Ethan

A gentle breeze blows away some of the white rose petals from the small bouquet. The chirping of birds can be heard from nearby trees. The sun's warmth spreads over the gloomy cemetery as the late afternoon sky is covered with clouds that are highlighted orange due to the sun's rays. A very few people can be seen here at this time.

Holding on tightly to a bouquet of three roses, I calmly make my way to my father's grave. Each step fills my heart with such sadness.

His name engraved on the tombstone 'Edger Benjamin' is covered with dust and fallen leaves. Placing the flowers on the grave, I move towards the tombstone, kneel down and brush off the dust and leaves.

"Hey, dad. How are you today? Well, I mean I know you're dead but..." I sigh and sit down beside the tombstone. The dry grass crushes beneath me.

"You're death anniversary is next month. We're all gonna come visit you here. And...I know they will be very worried about me breaking down again. It's just...I'm trying. I'm really trying hard to convince everyone that I'm better now. The last words you said to me the day...the day you died were 'Just smile and cheer up, son'. We had an argument, I was pouting the whole time and then you left for work." I see a red car stop near the cemetery entrance and a girl in a dark cloths step out after opening the door.

"I've been trying to stay cheerful. I really am. I'm always positive. But...I just feel so empty without you. Dad, we spent so much time together and you were always there for me. No one can fill that empty spot that you left." I say as I subconsciously start plucking some blades of grass from the ground. The girl in the dark cloths, holding a bouquet of red and pink coloured flowers walks down the path with her eyes set ahead at a grave.

"Yeah, I know I should stop rambling But ugh...I can only say this to you. I wish things would just get back to normal and my family stops seeing me as a ticking time bomb...I really wish I can open up to someone." My vision suddenly gets blurry with tears welling up inside my eyes. My heart feels heavy even though I spilt everything I was bottling up inside.

The girl passes by my grave and I smell a hint of her floral oriental perfume in the air. She stops at a grave a few steps away from where I am. I must look like an emotional idiot sitting next to a grave with a teary face.

It's then that I notice something glittering on the pathway. Getting up, I walk closer to it and pick it up.

It's a golden crown brooch with tiny artificial diamonds embedded in it. The pin is broken though. I look over to that girl placing flowers on the grave. Maybe it's hers. I wipe my eyes dry and walk up to her.

"Excuse me, is this yours?" I ask her.

She looks at the brooch and then checks the collar her dress collar. I feel like I've seen her somewhere...

"Oh, yes. Thank you" she says and takes it from me. I look at the grave she's standing in front of and come to a sudden realization.

"Hey, isn't this Judith Alexander? The daughter of the deceased CEO of that pharmaceutical company? You a friend of hers?" I ask her curiously. Even the tombstone of the grave is beautifully designed.

She looks at the grave and smiles "Well, I guess you could say that."

"Hmm. It's sad. Died of cancer at a young age. You must be devastated." I say apologetically.

"Very much so. Especially at the fact that people are so gullible. Anyways, what's your name? " she asks me politely.

"Ethan. And you are...?"

"Call me Vivian. Say, Ethan, do you know about these flowers?" She points at the bouquet on top of the grave.

"Well, they do look familiar but I don't know what they're called," I tell her honestly as I shrug.

"They're anemone. The Red and pink ones symbolise 'forsaken love'. Very fitting for someone like her." She says softly.

"But she isn't forgotten. Some People do remember who she was when they hear her name"

She chuckles "That's true. But hey, have you heard the saying that people have three faces. One they show to others, one they show to their loved ones and one they show to themselves when they're alone. Judy here has three too. The one the world remembers. The one her family remembers and the last one...only I remember. That last one was her true self. No one remembers the real her." Her voice cracks a little as she talks.

"Wow...you were that close, huh? Really sorry about that. Losing someone so close to you hurts a lot." I say sympathetically. I don't exactly understand what she was saying but I did get that they must be close friends.

"I wish I had never met her. Maybe then it wouldn't have hurt that much." She says as she stares at the tombstone.

"What do you mean?" I ask her confused.

"Nah, it's nothing," she says as she lifts up her right hand and rubs her eyes. As she does that, her sleeve droops down a little and I see scars on her wrist. Not one, but two or three.

I feel myself getting upset.

"Your friend wouldn't like to see you doing that to yourself," I say as I point at her wrist.

She looks surprised and hides her wrist behind her as she looks away.

"It's nothing, rea-" she says but I cut her off.

"Do you still have your parents?" I ask her seriously.

"A mother" she answers Embarrassingly.

"Does she mistreat you? Or do you have trouble at school?"

"No! She's a kind woman and loves me very much. I don't have trouble at school either so please it's-" she tries to say.

"Then why the hell would you do this to yourself!? Don't you know how lucky you are to have all that? Some people don't have parents and some get mistreated if they do have them while Some have trouble in school. I may not know you well but there are people who care about you and love you! Are you just trying to throw all that away!? Your friend Judy would never let you do that if she was alive!" I find myself yelling at her. It's only when I finish that I notice the people in the graveyard staring awkwardly at me.

"Umm..sorry about that," I say to them nervously as I turn beet red with Embarrassment.

Vivian looks at me, eyes wide with shock. She then smiles and giggles. Soon the giggling turns into laughter.

"Wha-what's so funny?" I ask still recovering from the Embarrassment.

"I just realised, you are a bit shorter than me, aren't you?" she smirks.

For some reason, I feel weirdly offended...

"You're just freakishly tall!" I say with a frown. She laughs again.

"Well, that was fun meeting you. Thanks for the advice though. See ya." She says as she starts to walk away.

I watch as she leaves the cemetery and walks on the sidewalk. I begin to walk towards the exit too.

I check my time. It's going to get dark, I better go home and watch that footage.

As I walk I think about calling Zane to see what he found out about that phone I gave him. Taking my phone out of my pocket, I dial his number. As the bell rings in my ear, I cross the road carefully.

He doesn't pick up. I click my tongue and try again. The sound of cars passing by fills the background. A group of girls holding numerous shopping bags and a drink exit a clothing store as they laugh and talk. With each step, I feel my patience slipping away.

"Just pick up your phone!" I mumble to myself angrily. Why is he doing this!? He usually picks up. I press call again and wait for him to pick up. Is he not picking up because he figured out I lied to him about Walter's call last night? is it about the iced tea?

Shoving my other hand in my pocket, I dig out a grapefruit flavoured lollipop. After unwrapping it with the help of my teeth, I pop it into my mouth. Getting frustrated, I put the phone back in my pocket.

Looking up, I see the amazing shade of pink, orange and blue spread throughout the vast sky. The wind makes the leaves on the trees planted near the sidewalk rustle and some fall gently on the ground.

As night falls on the city, the streetlights, billboards, shops, stores etc all start to lit up with different coloured lights. The harmonious atmosphere filled with noises of people, birds and cars is something that always manages to calm my soul.

After walking for a while, I see my house few steps away and throw the empty lollipop stick in a trashcan along the way. Feels like throwing away a cigarette butt so that my family won't find out.

Once I reach the doorstep, I take out my keys and unlock the brown door in front of me.

"I'm home!" I yell as I enter and lock the door behind me.

"Ethan, where were you!?" I hear my aunt call out from the kitchen.

"Nowhere, just out" I answer as I make my way to my room through the living room.

"Wait!" She calls and comes into the room from the kitchen.

She's a sweet looking plump lady with a soft voice and a heart of gold. She works as a kindergarten teacher. Her dark hair is in a bun and She's wearing a blue apron. By the smell of it, she's making beef stew.

"What is it?" I stop and turn towards her.

"Miss Martha told me you didn't come to school today. Where were you?" She asks with a worried but stern expression.

"Just wasn't feeling well today. Call me when it's dinner time." I say and walk towards my room.

"Ethan, if something's wrong you can always talk to me ok?" She says.

"Everything's fine. Don't worry." I answer as I close my door. I love my aunt but she worries too much sometimes.

Walking over to my study table, I sit down on my red rotating chair as I turn on my laptop. While it turns on I sit cross-legged and simply spin around lazily looking up at the ceiling. There HAS to be something they missed in this video.

After it's on, I insert the flash drive and click on the link that appears later on.

As I sit back and watch the video carefully, I notice that the camera is an old one. The picture quality isn't that great and there's no sound. The first video was about Jessica being hit with a car and the driver panicking and driving away. It's clear that he didn't do it on purpose. Jessica is thrown out of the frame and then nothing in particular happens. But as time passes by and the sky gets brighter, I see people and cars pass by. They just look in that direction and move on. It's like Jessica just vanished! And what was she doing there at that time? Going backwards a little, I see how she looked ahead, typed something on her phone and started to cross the road. Was...there someone standing on the other side? If so, then that means she came to meet someone. But I don't remember seeing anyone suspicious or even Morgan in any scene.

After this video, I play the other one which is of the day before the incident. Now as I watch people and cars pass by, I feel like nothing seems out of the ordinary here. That is until I see this girl with a box on a foldable trolley move along the sidewalk. She then suddenly trips and falls down on her knee, touches her foot and then stands back up again. After that, she starts to walk normally.

Then it suddenly hits me...

I go back a bit and look at the girl again. Her face can't be seen but she has red hair and is wearing a black dress. Her physique is Petite and She injured her foot.

I may be wrong but judging by her physique, what if that's Morgan in disguise!? I'm the only one who has seen her up close so I can tell by looking at her.

But then I remembered another thing and my eyes open so wide I feel like the eyeballs will pop right out.

Rachel...she said she injured her foot that day too. And I kept getting the feeling that she resembles Morgan so much.

I slam my head on top of the table and groan. Is it really you? Why on earth would you do that!?

The sudden sound of my phone ringing shocks me so much I almost fell off the chair.

"Hello?" I ask as I answer.

"Hey, it's Walter. So, just wanted to ask. Did you watch the video? Found anything yet?" He asks. Judging by the sound in the background, he must still be at the hospital.

"Oh...about that...." I begin and look at the screen.

"...No...nothing at all," I answer and gulp.

What have I done...