Prologue
His name echoes in the dark recesses of my mind. Clayton. Even now, the sound of his name can give light to a darkened day. It seems as though it's been a thousand years but that isn't possible...is it? Who truly knows? Maybe he does. Maybe he’s out there counting the time and spaces between us. I doubt it though. If he were still out there he would have come back. Unless he’s moved on, he would have come back. And if he’s moved on, there’s no reason for me to have come back. But I have to. I have to make sure.
I remember that summer. It was both the best and worst summer of our teenage lives. Tears would fall, screams would rise, and we would lose one of our own. And no matter how much we fought against it , that summer would stay in our memories. None of us will ever forget what happened. She was dead and we couldn’t bring her back.
She was my flesh and blood and she was killed by someone with my flesh and blood. We were all there that night, we all saw what happened, but no one believed us. They all thought that the one who killed her was innocent, that the killer got away. But the one who killed her wasn’t innocent. She killed my sister, and she should be punished for her crimes, but she won’t be.
Not long after that night I was forced to leave that town behind. But I’m back now. I’m staring into their eyes and he isn’t here. He’s nowhere to be seen. Tears fill my eyes as I begin to wonder where he is. Why isn’t he here? I look into their eyes, tears falling in rivers down my cheeks.
This reunion is bittersweet. On one hand, we’re happy to be together again. On the other hand, we’re all remembering that night six years ago. None of us has forgotten and that makes this hard. If only we could forget this could be easier. But we can’t forget because the memory of that night is burned into our memories.
As we stare at each other my tears begin to slow. I smile at my brother, trying not to cry. But that’s impossible. I have so many things to cry for. We walk slowly towards each other and when we reach, Jake’s arms surround me. I lean against my brother’s chest. He holds me close and I close my eyes. Tears fall from my eyes in rivers. I squeeze my eyes shut as I remember how that summer began.
