Always Be Forever

Chapter 20: Alex

2087, BCE, September 15

Cashmere.

She was all I could think about. Oh how I wanted to see her again. "You okay Alex?" Ellie had asked me the next morning after Cashmere had passed away. "Cashmere" I had let out without realizing it. "I know you miss her," Hector had told me while I covered my face with the blanket. He was sitting on my bed beside Ellie. "You don't have to go to school today if you don't want to. I can call in sick for you," Ellie had told me. "Thanks," I had let out as I pulled the blanket back. "Do the others know?" I had asked them, referring to Rachel, Aaron, and Fiona. "I'm sure Finn will say something," Hector had told me. "He wouldn't. He'd be going against what he was asked to do. Including Aaron. It's just going to break them," Ellie had commented. "Let me be the one to break the news," I had suggested. "You'll go alone?" Ellie had asked me. "Yeah I'll go alone," I lied to them. No way I'm going to go alone. I'm sending a text to Ben and seeing if we can go tell them. "We need to go speak with Lily," Ellie had told me, looking at Hector. "Is it really necessary for her to go? I mean, she's still young," Hector had told Ellie. "I don't understand, what's going on?" I had asked, sitting up with the blankets still on me. "I'll explain it to you before you leave, but after she does. They're going to be here soon," Ellie had told Hector. "Are you guys doing something to Lily that's going to harm her?" I had asked. Cashmere's gone, and I don't want to lose Lily as well. Cashmere was enough. In fact, no one should die. I technically didn't want Cashmere to die. She's the love of my life and I never got the chance to say something. If there was only something that could bring her back. Ellie and Hector walked out of the room trying to get through the piles of books from the previous night and headed straight to Lily's room to talk to her. I was trying to not think of Cashmere and to just do my homework, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I don't want to be in this world if Cashmere isn't here. I don't want to be in this world anymore. Grabbing a piece of paper, I write down:

I'm sorry I wasn't good enough. I'm sorry I had let you down. There's no point anymore. I'm sorry that I messed up. I just can't be here any more if Cashmere isn't here. I only want to be with her and only her, and I'm sorry, but this is the only way I can be with her again.

I get up, leave the note on my bed and get changed. It was then that the doorbell rang. "That'll be them," Ellie had told while walking to the door. "Are you the mother of Lily Harp?" A stranger had asked at the door. "Yes I am," she had told the person. "Then you are aware of what you're doing, correct? They stopped doing this stuff a while ago," the stranger had told her. "Yes I know. Do I need to sign anything?" She had asked the person. "You just need to sign here," the stranger had told Ellie, handing her a piece of paper on a clipboard along with a pen. "There you go," she had said after signing the paper and handing it back. "What's going on?" I had asked, walking out of the room. "Just stay inside," Ellie had told me before Hector walked Lily out of the room. "Since this paper has been signed off by one of your legal guardians, Lily Harp no longer exists," the stranger said before a couple of other strangers came into the house and grabbed Lily by the arms. "Let go of me!" Lily had screamed out as they had carried her to the door. She was able to free herself, and she ran towards me. "Alex, don't let them take me!" Lily had screamed out at me. I didn't know what to do. "I'm sorry. I had no idea," I had told her before they grabbed onto her again. This time, one of them carried her out the door. They carried Lily to a black car that was parked in the front, and they had put her in the back seat, tied up with rope around her arms. "Let go of me!" I heard Lily yell out one last time before they drove off. That was the last time I ever saw her.

Sitting on the couch in the living room, I bury my head in my hands and slowly cry. "What the hell was that?" I asked when I finally got the courage. "It was the only option we had," Ellie had told us. "She could've gotten better!" Hector had yelled at her. "Or she could've gotten worse! And who knows what would happen!" Ellie had yelled back at Hector, with her face getting red with anger. "Guys, enough!" I had yelled out at them without thinking, standing up. "You're going to wake up Rose," I had told them, reminding me that I needed to get her up and changed. "I'll take care of her," Hector had told me before heading off to Rose's room. I had sat back down on the sofa, and Ellie across from me. "Where did they take her?" I had asked her. "There isn't a name for it, but try thinking of it as a concentration camp," Ellie had told me, reaching out to my hand to comfort me. That's great. I head to my room without saying a word to Ellie. I lost Cashmere last night and I've now lost Lily. Why is this happening to me? Why am I losing everyone that I care about? Grabbing the note that I had written this morning, I read it over, and then leave it on my bed. I remembered how I had kept a gun in my dresser in case I ever needed it. Finding it, I put it in my backpack and then put the backpack on, and then head out to find Hector hyperventilating in the corner of the living room. "Dad? Are you worried about Lily?" I had asked him. "Yes," he had let out when he was able. He was starting to rock back and forth, just like how I cope, especially last night when Cashmere died.