•Annabelle•

Chapter 6

I had got home later than usual after Lily had comforted me. My parents were stricken with worry at my late arrival, but I had lied and simply said that I was completely fine and had headed to my room.

My room was a total mess. Clothes were scattered across the floor, my bed unmade and covered with papers, and the walls themselves were just... dark.

They had used to be painted white, the room had used to be so bright. But after Annie died I had took my paints out and had started to paint them black. I don't mean like the walls are completely dark, but I had started from the bottom, every time I had felt a rush of grief I would paint in black pictures. However when I was just plainly stricken angry, they turned more into splatters.

I don't know why I had started painting the walls, but what I do know is that it kind of represents my heart.

It had used to be white and pure, but after her death it turned and clotted black.

I can still feel the light trying to free itself from the dark, and how much I wish it would get better, but honestly I don't know how to make it open again.

I heaved a heavy sigh as I stumbled onto my bed, grasping Annabelle's note that was so ever neatly folded out of my pocket. I reread it over and over again, almost until the words weighed on my tongue.

She had known I was going to get mad, and that's exactly what I had become. Not only mad, the day I had realized she was moving, I had become angry.

If only I could've controlled my temper, she still would've been alive.

It was March 3rd of 2015, 3 months ago, when I sat on the blue bean bag chair in Annabelle's room. I was over at her house because we were studying for the exams coming up; it wasn't like our usual hang out days though.

She seemed awfully quiet as we worked, much quieter than usual. Whenever I tried to make eye contact, she would just look away and start fidgeting with her hands. Eventually after a while she excused herself and had headed off to the bathroom.

I kept wondering to myself what in the world was going on with her. I had sunk myself further into the bean bag chair, looking around the now dim lit room. Usually since her room had a huge window, the sun would pour its light out and make the room super bright, so she had never bothered to get herself some proper lighting in the room. Anyways, it was night that day I was at her house so her room was quite dark. It wasn't dim enough though to not be able to see anything, but looking back now, how much I wish it was darker.

Out of boredom while waiting for her, I continued eyeing the aspects of her room, it was so neat and tidy; I could never quite understand how she could keep it that way. But as I surveyed the room, I noticed a box and a piece of paper under it strangely sitting out of place behind the door.

Maybe she had missed it while she was cleaning, I had thought at the time.

I stared at the out of place objects for a long time, but after a while my curiosity broke and I stumbled towards it; trying to figure out what it could possibly be.

I lifted the box gently and read over the piece of paper. It was an application to some sort of college?

Dear Annabelle McAllister,

We are proud to announce that you have been accepted to the University of Florida. You will be joining us the following semester after the summer break. Classes will begin August 22nd, 2015. Your class schedules will be emailed to you.

If you have any questions feel free to contact our staff.

-University of Florida