𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐃𝐆𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑 ⟶ Original

eleven.

THE MEMORIAL. TEARS streamed down many faces, cascading down cheeks cold enough to turn the water to ice. Half of the town was gathered in remembrance of Keira Walters, and a sorrowful tension hung in the air. It seemed all who were there knew of Keira and had something to remember her by, making it a space of grieving. The congregated group bowed their heads, remembering the lost daughter, friend, acquaintance - there were people here that Angelica didn't know even so much as glanced at Keira. It was a small town, though, and as the saying went 'everybody knew everybody.'

Willow was the first to speak, climbing on the makeshift podium in the center of the wreaths hanging from the fence beside it. They were handmade pine wreaths, made by Mary-Ann West, and they held many pictures of Keira. Angelica thought that the wreaths were placed there to add a little Christmas spirit to the memorial - maybe spread some cheer to lift the mood, but it didn't help.

The podium itself had a piece of paper over the front, blue and pink letters spelling out the words 'IN MEMORY OF KEIRA WALTERS 2000-2016.' As Willow stepped up behind this, she took her tissue and wiped her eyes, sniffled, and sighed. She then took the tissue in one hand and folded her hands in front of her, scanning the faces of the crowd. All eyes were trained on her, waiting for what she had to say.

After a moment of silence, Willow took a deep breath and spoke, "Keira was a great person," She started, her voice shaking, "When she walked into a room, her smile lit it up. With her attitude, she could brighten anyone's day. It was a blessing to me being her cousin, seeing her grow up, witnessing her successes and hardships, her ups and downs - what life had in store for her. It was a joy to watch her interact with others and fall into a wonderful crowd of people. Angelica Grace and Evan Blake were the best people and I know she would never ask for more. I can't imagine what they're going through at the moment-" She suddenly stopped, letting out a sob, "I'm sorry, where was I? Oh - her presence lightened the atmosphere of any room she walked into, a smile always placed on her face and her thoughts and actions bringing herself and others forward in a positive way. It was such a beautiful sight to see, and it's a shame that everything that had happened in the weeks before drove her to suicide. I wish it never had to happen this way, but it did, so here we are. She will forever be in my heart and the hearts of people who knew her, may that be mother, friend, relative, or acquaintance. She was an amazing person and we will never forget her."

With teary eyes that spilled over and streamed down her face, Willow looked at every face in the crowd once again, most of them crying with her.

"Thank you," She said after a moment, "Thank you. Would Angelica or Evan like to speak now?"

Both Angelica and Evan looked up at the mention of their names, caught off guard by the offer presented. Neither of them had speeches - or anything, really - planned for the memorial, but Evan suddenly had an idea. He nudged Angelica, leaning closer to her as he whispered his idea to her.

"How about we both go up there and wing it," He suggested, "I know we don't have anything prepared, but I feel like it would be rude and disrespectful to turn this down."

Angelica took in what Evan was saying to her, bowing her head and swallowing. There was a grave expression on her face as she nodded, shuffling to walk up to the podium, ready to change places with Willow. She didn't want to face the crowd, but she had to admit that what Evan had said was right - it was just that Angelica didn't think she could physically say anything at the moment. Remnants of tears coated her cheeks, leaving them wet from her sobbing. At some points, she had to hold onto Evan for stability when she felt as though she was about to fall over. Evan was a much better candidate to say something over her - she was an emotional wreck, constantly crying and sobbing here and there, but he'd managed to hold it together. He cried when Willow spoke, but other than that, he mourned in peace, supporting a sobbing Angelica here and there. While Angelica grieved in her ways, Evan felt a numbness that he couldn't describe, almost as if his brain was trying to convince him that none of this was happening.

As Evan and Angelica passed by Willow and stepped up on the podium, Angelica scanned the faces of the crowd. There were tear stricken faces, grin expressions, and glazed over eyes. It was hard to even stand in front of the people, facing the fact that Keira had actually taken her own life, but there Angelica was, and Evan was beside her.

"Uh," Angelica uttered after inhaling shakily, nervously laughing, "Keira was a great friend."

She paused for a long moment, thinking. As tears streamed down her face, she did nothing to stop them, feeling Evan's hand on her back in an act of sympathy.

"She was a great friend," Angelica repeated, louder this time, her voice breaking, "It's so sad to realize and come to terms with the fact that my best friend - someone that I have known for years - let one thing push her over the edge. It hurts so much..." She stopped for a second, swallowing a sob as she looked up and blinked back a wave of tears, "I wish with all of my heart that I could go back and change this, but I can't - no one can change the past. It's astonishing that something can change everything, but that's something we have to live with. I know I'll recover, as will Evan, and Keira will be in our hearts as we do so. We will remember her in every way possible - we'll keep her alive in spirit for as long as time permits us to be alive. I just hope that she's devoid of pain and worries, that she's in a better place now, and I want to thank you all for commemorating for her remembrance tonight," Angelica finished, forcing a smile, "Thank you."

As Evan stepped forward, Angelica leaned into him, feeling his arm around come to rest around her shoulders as he took his turn to talk. There were firsts for everything, as people would always say, and on that night, Angelica witnessed Evan's voice break for the first time since she met him as he started to speak.

"As Angelica and Willow have already stated, this means a lot," Evan began, "Keira... was a great person, and an even better friend. She cared about so many people and touched the lives of whoever she encountered. It's hard to face the reality that she's gone, I mean, it seems like she was just here," He sighed, "I'm not great with words, so that's really all I have to say, but the moral of the story is that Keira didn't deserve this, as would anyone in the same or a similar situation."

After letting a moment of silence pass, he nodded, leading himself and Angelica off of the podium. Willow stepped back up onto it, facing the crowd as the duo joined it once again.

"Alright," Willow sighed, her voice ringing out in the cold air, "Let's have a moment of silence for Keira."

The whole crowd bowed their heads, and a dead silence overtook the parking lot.

>>>>>>>

Later that night, Angelica and Evan walked to Evan's house after the memorial concluded, deciding to watch a Christmas movie. It was nothing but background noise as Angelica and Evan conversed, only pausing a few moments in between to look at the screen. There was an undeniable tension that hung in the air, but it wasn't prominent, letting Angelica and Evan ignore it for the most part. Mugs of hot chocolate sat in their hands, warming them up from the hour they spent outside.

After a long pause in the conversation, Evan spoke, looking at Angelica as he did so, "I have a question for you."

Angelica took a sip of her hot chocolate and licked her lips before responding. "Shoot."

"I want to know why," Evan sighed, looking ahead past the TV in front of him, "I want to know why Keira would commit suicide."

As she looked at Evan, Angelica internally sighed, "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes!" Evan exclaimed, then looked down, "I just feel like I'm missing something here."

Angelica nodded slowly, lightly smacking her lips, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. Without missing a beat, she explained, the truth spilling over like a waterfall.