Fateful Ties

Chapter Fourteen

I wake up to Audrey's feet in my face. Gross. Her body is lying on top of my legs, so I push her off the couch. She lands with one big thud. It takes three seconds before I hear her growl my name from the floor. I yawn and look at the digital clock on the TV stand. It's 10:30 in the morning.

I stretch out my legs when Audrey's head pops up from the ground. "What was that for?"

I yawn again. "You were on top of me and your feet were in my face."

Her eyes are smoldering. "So you just threw me off the couch?" She stretches out her legs and rises up from the ground.

"Hey, it solved two problems," I shrug, "No more feet and no more weight on me." I rise off the couch and walk to my room. I grab some clothes from my drawer and stride into the bathroom. Turning on the shower nozzle, I make sure the water isn't too hot and then undress. In the shower, I wash my hair and my body as the hot water patters against my skin. I scrub until I'm completely clean and then step out of the shower.

As I exit the shower, I dry my hair and wrap a towel around my body. My ruby pendant is laying atop my clean clothes. I pick it up and hook it around my neck. I caress the bold jewel, and look at myself in the mirror. Today marks the fifth anniversary of Luke's death and my fourteenth birthday.

Memories of him float through my mind. Specifically, the ones where he would play with me in the yard of the mansion. Our laughter every time we would do something bad, but get away with it rings in my ears. His warm smile that always comforted me when I was sad shines true through my head. I already decided weeks ago how I would spend today. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, I am going to honor his memory today by having fun. He would want that for me on a day like today, so I won't disappoint him. I will make him proud from wherever he is watching me.

I finish pulling on my undergarments and clothing before exiting the bathroom. I catch Audrey right before she meanders into her bedroom as I leave the room. "Audrey." She stops and turns to face me. "What are we doing today anyway?" I ask, still drying off my hair.

She blinks as though I just reminded her of something important. "We're going into town later this evening."

I clarify, "I get that, but what are we doing?"

She winks, "That's for me to know and you to find out." She puts her hands on her hips. "With that said, I'll be out in town for most of the day with Sam preparing for this."

"Wait," I call out. "We're not allowed to go out into town twice in one day, so am I supposed to come with you and Sam."

"No," she replies simply, "Just meet us in Cambridge park around 8:00 tonight." My mood perks up when she says that. I've been wanting to visit there since last week. Audrey notices my quiet excitement and gushes, "Happy Birthday sweet girl."

Everything around me brightens, and I can't stop the broad grin on my face. I run up to her and squeeze her tight. "Thank you," I breathe, "Thank you."

She hugs me back and adds, "I know today is also the anniversary of his death, and I know that it's also probably the worst day of the year, but you not only owe it to him, but to yourself to have fun today. You're turning fourteen for goodness sake." Salty tears begin streaking down my face, but I wipe them away. I had already decided to choose happiness today, but hearing Audrey tell me that gives me more of a reason to follow through.

"You two better have a good surprise," I tease, still rubbing my eyes, "If I have to wait a whole day to see what you have in store for me, then it better be good."

"Don't worry. We won't disappoint you." She hugs me one more time before entering her room. A promise.

C