Memories From a Dead Girl

"Olivia?"

Chloe's eyes closed, but her voice stayed with me. I couldn't tell her that I was here, but she knew and it made me incredibly glad for that fact. And even though she couldn't see me, she felt me, and that was enough to make my non-existing heart expand with joy.

"Olivia, you're here, aren't you?"

"Yes," I said. "I'm here. I'm with you." I looked back at the water. "Don't do that again. You don't want to die. If you did, you'd never get to be with me. You'd know what happened, but you could never tell anyone."

"She's not here, Chloe." Austin's tone was gentle, as he touched her face with his hand. "We should go back to your apartment now. I'll make you some tea and cook you dinner."

Chloe didn't answer. Instead, she pressed her lips to Austin's. I couldn't look away and couldn't feel angry or jealous, because I knew what it meant. It was because she was thankful that he was here, with her.

I knew that, even after my death, he would take care of her.

Back at the apartment, Austin watched Chloe while she slept. While she let her mind and body rest, curled up on the couch, he left the living room and went into the bathroom. Looking at himself in the mirror, with me behind him, we both saw his reflection and how tired, how different he was. Austin put his hands on the sink and leaned his head against the glass. Then his shoulders trembled.

"You should be here," he said, his voice shaking. "This shouldn't have happened, but I promise we'll figure it out." He stared at himself in the glass, his lips twisting. "Then I really will go to jail for murder, because I will find who did this and kill them."