Quentin and I head back into the house after starting another bonfire to burn our handmade gloves.
We walk past the bloodstains on the tile, thinking to ourselves about how we would do something about it later.
We just quietly pick up our guns and continue clearing the house, this time heading up the stairs.
It proves to be empty of bodies, but full of memories. I walk through what must have been her parents' room. It has pictures of a happy couple, pictures of the girl though the year.
It leaves me feeling hollow, empty.
Quentin and I part ways as he heads to the bathroom, and I to check the last room on the left.
I walk into a purple painted room, which obviously belongs to the girl. An unmade queen sized bed with a pretty white comforter dominates most of the room. On one wall, sits a vanity, with several drawers and a mirror over the top.
The mirror's edge is covered with pictures, post it notes, and mementoes. I see the girl, who had once been really pretty, with her friends, family, and maybe even a boyfriend.
I turn away from her mirror and look at the rest of the room. There's a walk-in closet and a little secluded spot, that has a window, a desk, and a trophy shelf.
Her trophy shelf is filled with 4H trophies and little league trophies and beauty pageant trophies.
She has a bulletin board underneath it. It's covered in postcards, letters, and little random things that only she would understand.
Her desk is a haphazard mess filled with scrapbooks, binders, school books, and notebooks.
I run my hand over her desk, wanting to steal a glance inside all the notebooks and scrapbooks, but I stop myself.
This is her life. I have no business digging through all her stuff just because she's dead.
There is one thing I need to know though.
I open up one of the binders and look at the name written in loopy cursive.
"Lydia," I say, reading it aloud.
Lydia. It's a pretty name.
I promise not to forget you Lydia.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Downstairs, I find Quentin looking through the kitchen. He has a growing pile of cans and random crap that he found in the pantry.
I open the fridge and the stench of rotten food hits me. I wrinkle my nose and continue my search.
I've smelled much worse.
I find a couple bottles of water, a few cans of soda, and some more random things that are still edible before closing it and turning to the stash of food that Quentin has.
"Hey. I figure you'll be happy to see these," says Quentin as he tosses me 2 boxes of shells and cheese.
I smile and add them to my stash.
"So what's the game plan?"
I look up and give Quentin a look. "What?"
"I said, what's the game plan? I mean I figure we'll stay here tonight, but what after that?" Explains Quentin.
"Oh. Well I don't know about you, but I'm still sticking with my plan. Get to the orthodontist, get my braces off, and hope I survive to be 16."
"Well then, I guess we'll go with that," says Quentin as he opens a can of peaches.
"What do you mean "we"? There is no "we". There's just me, my braces, and the orthodontist."
Quentin gives me a look that says "Are you really that stupid?". I've been getting that look a lot lately.
"Are you serious? Do you really think that after all this, that we can just wave goodbye and happily part ways? When are you going to get it through your incredibly think skull that you and I can help each other?"
I think over this for a minute, but I keep getting distracted. Because of his glasses, his entire face just looks like a big pair of eyes. It's kinda funny being scolded by some eyes. Even if they are rather nice eyes.
"Fine, okay! Whatever. You're obviously not gonna have it any other way," I grumble as I head back upstairs.
I'm itching to dig through all the different drawers and shelves in the room, but even though the sun's still up, I flop onto the big, puffy bed and fall into a deep, deep sleep.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Howdy peoples!
I know it's short but, hey it's something! This chapter was kinda slow, so I'm gonna try and speed it up soon.
Well, I'm so tired at the moment that I'm liable to pass out any second so see ya later 🖖🏻
~Maddie
