All or Nothing *ON HOLD*

His Last Message

Chapter One: His Last Message

Everything happened completely unexpectedly. It was all far too fast and quick for her to comprehend. The last few days have just been this complete blur in the mind of seventeen year old Celeste Clancy. It was Thursday, September 15 when it all went down; and if there was one exact detail Celeste remembered was how fair the weather had been over the sleepy town of Redmeadow. It had been rather overcast much of that morning, but the clouds made sure to clear up by mid-afternoon before allowing a small breeze to settle over the valley late into the night.

The night. That was another detail she could remember quite clearly. She had always liked the night. The dark sky and cooler temperatures allowed her to think distinctly. Now after all the events that had recently unfolded, she didn't know how to look at the moon anymore. She always felt so hollow when she gazed at it like she used to. It was a terrifying thought. Nowadays she could barely face herself in the light of the sun and it seemed like the moon had decided to abandon her as well. Whether it was because the celestial being was turning its back on her or if it was because it didn't want anyone else to see her. Either way it was tragic to feel so alone, so empty.

Celeste had felt that way for the past three days. Some people said it was just grief setting in, but she refused to believe that. It was something more, something much stronger. She had lost family before so she knew the sorrow that came with death close to her, yet this felt different. Perhaps it was since this time it happened to be her best friend.

She and Neville Dupont had been friends since grade school. When all the others had been going through the stage of "cooties", she and Neville had been spending time together on the playground or out in the grass catching ladybugs. It didn't take long for the two to grow close to each other. It was more than likely due to the personalities they carried with them. Celeste had always been loud and rambunctious, a complete wild child is what her mother had always called her. Neville was quiet and soft, gentle and very much in touch with his emotions. Though it was quite the confusing pair. Celeste had always teased her older friend, making him cry only to apologize, give him a quick hug to calm him down, and yell at him to toughen up. When the duo grew up, she had seemed to rub off on him. For better or worse was completely up to the people who messed around with the two. Neville had ended up being a bit harder on the exterior around others and became a lot more social and a bit more boisterous and mutinous in nature around others. Near Celeste though, he always stayed the same - still quiet and shy - and she loved him for the way he acted.

Now whether or not she had loved the dark-haired boy with the high cheekbones as more than a friend was something no one, especially her, could find out now. Throughout their years they had only stayed close friends. Others had suggested the two became a thing but Neville had always acted incredibly awkward about the thought. Celeste herself didn't mind the idea since she already appreciated him as a person and loved his companionship - but another good reason was because no one wanted to go out with her was because he was joined at her hip. Actually that proposal was brought up on the last night she spent with him.

It was his seventeenth birthday and instead of throwing a party like Celeste suggested, he just invited her to come over to his place for the night. She had playfully scoffed at his notion and gently called him a loser - which had generated a small chuckle from him - before agreeing to come over. It wasn't like she could turn him down. It was his birthday after all. They had spent much of the night just conversing over topics that she couldn't even remember anymore. Pointless subjects really, but she had fun. There was only one conversation between the two of them that didn't escape her memory. Neville had brought up the subject of a rumour going around that the two of them were dating, and being the person she was, jumped on the opportunity to talk about it.