Will tucks his little brother into bed, smoothing down the wrinkles on his transformers bed sheets.
"Night Cal." He says as he strides to the door, switching off his light.
Just as he is about to shut the door, Callum whispers quietly, calling out to his father figure. "Will?"
"Yes?" Will asks, holding the door open a crack.
"Can you tell me a story?"
Will sighs, sauntering over to the bookcase at the corner of Callum's room, his fingers gliding over the many children's tales. "Which one will it be this time? Jake and the neverland pirates?"
Silence.
"I want you to read Talia's story."
Will, taken by surprise, sits down on Callum's bed, fiddling with the action figures on his bedside table. "We don't have that story Cal, and I don't know it well enough."
Callum smiles, his tooth gap visible where one of his teeth has recently fallen out. "It's ok, Riley said it was famous."
Will hesitates, before getting up to leave the room. "Ill try search it up on my laptop then." He sighs, running a hand through his dishevelled hair.
He returns after retrieving his laptop, which he bought a few months ago with the money he earned from working long hours at the local bookstore. Will settles down on the foot of the comfortable bed, opposite his brother and powers his device on, typing 'Natalia Brown' into the search bar.
However, Will finds himself confused with the results, not finding what he expected. Most being headlines of newspaper articles. He clicks on one dated from three years ago, and his eyes widen as the page loads.
Pictures and images of an accident, a car in a river, a broken railing, a bridge. He continues to read, in his head.
Tragic Death of Teenage Girl from Valley Hill
Last Saturday night, the 18th of August 2009, Natalia Brown and a second girl, her best friend, students attending the local high school of ValleyHill, were involved in a fatal car accident that resulted in the death of one of the two.
Natalia Brown, known as 'Talia' by many, an 18 year old girl who, according to sources, was quite popular and loved by her peers. She and her best friend had been driving across Puck bridge, when suddenly, Natalia who had been driving, swerved, causing the car to go through the railing and straight off the well known bridge, plunging into the river below.
Her friend managed to narrowly escape death, but was unfortunately unable to save Natalia after many attempts.
It is said that Natalia had been suffering from severe depression and also bulimia, unbeknownst to her family and friends. Suicide is what many are saying at this time.
An updated interview with the second girl has left many shocked:
Interviewer: "What happened in the lead up to the incident?"
Answer: "Natalia and I had been silent, music playing softly in the background, the hum of her car. We were on our way to a party at a friends house, until out of no where, she muttered "I'm sorry" and then turned the wheel with a jerk. I was unable to stop her."
Interviewer: "What was Natalia to you?"
Answer: "She was my bestfriend. My sister. To others she was always happy, ambitious and thrill seeking, however, I found her a mystery."
"She loved the ocean and water, in fact I think she liked it so much, that she became a part of it."
Interviewer: "Were you aware of her apparent condition?"
Answer: "No, leading up to the accident however I started to notice her odd behaviour, she was more dull and tired looking, less motivated and energetic."
Interviewer: "So do you believe she wanted to die?"
Answer: "No."
...
"I believe she was already dead."
One thing is for sure, this summer has brought many things for Natalia and her friends, being a long and memorable one. A last for some.
Death bringing it to a tragic and abrupt end.
As Will read the text in front of him on his laptop screen, he started to piece things together.
The monster that Riley had spoken of was Talia's depression, and yes she did get her wish, to swim in the water, but in an entirely different way to how Will and Callum had originally thought.
When she plunged off the bridge to her death.
Other things made sense also, when he spotted a picture attached to the article.
It was a picture of Natalia, her hair bright and golden, her blue eyes like the ocean- just like Riley had described her. Another girl stood beside her, and the moment his eyes scanned over her features, he knew who it was. She had long brown hair and brown eyes that twinkled brightly.
Their arms were around each other.
Under the picture, it read:
Image from earlier this summer of Natalia and her best friend Riley, who was a witness, and the only survivor of the tragic and sudden accident.
It all clicked.
Why Riley had said "Ive been there." when they first met in the emergency room.
Why she seemingly took regular visits to the hospital because of what Carol had called her 'dream state'. The article had stated she suffered head trauma in the incident, causing her to hit her head off objects when she experienced reoccurring nightmares of the event. It was a symptom of her PTSD.
Why her expression was emotionless and blank, her once bright and warm brown eyes dull.
And why she had been so familiar. He had seen this in the papers when it had happened years ago, not paying much attention at the time. It sure was a famous story though, everyone knowing about what had happened to the two girls from a local highschool.
The last picture attached to the article is a picture of Natalia's body in the water as paramedics and firemen rescued it from the car wreckage.
Once her skin was warm and glowing.
However now it was cold and pale.
This time it is not the constant opening and closing of the door, the cold breeze venturing inside the warm room and through his thin jacket. Because he is sitting on his baby brothers bed, Callum waiting expectantly for him to read a story about a girl who the ocean belonged to.
No, instead it is a story of a girl who once walked these same streets and laughed like Will and Callum. Who breathed the same fresh air.
And she belonged to the the ocean.
This time it is not that, or the outcome of the event that just took place. Because his mother is out of hospital and nothing of major significance has happened recently.
This time it is because of the fact that a girl had told a tragic story with a happy ending. A story she had been a part of.
Natalia got what she wanted.
She wanted the end.
Shivering as the images of what happened three years ago enfolds in front of his eyes.
Cold.
Will feels cold.
