Victoria moved to my side and sat down again. Every moment, I felt like our hearts grew closer and closer. She loved me back. I could tell by the way she looked into my eyes.
"I spent the rest of the night in the garden," she continued. "It was the only place I could feel safe. I peered through the canopy of sunflowers to the starry sky, and I wondered if anyone was staring back at me. I felt so alone. The garden was all I had."
I looked up at the sky. It was covered with gloomy clouds.
"Do you like the sky?" Victoria asked.
"I find it fascinating."
"I like it better cloudy."
I looked at her as a smile spread on her face. I felt a grin edge across mine, too. I reached my hand out, palm side up. I felt a single drop of rain fall on it. I felt more drops as the rain grew heavier.
"I'll continue the story another time," she concluded. "You should probably get inside."
"So I can count on seeing you again, then?"
"Certainly."
I stood up and said goodbye to her. Then, I climbed the fence and hurried back into the house. I went up to my room and changed into some dry clothes. I looked out my window. Through the heavy downpour, I could see a ghostly figure in the window of the house next door. She waved at me, and I waved back. She faded after a while, and another message appeared on my window.
I love you, Michael.
My heart soared with joy as I flopped onto my bed. For the first time ever, I really knew what love was like. No one on Earth could tear me away from Victoria. She was mine!
My next opportunity to be with her came the next day, when I faked another mom-I'm-sick-let-me-stay-home. She agreed with slight hesitation, but a yes was a yes after all.
After my mom left, I kept watch for Victoria again. Soon enough, she appeared again, and I raced downstairs, outside, and over the fence.
"Hello," she greeted me with a smile. She didn't seem as cold as usual. I actually felt comfortable being around her.
"Hi," I replied.
"Shall I continue the story?"
"Go ahead."
I sat down in the same spot as the day before by the massive sunflowers. She took a seat beside me.
"After spending the entire night in the garden, I emerged at dawn. I ambled back into the house. I shouted my mother's name to try to find her. The only reply was the echo of my call through the silent house. I walked up to the study on the second floor. It was her favorite place." She paused. The smile disappeared from her face. "I found her on the floor. Red stains of dried blood covered the floorboards. I sank to my knees and cried. That was when I found that my mother had been killed."
I watched a single, silvery tear run down her face and drop on the ground. It vanished instantly.
"I didn't know ghosts could cry," I remarked.
"Me neither."
We sat quietly for a while. Sitting there and watching her cry was more painful than a stab to the heart. I tried to find words to say, but I just couldn't break the delicate silence.
Eventually, I forced out two words. "Go on."
"I alerted the authorities to see if they could figure out what happened. It took them several months, as the technology at that time was not very advanced. When they figured it out, they found my father and took him to jail. My grandmother moved in and took care of me after that, but nothing was the same as before . . ."
"What was she like?" I asked.
"Who?"
"Your mom."
"I guess just like a normal mom. There wasn't really that much that was special about her. She was just . . . there. I feel like I took her for granted."
"No one could have anticipated what happened," I said.
"I suppose you're right . . ." Her voice trailed off as she stared at the ground. She sniffled and stopped crying. She paused for a while to regain her bearings. After that, she continued the story. "After they took my father, I wasn't sure how to feel. He killed my mother. But he was still my dad after all. My mind and heart fought ceaselessly. Until I met him."
"Who's 'him'?" I asked suspiciously.
"Jonathon. I met him in high school. His father was dead, so I felt a connection between the two of us. I knew he'd be able to understand me. Before I knew it, I found myself falling in love with him."
There was an awkward silence. My stomach dropped. What if she still loved him? Would she still love me? I felt the little green monster clawing at my heart.
"Don't be jealous," she told me as if she was reading my mind. "He's long dead, now."
So are you, I thought to myself.
"Besides, I don't love him anymore. He took me to the dance in tenth grade," she continued. "He was walking me home when he stopped to kiss me. I had never experienced anything like it before. But that wasn't the only surprise of the night. We started walking again. After a while, a shady-looking man walked up to us. 'Give me all your money!' he yelled. I watched him take a sinister knife out of his pocket. He pointed it at us. 'I said give me all your money!' he shouted again."
"Didn't he do anything?" I asked in surprise.
"Yes. He ran. The man grabbed me and held the knife to my neck. 'Take one more step and the girl dies!' he shouted. Jonathon never looked back. The last thing I remember was the sight of him running . . . and then it was all over."
