Grayscale

Chapter Ten

        Despite all the mental issues I was undergoing, the next couple weeks were the closest thing to bliss I had felt in a very, very long time. My mom didn't necessarily approve of the fact that Reed was not my soulmate but also more than my friend, but she liked him. Jackson thought I was a freak, but that wasn't new. The best thing though, was that Robin had met Reed and loved him. We spent a lot of time talking about him and the very real possibility that he was going to be around for a long time. She thought he was good for me, and that maybe I could help him to eventually get better, so that he could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Right now, he didn't. But that was okay, because there had been a time when I didn't see the light either - truthfully, I wasn't sure that I saw it now. Depression was a battle that never ended.

        And that was okay, too. Whether I saw the light or not, I was still kicking it, and that was what mattered. Reed was just having a difficult time getting over the fact that Madeline actually was not still kicking it, which was making it very hard for him to pick himself up again.

        It was about three weeks after that first day at the fountain - I got extra credit on my assignment, my teacher had deemed it so good - and he was finally going to sit down and tell me the story of how and he and Madeline had fallen in love. We were walking to the cemetery. In one hand, Reed was clutching a bouquet of flowers, and in the other, he squeezed my hand. We walked in relative silence. There wasn't anything I could say to make his hurt any less. I knew going to her grave was going to be hard for him, but he had insisted. He'd told me that was the only place it felt right to tell their story. He needed to be with her for this one. I didn't understand, since I had never felt anything quite like that, but I'd gone along with it, anyway. If he needed this, who was I to stop him?

        After a while, I could see the wrought iron fence that surrounded the giant plot of land that was the cemetery. A few trees grew near the fence, though, obstructing the our view of all of the headstones. Even so, Reed's grip on my hand tightened, and I could hear his breath catch in his throat. As we walked, his grip only continued to tighten. I could feel the nervousness radiating off of him.

        Finally, we arrived at the arched gate. It was at least ten feet tall, towering above us, and I could only imagine the nightmares it must have given Reed. In his position, this must be one of the hardest places he could ever approach. Anywhere else, he could pretend that Madeline was still alive, just hanging out by the fountain or something - but here? It was real. There was no denying that she was really gone.

        With a deep breath from Reed, we passed through the open gate, starting in on the path that wound around the cemetery. "Her grave is at the back," he simply stated. His voice quivered, and his hand stil gripped mine almost to the point of breaking, but he was otherwise maintaining great composure for someone who was visiting his soulmate's grave for what I was pretty sure was the first time since her funeral.

        As we walked through the cemetery, I was astounded by the beauty of it all. For a place that held so much death, there was also so much life. Everywhere I looked, there were flower beds and trees, vines waiting for spring to come so they could grow again. I imagined that by the time summer came, it would be one of the most beautiful places in the city. It was wonderful that a place encapsulating so much sorrow could also bring so much light to the world. On a different day, I would have to come back and take some pictures.

        After we'd been walking for a couple minutes, Reed slowly came to a stop in the middle of the path. He took in a few shaky breaths and let go of my hand before turning to me. "Can you give me a minute?" He asked. I could see the breakdown coming, but at this point, there was no stopping it.