We All Remembered Her Smile

f o u r

My best friend, my soulmate, my other half, my sister. Her body was laid out in front of my eyes. I could never forget, her eyes sparkling from the sun, no longer full of the life they once held—wide open, blankly staring at the sky. Her smile, the smile everyone loved and passed by in the streets, faded—gone. Her porcelain, smooth skin marked red with bruises and slices. Blood ran down her arm, legs, chest, stomach. Her clothes ripped to shreds as if she were trying to escape for help. Her energy, her life, her aura, my best friend was taken from us.
I don't know how long I stood there, I felt frozen. I didn't move, I probably stood there for half an hour before realizing it's been more than a few seconds. I felt my feet crushing the grass under me leaving a print right before I walked slowly to my friend.
         You'd think I'd be screaming, calling for help, crying, losing my mind. I didn't, I felt empty, like all my emotions that were once there were stolen from me and I became incapable of any feeling. Instead of reacting as anyone else would have, I crouched by her side and moved the hair from her face. I hesitated before holding on to one of her hands, they were cold, as if she spent too long in the snow one day.
         That's when I shut down. I blinked into reality, I was in denial. I tried convincing myself it was a dream. Why would someone hurt something so precious? It couldn't of been real. I squeezed my eyes shut. I looked at my hand as blood now covered it.
I let go of her lifeless hand and placed it on the ground. She didn't move a muscle, she didn't wake up. I looked back to her face, deprived of life, and closed her eyes.
         As a tear fell down my cheek, I slammed my hand on the ground. I wasn't empty anymore, all I was capable of was anger. As I slammed down my hand I felt my finger hit a rock. I went to pick it up to throw it, then realized it wasn't a rock. My finger hit Harmonys phone.
         I hovered my hand over it for a few minutes. Before picking it up, I looked at her, as if I were asking for permission, but she wasn't there. I slowly and cautiously picked it up. I was thinking to myself.. This is wrong. I shouldn't be even thinking of looking through her phone. She can't be dead. She's okay. This is a dream. This is a dream. I shook off the thoughts and turned on her phone. I couldn't have gone any slower putting in her password. It unlocked.
         I stared and stared at the screen. I wanted to look through it. I needed to. Not to be a bad friend, not to violate her privacy, but to find out what happened, some sort of lead or reason why, why I lost my best friend.
         My heart was racing. I heard a leaf crack and crumble nearby and lifted my head quickly scanning for the culprit. My eyes jerked around anxiously, every second my heart beating quicker, my mind growing with endless fears. Seconds began feeling like hours. After a bit of horrible silence, I realized it was only rabbit and relaxed.
         I looked back at the phone realizing whoever did this could be watching me right now, if I wanted to know anything I needed to search now. I opened her camera roll, and there was nothing, just pictures of the woods, animals, nature, us, our soccer team, things a normal person would have on their phone. Then I opened her text messages.
Error, error, error, failed. Texts that never sent, texts to unsaved numbers, people I've never even heard of. I leaned against a nearby tree scanning around the woods, and started looking. Her phone had no signal out here, she couldn't call or text anyone. The first person in her messages was me, my eyes filled with water as I read the text.

Natalie  <!>
Why aren't my messages sending?  <!>
I need you if you get this. Hurry. Please call asap. <!>
i'm running out of time <!>
you will figure out who it is, i know you will. you are brilliant <!>
thank you for being my best friend <!>

I paused. My mind felt like it was going at a million miles per hour, I couldn't comprehend what was going on.

I love you <!>

I reread the messages over and over. I should've been there, I should've helped her. I wish I would have known things were going to get worse. I found an unsaved number and opened it.

Harmony Grey<
Who is this?>
I assure you, you won't want to know. But you do know who I am. <
Are you one of them?>
Yes, meet me in the woods at 8am. Leave your house early. I'll see you there. Don't contact this number again, it will be disabled shortly. <

         I couldn't read anymore, I shut off the phone. If this person had something to do with Harmonys death. They killed her, they had to of. I was angry, torn. I put her phone in my pocket and called the police.
         The next week was dreadful. At school there was silence, we had an assembly for her. Everyone decorated her locker, and put together a memorial for her on the court yard. Her funeral was a few days after I'd found her. Everyone from school came, family, neighbors, people from town. She was loved by everyone. She was kind, sweet, and caring.
        Her smile lit up all around as she walked the streets, roamed into shops just to ask the workers how their day was.
        Everyone was broken, close or not. No one could understand how someone could do this to someone like her. I couldn't either. This was a set back for all of Lakeside. Our town was cautious of everyone and a mess. Everyone felt bad for me, not only because she was my bestfriend but because I spotted her body.
         The town was recovering very slowly, and it was always quiet. No more children riding bikes, no more kids playing at the park. No more teens hanging out at the mall, walking with each other down the street. No adults meeting for coffee. People began to only leave their homes when necessary. It was upsetting, no one trusted one another anymore, some families were even wary of each other.
         Once I was able to sleep again, I still stayed up late every night, her phone placed in my drawer. I didn't dare look at it. I hadn't touched it since that day.
         I turned on TV, and the baking wars came on. Harmony and I watched this show and competed with them, and in the end determined that we always won, then we'd laugh. She'd smile and light up the room. I remembered her smile. I could never forget it. I looked at the tv again and smiled, a tear rolled down my cheek. I changed the channel, now it was cartoons. I figured it'd get my mind off the situation. Then urgent news came on shortly after.

BREAKING NEWS : 16 year old girl killed in Lakeside East Woods. Killer unknown. Girl identified as Maria. We have no suspects or leads, the only thing to currently go off of is "she knew too much" carved into her left arm. Harmony Grey was—

         It cut back to the cartoon quickly after hearing Harmony's name. I knew Maria as well. She was Jacobs—harmony's brothers—girlfriend. I called him to be sure he was okay.
"Hey Jake, you okay?"
"Yeah, of course. Why?"
"You didn't hear of Maria?"
Things went silent for a moment, "I did, I'm hurt by it. Who would do such a thing? First my sister.. now my love?"
I felt my heart sink, "It'll be alright Jakie, they'll catch the person responsible I'm sure," I didn't believe myself, I had lost all hope. He hung up.
         I set down the phone and looked at the time, it was 2am. I closed my eyes and eventually fell asleep. I left the lamp on. I refused to sleep in the dark after Harmony. No one had judged me for it, and honestly, most windows are lit up here now late at night. No one wants to find out what truly happened to Harmony Grey.