A fire burning in the fireplace, a dresser with a large mirror with candles lit scattered on top of it, with makeup sitting open, pictures of the past slowly being thrown into the fire, with a stereo screeching into the empty decrepit studio apartment. A man sat in the floor in front of the fire, reminiscing of what seemed like a past life. Shaking all over he came in contact with a picture of a beautiful woman and a man, he used to be that man, he used to have it all, only now that he realized it, it was already too late. All the little things, how they should have been more important in the relationship he had, he couldn't believe how he acted like such a jerk to everyone who he loved. Now God was paying him back, or so he thought,

"Kate, I'm...," the man uttered out of his black-painted lips as he gently touched the picture of the woman, he couldn't bring himself to apologize, he already knew it was too late for apologies or to ever make it up to her. The man sat there holding pictures, of the past, he didnt even look like this man in the pictures he held. His lips were now painted black with long black lines extending out as if he were expressing a dark sadistic smile, the rest of his face was white except for his eyes, they were black with lines stretching from halfway up his forehead to the middle of his cheeks... almost like a dead mime.

"Whatever happened to the young man's heart?" the stereo screeched

The man turned and stared at the stereo,

"It was shattered to pieces and put back together with hate and revenge," the man now standing on his feet, he jerked around and stared at the apartment door. The door opened, a young woman who didnt look old enough to be on the police force walked in wearing a police uniform.

"Hello, is anyone here," the woman having a gun in her hands ready to fire, she checked out the apartment, when she was sure it was safe she lowered her gun and started looking around. After five years no one was brave enough to rent the misfortuned apartment, or the whole floor for that matter.

"This place looks creepy after what happened here, no one is ever going to rent this place, there's still bloodstains on the floor." That was the young police officer's guess to why no one was staying in the apartment, to her knowledge the landlord hadn't the courage to come up and check out the place. First she saw the dresser with candles scattered everywhere along with some makeup that had been opened.

"Brandon, are you here?" she realized what she had just said and laughed at herself.

"I'm going crazy, you can't be here, the dead can't come back," she shook her head and noticed the smell of the recent burning pictures. The police officer slowly walked towards the fireplace that was still smoldering,

"Swimming through the ashes of another life" the stereo still blaring

she bent down and saw a picture that had barely scraped by the fire, she gently picked up the picture, her eyes quickly swelled with tears. It was the picture of her two best friends,

"Brandon..., I'm going to get them, every last one of them… for you and Kate," the young woman turning around and walking to the stereo, just as she reached out to turn the annoying music off,

"Send a message to the unborn child

Keep your eyes open for a while

In a box high up on the shelf, left for you, no one else"

The young woman was confused, but then she remembered the box, she turned to the shelf, she saw a medium sized box made from teak wood.

"Brandon," the woman afraid to open the box, scared of the past slapping her in the face, finally she gently brought the box down from the spot on the shelf where it had been collecting dust over the years. Holding the box tightly she sat down in the floor and ever so gently, as if it were made of glass, sat the box on the floor, she took a deep breath and slowly opened the box. Just as she feared, her tears overflowed, her cheeks were drowning in the salty wetness that rained down from her eyes. The box had served as Kate's and Brandon's memory box, things that served a purpose in both of their lives were in this fine wooden box. Brandon's favorite guitar picks and Kate's book of wedding dresses, all of the plans for their wedding that never took place, Brandon's newest songs that he had written for the band he used to play in, a little handful of pictures of Kate, Brandon, and herself. Slowly she pulled out Kate's journal, Kate had wrote something for her and Brandon's little ceremony they had that was interrupted by their deaths, the young woman read it outloud:

"I've lived a thousand life times to find a soul like yours

A soul so pure

A soul so brave

An angel who takes my breath away

I want to lie with you forever

My passion knows no bounds

I want to shield you from all evil

Protect this love we have found."

She slammed the book closed and put everything back into the box and ran out, she jumped into her car and sped to work.

"I knew I shouldn't have came here, I couldn't even bare to go to the funeral," beating herself up with words because she was in more pain since she had came to the ghastly apartment building. She didnt want closure, she didnt want to believe that she had lost the last bit of 'family' she had, but something in the back of her mind urged her to come. The man who had been there before was perched up on the building top watching her speed away, he hung his head,

"I'm... sorry," he whispered as a crow landed on his shoulder and squawked.