Status: Complete - February 22, 2018
Haunting Grey
Twenty-Four
I didn't know that I slept until sunlight wakes me. I sit up and look around my room, at the tornado that happened because of Natalie's anger.
The floors are bare.
Before I can process any of it, there's a knock on my door. Dad popped his head in, frowning.
"Are you okay?"
"Rough night," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "I had a dream about Natalie."
It's not a total lie, but he nodded anyway.
"I know this is tough for you, Trav. Maybe we can go see her today."
For atonement,, he means.
"Natalie wishes I'd died instead of her," I said softly from the passenger seat. "Maybe I was supposed to."
"What happened was terrible," he replied, his voice catching. "But why would you think that? Did Natalie say something? In your dream, I mean."
"Something like that," I muttered.
Once we're at the graveyard, I get out of the car. There's a chill in the air, and sometimes I wonder if it's something constant here, among the dead.
When we're at her grave, I sink to my knees, because I can't hold myself up any longer. I reached out to touch the words etched into the granite when I saw a flash from behind a tree. Natalie is here. I looked at my dad and told him so.
He misunderstands, of course.
"She's always with you, Travis." He pressed a hand against my shoulder, squeezing.
Natalie brushed her hand along my cheek, like she used to do when she was alive, and whispered, "Don't worry, Grey. I'll save room for you next to me. We'll be together again soon."
The floors are bare.
Before I can process any of it, there's a knock on my door. Dad popped his head in, frowning.
"Are you okay?"
"Rough night," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "I had a dream about Natalie."
It's not a total lie, but he nodded anyway.
"I know this is tough for you, Trav. Maybe we can go see her today."
For atonement,, he means.
**
"Natalie wishes I'd died instead of her," I said softly from the passenger seat. "Maybe I was supposed to."
"What happened was terrible," he replied, his voice catching. "But why would you think that? Did Natalie say something? In your dream, I mean."
"Something like that," I muttered.
Once we're at the graveyard, I get out of the car. There's a chill in the air, and sometimes I wonder if it's something constant here, among the dead.
When we're at her grave, I sink to my knees, because I can't hold myself up any longer. I reached out to touch the words etched into the granite when I saw a flash from behind a tree. Natalie is here. I looked at my dad and told him so.
He misunderstands, of course.
"She's always with you, Travis." He pressed a hand against my shoulder, squeezing.
Natalie brushed her hand along my cheek, like she used to do when she was alive, and whispered, "Don't worry, Grey. I'll save room for you next to me. We'll be together again soon."