Butterfly

Chapter Eight: Meadow Brown

Sophia sat on her bed, staring at her drawing of the butterfly. It had been impossibly beautiful, and it had such a gentle fragility. It was a dark, strong blood red.

Amazing.

Later, Sophia was walking through the woods again. It was getting dark, but although she was a little bit afraid, she didn't really care. The wood was so huge, it seemed almost infinite. Which led Sophia's thoughts on to wondering whether the universe was infinite, or just completely unimaginably big, or just massive. Infinitely big or unimaginably big, Sophia was thinking as she walked. Suddenly, she saw a figure coming towards her. A dark black figure in a hoodie, and ripped jeans. She ran on, away from the person. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and turned round.

It was Robert. Dammit. "Oh. It's you." Sophia said reluctantly. "Yes. Listen, Sophia. I know you hate me now but... Um."

Was this about to be a major revelation? That Ashleigh wasn't in fact dead, and he was hiding in the woods?

"Yeah?"

"Um.

Would you read out something at Ashleigh's funeral?"
Bloody hell, Sophia thought. He came all the way to find me, just to ask me that?
"Um. Yeah? Ok? You came all this way to ask me that?"

"Er, yeah. Like just say stuff like, "He was my best friend ever," or "I miss him so much," or stuff like that?"

Sophia laughed. "Yeah yeah, ok."

Robert turned to go, but then said over his shoulder, "Sophia? I'm really really sorry about what happened. I don't know... I don't know why I did it."

Sophia got angry again. Here she was, standing in the middle of the woods, trying to think about infinity. And Robert was trying to apologize for consciously killing his own brother? It took every ounce of her strength not to slap his face again. He did look truly sorry. "Well I don't think you know what you did, really. You're not aware of the pain you caused everyone."

Robert sighed and walked away.

Sophia lay in bed that night, crying her heart out because she would never see Ashleigh again. Until she went to heaven, which wouldn't be for at least sixty-eight years. She wanted to see Ashleigh too much.

She cried herself to sleep.

The next morning it was school. Usually Sophia liked school, but without Ashleigh it was completely meaningless. Lauren was still there though. And at least Sophia had other friends.

All day, Sophia doodled butterflies on her books. She couldn't think of anything except the butterfly on her window yesterday.