[ forty five ] message in a bottle
The next morning, Ashton sent Prudence a text. It was a nice day outside and he asked her to cancel anything she had planned. He wanted to take her out and spend the day together, maybe then he could convince her that he loved her and wanted to be with her. He wanted her to realize that it was pointless to say she didn't want to fall in love with anyone when it was already too late.
Prudence got out of bed with excitement clear on her face. She cherished every moment she spent with her friends, especially considering she had no time lest to waste. But every moment with Ashton was even more special.
Granted he didn't know of her illness, but he made her feel as though she were fine, momentarily.
The soon to be seventeen year old went downstairs and was greeted by her mother who was ready and dressed to go to work. In her hand was a piece of toast, and in the other a cup of coffee. "Are you ready for your appointment with Robert?" She asked her daughter. Robert was Prudence's doctor, and also a friend of the family.
Prudence shook her head in response. "I'm not going to my appointment." She decided.
Ashton had asked her to cancel anything she had planned, and she didn't want him to get suspicious if she told him she had to go to the doctor first. Prudence was trying to live out the remaining time she had left as a normal person.
"Sweetheart," Mrs. Carrigan sighed, "You need to go to your appointments in order to monitor your condition."
"What is there to monitor?" Prudence asked with a shrug of her fragile shoulders. "I'm going to die. I've already accepted it. Please let me enjoy the time I have left, with the people I love." She pleaded.
Her mother was reluctant, but finally accepted to cancel Prudence's appointment. In the end, her daughter was right. There was nothing they could do to help her anymore. All that was left to do was to watch her die slowly. But Mrs. Carrigan had hope in her heart. She had never been a strong believer in God. Her husband had been the faithful one, and he had taught his daughters about religion.
Mrs. Carrigan thought of the irony of it all.
Both her husband and her daughter were the believers in the family. Her husband had died, and Prudence was on the verge of death.
But their faith never ceased.
She admired that about them.
-
Ashton arrived at the Carrigan's home to pick up Prudence not long after Mrs. Carrigan had left. Prudence let her older sister know she would be out with Ashton and then they left. Prudence didn't know where they were going, but she found out soon enough.
He parked the car in a lot by the beach and got out of the car.
She followed him along the sandy pavement until they reached a small shack that was a snack shop. Prudence watched him curiously as he purchased two soft drinks in glass bottles and handed one to her.
"What's this for?" She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Message in a bottle." He informed her with a grin. "It was on your list."
But she shook her head. "That was before I knew how harmful that is to the ocean. Maybe we shouldn't do it."
"Come on," He took her other hand in his and dragged her along. Prudence winced in pain and felt a bruise forming, even though he wasn't holding her that hard. But her body was so weak that the slightest touch formed a bruise on her skin. Still, she tried to hide the pain reflected on her face as he tugged her in the direction of the water. "The ocean won't mind just this once." He assured her, his gaze looking forward and not at the teenage girl he was hurting unintentionally.
Ashton was finally able to convince her and they drank their sodas. Then they washed out the bottles in the toilets and dried them as best they could.
The two went to the pier. Ashton had everything ready. He had two sheets of paper and pens to write with. He handed one to Prudence and used the other himself. Prudence began to write her note, secretly from Ashton. She covered it with one hand to prevent him from seeing it. When he tried to peek over her shoulder, she ran away to the other side of the pier, laughing.
He wrote his own note, rolled it up and stuffed it into the bottle, closing it with a piece of cork.
Prudence returned to his side when she finished writing her note and stuffed it into her soda bottle. As she got closer, Ashton frowned at the sight of her hand. Contrasted against the paleness of her skin were deep purple finger marks.
"Did I do that to you?" He asked her, concerned.
She shook her head, shrugging it off. She then pulled the sleeve of her white knitted sweater down to cover the bruises. "Its nothing, don't worry about it."
"I'm worried about your health." He confessed, his hazel eyes looking directly into hers. She could feel the burn of his gaze and hated lying to him, but she didn't want him to know of her condition. "You need to go to the doctor. This isn't normal. Maybe you have iron deficiency anemia or something. I heard people who have it bruise really easily."
"Ashton please," She pouted. "Let's not ruin this moment."
"But Prudence-"
"Ashton," She said firmly. "Please."
"Okay," He finally sighed. But he was determined to not let the subject drop. "But you need to go to the doctor. Promise."
"I promise." She assured him.
At least, that was a promise she could keep. She was going to the doctor anyway, though there was nothing they could do for her.
Still, he couldn't let the uneasy feeling go. Something was definitely wrong with Prudence, and he knew she didn't want to tell him what was going on. But for the sake of having a good time, he dropped the conversation momentarily.
He and Prudence leaned slightly over the wooden railing of the pier and together, they let their glass bottles drop into the ocean. They watched together as their bottles were pulled back into the ocean by the waves, and soon disappeared altogether. Ashton wondered what was written in her note, and thought he may never find out. It was unlikely that he would see those bottles again.
They spent the rest of the day on the pier, at the amusement park there. And soon the entire day had gone by, the sun was setting behind the horizon.
Ashton and Prudence stayed on the beach to watch the sun go down, and they they stayed a bot longer to start a bonfire and look at the stars. Prudence wasn't used to being out so late, and eventually fell asleep in his arms.
It had been a good day for the both of them.
-
an update after like a bajillion years. please dont hate me. there are like six more updates. there was going to be five more, but i added like one (possibly two) extra ones.
thank you for reading.
blessings, clary xx
