The Butterfly Effect

Chapter Ten - The Monster at the End of This Book

Emily sat on the ground, hugging her knees until someone came. Jason was the one to find Harper. She watched as every part of him shattered into pieces as he tried desperately to save the love of his life. It was too little, too late. She was long dead before Jason made it here. He called 9-1-1 and held Harper's body in his arms. Truth be told, Emily had never seen Jason cry before. She never wanted to see it again.

Divina appeared as the scene drifted out of existence. "Some say suicide is a coward's escape."

Emily rose from the grass of Purgatory and spun around to her, seething. "I am not a coward! You wanna know what's cowardly? Making someone feel so horrible that they want to die!"

Divina simply nodded in agreement, oblivious to the anger. "You're right, suicide isn't cowardly, but it is selfish."

"I don't give a damn what it is!" Emily shouted. "You can forget about trying to convince me to choose life! I'm done! I wanted to die and I got my wish! I'm not responsible for the aftermath! They get what they deserve!"

"You're speaking from pain, not logic."

"You don't know the slightest thing about me! I'd rather go insane than not being able to look anyone in the eye, knowing exactly what their death could have been! What am I supposed to do if my parents don't lock me up in mental asylum? Do you want me to show up at school as the girl who tried to kill herself? No! I'm not living with that! I couldn't take the stares already! What makes you think I could take it ten times worse? I want to be dead!"

"Then as you take your life, you take the one's of those who loved you the most." Divina mused.

"I'd hardly call it love with some of them."

"But they cared, did they not?" The Reaper challenged.

"Divina... give me one good reason why I should go back. What's one good thing in my future that's worth living for?"

Her imperious gaze focused in on Emily, but she didn't back down. "I would appreciate it if we finish our journey before you make rash decisions."

"Finish?" Emily repeated with disdain. "What do you mean finish? There's no one left. We've seen the future of everyone I know."

"Each suicide intimately affects six people."

Emily considered this. "I'm guessing you're counting my parents as one future then? Because that would mean we've seen five. Who's next?"

"You."

The wavering cry of Seagulls accompanied a crashing of waves in the distance. In a panic Emily twisted in every direction, finding herself in the middle of a sandy beach. Two giggling little girls ran through her. She gasped and turned around. The girls were digging in the sand. Emily edged toward them. Up close, she recognized who they were. One girl was blonde and younger by two years. The other girl had long dark locks. It was ten-year-old Megan and seven-year-old Emily.

"Meg, you're putting too much dirt!" Seven-year-old-Emily whined when Megan over-filled her bucket.

"It'll be fine, Ems! Trust me!" Megan smoothed over the bucket then turned it upside down. She waited a few seconds then pulled the bucket away. The wet sand held the shape of the bucket. Emily grinned and placed a seashell at the top.

The sisters drew on the castle until little Ems stopped. "I wish I was a princess."

"Daddy says we're his princesses."

"Yeah, but I wanna be a real princess!"

Little Megan shook her head smiling. "Why?"

"Because they get happy endings."