I was in the cemetery again; I had come there every night since it happened. I bet you’re wondering what I’m talking about, well; I’ll start out by introducing myself. My name is Alice, Alice Pennington. I am fourteen; I have long, dark-brown hair and brown eyes. I’m just an average girl, I get average grades and pretty much have an average life. One day, in the first week of summer, I went to the park down the street, across the road from the cemetery. When I got there, it was empty apart from a little girl who looked to be about eight or nine years old. She was sitting on the grassy area near the swing set, playing with the daisies. I walked over and sat next to her, she looked up at me.
“Hello, my name’s Alice, what’s yours?” I asked her. Her face instantly broke out into a smile and her bright blue eyes twinkled.
“I’m Lucy, why are you talking to me? No one ever talks to me,” she said as she moved her long blonde hair out of her eyes and frowned a bit.
“Well, maybe no one’s ever gotten to know you well enough yet,” I said. She instantly smiled again. “Where are your parents?” I asked.
“I don’t have any parents, I live in the orphanage,” she said as she looked down and started picking at the grass. “That’s why no one talks to me; they all think I’m strange because I’m an orphan,”
“Well, I’m talking to you, aren’t I? I’ll be your friend, you don’t need them,” I said. Her head snapped back up to face me, her eyes searching mine for any hint that I might be lying. When she found no trace of falseness, she grinned from ear-to-ear.
“I’d like that, I’d like that very much,” she said. “Here, I made this earlier; I was just going to leave it here. You can have it if you want,” she said as she handed me a daisy-chain bracelet.
“Thank you,” I said as I put it on. It was a perfect fit. We spent the next few hours just talking and getting to know each other. Soon it started to get dark and I noticed that she was wearing silver locket in the shape of a heart.
“What’s in your locket?” I asked her. Lucy looked at me with a puzzled expression, I pointed at the locket, and her confused expression transformed into one of understanding.
“Oh, just a picture of someone I love,” She said, shrugging as if it were nothing. I decided not to argue and that she would tell me when she was ready.
Soon it was time for both of us to go, as it was getting late. We said our goodbyes and promised each other we would come back the next day. Over the next month we met at the park every day and became best-friends. I learned that she had a rare type of cancer and that she didn’t have much time left. One day she didn’t come to the park, I waited awhile. She had never been late before. Soon I walked back home to see that the door was unlocked ant there was a strange car parked in the driveway. I walked into the house.
“Mom, Dad?” I called.
“In here sweetie,” my mother called from the living room. I went in and found my parents sitting on the couch with a strange woman in a suit. She looked close to tears. “This is Ms. Brown, Lucy’s caseworker,”
“Why is she here? What’s wrong?” I asked, starting to panic. Ms. Brown got up and walked over to me.
“It’s Lucy, she’s been asking for you,” she said calmly. Soon we were driving to the orphanage, as we passed the park, the reality of the situation hit me, and silent tears started streaming down my face. When we got to the orphanage, Ms. Brown opened the door for me and I noticed that she had been crying too. She led me to Lucy’s room and when we reached the door, a man came out.
“Ah, Ms. Brown, may I speak to you privately?” he asked calmly. She nodded and turned to me.
“She’s right inside, she won’t let anybody else in but you,” she said, starting to tear up again. I nodded slowly and pushed the door open. There she was, lying in bed, still in her nightgown. She was staring up at the ceiling, completely serene, with a smile on her face. I walked over and sat on her bed.
“Hey, Lucy, are you alright?” I asked, trying not to break down crying.
“I’m ill, ally,” I smiled slightly at the use of her nickname for me, tears streaming down my face.
“I know, but you’ll get better,” I said as I took her hand. I wasn’t just trying to convince her, I was trying to convince myself. I knew what was happening, I just wished it wasn’t.
“The doctor says I don’t have much time left, I’m not going to make it,” she said, still completely calm.
“Yes you are, you’re going to be fine, and then we can go to the park and play,” I tried to reason with her. She just shook her head. She reached behind her head and unfastened the chain to her locket.
“I want you to have this, since I am to die,” she said as she handed me her locket. I tried to refuse, but she set it in my hand.
“You aren’t going to die, I won’t let you,” I said with even more tears streaming down my face and onto the sheets.
“I am glad I was able to have a friend like you, I always wanted a friend. I love you ally,” she said, her voice fading as her eyes closed and her hand went limp in my own.
“Lucy, Lucy, Lucy!” I screamed, breaking down in tears. “L-lucy?” I stuttered. “I love you too,” I said as a teardrop rolled down my face and onto her cheek. I brushed it away with my thumb. I was too absorbed in what just happened that I didn’t hear Ms. Brown come in the room. I finally snapped out of my trance when she put a hand on my shoulder.
“Let’s go, it’s no good to dwell on what we can’t change,” she said shakily. I nodded slowly, not fully comprehending what just happened. I looked at the locket I held in my hand and decided that I wasn’t ready to open it just yet. I slowly fastened it around my neck and soon we were driving back to my house. I kept quiet the whole ride and my expression was completely blank. When we got back, my parents were standing on the porch, waiting for me to get back.
“Are you alright?” my mother asked as she engulfed me in a hug. I simply nodded, unable to speak.
“Lucy’s funeral is in three days, I hope you all can make it,” Ms. Brown said. I nodded again as she walked slowly back to her car and got in. After she drove away, we went back inside.
“Get some rest sweetie, you look sick,” my mother said. I merely nodded again and went to my room. After I closed the door, I got changed into my pajamas and went to sleep.
I woke with a start; I dreamt about Lucy again, it’s been a week since the funeral and every night since I’ve woken up just before midnight from a dream about her. Every night I’ve snuck out to the cemetery to visit her grave and tell her about my dream and how much I miss her.
I quietly got up and got dressed. I cracked my door open and made sure my parents were asleep. When I was sure the coast was clear, I tip-toed out the door and snuck out of the house. When I was out, I ran to the cemetery, with no light but the moon guiding me to my destination. I slowed when I got to Lucy’s headstone. I fell to my knees in front of it as I had many nights before. I heard a twig snap nearby, I looked around, and there was no one there. A little while later, I heard a voice.
“Ally?” the voice whispered. It was Lucy, I was sure of it. But that was impossible, Lucy was dead. “Ally?” Lu- the voice whispered. I got up and looked around.
“Who’s there, show yourself!” I shouted. I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I swiftly turned, and I saw something, a flash of blonde hair. I shook my head and rubbed my eyes. ‘It must be my eyes playing tricks on me,’ I thought. But then, a figure came out of the shadows behind the trees.
“Impossible,” I whispered as the figure came closer. It was Lucy. “Lucy?” I asked her. She simply smiled and nodded. She came over to me and reached out to me. I reached out and took her hand. It was ice-cold.
“Ally, it’s time,” she said. I was confused, what was she talking about? She let go of my hand and brushed her fingers over the locket, I hadn’t taken it off since she gave it to me. It was all I had left of her. I suddenly understood what she meant; her hand fell back to her side. “I’ll miss you, don’t forget me, I only wish we had more time,” she said as she slowly backed away.
“I’ll miss you too, I’ll never forget you,” I said. She smiled and turned around. She ran back into the shadows, not looking back once. I smiled and my hand came up to the locket. I opened it and what I saw almost made me faint.
It was a picture of me.