Just After Sunset

"I wish the brush could lift the artist."

-

Emily Hill had never given much thought to how she would die. It wasn't until she found herself hanging upside down in her dad's Dodge with her dead brother next to her that she realized just how sudden it could be, sweeping you off your feet before realization could ever come.

She sure as hell didn't think her life would turn out the way it did when she'd agreed to join her brother, who told her he would be going to a party. She never imagined Anthony's excessive drinking that night would cost him his life, nor did she think it would ultimately mean the beginning of hers.

Emily and Anthony had always shared a special bond. With him being two years older than his younger sister, he always made sure to look out for her. He drove her to school and waited for her last class to finish every day, took her out for ice cream when she'd had a bad day and more importantly, he relentlessly teased and made fun of her.

Anthony was due to graduate in two weeks when he'd asked his baby sister to come to a house party to celebrate the ending of his high school career. He was never a very good student, but still managed to keep up his grades just enough to pass every class. Apparently, the party he wanted to go to would consist of all juniors and seniors. With Emily becoming a junior in the upcoming fall, Anthony assured her it'd be a good thing to get to know the older kids in school. With all his talking and persuading, Emily actually got excited. She'd never been a big fan of crowds, but one night of fun never hurt anybody, right?

Looking back, she wished they'd never left the house that night.

"Tell me again why you think moving to Washington of all places was a good idea?" Emily asked as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

Her back was sore and her shoulders hurt from the almost twelve hour drive, but she'd kept her mouth shut about the constant, dull aches that seemed to constantly lurk ever since the accident three months ago.

John Hill glanced at his daughter from behind the wheel and offered her a small smile, "You know why."

"Yeah, yeah," Emily nodded, "I get it. Let's just get there in one piece, alright?"

It'd taken John a lot of convincing before Emily agreed to get in the car with him. She demanded to know why he wouldn't just book a flight, but John didn't want to spend the money he desperately needed to finish the house on plane tickets. Besides, taking the car meant they could bring multiple suitcases along for free.

Emily pushed a strand of yellow hair behind her ear as the father-daughter duo passed a large, moss-covered sign that read; FORKS, WASHINGTON. She shifted once again, turning her upper body to the right so she could properly look out the window. Trees taller than she'd ever seen as far as the eye could see, with a grey sky and more moss, dead leaves and broken treebranches along the side of the road offered a stark contrast to her old home, back in Las Vegas.

Soon, the two of them entered the more populated area in town. People walked along the sidewalk in slow, mellow paces and several cars drove by. Most of them looked fairly old, some of them had rustmarks along the bumpers, but one of them stood outt. It was a brand new, silver colored Volvo. Emily couldn't see the driver, but when she looked at the driver's seat window, a cold shiver suddenly coursed through her body. She quickly lowered her head, her eyes on her hands.

When John finally pulled up on the driveway, Emily immediately looked up. John gave her the key to the front door of their new Dutch colonial house and told her to go ahead and pick a room while he brought in the suitcases. She slowly got out of the car and took in the sight of the house, which looked a lot nicer than she'd expected.

The house had a gambrel roof and an asymmetrical facade. Five small steps led to the front door, which had been painted a deep shade of red.

On the inside, it was just as nice. The door swung open, revealing a long entryway that led towards the living room. Emily recognized some of their old furniture, but noticed her dad had also replaced certain things, like the coffee table and the dining chairs. The kitchen was spacious, with a white marble countertop and copper sink.

Upstairs were four rooms. Three bedrooms and a bathroom with a toilet, bathtub and a sink. Emily inspected each of the them, before finally deciding on the one that looked out into the woods. It had a large window with a broad windowsill for her to sit on. She noticed her bed already standing in the middle of it and couldn't help but smile softly. John knew his daughter well.

"I think I'm gonna order a pizza, that okay with you?" John asked while setting down the four large suitcases and duffle bag that belonged to his daughter.

"Sure," Emily nodded, "I'm going to start unpacking."

With a small nod, John had left the room. One of the things she loved about her dad, was that he didn't hover. Neither of them were very good st small talk and they both knew that about one another.

Emily grabbed the first suitcase and threw it on top of her bed. She unzipped it, revealing a bunch of summer clothes and flip flops. She looked at the contents of the case with a sad face, knowing she probably wouldn't get to wear any of the items inside for a while. Nonetheless, she took the time hanging up and folding every piece of clothing, taking the time to colour coordinate her closet before moving on to the next suitcase.

As the day turned into night, the Hills spent their time unpacking the rest of their stuff and properly setting up their rooms. They had a pepperoni pizza for dinner and watched some television afterwards, before both deciding to go to bed early. Even though it was Saturday night, Emily couldn't wait to get in her pyjamas and go to sleep. It'd been a long day and both Emily and John were exhausted.

Besides, school would start that following Monday and Emily couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach when thinking about it.