Our collection of souvenirs of the Auclair girls, which still exist, started with Esther's diary.
Larence had acquired the peculiar item from Skip Ortega, the plumber's assistant, who had discovered it lying next to the toilet during a routine maintenance check in the bathroom. Curious about its origin, Skip decided it was worth passing along to Larence, knowing he had a knack for solving mysteries.
Once Larence had the item in hand, he quickly enlisted the help of Tim Weiner and Zyian, the two sharpest minds he could think of. The trio gathered to decode the cryptic symbols and words inscribed on it, eager to uncover its significance. However, as they delved into the details, it became evident that Tim and Chris had very different interpretations of what the message could mean.
While Tim was convinced it pointed toward a hidden opportunity, perhaps even a treasure waiting to be discovered, Zyian had a more cautious outlook. He believed the message served as a warning, hinting at potential dangers or consequences. Their contrasting perspectives not only fueled a spirited discussion but also highlighted the complexity of the item they were trying to decipher, leaving Larence to wonder if the truth lay somewhere between their two interpretations.
"Emotional instability." Tim declared, holding the diary aloft like a trophy. Its cover is adorned with a simple black Sharpie inscription "Esther" in the corner.
Zyian's face twisted up at that, getting a completely different idea from what he read. Tim's words grated against his interpretation. Esther hadn't seemed unstable; rather, a kaleidoscope of emotions - hurt, confusion, a yearning for something more. But voicing his dissent felt futile. He knew these guys, their loyalty outweighing any empathy for a girl deemed, 'different'.
Tim flipped through the pages, his voice dripping with disdain. "The i's, the dots on them, they're everywhere." He drawled, pointing at the dotted lines and looking at her writing. Larence peeked over his shoulder before he put the diary down. "Basically, what we have here, is a dreamer. Someone completely out of touch with reality. When she jumped, she probably thought she would fly."
Lev Colany picked up the diary, glazing over it as he read one of the entries. His eyes scanned the pages with a bored indifference. Scoffs and snickers filled the room, disrupting anything they deemed 'weird' or beyond their limited understanding. The weight of Esther's words and her raw emotions laid bare on the diary pages seemed lost on them. In their eyes, it was just a source of amusement, a morbid trophy of a life cut short.
As we began to delve deeper into their lives, we found ourselves constructing a shared tapestry of memories—experiences that, in truth, we had never lived through ourselves. We came to understand the profound sense of confinement that accompanied being a girl, a feeling that stirred our minds into a blend of restlessness and reverie. It was as if we were awakening to an awareness of the subtleties of life, including an intuitive grasp of how colors harmonized with one another.
In our observations, it became increasingly clear that these girls were not just adolescents; they were women in disguise, possessing an understanding of love and death that transcended their years. They navigated the complexities of emotion and existence with a depth that was both captivating and mysterious. Our role, we realized, was not to intrude upon their world but to create a vibrant backdrop of noise and activity that intrigued them, a kind of soundtrack to their unfolding lives. This interplay between our existence and theirs drew us into a web of fascination, making us acutely aware of the chasm between our realities and the enchanting, yet tragic, world they inhabited.
We understood that they were fully aware of all our secrets, while we struggled to comprehend the depths of their experiences.
We didn't catch a glimpse of the Auclair sisters together as a group until the convocation on September 7th. When Lachelle, Blythe, Sylvia, and Therese arrived at school, they carried themselves as if nothing had changed, as if the weight of the past hadn't impacted them at all. Their calm demeanor puzzled us, and we couldn't help but speculate about the emotions swirling beneath the surface.
