluttered open.

‘Morning beautiful.”

“Hey Bill.” She kissed my cheek.

“How are you?”

“Better than I have been in ages.”

“Yay.” I smiled.

“Well, I’m going for a shower.” She removed herself from my arms, then slipped on her nightie.

“Can I join you?” I asked cheekily.

“Ha, Tom would go nutso if he somehow found out.”

“Fine, I’ll wait then.” I poked out my tongue.

“Good boy.” She came over and patted me on the head.

“Woof.” I replied, making her giggle.

She disappeared from my room, and I got out of bed and threw on some clothes.

* * * * *

“Haha, sucked in!” I laughed at Tom for like, the one millionth time in the past few days.

It was Monday, and we were on our way to school.

“Whatever.” He grumbled.

“Grounded for a month!”

“Shut up!” he snarled, slowly losing his patience.

“Bahahaha.”

“I’m gonna punch you.”

That silenced me.

When we arrived at school, I sought out Kayleigh.

“Hey Kayleigh.” I kissed her.

“Mmm, hello Bill.”

Her thoughts seemed far away, and she had a black eye.

“What the hell happened?”

“Bill, calm down. Yeah, it was my Dad, but I’m going to do something about it all on Friday. Can we spend the week together, just me and you?”

“Yes, anything for you.”

I wrapped my arms around her tightly. So we spent the rest of the week with each other. I worried, but she seemed happier, now having a plan for Friday. No matter how many times I asked though, she refused to tell me what exactly she had intentions of doing.

Finally, Friday came.

“So, you wanna come over?” I asked her as we gathered our stuff to go home.

“No, I have something to do this arvo.” She smiled grimly.

“Oh, right. That. Well… that sucks.” Mmm, yeah. Here, Bill,” she handed me a folded piece of paper, “promise me you won’t read that until you get home?”

“I promise.”

“Well, I have to go now. Goodbye.”

She kissed me passionately, and I swear it was the best kiss we’d ever shared. After breaking away from me, she disappeared down the hall.

“Heya Bill, ready to go?” Tom came up beside me.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

“What’s that?” he asked, seeing the note in my hand.

“I don’t know yet.”

“Let’s get outta here.” We began our walk home.

When we arrived home, I dumped my stuff on my bed, then unfolded the note. It only held a few words, yet it packed the most powerful punch I’d ever received.

‘I can’t do this anymore. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.’

“Oh no. Oh, hell no!” I cried, flying out of my room.

“Bill?” Tom watched after me.

I ran out of the house, running in the direction of her Mum’s house. Her Mum would be working, and I knew she wasn’t at her Dad’s tonight.

“Bill? What the hell?” I could hear Tom’s feet pounding the asphalt behind me.

I had no time to reply, I needed to get to her now. We got to her house, thank God it was unlocked. I ran up the stairs and into her room. She was sitting on her bed.

“Kayleigh!” I ran to her side.

She winced as she turned her head to look at me. Gaping, bleeding cuts tore the side of her neck. Her arms had been cut deeply, and in a zigzag pattern, making the veins irreparable.

“Bill…” she whispered.

“Kayleigh. No.” I sat beside her, cradling her close.

“I’m so sorry.” Her voice was barely audible.

“No, Kayleigh.”

“Do you hate me?”

“Never.” I could feel the tears in my eyes.

I lowered my lips to hers. One final kiss.

“I love you.” She whispered when I pulled away.

“I love you too.”

And with that, she allowed her eyelids to fall closed.

“She’s gone, Tom. She’s gone.” I muttered, barely able to believe it myself.

“God, Bill, I’m so sorry.”

I continued to cradle her body against mine.

“Hey, maybe you should see this.” He brought a piece of paper and a CD in a cracked case to me.

“What is it?” I asked.

“For you, not me.” He set them down beside me.

Although my fingers were blood soaked, I picked up the note and unfolded it carefully.

‘To Bill,

There’s a lot of things you didn’t know. Why my parents divorced is one. Dad had been doing what he did to me to Mum for far longer, and in actual fact, I was the product of this abuse. Then he began to use me when I was ten. About three weeks ago, I found out that I was actually four weeks pregnant with his child. I cannot physically kill a child, neither can I live if I bear one. Believe me, you are the first and only one I will ever love. The CD, I got recorded about a month ago. It’s all the music I would have produced had I grown up. I want you to have it. And don’t give up your music dream. Just because I can’t achieve mine, doesn’t mean you can’t achieve yours. I know you can make it. I believe in you, I always did.

All my love, forever.

Kayleigh. ♥’

The tears were streaming down my cheeks. How could I live without her? She was my love, my life, my all.

“God Bill, I’m so sorry.” Tom’s voice was so sympathetic.

“Call an ambulance. They can take her away.” I laid my cheek on hers.

She was going cold already.