It was cold the day it happened. Cold and rainy. The kind of rain that soaks your clothes and makes you miserable and soggy. And by soggy, I mean inside and out. You eyes get all droopy, and so do your spirits. Maybe that's why it seemed like such a bad day too. Well besides what happened. The rain was dying down a bit, and I wanted to go out for a walk. My family said they'd drive to the park to pick me up for dinner. We were going to go out; like any normal family would in this small town. The grass was wet. It was almost enough to get to my socks and soak them too. I kicked a puddle here and there, almost expecting to kick the bad weather away with the drops of water. I shook my head and shoved my hands in my pockets. This was dumb. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Finn running in my direction. He skidded to a stop spraying me with water that had covered his long blond hair. I was too tired to worry why he was rushing.

"Hey, you heard right? There was a car crash on the bridge. One of the cars fell over." Finn said, his voice loud and deep.

"Are they okay?" I asked, worry filling my gut. I'd have to call my parents, they wouldn't have the bridge open for them to come get me. Finn shrugged his shoulders.

"My dad just called to have me help pick up the scraps. The car on the bridge is completely totaled. I think my dad said that group was okay, though." He said. I hoped the car that fell didn't contain people I knew. Finn finally decided he couldn't stand there anymore and took off jogging past me. I pulled out my phone and dialed my home number. It ringed three times with no answer. They probably already left. I remembered then that Cherry was heading off to university today. She had just gotten her drivers license, and it could've been her in one of the cars. I tried my home number again, no answer. I turned around, curiosity getting the better of me. In a small town, you best know what's going on or you have nothing to talk about. I starting jogging a bit, maybe I could get there when my parents did and catch a ride home with them. I still had mid terms to study for. It was only Saturday, but two days of studying is better than one. The bridge had been closed off, and Finn's dad was there with his pick up, towing the smashed car away. To my relief, it wasn't Cherry's. I ran up to Finn, who was kicking scraps into a pile.

"Dos you find out who the others were?" I asked, almost nervously.

"No, nobody saw to car go down. The family wasn't conscious so we couldn't ask them. My uncle is searching the river for the car and, well.. You know." I nodded and looked around for my mom and dad. Maybe my sister. She was usually at home though, didn't come out much. I furrowed my brow upon noticing their absence.

"Have you seen my parents? Or my sister?" I asked Finn, who was kicking the bridge.

"Hate to say I haven't." Finn replied.

"Did they stop at that diner down the road from here?" Finn asked.

"In not sure. I could call." I said.

"Nah, one of the cars hit cell line back there, phones won't pick up." He muttered, distracted by all the scrap metal he was examining.

"Alright. Let me know if they come by. You're welcome to join us when you're done!" I yelled over my shoulder, jogging to the dinner. It wasn't far, about three minutes run from the bridge. I saw the broken sign in the distance, and slowed my pace a bit. I didn't see the car. I opened the front door and glanced around. Nobody was there. Almost everyone was at the bridge. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw Nancy, the cook walk up to the counter.

"Hey Nancy. Have you seen my folks around?" I asked.

"Not recently dear." She replied sweetly.

"Oh. Well thanks." I waved and left, dragging my feet now. Did they ditch me and go to the boardwalk or something? I headed home, my pace slow. When I finally got to my front door, I found it locked. Odd. The only time we locked the door was when we were going to be in town for a while. I shrugged, walked around back, and crawled into my window, a familiar practice with me. I didn't sneak out often, but when I did the window was my way out, and my way in. The house was dark, not even my sister was home. I shook my head, still in awe as to where they were. Oh well, I suppose. I can wait for them to get home I guess. I went to my room and sat down on my bed. I wanted to read, but something in me couldn't lift up a book. Instead I grabbed my cello, crossed my legs on my bed and sat it up so I could play it with my bow. I didn't know much, but it was fun to play whatever I wanted. My bow glided over the strings and my hands moved side to side and up and down on the fret board. The soft sound of my cello filled the room, calming the little bit of anxiety I had. I lost myself in the sound of the instrument, the music becoming alive, enchanting me with its grace and movement. I heard something hit the window a while later, not noticing how long I had been playing. Nearly two hours.

"Yo, Bethabell!" It was Finn. He was the only one who called me that. My first name was Elizabeth, and my middle, Bonnibell, so he took the liberty to smash them together. I stood up and leaned out the window.

"Wassup." I asked, staring down at Finn who had a hand full of pebbles. He waved weakly.

"Come on. You gotta see something." He said. His voice was heavy with something. I didn't know what it was.

"Can I wait until my parents come back?" I asked. Finn hesitated for a second.

"Let's just go. They won't mind." He whispered. I shrugged and climd out the window, landing on the grass with a thud. Finn walked in front of me, not holding a conversation. It wasn't typical of him.

"You okay, Finn?" I asked, setting a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's just, go Elizabeth." He replied. Nobody ever called me by my first name. I shook my head at the thought and kept walking behind him.

"We found the car." He whispered. I nodded.

"Did you know them?" I asked, sympathetically.

"Yes." He rasped out, dryly, starkly.

"We only found two bodies." He continued. "They're, dead. They didn't drown, they were killed from impact." He said.

"Who were they?" I asked. Finn stiffened.

"Do I know them?" I tried again.

"Yes." He replied. I saw the car on the river bank now. It was a red truck, just like my dads.

"That looks exactly like my dads truck." I commented. Finn kept waking.

"Finn. Who was it?" I asked, my stomach dropping when he didn't answer. I then saw the unmistakable homemade shoes of my sister. I stopped.

"F-Finn?" I asked, my voice high in pitch, but soft. He murmured a small sorry, and turned away.

"Why are you sorry Finn?" I asked, tears already pouring down my face.

"Why are you sorry..." I said, my knees giving out.

"Why..." I whispered, hugging my legs to my chest. I felt a hand on my shoulder, a firm strong hand. Jake.

"Hey, I'm sorry sweetheart." He whispered. I looked up at him, and felt his strong arms pull me off the ground and into his arms. He was probably taking me to his house, he wouldn't let me sleep alone in mine. I pressed my face into his shoulder and cried. I wailed and bunched jakes shirt up in my hands. I felt so little and helpless. I opened my mouth and let out a cry of desperation now, Jake hugged me tighter to his chest.

"Jake... It's. It's not fair." I cried. Jake only nodded sorrowfully. I felt him walk up some stairs and heard a door open.

"You can stay here for as long as you like. You know that okay?" He layed me down on the couch and patted my back. I wanted to go back, and say goodbye to my family. I pushed my shoes hastily off my feet and flipped them onto the couch. I hid my face in the pillow and cried. I cried and cried and cried. I felt a soft paw on my face and turned to see B-moe, Jake's cat. I lifted them up and onto my lap. They rubbed under my chin and flicked their tail. I rubbed the soft black fur on its belly, a purr coming from inside the cats chest. I smiled and hugged B-moe. Cats always help. They licked my hand and jumped away, leaving behind black hairs. It was eleven now, and the sky was very dark. I sighed and rolled over, waiting for sleep to take me away from this awful, twisted reality. It never came.