Because of You

Chapter One: The House

“So, did you guys hear about the house?” Coulter asks. He, at that point in time, was the boy I was madly in love with. I roll my eyes. “No Coulter, we haven't,” I say dryly. “It's supposedly haunted,” he responds matching my tone. “Ooh, a haunted house,” I say mockingly. “What is it haunted by? The actors from the corn-maze?” “Ha, ha. Is that the scariest thing you can think of Nina?” Coulter asks in a tone that is supposed to sound like him mocking my voice. “I don't sound like that!” I say, sounding just like him when he was mocking me. “So about this house,” he continues, not skipping a beat. “What about it?” my best friend Trinity finally butts in. “You guys wanna go check it out?” he asks. At these words my mind reels. The flashback begins, and the scream echoes in my ears like the sound of a drum.

~

When I come to, I see that I'm gripping Trinity's hand and digging my nails into it. “Sorry,” I say. Trinity nods. No one was affected by that night as much as we were. We shake. The pain of the aftermath, the trauma, that may never go away. There's one thing that Trinity does not have from that night, that I do. The burden I carry for us both. The thing that weighs heavier than the trauma. The guilt.

Chapter Two: Guilt

“Did I actually agree to this?” I ask Trinity, who is sitting on my bed, playing with my phone. “Yes, because you are in love with him,” she responds. I turn bright red. “I am not.” I deny it, even though deep down inside, I know I am. I look myself over. I'm wearing a white, low cut, lace-neck cami, under a black cardigan, and dark blue skinny jeans, with converse. Trinity is wearing a pair of her own jeans, and my blue Mocking-jay t-shirt. “Ready?” I ask. “Yep,” Trinity responds.

We are dropped off at the house, and Coulter is already there. We go up to the front gate. “You ready?” Coulter asks. I bite my lip. “This is the first time I've done something like this since that night,” I say. That's when my mind flashes back to that night. The night we lost Madeline.

~

It was about three months ago. We, Madeline, Trinity, Coulter and I were on a butte about three miles from my house. I had been having a conversation with Madeline, and we had all started walking. I had turned my back to her. I heard rustling and thought nothing of it, until I heard Madeline screaming. That's when I whirled around. She was gone. I took off in the direction of her screams but I'm grabbed by a pair of strong hands. “We have to go after her Coulter,” I say. “No Nina. I can't let you,” he says. The screams continued. “Madeline!” I scream. She suddenly appears. Coulter releases me so I can reach out and take her hand. “Don't let me go Nina,” Madeline says desperately. “I promise,” I say. That's when it happens. I'm bitten and I lose my grip on Madeline's hand. My other hand still gripping her hand. It's pitch dark, but I know my other hand is in a battle with something, or someone. I'm bitten again. This time, so hard that it brings tears to my eyes. “Nina!” is all I hear. And then, “Trinity, call the police.” I remember trying to run after Madeline, tripping over a branch, and being helped up by Coulter. Burying my face in his chest and sobbing. The screams were gone. I was too late, and so were the police when they arrived.

~

The whole time I was having this flashback, I must have blindly followed Coulter and Trinity into the house. “Let's go upstairs,” Coulter says. Dearest Coulter, I wish you had never said that, and we had never gone up there.