Stare

Aftermath

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

After...

"Order! ORDER!" The judge slammed his hammer on the table.

"Your honor I would like to call Lauren Smith to the stand." One of the lawyers said.

Lauren slowly got up. The crowds faces were sad and serious. People were dressed in all black and had handkerchiefs that dried their tears as they wailed. Her heels clanked on the floor. Then she opened the doors to the stand. Her hands were still a little shaky. She wiped her tears too. The lawyer walked over to her and leaned over and whispered to her.

"You don't have to answer anything you don't want to answer, okay?"

She nodded.

"Okay so being the lone survivor of this massacre what can you say? Were you close with Ellie Satan?" He asked.

She didn't answer right away. Instead she played with the black rose ring that was on her finger and looked to the crowd. Two red bands laid in her hand. They were decorated with beads and one feather. What was their to say about this situation? There was nothing possibly anyone could say that would settle the minds of the victims parents about this. It was such an unholy and devastating event. Then she opened her mouth. The crowd listened in.

"There is nothing to say about this event... Ellie had some demonic, or telepathic powers. Which ever way you want to look at it. And, we pushed her. Too far, including myself. There was an sickly, infinite amount of physical, emotional, and mental abuse that the woodbridge high students were giving her. Then on the day of the poetry read I believe that the entire school planned to kill her. Even one teacher." I looked to the crowd, they gasped in disbelief. "But who cares, all the evidence was lost in the fire. So what happened, happened. The entire story of that event was lost, and we will never know the complete story of Ellie Satan either." I added. The crowd nodded. Then I said one last thing.

"Ellie was like a snow flake. She was beautiful at first and everyone loved her company. But then when the snowflake was touch by of greater heat , it melted. She melted. And we were the heat source. We made her the way she was. Its our own fault that this happened. Not hers. So don't hold a grudge on her or her family. Because it wasn't them... it was us. Thats my only wish. And thats all I have to say about that." I said.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Often when we tell the story of Ellie it always seems like we miss a couple of details here and there. Yet does it really matter? We never were able to figure out exactly what type of person she was. What her personality was like outside of all the powers and love for Brandon. Who was she? Thats the true mystery.

Then on one rainy evening a revelation happened. Lauren showed up to Ellie's grave and placed black roses on the top of the grave. She then took her hand a placed it on her lips and then to the grave stone. Soon after she said some personal words and walked away.

Do we ever truly know someone? Or do we just guess and judge them on the way they look, act and what they say? We do this until it gets to a point where we think we know them better then we know ourselves.But is that really knowing someone?

Then at the foot of the stone a crack began to appear. It got larger and larger then a familiar scream came after it. Almost like it was saying no!

Don't worry Ellie, you need not come back. Your in a better place.

For now...