Page 128 of The Sound Of Silence

“I didn’t think I’d ever come back here. I’ve tried so many times, but never made it. I always wondered if it would help. If I’d remember, but… It doesn’t bring her back. What good is remembering?”

Hepburn Falls: A young girl has died and another is fighting for her life…

“I can see her lifeless body. I can hear her screams. Only I’m not sure I ever saw or heard any of that. It could just be my mind playing tricks on me.”

The young girl found alive after Mt. Beauty tragedy still hasn’t woken…

“It was here. I’m here now and I still can’t remember.”

Police say the young girl at the center of the Hepburn Falls incident has no memory of the event. Investigations remain open.

“And then I hurt myself, and I thought that was it. No one knows I’m here. Am I destined to die in the same place Jade did?” She pauses, her sad green eyes meeting mine as her lip quivers. “But you found me.” She smiles. “Youfoundme,” she repeats with a lightness to her tone as if she’s finally able to relax. Until the moment she thinks about her words and the meaning behind them registers. Her smile fades, and her hands drop from my face.

“You found me, when no one else has.”

Man questioned over the incident…

“You were there.”

At least one other person was confirmed to have been at the scene but police have yet to identify…

“It was you.”

Doctors say the young girl may never regain her memory.

Fuuuck.It was me. I was there. And while she can’t remember,I will never forget.

Her eyes flash with panic before she tries and fails to stand up. I move to help her, but she jerks away with so much force she almost falls backward. A look of horror crosses her face, and it hurts more than any physical wound could ever hurt me.

“Are you going to say anything?” she cries out, scrambling back to put some distance between us. I rise to my feet and take a few steps away, needing to ease her mind, but it doesn’t work. She wraps her arms around herself and shivers as she sucks in a few quick breaths, suddenly terrified to be near me.Jesus.

I don’t know what to do or what to say. There’s so much she needs to know, but I can’t—

“You know what?” she says, cutting into my thoughts. “Your silence says it all.” A new emotion settles on her face, and it’s the one I’ve been expecting. The moment I’d been dreading.

“I’m sorry, Willow. I—”

“You made me promise not to hate you until you were gone.”

And there it is.“I know.”

“How could you do this to me? How could you let me fall for you, knowing…” Her voice breaks as she trails off, and my chest burns. She can hate me as much as she wants, but it will never be half as much as I hate myself.

“Tell me what happened,” she whispers, her voice full of venom.

I shake my head and open my mouth to speak, but she knows before I’ve said a word that I’m not going to tell her what she wants to hear.

“Don’t even bother with whatever bullshit you were about to say. Just answer me this. I’m going to repeat my question from the other day,” Willow says, defiance in place. “Have you ever killed someone, committed an unforgivable crime, or worse?”

This time I don’t bother trying to lie. “Yes,” I rasp.

Willow’s eyes well with fresh tears, and the pain she’s projecting is agony, but it’s the deep-seated hate I can see that crushes me.

“Uh! I can’t remember any of it,” she cries out. “Was it a game? Did she do something to you? Was it supposed to be me? Was I meant to—”

“No, Willow. Stop. It’s not—”

“Why wouldn’t you tell me? I’ve been suffering foryearsand you’ve had this peachy life with no consequences.” Her voice rises until she’s yelling, and I’m pretty sure anyone looking for us will now know where we are. I can’t take it anymore. Her pain is killing me. “Why the hell would you keep it from me? How could you—”

---