In-a church, With-a small suitcase, While-a ghost searches for you
She was running away. She'd had enough, enough of the fighting, of the angry words, of the looks she got from her family, just because she dared to be different, because she wouldn't, couldn't, fit into their perfect world.
Not that it mattered. Her parents didn't care. Her sisters didn't care. She didn't have any friends who would care. The only person who had cared...dead, after taking a spectacular swan dive off of the clocktower.
Pity she couldn't do that. But she didn't believe in suicide. Sometimes she hated Amelie, for taking that route. Others, she understood her former best friend so well. Understood the pain that clawed at her very being, and forced her to scream her grief to the world.
Grief at the death of her only friend, at the death of her ideals, at the death of her happiness. Everyone expected her to move on, to be the same old Katie. But she couldn't. She couldn't survive as Katie without Amelie. They were two of a kind, a matched set. And now Amelie was gone. So Katie had to disappear, too.
That's why she was here, in the Church, her only luggage a small suitcase filled to the brim with books, and two changes of clothes. She couldn't leave the notebooks behind, they were her only link with Amelie. But clothing...it was easy enough to come by, anyway.
She bowed her curly brown head, sending a silent prayer to an equally silent God, that she could change, become someone different. She was so tired of being sad all the time, so tired of the red eyes and the headaches. She just wanted to smile without thinking of her dearest companion.
In fact, she was so tired that fell asleep, her head resting against the pew. Her dreams were filled with memories, of the time she and Amelie had short hair and were mistaken for boys, and they ended up not buying anything at the market because they were so angry about it. Or the time they got lost on the way home from school, and spent three idyllic hours exploring the forest behind Amelie's house. Or the time they spoke in rhymes for an entire day, just to annoy everyone.
When she awoke she was refreshed, but more than that, she was heartwhole. Something missing had slotted back into place. With a small smile on her face she left, ready to start her new life.
And Amelie, who had been searching for her, but unable to find her until that very moment when she slept, was finally able to move on. She'd been forgiven, and now her new life could begin, too.
Not that it mattered. Her parents didn't care. Her sisters didn't care. She didn't have any friends who would care. The only person who had cared...dead, after taking a spectacular swan dive off of the clocktower.
Pity she couldn't do that. But she didn't believe in suicide. Sometimes she hated Amelie, for taking that route. Others, she understood her former best friend so well. Understood the pain that clawed at her very being, and forced her to scream her grief to the world.
Grief at the death of her only friend, at the death of her ideals, at the death of her happiness. Everyone expected her to move on, to be the same old Katie. But she couldn't. She couldn't survive as Katie without Amelie. They were two of a kind, a matched set. And now Amelie was gone. So Katie had to disappear, too.
That's why she was here, in the Church, her only luggage a small suitcase filled to the brim with books, and two changes of clothes. She couldn't leave the notebooks behind, they were her only link with Amelie. But clothing...it was easy enough to come by, anyway.
She bowed her curly brown head, sending a silent prayer to an equally silent God, that she could change, become someone different. She was so tired of being sad all the time, so tired of the red eyes and the headaches. She just wanted to smile without thinking of her dearest companion.
In fact, she was so tired that fell asleep, her head resting against the pew. Her dreams were filled with memories, of the time she and Amelie had short hair and were mistaken for boys, and they ended up not buying anything at the market because they were so angry about it. Or the time they got lost on the way home from school, and spent three idyllic hours exploring the forest behind Amelie's house. Or the time they spoke in rhymes for an entire day, just to annoy everyone.
When she awoke she was refreshed, but more than that, she was heartwhole. Something missing had slotted back into place. With a small smile on her face she left, ready to start her new life.
And Amelie, who had been searching for her, but unable to find her until that very moment when she slept, was finally able to move on. She'd been forgiven, and now her new life could begin, too.