Gone Away

James Howell

I remember the event happening like it was yesterday. Every detail carved into my brain, like how the wind blew softly against my skin, or how the street lights flickered on as the sun began to fall beneath the mountaintops. It was just a normal day that eventually would lead to the greatest day of my life.

Henry and I walked, talking about what new things that had happened in each other's lives. It was mainly him talking though because nothing exciting ever happened to me anymore.

"It was amazing! I met Rosie at Lake Mirror, you know, the same lake we went camping next to when we were 10? Anyways, I ran into her along the shoreline. And when I say ran into, we literally ran into each other." He explained, putting more emphasis on the world literally. "We actually fell in, but that is beside the point. When I came out of the water, I noticed the worlds had disappeared. Vanished! Then she spoke the words. It was crazy, man. You could even say it was almost like magic."

I nodded, not really wanting to hear about Soulmates anymore. My words had appeared on my arm at the age of 14 and here I am with them still tattooed on my left arm, three years later. I sighed and watched as my breath turned to fog in front of me, fanning across my face as we continued down the sidewalk.

The tattoo system was always something that I didn't believe in when I was younger. From what I was taught, how it works is once you finally understood what love really was and the concepts of what a soulmate was, then the first sentences your soulmate says to you appear in their favorite color. The thought of words suddenly appearing somewhere was just odd to me. But eventually, Henry's appeared and then so did mine.

After Henry met Rosie, the words vanished with nothing left of them in sight. They weren't to be seen again. Since they have been together for almost three months now, and they seemed to be happy. This wasn't the first time I had been told this story. Henry boasted about how they met quite often. I couldn't blame him though, for he was in love. I tried to be happy and supportive of him, but sometimes it just felt like he was constantly telling me all of this to remind me how lonely I truly felt.

Henry glanced over and patted my back in a brotherly manner. "Hey kid, try not to sweat it too much. You'll find your girl eventually. Not everyone's as lucky as I am."

I rolled my eyes and moved away from his unwelcome touch. He always tried to comfort me, but he wasn't the best at it. He tried, and that is all that mattered. It sometimes seemed like it always came back to him in the end. Other than his sometime self-centeredness, he really was a good guy and always seemed to have my back. He has been there for me since elementary school, and he was my best friend since. Even when he became popular in middle and high school, he never left no matter what people said. I am forever grateful for him staying with me. If he hadn't I would be alone now.

I smiled as the memories came flooding back through my head. This smile was gone and an unknown force ran into my chest. I fell backward and hit the ground. My hands scrapped on the hard pavement below, lessening the effects the rest of the fall may have had if I had not caught myself.

My eyes which were once held shut slowly opened. A young looking girl sat up on her knees, feeling the ground around her. Her hair was dark like the ashes after a campfire and her eyes emerald green. I stood up and noticed the pair of glasses that must have fallen off her face when we collided. I reached down and gently picked it up.

"Dang it, James.." I whisper yelled at myself. "I am so sorry!" I slowly slipped glasses on her face and she chuckled lightly.

What came out of her mouth next would forever alter the rest of our lives. Time felt like it had stopped and I sat there feeling as if the wind had been knocked out of me.