Forgotten Memories

Chapter 17: Fire & Ice

-Luke-

Hope smiles. "Here it is."

I hold the light closer. "Is it another message, or what?" I ask.

"Message?"

We gasp and drop the light. Daniel is standing in the doorway. "What have you two been up to?" he inquires.

I rest my hand on the letter casually and lean on the desk. "Nothing much."

Hope smiles tightly. "Why?"

He frowns. "What's on the paper then?"

I groan inwardly. Here goes nothing. "We need to talk. All of us."

••••••••••

-Rue-

Knock knock.

"What?" I yell, irritably. What is with these people and making a racket?

"Uh, Rue?" It's Luke. "We need to talk with you."

I sigh. "I'll be right out."

My headache has been killing me. Ever since Aria left, I've felt sick. Not like "I'm gonna throw up/where's the bathroom" kind of sick, but there's a sinking feeling in my stomach. It sucks.

I fix my pajamas and walk out. The first thing I notice is Hope. She's sitting way to close to Luke, but whatever.

"What's this about?"

Daniel looks up from Milo shrugs. Hope looks at Luke expectantly and he sighs. "When Aria went missing, I found a letter in her room. It was a sort of goodbye letter, saying she didn't want us to worry, and that she didn't want us to follow her. She also left some kind of will, like leaving her stuff to each of us, and-"

"Do you think you're more important that us or something?" I exclaim. Daniel looks at me funny, but I ignore him. Milo touches my arm. "Rue-"

Luke frowns. "Rue, that's not-"

"Yes, it is true! Don't you dare say it's not. When did you get this note? Like two days ago? And you didn't tell us. Who is the written for?"

He winces. "Me."

I frown. "Y-you? Why? Why not one of us, or all of us, for that matter. Why?"

He shrugs. "I really don't know."

I feel myself deflate. "Oh."

He notices. "Hey, it's not that bad-"

I stare at him in disbelief. "Not that bad? You do realize that Aria is gone, right? And to think I actually believed you cared."

Before he can answer, I stand up, and walk back to my room, but not before grabbing the letter off the table.

"Rue," Hope starts, but she stays silent.

••••••••••

-Milo-

Exhaling, I stand. "Thanks for ruining everything, Luke." I start walking towards Rue's bedroom.

He scoffs. "As if you hadn't done enough."

I freeze. "What did you say?"

He stands. "As if you hadn't done enough yourself," he says louder, and shakes his head. "What's wrong with you?"

My fists clench. "With me? I should be asking the same question. You sneaking around with Hope every time someone shows up. You do realize that she can't replace Aria, right? Hope isn't Aria."