Ingrid took a deep breath before turning the knob on the door. The door unlocked with a soft click that gently echoed through the empty hallway. She pushed the door open and stepped aside to let Jason walk in. The room was covered in dust.
She heard him gasp. "Don't you get this room cleaned?"
"No." Ingrid walked in too, and smiled as the memories washed over her. The single bed at the far end of the room had plain, peach-colored sheets and a matching pink comforter. She could almost see Isabelle laying there on her stomach, reading a book or watching a documentary.
Jason shook his head. "So this is where Isabelle spent most of her days at home."
Ingrid nodded. "Yep."
She walked over to the chest of drawers next to it. "I haven't touched this since I got the news." She lightly stroked a finger across the top drawer, wiping away a thick layer of the dust. She opened the drawer and peered inside. A few of her pencils and other stationery items were neatly arranged.
"Open the second one," Jason said.
Hesitantly, she did as he said. She gasped softly when she saw three books, each labelled with the word 'Personal' and a year. Not giving them a glance, she picked them up, slowly reaching out her hands to give them to Jason. The third drawer had two USB flash drives.
The fourth and the fifth ones were empty. No items, and not even a speck of dust.
"No!", she yelled, alarming Jason. "What? What's wrong?"
Ingrid, clutching the two flash drives in her left hand, was shocked. "The fourth drawer is empty. I had kept...kept her letters in here, I..."
Jason walked closer to her. "What do you mean?"
"The letters. The fourth drawer had the letters she wrote to me. The fifth one had letters I wrote to her in response. I always thought she'd return one day, you know?" She suddenly felt embarrassed. How stupid of her.
Jason shrugged. "Maybe you took them out after heard about the death. I mean you were probably not in the best state of mind."
Ingrid shook her head. "Let's go back to my place. We'll read the diaries and then look at whatever's in the flash drives."
"Seems good."
✞ ✞ ✞
Isabelle watched with sadness at the house she remembered so vividly. "Jason!", she screamed. "Please...please hear me...baby, please." She turned to her mother who was watching with a dazed expression on her face. "Mom, what...what is happening?"
"They must be close, sweetie. That's why he cannot hear your voice." Tori turned to her daughter.
Isabelle frowned. "The only thing I remember is leaving a note in that last diary. I took all of the letters, but I never wrote...back."
She looked down at her sister and her husband. She wanted to be there, with them. Her two favorite people.
✞ ✞ ✞
Back at Ingrid's, Jason began thinking what he had been thinking on the ride there. Something just didn't fit. It was like a puzzle with a few too many pieces wrongly arranged, and the biggest piece missing.
He glanced at the stack of diaries in his hand. The topmost one was labelled 'Personal: 2017'.
"Ingrid!", he shouted, hurriedly opening the book. He furrowed his brows as he looked at the handwriting. It was Isabelle's. If someone other than she had written it, they were an expert. The handwriting was exactly like hers, right down to the size of the circle tittles above the I's and J's.
Ingrid came rushing out of the kitchen. "What? What is it?"
"The diaries! This one says 2017 on it! Isabelle wasn't even here at the time!"
"No...no, no, no. That's simply not possible!"
"Except that it is."
Ingrid jumped on the sofa next to him.
"How much is written?"
He flipped through the pages.
"There are six entries." He tilted the book towards her and they started reading.
_
01/27/2018 (Saturday)
Today was a nice day. It was Alena's eleventh birthday and we went fishing. Jason fell in the water and Alena couldn't stop laughing. She has her father's laugh, big and wholesome. Watching her blue eyes light up made me realize that I love her too much. I made a vow to do whatever it takes to keep her safe. After straightening Alena's bow on her head, I helped Jason out of the water.
I think I have my priorities straight.
_
01/28/2018 (Sunday)
Jason taught Alena how to belly dance. It was hilarious. After I took them, I found Jason wearing a plus-sized crop top and wrapped a sheet around his waist.
Later, she video-called Leah to ask how to actually belly dance.
_
01/29/2018 (Monday)
Alena managed to potty-train Coconut. Jason's the only one who knows I'm scared as hell of that damn cat, sneaking around on its furry paws.
But I don't have the heart to let Alena know that her favorite thing in the entire world has given me more scratches in a month than I've ever gotten in all my thirty-four years.
_
01/30/2018 (Tuesday)
Alena got her period and she started freaking out. She's twelve already but I didn't think she'd get her period until two or more years later, and the poor girl thought she was dying. At first, I laughed. But I realized that it was weird, the way she suddenly started menstruating. I feel as if it was just yesterday that I ran away. How could time pass by so fast?
_
01/31/2018 (Wednesday)
I'm overcome with guilt. Mom didn't deserve whatever I put her through. Leaving without warning...I shouldn't have. I can't believe I gave up everything just because my brother died. How silly. I would do anything to go back.
_
Jason glanced at Ingrid. Her hands, clasped together, were trembling. "Oh my god," she whispered, staring straight ahead. He shut the diary. He did not want to turn the page and read the sixth entry, not with Ingrid.
He focused his thoughts on the entries. It must've felt surreal to Ingrid to read her sister's last words.
Slowly, Ingrid shook her head.
"Let me see that," she said and tried to grab the book away from Jason, but Jason held on.
"I don't think you should read the sixth entry. Not right now, Ingrid."
Ingrid nodded. "You're right. I don't think I'll be able to handle it. But that's not what I want to read."
She took the book away from him and read the entries again and again, avoiding the last one, because if she did, she would probably break under the stress.
"Let's have a look at those flash-drives."
✞ ✞ ✞
YOU ARE READING
Roses On Their Graves | ✓
Mystery / Thriller"Death is not the end. It is merely the beginning of something else." Ingrid did not have any intentions other than to wish her dead sister on her birthday. Maybe she should have visited the cemetery sometime other than midnight, because then maybe...
