Scratching The Surface

Chapter 25

"Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away."-Marcus Aurelius

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Lightness, peace...finally...peace...so much peace...

Finally, peace.

The sin of the world was finally out of sight.

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Piper didn't want to admit it, but losing Nico felt like losing a child. That pain deep in your chest, the pain that brought tears so raw you wouldn't be able to see in weeks. The pain of knowing that you'd never see someone again. The pain of knowing that somewhere, that person that you love is on their own and you can't do a damn thing about it. That pain, the pain that ran deep into your soul, the pain that scarred you for life.

Without Nico, life was dull. For the first time, it felt like Nico was truly dead. It didn't feel like he was someone living in their house anymore. No more making dinner for an extra person, no more having someone to rock Maddie to sleep. No more games of marbles for Katie. No more talks in the kitchen over coffee.

Nights were spent lying awake, staring at the ceiling in the dark. She heard Jason breathing beside her, heard the lake's waters lashing at its shores. Every night, all she could think about was Nico. Was he okay? Was he happy? Where had he gone?

Had he really gone to Hell like he thought he would?

Years went by. She had her third child, a baby girl that was born prematurely but seemed to be fine. Nicole, Piper named her. Nicole Grace, after the boy that had forever changed Piper's life. Nicole brought happiness to a house that desperately needed life. A house that finally saw a life starting instead of a life ending.

But it wouldn't be the last time they heard of Nico di Angelo.

Piper was cleaning up a new room for Katie to move into when she found the piece of paper sticking out from under the old bedroom. Carefully to not destroy the old material, she placed it in her palm and read over the front of it. Sadly, she realized what it was halfway through.

Dear anyone that finds it,

Ha! You're so far in the future that I'm dead. Are there aliens? Cooler cars? A cure for the plague?

If there is, then you're lucky. If I was born in your time, I'd probably survive. But dad says I probably won't make it to be a mother. I wish I could. Do you have kids? What are their names? I'll watch over from Heaven, don't worry.

Love an unknown Bianca di Angelo

She showed it to Jason who wrote it off as nothing more than something from the past, something from someone that was dead and gone. Against his wishes, she kept it in a wooden box she had in the back of her closet. Usually, it only held her children's birth certificates and other important things. Now, it held something from Nico's older sister.

Piper had forgotten about the letter until a month later, the night before Nicole's first birthday. She found the letter laying in the middle of the hallway, covered in dust but never seen before. When she picked it up, this letter was addressed from Nico.

Bianca! I learned to write now! Dad will never find us! Love you, Bianca! This is from Nico.

A smile tugged at her lips, happiness broke down the uneasiness that spread through her soul. Nico had been innocent once, after all.

The letters started to turn into warnings, however, a month later.

A.N: Last chapter. Sequel will be up Tuesday: Above the Surface