Dark Destiny (13 page)

Now, he looked at his alarm clock. It was time to shower and get dressed.  He rose from his bed, the memory of the dream of Jared trapped still lingering in his brain, and made his way to the bathroom. He got dressed in his black church suit. His mom came into his room a few minutes later dressed in slacks, a dark blue silk blouse, and a form-fitting black suit jacket that left no room for her gun. It had to be in her small, black purse she carried.

She looked like she’d hadn’t gotten any sleep either, but at least her fatigue was covered with makeup. Sebastian didn’t think he could pull that off.

Tuesday, 11:09 am

The sky above them was a perfect blue without a streak or a cloud. Sebastian heard a cold front was coming in tonight and it would probably snow, but for now, everything was perfect.

The Baltimore Cemetery appeared well taken care of as Sebastian stood in front of the white, wooden folding chairs. The smell of flowers and freshly-mown grass filled his senses. The sun was bright, reflecting off the tombstones, which displayed their weather-worn inscriptions. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a few people standing before some of the gravestones.

Mounds of flowers lay neatly arranged on the ground surrounding Sara’s casket, and several bouquets were piled on top as well. There were more flowers here than Sebastian had ever seen. Most of the people standing around were students. Sara had only been at the school for a couple of months, so it was amazing she had made this kind of impression.

Hope stood a few feet away, dressed in a short, black dress. In her hand, she held a couple of white roses, letting them hang down by her legs. He liked the cute little black barrette that held back a small portion of her platinum blonde hair. He’d never seen her like this before. Normally, it was t-shirts and jeans with holes in the knees.

“You look like death,” she told him.

His lip curled at that statement.

As they made their way over to their seats, a light breeze passed over him. Leaves rustled from the tree branches above. Something about the sound reminded him that Sara was here, listening, watching. It was somewhat comforting, yet made him sad at the same time.

He opened his suit jacket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses from his inside pocket. He put them on and waited for the funeral to start. Crying was not an option. He had not cried in the past seventeen years of his life. But if he had learned anything in the past few days, it was that he couldn’t control everything. So he wore the sunglasses just in case.

The pastor stepped up to the front podium to speak. He was a bald elderly man, dressed in a black jacket that fell to his knees. Under the jacket, he wore a white dress shirt with a black tie. In his hand was a black, leather bound bible. He opened his bible to a bookmarked page and began to speak.

He talked about her hobbies, her beauty, her potential—most likely all referenced from things her parents had told him. Sebastian’s name was mentioned at some point in the pastor’s sermon. Apparently, she was the happiest when they were together. Sebastian had always wondered what her parents thought about him. He had never met them, only seen pictures. Every time he asked Sara about them, she always found a way to change the subject.

The pastor’s voice droned on and Sebastian let his mind drift away, drift back in time to an image of her standing at his door.

She held up three movies. “I got
Twilight Samurai
,
Hidden Assassins,
and
Seven Samurai
. Which one would you like to watch?”

He blinked in surprise. It was so early. He’d stumbled out of bed to get the door, her knocking unceasing, and he was still groggy.

She waved the movies in his face, taunting him with a slight smile. He took in her appearance and became more awake. Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail that brought out her eyes. She wore no makeup but was as beautiful as ever. Maybe more.

She wore pajama bottoms and a tight, white, tank top; her black bra was visible beneath it. Some girls at school would call the look trashy, but what did they know? To Sebastian, she was sexy as hell.

She paused at the entrance and eyed the door frame, pursing her lips in a sweet smile. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

 “Of course,” he said. Sebastian motioned her toward the living room. “Come on in.”

She eyed the door frame one last time before hesitantly crossing the threshold. Once inside her smile widened and she said jokingly, “And I’m okay with
Call of Duty
too, if you wish.”

She pushed past him, landing her shoulder into his chest playfully.

He was speechless. Thank goodness his mom was already at work. On Saturday mornings, she was usually at work by 6:00am, which was insane.

Her gaze wandered from one side of the living room to the other. “Cute house.”

“What is your fascination with those movies?” he said, closing the door behind her.

She turned to face him, her face serious. “Why? Don’t you like them?”

“Well, yeah. But I’m a guy. What about you? Why do you like them?”

“Hmm. I honestly have no idea. I guess I could say that I really respect the honor and all that. But the truth is, I really enjoy the gore of somebody getting ripped apart!”

Sebastian chuckled.

“Actually, I just wanted to spend the day with you, the whole day. Sun up to sun down. You’re my boyfriend and I’m giving you the attention you deserve,” she told him, poking him in the chest.

“Really?” he asked, unable to hide his grin.

“Really. Now I’m going upstairs to your room to put one of the movies on. I like my eggs scrambled, two pancakes and some orange juice,” she said with a wink.

It was at that moment when he realized he loved her. Her casual manner, her confidence.

He kept his eyes on her as she made her way up the stairs. He admired her body, the way she moved with grace and finesse. Her balance was always centered, like a dancer, but with more curves in all the right places.

With a smile on his face, he went to the kitchen and started making her breakfast. They spent the rest of their day watching Samurai movies, YouTube videos of Samurai, ninjas, and kittens fighting. Relaxing with her. Being with her. It was one of the best days he’d ever had.

Sebastian’s grin stretched from ear to ear. When the memory faded, it left him back into the present. The pastor asked if anybody wanted to come up and say something about her. There were a few murmurs from the crowd, yet nobody stood.

He felt guilty. He wanted to say something, but he couldn’t. Sara was a light in the world, now there was only a void in his heart. He stared at the ground, wishing the words would come. Yet, they didn’t. Only a lump in his throat.

“I’d like to say something,” he heard from the row behind them. He turned and his eyes fell on Grayson.

Grayson?
First he had bailed him out in Mr. Thompson’s class, and now he was going to say something at her funeral? This was interesting. He couldn’t help but wonder what Grayson was going to say.

Grayson didn’t wait for any sort of approval. He simply stood up and made his way to the front. The pastor nodded with a thankful smile and stepped to his left, allowing Grayson to take the podium. He took a few seconds to gather his thoughts while the crowd grew silent.

Finally, Grayson took a deep breath, cleared his throat and began to speak. “When I first met Sara, I flirted with her, and she shot me down. Like a hunter with a twelve gauge taking down a manly buck like me.”

Giggles came from the crowd. Sebastian only managed a lopsided smile.

Grayson continued. “It was okay, no big deal. But after thinking about it, I decided I wasn’t done. No manly buck is. My father always taught me not to give up so easily. So the next day I went by her house with one of my old guitars. Hoping her father wouldn’t come out and shoot me, I played some Bruno Mars love songs and sang at her window.”

This time, small laughs were heard among the crowd.

Sebastian even found himself chuckling a bit.

“She came out with this genuine smile that I’ll never forget.” He smiled to himself and glared down at the podium. “That’s when she told me that she already had a boyfriend.”

Grayson stared at Sebastian, sadness in his face. “Sebastian, you are such a lucky guy, and upon consideration, even though it kinda ticked me off for a long time, I got to say that you’re honestly the nicest guy I have ever met and I think Sara made the right choice. Honestly, I was jealous, man. I guess that’s why I haven’t said anything to you this entire time. You have my sincerest condolences and utmost respect.”

He wiped a tear from his cheek. “For those of you who didn’t know Sara, I feel sorry for you. She was brilliant without even trying. A person who, by walking into a room, instantly made it brighter. If I could tell her one last thing, it would be ‘thank you,’ for allowing me the chance to know her, however briefly. Thank you.”

Grayson stepped down and made his way back to where he’d been standing. As he crossed in front of Sebastian, he put his hand on his shoulder, bent down and whispered in his ear, “Don’t worry, man. I got your back.”

After Grayson took his seat, the pastor returned to the podium and everyone stood.

The pastor began to read, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want . . .”

Sara’s casket began being lowered into the ground. Sebastian gazed at it, as if it was falling away from him, from this world, from his life.

The pastor’s voice flowed gently. “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. . .”

Sebastian swallowed hard. The tie around his neck tightened.

The pastor continued. “He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.”

Sebastian grabbed at his collar trying to loosen it, but it didn’t help. He couldn’t breathe. He took a deep shuddering breath and realized his nose was becoming stuffy.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

Salty tears stung his eyes. He tried blinking them away, but they just kept coming, streaming uncontrollably down his face. His hands shook.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.”

The casket disappeared from his line of sight, deep underground.

“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

With the last line came the realization that he was never going to see her again, and it washed through him like a tidal wave. They would never have a future together. She was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it.

His knees buckled beneath him but before he fell to the grass, Hope caught him on one side, and his mother on the other. Hope hugged him tightly as she pressed her head against his chest. He wrapped an arm around her for support. His mom leaned close to him, whispering in his ear and stroking his hair. “I know, sweetie. I’m here. It’s okay. I’m here for you.”

Tuesday, 11:48 am

After the funeral, he lay down on his bed, ready to take a nap, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Sara. He stared up at the white ceiling, longing for her, wishing she were lying next to him holding his hand. There was an emptiness in his life, a void in his heart without her. She completed him and made him whole. The ache hit him deep inside and radiated throughout his body. Even though he had let some of it out at the funeral, he wasn’t ready to let go. Not yet.

His mother knocked gently on his bedroom door and came into his room. “Hey,” she said softly. “Want to go out for lunch?”

He breathed in a deep breath and shook his head. He didn’t want to disappoint his mom, but he just needed to be alone.

She nodded in understanding.

“It’s okay,” she said. “Take some time. I’ll order some pizza and bring it to you in a few. I’ll be here if you need to talk.” She pulled the door closed, leaving him by himself in the dim light.

He loved his mother, but he didn’t need her right now. No, the only person he needed was Sara. He needed to go back to the cemetery. He’d be able to feel her presence there. His decision relaxed him somewhat, and without realizing it, he fell asleep.

When he awoke, his room was wrapped in shadows. He checked the clock. Almost nine. He’d slept the afternoon and much of the evening away. Clicking on the TV, the glare lit up his room and flickered on his walls. He flipped the channels until something caught his attention.

The evening news.

An attractive female news anchor said, “The search that made national news for two teens has come to a tragic end almost six months after it began.”

Two high school yearbook photos, a boy and a girl, flashed on the TV.

Oh, no,
Sebastian thought.
Hope would be upset about this.

Sebastian sat up and leaned forward on his bed. He reached over to his desk and pulled open the top drawer. Underneath a couple of his old sketchpads, he pulled out a pamphlet. On the front of the pamphlet were the same two faces—the boy and the girl. The story of the missing teens had garnered national headlines, and at the end of the school year this past June, Hope had organized a vigil for the missing kids. She’d asked students to meet at the school one evening and light a candle for ten minutes. She’d been surprised by the turn out. Over seventy-five percent of the students showed. The message, she’d said, was for these two teens to “find their way home.” Since then, there had been no word on what happened to them.

He set the pamphlet down and picked up the remote to turn up the volume. The anchorwoman went on: “These two teens have been positively identified as Makayla Roberts and Ethan Campbell, both of whom had gone missing nearly six months ago. It was reported the pair, who were boyfriend and girlfriend, had taken a trip to the Pocono Mountains and had not been seen since. Search teams had covered a large section of the mountains, as well as the nearby woodlands. A small team of divers also tried searching Shohola Lake, but with the area being so large . . .”