Controller of the Elements

Chapter 12 - Serena

PART 2

1 Year Later, July 8th

"Don't tell your friends, their parents may want to discuss this matter with them, and they probably will soon, but let's respect that."

I write exactly what my mother told me in the little notebook I found in my room. I wanted to start using it a while ago, but I never ended up doing that. I forgot about it during the whole school year, but I'm using it now.

He didn't say much to us. All he said is that he didn't "talk to the supernatural much." He said that he used them for "practice" instead. Weird, but we were thrown out. Honestly it wasn't as much of a life and death situation as it seemed to be at first.

Tammi walks into the room we share. "So, about Gwen," she says, sitting on the bed with me at the desk.

"She's gone," I say bitterly, "What about her?"

"Well, I asked mom a little bit more," she begins, "I just wanted to know how it happened, you know? I mean I guess in some people's eyes it's freaking creepy to wonder about the details-"

"It's not," I cut her off, "I mean, of course people don't die of old age then, and Gwen was your friend, so you wonder...so what did she say to you after that?"

"She said that she didn't know the entire details, and most she thought that we should talk about as a family because it could be very hard to handle and stuff, but she said that it was" - she makes air quotes -"very painful for Gwen."

I plop down on the bed next to her, and tears are in my eyes. "I just don't get it," I say.

"I don't either," my twin sister responds.

"No!" I say, "I don't get it! She was a ghost! The controller said she already was dead, technically speaking! So how can you die?"

And suddenly Tammi's rings.

"I'll get it!" Tammi says, even though it's her phone. She picks up. "Hello? Oh, hey, Madeline, yeah, yeah, our parents told us about Gwen" - there's a pause - "Wait? REALLY?" - There's a long pause on the phone - "Okay, okay, Oh my- okay, okay, let me just write this down - OH! No, evidence, well, okay then, uh, okay, Madeline, bye." She hangs up. My twin can see I'm edging to know what's going on, but she just says one thing: "No, Serena, you can't know. You're way too popular."