"If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever."

~Winnie The Pooh

The best feeling in the world is having someone to hold you when you feel as if there's nothing left.

Unfortunately for me I woke up alone, laying on top my sister's Queen sized bed by myself. I could hear the birds chirping outside, the sound of the water running downstairs as Sienna cooked. I rolled over to find the other side of the bed empty and cold, the spot my sister had laid and listened to my stories.

"Miss Lys, are you awake?" I jumped at the quiet voice on the other side of the door, followed by a light knock. Sienna pushed the door open a few seconds later, smiling sadly when she saw me sitting up.

"I've made some pancakes. Would you like some?" She asked, her hands in front of her as she tried to figure out a way to make the food sound more appetizing. I started to shake my head but stopped when I heard my brother's voice start going off in my head like an annoying alarm.

"Sure, that would be great." I responded, offering her the best smile I could force on to my face. She gave me her usual warm smile before walking off, leaving the door open behind her. I reached over and picked up Steph's list, letting my eyes scan it.

Had she wanted me to do the list in order? Would it matter if I did one of the middle ones instead of the first one first?

"You're so smart, Ally." Steph had said a few months ago as I studied in the hospital room in front of her, "I'm sure you can figure even the hardest puzzles." 

I felt my lips start quivering at the memory, my hands gripping the paper and nearly tearing it.

I forced myself to read it again, trying to deceiver some sort of code in it. I grabbed the small folded piece of college ruled paper that had her small note on it and stared at it for a second, my lips moving along with every word.

I held it toward the light, my eyes widening at what I saw. There was an indent of an eight right in the middle of the page, behind the words.

"Go to Lincoln and Fourth and find a purple cardboard box." I read out loud, feeling my gut starting to tighten.

Why did she want me to go to Lincoln and Fourth? I hadn't been down there since my first date in eighth grade.

"Miss Lys! Breakfast!" Sienna yelled from downstairs, her voice echoing through the silent house. I folded the note then the list back up, holding them against my chest as I tilted my head back and looked up at the ceiling.

"I hope that was a sign and I'm not imagining it." I whispered, "But I'll do it all for you, Steph. I don't care what order it's in. I'll do it."

*

Sienna seemed to be in a particular talkative mood, and wasn't keen on letting me leave the house after I had eaten. She kept offering to drive me wherever I wanted to go, which if I had to take a guess, was an order my brother must have given her.

"Okay." I finally gave into the older woman, "Can you please drive me to Lincoln and Fourth?" She frowned, her lips parting in surprise.

"Miss Lys, that's not a very safe-"

"Please, Sienna." I pleaded, letting out a shaky breath, "It's for Steph." She stared at me for a long second, her dark eyes darkening even more at the mention of my little sister's name.

"All right, Miss Lys. We better leave now then, before it gets too late." I took my dishes to the sink before grabbing my coat and purse from the coat rack and jogging after Sienna as she made her way toward the SUV in the driveway. She watched me in silence as I climbed into the passengers seat, my mind racing with millions of thoughts that I couldn't control.

What if I was doing this all wrong? What if that eight had been nothing more then an indent from a picture that she had drawn a long time ago and had gone through the thin paper? The more logical and practical thing to do would be follow the list from the start, one at a time.

But Steph had never been logical and practical about things. She had always liked to give me puzzles and strange scavenger hunts to go on.

"Seatbelt, Miss Lys." Sienna said as an after thought as she started the car. I yanked the ratty thing from the holder and buckled it, laying my head back against the seat as we pulled away from the house.

I stared out the window, my eyes on the gloomy sky and slick roads as we drove. I could hear Sienna humming a song quietly to herself, but she didn't try and make any conversation. I guess that's probably why I had always loved her so much, she was always so happy not getting involved in our personal lives all that much, but enough to ensure we were okay.

"It's been so long since I've been down here." I said out loud, feeling the silence starting to creep up on me. Sienna nodded, sending me a small smile.

"I remember, Miss Lys. I-"

"Please call me Alyssa." I cut her off, wrapping my arms around myself.

"Very well. I remember, Alyssa. You were so young then, but you wanted to date so bad." She laughed quietly, "Your brother wasn't too happy about it though." I nodded.

Jason had been beyond pissed when I had let him know that I was going on my first date when I was thirteen. Him being twenty at the time, he had been hovering over me constantly, watching me like a hawk. All that seemed to die down when I went on that date, though. He started to back off, kept more to himself, but still kept an eye on and out for me.

"Ah, Alyssa. We are here." Sienna put the car in park, gesturing toward the rain drop spotted window.

"Would you like me to join you?" She questioned.

"No. Please stay here, just in case it starts to come down harder." She smiled weakly as I climbed out of the car, pulling my hoodie over my head.

"Wait, take this." She handed me a small can, "It's to spray in someone's eyes if they mess with you." I thanked her, tucking the Mace in my pocket with nod before shutting the door and whirling around to stare around me.

I could feel my whole body grow cold, and it wasn't because of the rain or the nippy wind.

People were lined up and down both sides of the streets, boxes or tents up beside and behind them. Some didn't even have that much. I could see from where I stood that only the people further up the road had boxes and tents, everyone closer to me was wrapped in a blanket and laying on the cold, wet ground.

"Purple box." I muttered to myself, avoiding looking at a woman with her young son sitting with a blanket shielding their heads from the rain.

"What are you doing here, girl?" A voice snapped from the other side of the street, "Someone like you ain't got no business here." I lifted my head, feeling my heart pounding against my chest as I stared at the elderly woman.

She looked about the same age as Sienna, with her light grey hair and creased cheeks. I could see her hands shaking as she held on to an unlit cigarette in her hand, her eyes as dark as the blanket of storm clouds above us.

"I. . . I'm looking for someone living in a purple box." I said, trying my best to ignore her previous comment. She stared at me for a minute, taking in my blue rain coat and worn jeans.

"Who are you? Ty don't need someone like you comin' around." I perked up at the mention of the name.

Ty should be in the box, he is cute, I promise.

"Where is he?" I asked, the words I had read on the list bouncing around in my head like a catchy hook to a song.

"Look, girl. The boy is good. He don't need you to come and ruin him, you hear? Why-"

"Why don't you just tell me where Ty is and we'll see what he wants." I finally snapped, irritated.

"Ty? He's down at the end of the street, the last box on the right." The woman with the son said a few feet away, her eyes glistening with hope that I'd give her something for the piece of information. I honestly would have anyway.

"Thank you." I gave her a quick nod before starting to continue down the street, my hands sweaty despite the cold air.

Various pairs of eyes fell on me as I disrupted the street's normal routine. A few men cat called after me, earning a disgusted look out of me and resulted in me walking faster. I was relieved when I saw an obnoxiously bright purple box sitting at the end of the street, sticking out against the gloomy street and neighborhood like a sore thumb.

"How did you even know about this place?" I asked the sky, my sister, as I slowed my pace a little the closer I got to the box. "You shouldn't have been here by yourself. It's dangerous." I probably looked crazy to the onlookers as I passed by, but I didn't care anymore.

I stopped a few feet away from the purple box, about the size of the trunk of Sienna's SUV. It was barely big enough to fit a TV in, let alone a man.

"Ty?" I whispered, stepping in front of it. I felt my heart drop into my stomach when I saw the hunched over figure in the box, his face buried in between his legs.

"Who the fuck are you?" He barked out, lifting his head a fraction to reveal shocked blue eyes.

"I. . . I. . ." Who was I to him? Why had I come here in the first place?

"If you're here for Tess she's with my fucking parents, okay? She's not with mei." I opened my mouth to say something but he went on, "Are you a friend of Lisa's? Did she send you to try and-"

"I don't know who Lisa is. Or Tess." I answered, cutting him off mid sentence.

"My name is Alyssa Morrison. And I. . ." I trailed off, but I could see it, even through the bank of fog that had started to circle around us. I could see the knowing look that set in his blue eyes.

"Steph?" He whispered. I could feel my chest tighten at the look on his face, at how much he knew, at how much he never would. My sister had known this guy, she had known a twenty year old man. How?

"Steph." He repeated, meeting my eyes and sending a shock through my body with his words, "It finally happened. She died, didn't she?"

***AN***

Hope you guys enjoyed!

Let me know what you thought!

~ChasingMadness24