In Life And Death

It’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon, not a cloud in the sky and the sun shining down warmly while the cool breeze kept everyone cool. On days like this Heather likes to go to the park, not to play or talk to anyone, but to sit under the same tree and read her favorite Twilight book.

So there she was, as usual, under the same tree curled up and reading under the cool shade of the tree. She could stay there reading for hours without ever moving. The only thing that would move is her hands turning the pages, her green eyes moving back and forth and her mouth gently mumbling the words the was reading.

“H-Hey Heather.” A guy’s voice gently spoke with hesitation. She slowly lifted her head away from the book and looked at him with her fair skinned face. Her big green eyes not breaking away from the book until the very moment her head was looking directly at him. Her eyes slowly made their way from the book to the green grass under his feet and slowly rose locking her eyes to his through her pink banks running over her face.

“Hey Andy.” Her soft spoken words like a cool summer breeze nearly a whispered out of her pink lips.
“A bunch of us were going to go to the lake and cool off, wanna come with?” His words almost like talking to a frightened kitten trying not to scare her away.
“No, I’m good, thanks.” She replied a little louder than before. She put her index finger on the page she was ok and held the book in one hard.
“Are you sure? If you need a swimming suit my sister is about the same size as you, you can borrow hers.” He took a step forward and tried to persuade her.
“Yeah no, I’m sure. I’m almost done with my book and swimming will ruin my makeup. So it’s ok I’ll come some other time.” Her voice riddled with lies. She wanted to go, she was ready to go, but she was simply too shy to come out and say it. Just a few more words and she would go, just a few.
“Well… ok, we’re going to be there for a while, so if you finish your book catch us ok?”
She hesitated a little too long; he started walking away before she could reply and his eye broke away from her and turned away. “Wait! I’ll come, I’d love to come.” Her mind spoke, but her lips never opened. She could never speak her mind directly. She could write her mind, but never speak it.
A little mad at herself she just buried herself back in her book instead of getting up and going to the lake. Shyness was a curse for her. Her mind and body could never connect well enough to do what she wanted.

A few hours passed, night fell fast. She was still in the same curled up position reading her book. Her mind was still begging her to go to the lake and have some fun. She finally gave in, put the book in her small purse, got up and stretched her stiff little body and began walking to the lake.

As she walked down the small road with only half the lampposts working and the other half flickering, she felt cold and scared. Clutching her purse firmly she had heard stories of purse snatchers this late in the park, but she wasn’t too worried, soon she was doing to be with Andy and he will keep her safe. Andy was one of the few people who didn’t see Heather and ignore her. Instead he would always go up to her and talk to her, whenever, wherever, he always would.

The cold night wind blew her somewhat short pink and black dress all over the place sending chills wherever it reached her. Just as she was about to give up on the lake and just go home she heard loud music playing and the lake was just over the small hill up ahead. She walked a little faster and saw Andy and a bunch of his friends swimming in the lake and warming up to a bonfire they’d probably started.

She walked hesitant of the people she’d never seen before, but Andy was there. He could introduce her to everyone and then she could have some fun like all the normal kids. For a few minutes she stood by the bonfire waiting for Andy to get out of the water and notice her. No one seemed to pay any attention to her. It was as if she wasn’t even there.

Two kids were sitting by the bonfire as well, but with their hands all over each other under a blanket they wouldn’t notice an elephant, let alone little Heather. Some other kids were in the lake, she couldn’t make out how many, but at least six or so. She sat down on an old log near the bonfire just watching the flames pop and burn almost hypnotized, she was always captivated by the small things in life.

“Heather? You made it!” he walked out of the lake naked. Heather tried to keep her eyes on his, but every not and then they would dart lower and back up. “Hey, wanna join us? My sister isn’t here, but good new! You don’t need a swimming suit anymore, ha-ha” He walked wobbly to a nearby cooler and grabbed a couple of beers. “Here catch!” He tossed a beer well away from Heather. “Wops, oh well there goes my throwing arm! Hah” he opened his beer, drank half of it and threw the other half in the fire.

At this point Heather was speechless. She never drank. She had never even been to a party. She enjoyed her books much more than drinking.
“Come on Heather! Get in the water; we’re having hella good time!” He shouted lightly.
“Amm... I’m good, thanks.” Her soft voice drowned out by the sound of the flame.
“What?” He walked over to her and knelled looking at her. “Come on Heather, all the cool kids are here. Do this one thing and you’ll be in with them. Don’t you want to be cool and popular?” His breath smelled like cheap beer and cigarettes.
“I… guess” she looked away and put her purse down.
“Great!” he clapped his hand loudly right next to her face startling her.

She got up slowly, he got up with her clearly exited to see her take off her clothes he took a step back and stared at her. She was very hesitant but slowly took of her straps on her pink and black dress. Holding onto the front of her dress not letting it fall off just yet she asked him “Do I have to be naked?” with more fear in her voice them shyness.”Well, yeah you have to be at least topless to make it skinny dipping.” He replied eyeing her straps and chest. “Well… ok.” She let the dress slide off and down to her feet. She felt colder than ever standing, shivering next to the bonfire. As she started to undo her bra she heard moaning coming from her right where those two kids were earlier, she knew what was going on, but too shy to actually turn her head and look to make sure. With a slight taping sound she undid her bra and threw it to one side.

At that moment Andy quickly took a few steps towards her. She flinched and took a step back in fear and he reached for her. He took her hand and pulled her to the lake where three people were swimming. With a swift tug he broke Andy’s grip on her hand. “What’s the matter?” he asked her. “I don’t know if I want to do this.” she replied with a cold stutter. “I told these guys you were cool, come on it’s just a swim.” His words directed at her ears but his eyes nowhere near them.

“I don’t know…” she stuttered and crossed her arms for warmth. “Well fine, be that way!” he yelled lightly and dove in the lake. She stood there looking at them and shivering as so many thought ran through her mind. She got this far, taking a swim won’t be much more. If she did this one thing then she might finally have some friends. Finally, she took a deep breath and for once did something without thinking and just dove in the lake.

At first the water felt like ice, but then as she swam her way to Andy and his friend it didn’t feel that bad, a little refreshing at that. She made her way to Andy and finally had a clear view of the people. There were three guys and a girl. The guys looked like the usual assholes and the girl had all her makeup running down her face, which reminded Heather of her own makeup and how bad it must be now. She didn’t really give it a second thought. She was happy to have some people to finally “hang out” with.

“Who’s the cutie?” The long haired guy with his arms all over the only other girl in the lake asked.
“This is Heather, she’s cool.” Andy answered with his arm around Heather.
“More like HOT!” the girl replied and they all gave a small chuckle, all except Heather of course. She was more scared than ever, but hiding it well.
“Oh, thank you.” Heather replied trying not to sound sarcastic.
“Come on heather, be friendly they don’t bite… much” Andy forcefully told heather.
She was totally speechless and this moment. Andy swam behind her and grabbed her arms tight and kissed the side of her neck. “Come on, be nice and you’ll have friend for life!” He whispered. She tried to kick him off her, but that just made him grab her tighter. One of the guys swam in and grabbed her by the waste and forcefully pulled of her bottoms. She tried to scream at this point, but someone had put his hand over her mouth and shut it tight. “Come on Heather, we’ll show you what friends are really like!” He stressed every other word and held her arms tighter and painfully. She shut her eyes from the pain and trying to scream, but couldn’t. Even if she could, no one would hear her and they knew that.

Suddenly she felt someone or something tying up her angles and could no longer move them. Andy bent to one side and forced her in a bend over position with her head in the water. She was still holding her eyes shut, when suddenly she felt something she had never felt before. It was someone being inside her from behind. She fought as hand as she could but she could not get free and started crying out of control, but her screams were muffled by someone’s hand and the water above her dead. All she could hear was the sound of laughter and muffled under water sound of someone hitting against her.

She tried to scream again even louder, but it was no use. She wasn’t screaming to be free this time. She was just screaming to breathe. She was held underwater and was slowly started to fade away. She could not help but faint with no air, everything started fading away. She stopped feeling someone in her, she stopped hearing the laughter and everything just went black.
Silence.

Suddenly she woke up lying on the ground naked. She still heard the laughter echoing in her head and the sound of water. Still scared she didn’t open her eyes but lay on the ground for a minute until she realized there was no one holding her hands and no one in her.

She slowly opened her eyes and saw dark blue lights all around. She looked up and she was under water. The water didn’t feel like water, it felt like air. The laughter faded away. She took a few deep breaths and stood up. She flinched a few times from the pain she still felt. She opened her mouth to speak and spit out bubbles. She tries to scream but all that came out were muffled sounds and bubbles.

Her heart pounded in her head. She started talking towards the where the bonfire was. Walking along the hollow lake she touched the surface of the water and glided her hand across it. Soon after she got out of the lake, but something was wrong. She could not breathe and started to feel that drowning feeling again. The collapsed to the button of the lake again and started to breath. She tried to get out again, but it was no use. She is bound to the lake until her dead body is found.

December 3rd, 1990. Missing girl Heather Walls was last spotted in the national park late Sunday night and never came back home or was seen again.