This Tragic Affair

The next morning, Ronnie was at my doorstep, bright and early. For some reason, he was in a suit.

"Ready?" he asked as he stepped through the doorway.

"For what? And what's with the suit? Dressed to kill or dressed to impress?" I snickered.

"Kill, I guess," he responded, almost dully. "It's August seventeenth, after all."

"What? Dia de los muertos* or something?" I honestly couldn't figure it out. What was up with Ronnie? All somber and in a suit. [A very nice suit...]

"You honestly don't remember," he sighed, more than asked. "August seventeenth, midday doesn't ring any bells in your head? Funeral bells?"

The air left my lungs. I was getting buried today. Did I really want to go? I was afraid of relapsing into my previous behavior, but I was more afraid of what might happen if I didn't go. This was closure. I needed closure.

"Alright," I squeaked, barely recognizing my own voice. "Give me a second." I staggered blindly out of the room and down the hall, arriving at my closet.

"Dressed to kill," I murmured as I searched the racks. After a moment, a sudden movement from the very back of the rack caught my eye. I didn't remember anything being there before, so I checked to see what might have fallen back there.

Brushing aside various shirts and jackets, my eyes fell upon a long black strapless gown. The lower part of the bodice of the gown was covered by a dark red sash. The hem of the dress looked like it would end up just above my calves. Sitting on the floor below it was a pair of black strapped heels.

It was odd how similar this was to the Helena dress, but I saw it was fitting. I was a bit honored, really.

Throwing it on, I hurried with my hair and makeup so I wouldn't keep Ronnie waiting. I put on a thick layer of eyeliner, straightened my hair, and added a silver clip. Checking to make sure I still had on my heart pendant [which I hadn't taken off since I got it], I slid on a long pair of black gloves and headed out to the living room.

"Alright," I sighed. "Let's do this." I grabbed my key and led Ronnie back down the hall. Pulling the door open, I kneeled down and fumbled with the lock in the floor. The surprisingly loud click of it filled my ears and echoed in my head as I propped open the hatch.

I sat, staring into the world it revealed. I couldn't see anything more than a white haze. I ripped my eyes from it and glanced at Ronnie. He had the same sullen expression he had as when I greeted him earlier. I fumbled for his hand, having a strange feeling that if I went down by myself, I wouldn't come back. I trusted Ronnie and for some reason his touch was a comfort to me.

Still unsure, but not having anymore time to bide, I lowered myself into the misty unknown.