Dawn Hollow

XXXV

The winter air froze his tears. The cold biting chill of the bitter moment took their words before they knew what to say. PJ's thumb rolled around the thorn of the rose in his white knuckles. Kane gripped his other hand tightly to hold back tears. He didn't even know him that well, but at the exact same time, he felt like they'd been friends. Joseph's head was buried in Erica's jacket, sniffles and bitten-back tears releasing from her coat every now and then. Ella was there too, her arm around Erica's shoulders. She felt she needed to be there, like she was slightly responsible for this even happening.

    For them to be at the Dawn Hollow Cemetery.

    Standing in front of a tombstone with a familiar name.

    Noach Hans Jenssen.

    This shouldn't have happened. This wasn't meant for him. It was not his time.

    PJ lowered the rose to the dirt floor over his ashes. The flora hugged it tightly, representing the love his friends and family remembered of him. It wasn't fair. It never was.

    One by one, they forced themselves away from the grave. They knew the longer they stared, the worse they'd become. First, it was Ella, followed by Erica. PJ was next to leave as the pain grew greater. Finally left were Kane and Joseph, the no-longer twin. "I'm sorry," Kane whispered, "He died saving me. I...should never have let that happen."

    "No," Joseph shook his head lowly. "You did the right thing. Noah wouldn't have been able to live with himself if you had died. Especially when he knew that you made PJ happier. You made Noah a better person. I saw that from the moment you first interacted. He learned just as much from you as you did from him. You brought him down to Earth." Joseph put his hand to the snake's shoulder, their tearful eyes meeting. "Thank you. You made him a better person."

    Joseph turned away at last and moved back down the hill. Kane trailed behind the footsteps away from the rock. Perhaps it was meant to be, perhaps not. Either way, he had a promise.

    A promise he had the intention of keeping.

***

    "Good morning, Dawn Hollow Daily, and welcome to this fabulous Tuesday morning! Breaking news; Mayor Johnathon Marshall has officially resigned his position in politics after signing the last of his divorce papers. He was last reported getting on a bus heading towards Parstaff. And later, at seven, we will go live with the prison officer that found Dr. Dale Marston's body after crafting a noose from the sheets in his cell. First, however, we're live with an interview from current Dawn Hollow High School student Erica Clark and her sister, the former head therapist of the shutdown Animal Virus Project, Ella Clark! Ladies, it is lovely to have you here today!"

    "It's an honest honor to be on the show, and thank you for having us!" Ella responded cheerfully.

    "Now, I know there's no easy way to talk about everything that has happened in the past month. Life has changed for you and your family faster than the wind of a hurricane. Erica, how are you dealing with it, and how has Dawn Hollow High School been dealing with the situation?"

    "Well, I've been dealing with it pretty alright as far as I can considering the situation, of course. Mainly I've been helping my boyfriend, Joseph, deal with everything. It's been the hardest for him since his twin brother died. But, I've been doing whatever I can to help Joseph keep his memory alive and keep him happy. In fact, the school put a really nice service together for him. It had his baseball uniform and bat in it and some photos. We all visit it every morning to say hi. Kinda helps us feel like he's really there," Erica's voice wavered a bit as she talked while she continued to block tears with her fingertips.