Uncovering Dahlia's Truth

The dark and stormy night

Angel had no tears left. Her head was throbbing and her nose felt blocked. She took one last sniff and sat back on the sand, starring out at the see. She curled her knees up to her chest. It was a warm Summer's night and the breeze swept threw her blonde hair, tickling her scalp. It was eerily peaceful, she thought.

She turned around when she heard the movement of clothing. She felt her heart contract when she saw Brooklyn, walking over with his hands in his pockets, his head held down. She turned back around and at the see. She stuck her face deeper into her knees. "Do you really want to see me now?" She asked, so soft that she thought he might've not heard.

She sensed him sitting down next to her, sighing and letting his long legs stretch in front of him. "Why would I be here if I didn't."

Angel looked up and in front of her at the waves silently crashing by the shore. "Maybe you're here to tell me how foolish I am."

"Angel," he said and the sudden firmness made her avert her eyes towards his. She saw strain in them and felt her heart twist even farther. "You can't blame yourself."

Angel felt her shoulders slump. "I didn't even like it," she said and looked away as she felt more tears, but tried her best to hold it in. "I guess I just felt like I should, since you've had all the experience and I felt like such a little girl compared to you at the time." She gulped. "Brad could make me feel like I wasn't. I was so wrong though." She looked down at the ground and then closed her yes, ashamed.

"You never had to prove anything," Brooklyn said, shaking his head. "And everybody makes mistakes in anyway."

"But my mistake resulted into my best friend getting murdered," she said bitterly, her eyes burning.

Brooklyn turned his body towards her with incredible speed. "Don't say that," he said, hurt in his voice. "How could you have known."

"I could've stayed with her," she snapped back. "Yet I go and fool around with an asshole and she was fully exposed to her killer."

"Brad is someone to be blaming here," Brooklyn quickly said. "He's the one that just took money and orders from a stranger, not you."

Angel was silent and looked at him. His eyes were staring widely at her and she felt a tear fall down her cheek. He reached out and wiped it away for her.

Angel sighed heavily. "Why did everything had to get so f*cked up."

"One can only learn from all of this," he said softly. "And don't forget about all the people who already love you."

Angel's tears were dropping onto the sand, leaving little stains. She wiped at her face. Brooklyn put his arm around her and she dug her face into his chest, for the hundredth time since it all happened. She held onto him tightly and kept seeing little flashes of Dahlia in her mind.

"My mind has blocked out so many things of that night," she said, it sounding slightly muffled in his chest.

"It's normal," she felt his chest move. "Pain does strange things to people."

For a few minutes, the two just sat there while Angel's tears started to dry. They held tightly to each other, both thinking of memories with Dahlia while staring at the blackness of the ocean and the slight sparkle of the sky above them. The two decided to get up, Brooklyn helping her to her feet. The two started walking back in silence.

Angel spotted something in front of them, close to the path that lead back up to the house. She squinted as she stared. "What's that?" She asked.

Brooklyn followed her gaze and shrugged. "Let's find out." The two moved closer and when they reached it, they saw that it was a box.