Page 6 of Annika's Aurora

Feeling nostalgic for the first time in fifteen years, Annika pulled out her old photo album after her parents had turned in for the night. She sat on the bed, the album still closed on her lap.Itwon’tbite;just open it.

But still, she kept it closed. How could she be so scared of a few pictures? It was time. Past time. She needed to start remembering the good times and stop dwelling on all that she’d lost. Taking a deep breath, she opened the cover.

Now open your eyes,dummy. She pried her eyes open and looked at the first picture. The album was filled with pictures from when they were in high school, the first photo being of the three of them at graduation, two short months before the accident. She looked closely at the faces. Full of life. Full of potential. The rest of their lives lay before them. Those faces had no idea the tragedy that would befall them all.

Annika refused to think about it. Instead, she focused on the two men standing on either side of her, their arms around her shoulders, large grins on their faces. Jamie was on her left. His blond hair shone in the sun, hanging in his eyes as always. He was tall. Six feet compared to her five-five stature. His blue eyes, so like hers, were full of mischief. His black graduation robe hung open, revealing what he’d worn underneath. Annika remembered her mother’s groan of exasperation upon seeing the outfit, cargo shorts, and a bright red Hawaiian shirt covered in colorful parrots. Jamie had a zest for life that people were drawn to. As the self-proclaimed class clown, there wasn’t much that could ruin his good mood unless someone tried to mess with her. Nobody disrespected Jamie Northrup’s sister.

Logan, on her right, was Jamie’s polar opposite. She’d often teasingly called him dark and brooding. He was a couple of inches taller than Jamie, with dark brown hair cut short. For once, his dark eyes didn’t look so serious in this picture. They’d all been so happy.

Annika had always wondered if the reason no one messed with her was because of Jamie or if it was because they were scared of how Logan would react. While Jamie was all talk, Logan was all action. She’d never thought of that before now. It described the difference between the two of them perfectly.

Annika paged through the album until she found the pictures she had originally wanted to see. Another picture of the three of them. The boys had their heads on her shoulders, grinning in that ridiculous way they had.

After graduation, the three of them had spent the summer at the Northrups’ house in Lake Haven, a little town on the southeastern shores of Lake Michigan. That summer had been the best time in her life. Three teenagers with not a care in the world, using those months to still be teenagers before their future responsibilities took hold. When they were not at their summer jobs, they swam nearly every day and took the boat out to explore Lake Michigan. They walked those shorelines hoping as always to spot a Petoskey stone, never finding one. They stayed up late and made s’mores at the firepit. And they talked, sharing their fears of the future.

It was during one of the last days that Annika had broken down and begged Logan not to join the Navy. She’d been so afraid she was going to lose him. Feared he would die alone on a distant battlefield.

He’d left for the Navy soon after that day and never looked back. He never came home. She’d lost him anyway. And not to some terrorist looking to kill Americans.

Looking at that smiling face and remembering all of the broken promises, she was angry now. He’d promised her that day that he would always be there for her. That nothing was going to happen to him. He’d assured her that nothing could keep him from coming home to his adopted family. To her. But he’d lied. He had left her and never came home. He’d left her to deal with her crushing grief alone.

A tear dropped onto the picture, surprising her. She hadn’t realized her little torturous trip down memory lane had stirred up so many emotions.

Annika slammed the photo album closed and grabbed her suitcase. Her mom was right; she needed to get away. She needed time to deal with … everything. So much loss threatened to drown her. She needed to figure out how to let it go … again. She’d go to the lake house. Tonight. Now, or as soon as she was done packing. Her parents would understand her leaving so abruptly. She’d leave them a note explaining herself and promising she’d be back in plenty of time for Christmas.

Logan unlocked the door using the key they’d always kept hidden in the gazebo at the side of the house. He was suddenly feeling apprehensive about going inside. The memories swamped him, especially the ones from that last summer. He almost headed back to the car, unsure if he could do this.

Squaring his shoulders, he took a deep breath and forced himself to cross the threshold. They were only memories, most of which were good ones. They may hurt a little, but they wouldn’t kill him.

Stepping into the great room, he saw the same couch they’d spent hours on watching movies and eating popcorn. The same fireplace. The same pictures still sat on the mantel, most of them featured the three of them. It was surprising to see those photos there, as if to show him that they hadn’t removed him completely from their lives.

Exhaustion flooded him. He locked the front door and headed down the hall to his usual bedroom, where not much had changed either. Maybe some new bedding, but that was about it. The dresser held more photos, including a large one in the center of him in his dress uniform.

Surprised, he wondered how they had gotten that picture; he’d never sent it to them. Knowing Johanna, she must have badgered his grandmother until she got it from her.

Logan put his bag down to unzip it. Reaching inside, he pulled out the picture he carried with him everywhere and placed it on the nightstand as the memories of the day it was taken swamped him.

Fifteen years ago

Loganloungedon a blanket under the large oak treeon the bluff that overlooked the water at theNorthrups’ lakehouse.Annikalayperpendicular to him, her head propped up against his side. Her long blondehair was thrown across his torso, and he combed his fingers through thesilky-smoothstrands,fascinated by the play of colors.When the sun hititjust right,her hairshonelike tinsel.

It had beentheperfectsummerfor theirlast hurrah. Logan,Annika,andJamie. The best friends Logan had ever known,theyhad been with himthroughso many personal tragedies. From his mother’s incarceration to her eventual death, the twinshad beena steady constantin his life.Logandidn’tknow how he would have got through the last ten years without them.

Being the new kid at school at age eightwas not an easy thing to go through, especially when your mom was aconand your dad wasunknown. But the twinsdidn’tcare about any of that.They took him into theircirclefrom the first day he asked to sit at theirlunchtable.Logan would never be able to repay them for theirkindness and love. Even the Northrup parentshad accepted himpractically as one of their own.The extra kid that made their twinstriplets.He loved Mama Jo and Papa Jas if they were hisown parents.

Laying in the grass at their lake house, he wasenjoying the company of the girl he wished could be his more than anything in the world.Helongedtotell her how he really felt about her, but they had been friends for so longhedidn’twant his conflicted feelingsgettingin the way of the good thing they had going.

Plus,there was Jamie to consider.What would he think if he knew Logan had feelings for his sister? It had the potential to be a cluster fuck of massive proportions.So, he kept his thoughts to himself as he played withAnnika’smesmerizinghair.

“Hey,Logan?”Annikaasked him.

“Mmm?”

“What would you say if I asked you not to go?”He knew she was talking about the Navy.He was headed off to boot camp in a few short weeks.His dream was to be a Navy SEALand head into the worst of the worst placestohelp people. Or,as Jamie liked to put it, kick some terrorist ass.He’dknownAnnikahad mixed feelings aboutit,but thiswasthe first time she’dever voiced them with him.

“I’d ask why?”Heabsentlytwirleda lock of her hair around his finger.

“Because Idon’t want you to go.”

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