|Prologue|
.:To Tell a Story:.
Letter 1
Dear Hope,
My name is Aline Celia Aurora-Heiderich-Conner, but I usually go by Ailey. I like Ailey more. It's short, sweeter, and means the same thing as Aline anyway. Shining light. That's what they named me. A light is a hard thing to live up to, Hope. It shines even in the darkest of times and I don't think that I'm ready for that yet. I'm only seventeen years old, a Senior in high school. I actually enjoy school, for the most part, even if high school has been a living hell. Anyway, Hope, I'm writting for a few reasons, though I'm not quite sure what they all are yet. The main one is so that I can chronicle my thoughts and life during Senior year. I pray that you and I will get along and that we'll be good friends.
Sincerely,
Aline
Drip. Drop. Drip. It's raining. A Thursday in early May. We walk side by side, her and I, under an umbrella, trying to avoid the rain. A smile graces her face. She's happy, laughing, giggling as she watches me. Her skin is pale though, pale and sick. I can tell that she's in bad health and she's running a horrible fever. She's been sick for a very long time now. So long that she doesn't realize she's sick anymore. It doesn't feel like anything anymore. The illness doesn't affect her and she smiles. Happy. So am I.
As we walk together, she talks. She talks a lot. A smile spreads across my own face as she goes on. I'm not really sure what she's saying, it's hard to hear her over the rain, but I know she's talking. I know she's talking about hope. Hope and a little leather notebook. Our time in high school. When we met. A happy time, or at least I see it as happy. I miss high school and all the people important to us. She's talking about an event from ten years ago. She was a Senior. I was a Sophomore. I wonder if those times will ever come back.
After speaking, she turns around to face me. Shoves a leather bound notebook into my hands. I grip it tightly. "Don't worry," She whispers, "I'll always be there for you." She pushes back. Dances away. Through the rain. It soaks her to the bone, but she's glowing anyway. She's glowing even though she's wet. Her face is bright with joy. "We'll always watch over you," She calls in a voice like a bell, "Hope and I." A light flashes. Rushing cars. She falls onto her knees. Red.
A bell rings. Seven times. Seven o'clock. It's the end of the day. The sun is setting. She breaths her last. I stand there, stunned by what I see, my eyes wide with fear. The things she said only moments ago run through my head. She made me promise something, but I don't remember what. Everyone moment flashes before my eyes. The pain and the smiles. They chase each other in circles around my head. The fears, tears, moments spent together. The bell stops ringing. The sun has set. She breathes her last. In, then out, and gone forever.
They find us. I stand over her, protecting her from something. I don't want them to take her, but I have no choice. I explain what's happened. They say they understand, but they don't. They don't understand what's going on. They don't understand. They take her away. I can hear her screaming. I want to be at her side through this, like I was before. It's too much. I can't handle it. The blood is rushing to my head. I'm dizzy. The sun has set. I fall to ground.
I wake up and people ask me questions. I don't answer them. I don't have answers. I pull into myself, hide from everything. There's only a few people I want to see. Those that she cares most about. Her loved ones. I stare down at the book she gave me, hold it close, wait for the next part of the story. I wait for the next event. The one that will throw me off my seat. I wait and wait and I wonder if it's true. What she said. Is Hope really watching over us? The sun has set, she's breathed her last, and now: we are alone.
Black. All I see is black. It's everywhere and on everyone, covering us in sorrow. The organ is playing in the background. I can still hear her voice. She calls to me, telling me to remember Hope. To remember our letters. Our joy and our sorrow. She wants me to smile. It's hard to smile when I can't find her. The others are here, they want to cry, but most of them don't. They don't talk to me either. I think it's because they're afraid of setting me off. Hope. What is Hope? I don't know anymore. It was something important to her. She needed it and she had it. Even after all her failures, she had it.
We enter the church, pure silence surrounds us. I take my seat at his side. He's crying. For her? I'm not sure. There's no reason to cry for her. She wouldn't want us to cry. I want to cry though, but I won't. I won't because she tells me not to. She loves our smiles. I grip the little leather notebook. Hope. I hold it closer to me. Our dear letters to Hope. All our memories. She treasures them. I remember the promise I made now. I will protect them. I will tell her story.
Seven rings. It's seven o'clock. The sun is setting. She's breathed her last. We stand on a hill covered in grass. Darkness is slowly falling around us. The smell of nature fills my nose. A welcoming smell. I rise to my feet in front of the crowd and take a deep breath. It's now or never. My eyes fall upon those before me. I nod. It's time to tell the real story. I tell them praying that those who hear will understand what these letters mean. Her letters. Our letters. The letters to hope.
I flip the leather notebook open and read the first letter. I pause and skip the next seven letters. I do not see them as important. She did not see them as important. They were the beginning, but not the true beginning of the story that she wanted me to share. I glance up at the crowd, take a deep breath, and begin.
Letter 8
Dear Hope,
I saw Zack today and we spent time together. Zack's the Sophomore I mentioned before. Do you remember, Hope? Anyway, I saw him today. We spoke about Kaito and Devin and he said I should forget about them. He said that I'm beautiful and one day I'll find someone who loves me for who I am. I needed the pick-up in self-confidence, but more than that, I needed him saying that in order to realize a few things.
In the past few months, a lot has happened. I've had my heart broken a few times, made some new friends, gained a lot of knowledge, and lost a lot of confidence. Still, I have decided that with the new year, I will renew myself. I will do my best to love and support hose around me. I will not let my falls keep me down, instead I will rise back up. As long as I have my friends, my good friends, the ones I treasure most, I think that I'll be alright, Hope. Just in case though, I want to ask you to ensure my friends stay at my side. Please give me the strength I need to love and protect them. Give me a chance to show them the kindness that they've shown me, especially Zack.
Hope, I feel like something big is coming. Something that will make the last few months insignificant compared to the events that will come. I want my actions in these...no. No, I want these letters that chronicle the events to be remembered because I've decided that not only will I write you letters, but I will give my closest friends the chance to write them as well. When I die, I want someone to stand in front of the crowd and tell the story, because I feel it'll be one worth remembering and even if it's not, I want it to be one that my loved ones remember. If you can do that for me, Hope, then I will be forever grateful.
Thank You,
Aline
