Above

36

Estelle
I wake up in a room of black, dressed in yesterday's clothes. 
I feel around for a doorknob and emerge into a familiar hallway, with the lights dimmed and music playing. 
The smell of vanilla scented candles leads me into the living room, where August and I were cuddled up, watching some Netflix show on his laptop. 
I furrow my eyebrows, looking at my past self, who looked way more alive than I do. 
Her under-eye bags were basically nonexistent, and her nails were painted a dusty pink. She wearing white, which I could never get away with now, especially when we trudge through forests almost daily. 
August's hair was styled, which was a feature he lost once we moved to Willowdale. 
"I'm glad I get to be here." August says. 
Estelle smiles. "Me too." 
He leans in and presses his lips to past-mine's. 
I walk to the bookcase and reach for a book, my hand going right through. 
"This isn't real." I say. "August is dead." 
I turn back around and the scene changed. 
Past-me was on the couch, reading a book, a pleasure I haven't had since Willowdale. 
August walks into the room, wearing his work clothes. "Do I get a hello?" 
She only half smiles, shaking her head, focusing on the book. 
August takes off his blazer throwing it at her. 
It tents over her book, covering her face. 
"I'm gonna shower!" He says. 
She pushes the blazer off, burying her nose back into the book. 
What feels like moments later, August comes back with damp hair, in sweatpants and a t-shirt. 
"Why are you ignoring me?" He whines, sitting on the couch. 
She taps her green manicured nails on the book. 
He grabs her bookmark, slipping it between the pages. 
She looks up at him, a small smile on her face. 
He plucks her book from her hands, closing it and placing it on the coffee table. 
I sigh, walking over to the door. 
Her laughter filter through the air, as August tickles her. 
I put my head between my knees and count to 20. 
The vibrations of footsteps take me out of my scared trance. 
August was leaving for the office, and Estelle was walking him to the door, Her hair in a messy bun. 
I stand, determined to slide out the door when he opens it. 
They share a sickeningly cheesy kiss, and he walks out the door. 
I slip out as well, faced with South-side, in ruins. 
August gets in his car and drives away, somehow evading all the rubble. 
His house and backyard was the only area still intact, the rest was a mess. 
The slight chill that attacks my bare arms hints at the late months of the year. 
I sit on the curb outside, just wanting to leave. 
Someone sits next to me, and sighs. 
I turn and look. "Luca!" I throw my arms around him. 
"Hey!" He says, equally as excited to see me. 
"You can see me?" I ask, pulling away, holing him at arms length. 
He furrows his brows. "Duh?" 
I roll my eyes. 
Luca stands up, looking around. "So what's been going on?" 
"Past me, and August are being all couple-y." I say, shrugging. "Which is weird, because I don't remember him and I ever being this cheesy." 
"Well, you were." He says. "Cirus filtered your memories so you only remember him as a friend, but you two were a thing for a year and a half." 
"Oh." I say. "Why did she do that?" 
"He died and you we're destroyed, it was the only way to get you happy again." He says. 
August's car returns, and Him and Estelle load bags into it. 
"I'm so excited to see your parents." She says, smiling. 
He grins. "They're excited to see you, and by they, I mean my sisters, they love you." 
She smiles. "I know." 
"C'mon." Leeciy says, pulling me to the car, hopping in the trunk. 
I jump in too, sitting on my grey suitcase. "How's Leeciy?" 
"Worried." Luca shrugs. "He hasn't gone a day without talking to you." 
"How long have I been out?" I ask. 
"A little less than a week." He says. "We've migrated to Canada though, like you suggested before you fell into a coma." 
"How is it?" I ask. 
He shrugs. "Small." 
"Canada's the second biggest country in the world, how is it small?" I ask. 
"They'res only tiny villages. The US nuked Canada a couple years back, so it's just a couple tribes." Luca explains. 
I look out the car window, watching the ruins of South-side disappear. "What's the biggest thing to happen since I've been gone?" 
He shrugs. "We've all been focused on keeping you safe." 
"Focus on something else, I'm not that significant." I suggest. 
He shakes his head. "You're the most important part of our crew." 
"Yeah, as if." I argue. 
Luca doesn't reply, focused on his watch. "I have to wake up soon." 
"Jeez, time flies in here." I say. "It feels like it's only been an hour and a half." 
"Wow." He says. "It does fly fast." 
I glance out the window seeing that we're here. "How long do you have?" 
I turn back to Luca and see he's gone.
***
August opens the trunk door and I slip out, looking around at the farmstead. 
He starts saying some cheesy line to Estelle. 
I roll my eyes and start walking, to the town near here.
It's more a village than a town, It has about forty homes, a convenience store, a bar, a cafe, a library, and a graveyard. 
It takes about 20 minutes to get to the convenience store, which is usually bustling, but now it's empty. 
I walk through the town, which was ghostly, even though the old feeling of it was happy and lively. 
I walk through the entire village, until I see everyone gathered in the graveyard, in their Sunday best. 
A man turns to look at me, his eyes a thick black. 
I flinch, but calm when I realize he's not gonna touch me. 
While I push through the crowd, they all look at me with oil-colored eyes. 

I get to a clearing in the center, which was a cross shaped gravestone, a bronze plaque on the bottom. August Jones. 'He stayed with the fire, and instead of extinguishing it, he let it consume him.' - Carter Barns, The Curse Of The Flame