She was Gone

“Come on Natalie please” a little girl looked down on me, her brown hair surrounding her face. I was laying on a blanket with my eyes closed.

“What do you want?”I said with a grumpy voice. The girl jumped up and down 

“You know what I want Natalie, I want to go to the park ̈

  “Now why would you want that if we have this.” I spread my arms out wide. I was showing her the picnic I set up, I had put some tea cups out on the ground along with some of her teddy bears.

 She wined” Noooooooo I don’t want this, I want to go to the park!”

 I sat up and said “Alright I’ll go ask mom, you stay out here or you’ll ruin my mission.” Eva stomped her foot “I want to go with you”

I stood up and explained, “ If you come they’ll say no because you just talk and talk and talk.” She knew it was true so she sat down where I had been laying and said “Ew its wet your so sweaty!” I laughed and didn’t tell her earlier I had sprayed myself down with the hose to escape the heat.. 

I walked into the living room and stood in front of my mom a lady who looked exactly like me except was way taller. She had Black curly hair and hazel eyes. “ I know you want something what do you want?”

I smiled and said “Eva and I want to go to the park to play”. My Mom shook her head and said “No you guys didn’t do your chores and-” we heard a thump upstairs and a man called “Why are you guys talking so loud!”. Footsteps started up and slowly they grew louder. My mom looked at me and worried features fell over her face and she whispered “Grab your sister and go out the side gate, Be back by eight he’ll be asleep by then.” I nodded and whispered “I love you Mom.¨

¨I love you ̈ she whispered

By the time I reached the door I heard a bottle shatter and my mom muttering to herself. I opened the back door and carefully closed it. “Well what did she say?” I grabbed her hand and shushed her 

“Come on, let's go to the park”. She squealed and we walked out the side gate and down into the garage to grab my bike. She put on her helmet and hopped in the little wagon we had attached to the back of the bike at the beginning of the summer. I got on the bike and  pulled out of the garage and out onto the street. But before we left I heard my dad yelling, I hated to leave my mom but I had to take away Eva away from him, if I tried to called someone it would just make matters worse for my mom. I started pedaling down the street and towards the park. 

By the time we got there Eva was already unbuckled and crawling out of the wagon there was a little playground with a slide and a swingset I was going to sit on.”Wait for me Eva!” I yelled and chained up the bike. I ran after her and she squealed, I grabbed her and put her on the playground

and went to sit on the swingset. School was about to start soon and I’ll be going into 11th grade and Eva would be going into second grade. She’s so excited for it and couldn't wait to make new friends. I bet she was going to be the most popular girl in her grade.

I looked at her, she was so energetic. It’s crazy how fast things can change 

After a while  it was seven fifty and we had to go home. I called her  and she came running back to me, I picked her up and put her in the wagon. She looked up at me and said “Thank you!!” I looked down at her and said

 ”Only for you madame.” and she giggled. I stared at her studying her features, she was going to be a beautiful young lady, unlike me she had dirty blonde hair and blue eyes, a thin face and an amazing smile. I got  onto the bike and started to go home. “Hurry up i gotta go to the bathroom’” she whined I pedaled faster and we turned a corner and flipped over she said “Not that fast silly!”. We got back onto the back and started to go home again.

Out of nowhere I felt something whiz past my face and stopped the bike. I looked around and didn’t see anything so I continued to pedal but a little faster. She asked why we were going to fast and I said we have to get home.

I blink and next thing I know I’m on the ground. I see Eva over to the right. She’s kinda laying weird. I tried to get up but felt a sting in my leg, ignoring it and got up and walked over to Eva and said “Get up silly.” 

She didn’t move I frowned and walked closer and saw a stain on the back of her shirt, I ran to her and saw a puddle of blood around her. I small sob escaped me as I sat down on my knees and rolled her over. Her eyes were closed and and was blood everywhere. While I was crying I clung her to my chest saying “You’ll be okay. You’ll be okay” and pulled out my phone and looked around for help and saw someone out of the corner of my eye. I turned to call them over to help but they were running away.I thought that was odd, all I saw was a streak of bubble gum pink hair. Ignoring  the person i pulled out my phone and called 911. She had lost a lot of blood but I still tried to cover up the bullet hole. I waited and waited rocking Eva back and forth, by the time they got here she had a bluish tint to her that’s all I remember, everything else was a blur of red lights and beeping noises. 

Next thing I know my mom is leaning over me, she had tears in her eyes. I felt a warm splosh of water on my face. I sat up and felt a sharp lance of pain in my leg. Taking in my surroundings is saw there were beige colored walls and plain furniture across the room. My mom had pulled up a chair and sat next to me. 

She started talking but I couldn’t hear her. I was missing something I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. It was like a missing puzzle piece a part of me missing. I cleared my mind and listened to my mom. She told me what happened. We had been shot at and my leg had been hit and the bike flipped over, Eva was shot at multiple times and… She didn’t make it that’s what had been missing. It all came flooding back to me. I didn’t feel anything for some reason I didn’t cry. If anything I was angry, sitting up I asked my mom “Where is dad.” She hesitated and explained that he was at home and he didn’t care. We talked for a long time, she said we were going to have a celebration of life instead of a funeral. She did want it to be so sad.

A couple of days had passed and I was back at home again. School started in a week and I wasn’t ready. I fell asleep on my bed skipping dinner again because I wasn’t hungry. My mom asked me to run to the store to get some food for dinner. I grabbed the keys without saying anything and walked out the door. I walked down the street to the corner store, and got lost in my head thinking about Eva.

Turning the corner I slammed into what felt like a brick wall and started to fall but never hit the ground. I looked up and saw that I was holding someone's shirt, instantly I let go and muttered sorry. I looked at the person's face, they were a male and had black hair, bangs that cover their eyes. I could still see part of his eyes and the were icy blue, his face also looked stern or serious but that didn't scare me. I started to walk away and he asked ̈ What's your   name, I think I've seen you at school before?¨ I turned Around and said ̈ My name is Natalie and it's my first year at this school so you haven't seen me before.” he frowned and said you ̈Oh, Well anyway, my name is Cole and im in 11th grade, what grade are you in?¨ I looked down and said ̈11th grade.¨ ¨Cool, see you around ̈ I waved bye and walked in to get the groceries. 

A week had passed and it was the first day of school and I was wearing a hoodie and some jeans I had found in the back of my closet. I didn't try to look nice, I didn't care. My mom couldn't drive so i had to walk to the bus stop.

Eventually I got onto the bus and listened to music the whole way to school, when i got off I saw the boy from the corner store. I think his name was Cole, he didn't notice me so I kept walking. When I entered my classroom I sat down in the very back so no one would see me, but then someone sat next to me, It was Cole. He turned to me and said, ”Well it's a fancy seeing you here.” and I said”Well yeah cool to see you to I guess...”

We chatted throughout class and decided to be friends. He took out his schedule and asked if I had any other classes with him, We had all classes but one together! 

Weeks went by and we became best friends. Then one day he invited me over to his house for dinner to meet his family. I told him id ask my mom and text him later. When I got home I could hear my dad upstairs and was careful to stay quiet. I snuck into the kitchen and saw my mom eating some food.”Mom can I go to a friends house for dinner?” she nodded and said ”Be back by at least 10 oclock ok?” I nodded and ran out the kitchen to text Cole that I would be coming soon.

He texted that I had to be there at 8:00 and to dress somewhat nicely. I tried, I wore jeans and a nice shirt I found a while ago. I waved bye to my mom and walked down a couple streets to find his house. 

Once I found it I looked at the structure of the house. It was tall and had red bricks around the entire house. There were columns in the front of the house along with double doors. I knocked on the door and someone answered right away. It was a tall man with graying hair, I walked in and looked  around for Cole. Instead I saw a girl with bubblegum pink hair. She froze when she saw me, I think I had seen this girl before. My brain took me back, I was on the ground and I turned and someone to my right with pink hair, I tried to call for help, she ran away. Then i looked down and Eva was in my lap . Now i remembered where I say her. Anger fell over me and I said ”You didn't help me!!” I lunged at her but something stopped me Looked back and saw that Cole was holding onto me. I tried to get to her but she ran away. Then I stopped and thought who else was there to shoot at us…. It dawned on me. It was her. She did it. I pulled out my phone and called the police. But Cole grabbed the phone and hung it up ”What are you doing ?! Are you crazy?!” Suddenly I had a weird thought in my head. That girl took something from me. So I should take something from her. I walked to the kitchen and acted like nothing had happened.  

There was a lady in there, she must've been Cole's mom I said hi and slipped a knife into my pocket, And walked out of the kitchen and back were Cole was. There's tears in my eyes as I said sorry and I stabbed him. If his sister killed Eva then id kill Cole. He screamed and the girl came running down the stairs and screamed. ”What have you done?! I didn't kill your sister I ran to get help your phone was dead I saw it so I ran home and called 911.”

I was confused because I remember that now I looked down and saw Cole on the ground, Same color as Eva. What have I done? 

Next thing I know Im restrained in an ambulance, being taken somewhere. 

It was a bumpy ride, and finally I got there and two men took me out of the ambulance and into a large building  with barred windows and a tall pair of double doors. I was taken in and saw my mom, once again with tears in her eyes. I was then taken to an office and my mom followed. I sat down and a doctor was sitting at the desk and my mom next to me. 

The doctor explained that I was here because I was crazy. He said whatever little sister I said I had never existed and I killed an innocent boy that I had never met, I guess he was talking about Cole but I knew him and Eva has been with me for a long time now. My mom showed some record that stated that she only had one child and the child was me.
I wasn't crazy. I'm not crazy, I started to scream and then softly cried. This didn't make sense. 

She was gone