"Lucy Locket lost her pocket, Kitty Fisher found it; not a penny was there in it, only ribbon round it." -Unknown
She could hear the short gasps and groans from the foot of her bed and she buried herself deeper under the mass of covers that surround...
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The wind pulled Lucy's dark purple dress around her, the front pressing against her knees as the back whipped wildly, and she couldn't stop the shiver that crept down her spine. She was the only person who dared to venture outside, Mrs. Crain had told them that it was going to rain later—and Lucy couldn't help but notice the far-off look in her eyes as she stared out the window. Rain never bothered Lucy and she happened to find the few hours before a storm the calmest.
The temperature dropped, the wind played music as the trees and grass danced, and the rolling black clouds appeared as an avalanche to those who looked up. Lucy's light brown hair seemed to have joined the trees in their playful dance and she giggled, her hazel eyes staring at the forest with wonder.
The moment she pulled away, Luke felt cold. For a moment, the cold that seemed to constantly surround him—the echoing feeling of coming down from a high—seemed to disappear. He felt warm. The moment Lucy pulled away, Luke feared that she would leave him... that she would join his other siblings and let him stand there like an outcast; but, with a soft smile, Lucy took his hand in hers and waited until he was ready.
Like she always did.
Warmth seemed to radiate from where their hands were connected but it didn't reach the entirety of his body, stopping at his elbow. The only time Lucy let go of his hand was when he went to hug Shirley, even then it was only for a few seconds. Shirley opened her mouth but Luke couldn't hear anything she was saying. His hand tightened around Lucy's as he slowly, slowly made his way towards the coffin.
"It's okay," Lucy whispered, her thumb running soothingly across the back of his hand and he was reminded of how patience she was, how patience she had always been.
"Luke, can I get you some water? Something to eat? We've got a mountain of food. Anything you want." Kevin asked, Lucy mouthing a 'thank you' while Luke's attention stayed focused on the casket.
He couldn't hear, he couldn't think, he couldn't feel.
Not without Nellie.
White noise began to block out the voices in the room as his eyes focused in on the casket. He could almost see Nell's face—the tip of her nose and the rise of her brow—reminding him that this was not his nightmare and that this was actually happening. His twin was gone... and he wasn't there to help her.
"I'm sorry," Luke breathed as he backed away from the coffin and dropped Lucy's hand, "I can't...I can't... I can't."
Lucy's heart dropped as Luke hurried out of the room, continuously muttering 'I can't' under his breath.
"Luke," She called, quickly following after him, "Luke, wait."
Walking into the lobby, a soft sigh escaped Lucy's lips as she stared at Luke's shaking form. He sat on the white couch, his head in his hands as his knee bounced rapidly. She barely made a sound as she walked over and sat down next to him, placing a hand on his back and pretending to ignore the sharp intake he gave when she touched him.
"Luke," Lucy cooed, trying to get him to look up and when he didn't she grasped his face lovingly in her hands, "Luke."
He refused to meet her eyes... to see the amount of love and adoration she had in them because of him when all he did was bring her nothing but sadness. He had already lost Nell and he knew that he was going to lose Lucy too.
"What's wrong?"
He didn't answer her.
Theo, Shirley, and Steve joined them in the lobby, and Steve crouched in front of Luke. Luke pulled his face out of Lucy's hands, not wanting to look into her eyes, and stared down at the floor as the rapid breaths left his chest.
"You okay?" Steve asked and Luke let out a shaky breath.
"Yeah, I, um..." Lucy watched as Luke struggled to answer the question. His breaths shaky as he sniffled, "I thought... I thought I could do it."
"I know."
"She's right there."
"Take your time," Steve said, grasping Luke's arm, "We'll wait."
Lucy giggled as Luke chased her through the stadium stands, her hair—which had somehow turned a lovely auburn color—trailing behind her as her green sundress fluttered behind her. There was only a month left until graduation and the two teens couldn't wait to see what the future had in store for them.
"Luke, stop!" Lucy laughed as Luke stomped on the bleachers, causing them to shake and her to trip over her own feet, but a pair of arms caught her before she could hit the ground.
"Gotcha," Luke smiled as he pressed his face into her neck, lazily pressing a few kisses there and smiling when he felt her shiver. The two teens stood there, enjoying the breeze as they waited for lunch to be over—both silently hoping that it would never be over.
"It's going to rain soon," Lucy commented, making Luke pull his face away from her neck—and smirking at the small love bite he had left on her neck without her knowing—and looked at her confused.
"What?"
"Look," Lucy said, pointing toward the far sky and at the dark clouds that were gathered there before motioning around them, "The clouds are rolling in and the trees are dancing."
"The trees are dancing?" Luke questioned with a raised eyebrow, "You mean like this?"
"Luke!" Lucy squealed as Lucy spun her around, her dress twirling around her.
Together they danced with the trees to the symphony of the wind.
