Briar

Chapter 2: Briar

Name: Madison Gender: male Age: 12

It’s been three years since the incident, but I still miss Evangeline. To be honest I don't think that I’ll stop missing her any time soon. I did meet Briar though; she is one of my very best friends. Her golden hair shines in the sun as we walk along the beach. I’m not fond of the beach like I used to be but Briar loves it so I go with her often. As the waves crash on the shore, she asks me what my greatest secret is. I get nervous when people ask me this question because I can not possibly tell them about Evangeline, so I just tell her that I have no secrets and she starts going on about a different topic. Every time I go to the beach I try my very hardest to be extra cautious around the water. Briar once asked me why I don't go in the water, so I just told her that I couldn't swim and luckily she never asked again. It's very hard for me to lie to her because we are so close but I mustn't take the risk of her telling somebody. If anybody finds out, I will be an outcast and not even Briar will be friends with me. Since she is very popular, she would never risk her reputation even if it meant losing a friendship. As of right now the village including Briar believes that Evangeline was kidnapped because kidnappings aren't too out of the ordinary where I live. On the other hand, if the roles were reversed I would never alienate her because of something that wasn't even her fault. I will most likely never tell a soul about it. It's not that I don't trust Briar; it's just that she has a tendency to start gossip.

“It’s starting to get late so we must be getting back; I don't want to worry mother,” she says. As soon as my head hits my cotton pillow I drift off into a deep sleep. I see the ocean and a figure in the distance. When I get closer to the figure, I start to make out the silhouette of a young girl. She looks about eight, and she has a familiar appearance. I’ve been having the same dream for about a week now so I already know how it will end. The girl I see in the distance calls my name repeatedly until I answer. Her voice gradually gets louder until I hear a piercing cry and I can't help but answer. As soon as I answer ,the girl is swept away by the waves. I always wake up in tears and cannot sleep for the rest of the night. I don’t know why this is happening now seeing as it has been years since the incident. It could possibly be a sign that I need to stop feeling so guilty about it, but I think that I will find that impossible. The guilt is tearing me apart from the inside out and there is nothing I can do about it.