The Letters You Left

T h r e e

One Week Later

This time, I got a letter in the mail. There was no instruction of when to open it, another red envelope with fancy writing. Jenna Stevens, 45 Smith rd. I wondered if Lucas would be around again to talk about the letters, but I doubted it. I looked down at Noel, she had no idea what was going on. I couldn't believe I got the random thought of having a dog and here I was, with Noel just a week later. She went to her bed and laid down, I sat down in the living room chair. My favorite spot in the whole house, right here in the window. I pulled out the letter:

Jenna,

There are a lot of busy people in London, I'm starting to believe I'll feel lost all of my trip. It kinda makes me feel like we did when we were in the airport. I got to ride in a London bus, it was pretty cool. I bet you'd enjoy every second of this. I should book a flight home for Christmas and come get you, that is, if you want. We can go to NYC together and then, you can go home and not miss me as much. I think of you everyday, even when I try not to. You're just the girl who always makes me smile and laugh. You get my jokes and let me rant to you about silly things. I don't know anyone here and I constantly feel alone. This was a mistake not to bring you, at this point I guess I better: PLEASE COME TO NEW YORK, I will be arrive there on December 27th and stay until January 4th. Please say you will, I'm no longer the one who can wait until after I get back. Big surprise huh? Anyway, I hope I'll see you somewhere in New York.

I picked up a sheet of loose leaf paper I had lying around, I grabbed an envelope from my closet and quickly wrote down the London address. I turned back to my loose leaf, and began writing carefully:

Everett,

Okay, okay first off I don't want to rant to you or yell. BUT, WHAT THE HECK? - Sorry. When you left I was sure I'd get a text or you'd show up at random after being a ghost for a few days per usual. BUT YOU WENT TO SCOTLAND? AND LONDON? I did get the first letter but no address so this isn't a late reaction, I just wish I could give you the most angry look I have right now. I thought you were saving that trip for us, you always talked about it last year and then.. how long have you been planning to do this? How much money did it cost? Also, I'm changing the subject, I got a beagle her name is Noel. SO, come home for Christmas and come get me AND you can meet the dog. My Mom believes you'll be around so, COME HOME.

Also, you've been gone for so long I'll probably die if you don't. I'm so lonely I thought I'd get a cat, then I thought of you and I was like, dog, beagle. So I found Noel, after I decorated for Christmas too! She's perfect and cute and she was already trained and everything. She can roll over, shake hands, sit, lay etc. Are you desperate yet? You better be. Anyway, if I keep writing this letter I will say too much and you'll be like: "Yep, got all of Jenna's months so, I don't need to see her, I'm gonna go travel the world and you know what? She can wait until next Christmas to see me because by then, she'll have five beagles for me to come home to!" SO, I'm not going to give you everything. I got a dog, I miss you. THAT'S IT. - Jenna :)

I put some more food in Noel's bowl and went upstairs, I swung the Master Bedroom door open. I went over to the window, it was my second favorite. You got an overview of the lake from up here, the peaceful water the huge hill on the other side. I opened one of the drawers of my dresser, and pulled out an ornament Everett made me I forgot I put it here. It was an ornament with JENNA written on it and Santa holding it, I still have no idea how he made it but, it's pretty cool.

I headed back downstairs, I heard a car pull into the driveway. I carefully put the ornament on the tree. It looked alright, to me. "Move it over some," Everett said a year ago. "It's blocking one." Someone knocked on the door. I ran over into the kitchen, Lucas. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon," I said, but his expression showed he wasn't in a cheery mood like last time. "Jenna, I need your help."

"What do you mean no contact?" I asked, it had been twenty minutes. Lucas said he hadn't heard from Everett over the past few days. "It's just, he said he'd sent you a letter and then he also mentioned that he had intentions of heading somewhere before New York and that's it." My mind spun, possible outcomes. "Are you sure he did give hints? Sometimes he'd leave clues if he didn't want me to know where he was." I said, I was trying to stay calm, to breathe. How could I not stay calm, I've done it before when it came to Everett. Lucas shook his head. "Don't worry too much Jenna, he's probably around somewhere." Somewhere, where ever somewhere was, skipping jumping in Dominican. School playgrounds, parking lots, my house, his house. We've been everywhere. "We live in our own world." Stars hanging in the night sky on that last drive home. The unspoken words, the forgotten memories. "I need to find him," I said. I knew, I knew he wasn't coming home.

The broken box of memories laid on imaginary floors.