Ghastly revelations.

The night?s wind made her bangs tremble against her face as she curled up in the fetal position with her butt on the curb. She watched the street with an intensity painted over her mousy little expression, but more importantly, a man walking towards, and about to brave the crosswalk. ??thirteen?twelve?eleven?? she counted down as if a bomb was going to go off. ?Ten?nine?eight?? Arms raveled around her legs with hands tucked beneath the sleeves of her hoodie, and she picked lightly at the fabric, face void of emotion. ??seven?six?five?four?? she continued, watching headlights come into view, speeding right past her. ??three?two?one??

The screech of tires rang out and a sickening crunch and cracking noise of someone going completely over the car and smacking the ground on the other side. The car skidded to a stop, still and quiet save for the purr of the engine and the sound of her cool breath in the hot night air. Soon, the door opened and a woman came stumbling out of the car. ?Oh my god? oh, no. Nononono?!?

Her limbs untangled and she stood to her feet, looking after it. The car left a smell of burnt rubber in the humid night air, and the man was still. She turned away, throat seizing as she swallowed hard and began walking away without so much as a second thought. ?Hey! Ridian!? a voice of the feminine variety snuck up on her as she continued her stride. ??you could?ve warned that guy??

Voodoo didn?t bother to turn around, she kept walking and offered the mildest shake of her head. ?Wouldn?t believe me?? she said softly, playing with her sleeves. Her gym shoes smacked against the wet ground, and she looked down at her feet, watching her lonely shadow grow beneath the lamplight.

?How do you know?? asked the voice. ?You didn?t even try? So how can you know, Rid??

After a safe distance, Voodoo spun around and looked at the girl. She was a few inches taller, with long auburn hair that most girls would kill for. Her eyes were a bright blue that rivaled Voo?s resting on a pale complexion littered with freckles. ?Because, Lexi?? she started, fists clenched with annoyance, a bit of emotion displayed on her face. ?I?ve done it a million times,? she whispered through her teeth. ?I tell someone not to go somewhere, they make fun of me or look at me like I?m an idiot?and then bad things happen, and somehow it?s my fault.?

Her friend?s brow furrowed and she took a step back. ?Geez, Rid?? she said, hand coming up as she scoffed lightly and slowly lowered them. ?Take it down a notch, will ya? I didn?t know.?

?How? How can you not know?? asked Voodoo with narrowed eyes, tossing her own hands up and letting them fall, defeated. ?You?re always around! You never leave!? she said, before turning back around to walk and get to wherever in hell she was headed. Slow breaths were taken as she regained that emotionally void stature once more.

?I guess I just missed the part where you gave up on yourself?? Lexi said, almost sadly as she continued to follow after her.

Another spin around, and there was a dumbfounded smile on her face as she bitterly half-chuckled her response, ?Is that what you think?? She ran her fingers through her hair, knocking down the dark hood and exposing those dodger blue locks. ?I didn?t give up on myself, Lexi,? she replied, shaking her head. Back to the curb she went, curling her limbs closer to herself and hugging them with sleeved hands. ?I gave up on other people.?

?And me?? she asked, sitting next to Voodoo and curling up in a similar fashion. ?Did you give up on me, too??

Wincing, her eyes went back down to her shadow, ?Lexi?? she whispered almost painfully.

The redhead laughed lightly, ?You remember when we were kids? And I got made fun of because my clothes had holes in them?? she asked, biting her lip as she stared over at her friend. ??remember what you did??

Meridian glanced over at her, brushing a bit of hair from her face and then averting her eyes. ?No,? she lied softly.

?I do,? chimed Lexi. ?Any normal friend would?ve just punched the kid in the nose, but not you?? she looked up at the sky. ?You showed up the next day in your nicest clothes?? Then she was laughing, cupping her hand over her mouth. ??and you cut like...a thousand holes into them!? You remember that?? she asked desperately.

A soft sigh escaped her, ?Yeah? Yeah, Lexi, I remember.?

?You remember what I said to you??

?You said?? Eyes ticked to the stars as she tried to recall it. They were probably seven or eight back then, which wasn?t an eternity, but it had been some years. ?Your grandma is gonna be piiiiiiissed.?

There was pride written on her face as Ridian recited her words. ?And she was! I heard her yelling from my camper!? cackled Lexi. Turning her eyes back from the sky, Lexi looked over at her and slanted a hopeful smile. ?Do you think that we?ll ever be that way again??

Letting her eyes fall back to meet Lexi?s gaze, her stare lingered over her expression for a moment as the two sat side-by-side. ?No,? she said in a flat tone.

Immediately tears began to well in those eyes as Lexi got an answer she wasn?t looking for. She opened her mouth, closed it, and finally uttered a weak, ?Why not?? her voice cracked as she threatened to begin sobbing.

Looking away from the heartbreaking face, her eyes trailed down to her feet once more. She stared at the way her shadow seemed to extend off of her, fueled by the light directly behind them. Then her eyes ticked lightly to the right where would lay the reason behind the answer she gave. Not a single shred of a shadow extended off of her friend?s form. ??because you?re not real, Lexi??

The day everything went numb... --Part Two.

8:31pm?


Just up ahead stood Lexi, and Meridian couldn?t help but roll her eyes. Her friend was wearing her favorite pink jacket, one that she?d been looking for before coming out. If she hadn?t been looking for the garment she wouldn?t have ran so late. Something told her that Lexi put it on just to bother her, so she wouldn?t let it.

Kicking up some rocky gravel, she pursed her lips lightly because she?d have to clean her shoes when she got home. Still, when she saw Lexi obliviously looking around, she couldn?t contain herself. A smile broke her face, threatening to split it in two as she began moving at a quicker pace but stepping light so that she could sneak up on the girl. The sound of a truck backfiring rang out, and then again, and again? Flashes of light brightened the night sky, and it didn?t take long for her to realize they were gunshots.

She covered her ears and fell into a crouch, eyes squeezing shut. Was something going down? Was that why she got the feeling to come here? The sound of a truck peeling off rang out and she looked up to see Lexi on her knees as her hands fell away from her ears. She carefully crawled towards her still in a crouch, her clothes the last thing on her mind. ?Lexi?? she whispered a hiss. ?Are you okay? Did you see what happened?? she asked softly, her eyes trailing around to see who the victim was.

Meridian gave Lexi a little shake and her friend turned her head to face her. There was something off about her face, a mixture of sadness and something she?d never seen before worn on the gingersnap; fear. ?Lexi?? she asked, slowly her eyes trailed down to the girl?s hands which were pressed hard against her stomach. ?Lex..?? Stupefied. That was the only way to explain Meridian in that moment as she watched the blood seeping through the creases of Lexi?s fingers. ?No?? she half whispered. Who in their right mind would want to shoot a child? For what reason? Why Lexi? The thought that the redhead was even a target didn?t even cross her mind until she saw the look on her friend?s face. The taller of the two began to fall back, and Meridian caught her and slowly lowered her to the ground, keeping her knee beneath the girl?s head while she tore off her own jacket and bunched it up to replace her limb.

?Hold on. Just? hold on!? she pleaded as Lexi?s bloody hand groped at Meridian?s clothes. She looked at the redhead?s stomach and then to her face as she gasped desperately for air, fumbling for something to hold onto. Her hand fitted into Lexi?s and she trembled almost violently. ?Somebody help!? she screamed in a raspy, frantic voice. ?Somebody!!? she begged. ??please!? her voice died down as Lexi?s hysterical gasps did. Their eyes met and she watched the life in them disappear into the drain of a pupil. She continued to clutch her hand tightly, even as the grip became one sided.

?Meridian!? barked Ana. ?You need to calm down, okay?? she said, gripping the girl?s face and gently stroking her hair. The older woman looked at the small child, aged fingers running through her hair and petting the sides of her face. The entire crowd had been caught up in her outburst, but one redhead was staring her down with arms folded over her chest. ?Calm down, child..? she cooed to the girl who had previously been screaming, making outlandish claims and holding her own head. There was a heartbroken look on Ana?s face, seeing her grandchild in such a state wasn?t so easy a pill to swallow. She looked at Meridian with those eerie pale blues, and swallowed hard?as if she wanted to cry, but forced it away. ?You went through something very traumatic, Meridian? It?s natural that you might think??

The girl shook her head, shrugging away from Ana?s grasp, not hearing a word of it. ?No! I?m not crazy!? cried Meridian. ?I?m not!? she yelled. ?Lexi is still here,? she yelled out, pointing to a spot near the campfire. ?She?s right there!? That particular spot would appear empty to all those gazing upon it, but for her, she saw a little redheaded child staring back. She looked fearful and confused, but hadn?t a scratch on her?which was more than could be said for the corpse she?d left behind. ?Why can?t any of you see her?! Please see her!? she yelled. ?She?s right there, and she wants you to see her!? her tone pleading them to open their eyes. Meridian felt as if she couldn?t get a breath in, ?Please, you have t?? silenced by the feel of the redhead?s hand slapping her face.

Miranda bent to get to eye level with her. ?You?re not funny, or cute,? she hissed. ?My sister is dead.? The last word dripping from her tongue like a sad, bitter and corrosive liquid. ?I watched them put her in the ground, and I don?t need you making it harder on me,? all the murmurs had fallen silent, and it was as if it was only the two of them just then. ?I know that you went through something, too?but you need to get it together, because I?m done hearing it. Done!? she hissed. Then she stood upright, looking down at the ten-year-old who?d been holding her cheek. Her head turned to stare at Ana. ?And you need to stop babying her,? with that, she turned away.

As if ignoring everything Miranda had said there at the end, Ana wrapped her arms around Meridian?s shoulders. ?Come, child. Let?s fix you something to eat..?