After Claire's revelation, I found myself pretty much sulking throughout the entirety of the Monday morning I woke up to. Such a thing of course, couldn't really slip through the cracks with a friend like Jake.

"Hey, what's up with you?" He asked me as I ate my lunch in complete silence as we sat on a bench in the inner yard of our school.

Jake was the only guy I was friends with at school, and I hung out with him mostly through all the school hours, as Claire had her own female group of friends.

"Nothing..." I voice while not even turning to look at him.

"...It clearly doesn't look like nothing to me, pal." He replies after a deep sigh.

"Claire is moving to Chicago..." I utter while still looking at my feet.

"Claire as in your childhood friend?" He asks while bringing a hand to his jaw.

"Yeah, that Claire..." I continue eating my lunch after revealing the secret behind my behavior.

"And why are you devastated? Are you... in love with her or something?" He hits the nail on the head yet again as I sigh deeply.

"Yeah, I think I am..." I say while resting my back on the bench.

"Then why are you depressed, you idiot!" He suddenly flicks my ear.

"What do you mean?!" I clutch my ear in pain as I revert my gaze back to my feet.

"I mean that if you actually, genuinely love her then you should confess right away! Who cares if she's moving to Chicago? You can visit her during vacation and she can visit you too! It's not like she's going to a different planet. Then come graduation, you can move there too in 4 or 5 years' time, right?" Jake voices passionately and I can't help but raise my gaze from my feet for the first time since I sat down.

"...Don't be so quick on giving up on the things you love, pal." He says with a smile and I feel myself smiling back.

"You're... right! You're right, Jake! Woohoo! I didn't even think about that! You're a genius!" I say while jumping up from the bench in a feat of celebration.

"Heh! You can call me master from now on..." He replies making a dramatic pose but I'm too preoccupied to deal with him.

"I can confess my feelings to her, and if she feels the same, we'll make this work, right? I can't give up now! Thanks, Jake!" I voice with my brand new goal in mind.

...

After getting my friend's help on the matter, I reverted back to my usual self and the week flew by without us even noticing. But before Claire could leave, we had arranged for a last cycling excursion on Sunday, to our secret spot where I had decided I would confess my feelings.

"Hah... hah... haah..."

I pant heavily while I drive the bike I had rented onwards up the hill, as I feel the muscles on my leg tighten with every movement. But this time, instead of seeing the back of my childhood friend, all I see is the steep hill in front of me.

For once, I'm in the lead!

A sense of accomplishment fills me as I reach the finish line before Claire for the first time ever.

"Yes!!" I pumped my fist in the air, celebrating my first win.

"Hahh... You won!" Claire commented as she tried to catch her breath.

"Hey, don't tell me you let me win!" I turn to her with a glare to which she giggles.

"No, I didn't! You won fair and square! I told you that one day you'd surpass me... And that day is finally upon us. It seems I won't be able to win ever again, though..." She replied as she got off the bike and followed the same old path beside me.

"For real? I really won, huh?" I voice as the realization finally hit me.

"Let's see how you fare in this game, though!" Claire taunted me while handing me a rock as she tossed her own along the surface. As usual though, the rock sunk as soon as it came into contact with the swamp's water.

"And now for the double..." I pull my arm back and thrust it forward letting go off the rock at just the right moment. This time, the rock jumps along the surface 4 times before sinking down.

"You little...!" Claire hissed at me while ruffling my hair in frustration, while I was laughing my head off. "You gotten taller than me, too..." She uttered as we both realized our height difference for the first time. Her hands were still resting on my forehead while she was on her tiptoes. I looked inside her sky blue eyes, and I couldn't help smiling.

"This is our last day together..." I uttered in a low voice as I turned to the water while she blushed up to her ears.

"Will... you miss me...?" She replied in the same tone, something completely out of character for her usual cheerful and energetic self.

"Not much..." I say while waiting for her reaction, which was a deadly glare.

"Because I'll be visiting! Don't kill me, okay?!" I say while throwing my hands up in mock surrender.

"Really? You will?"

"Of course!" I nod a couple of times.

"Actually, I was thinking of visiting you too... Like Christmas and stuff..." Claire voiced with a blush while she clasped her hands behind her back.

"That would be nice..." A small silence ensues right after my statement.

"Hey, can I tell you something?"

"Actually I have something to tell you!"

Both of us speak up at the same time.

"You go first."

"No you!"

"No, you go first!"

"Argh... rock paper scissors?" I propose and she nods. Surprisingly, I lose this one, ruining my perfect streak for the day, meaning I have to be the first to say my piece.

"You know, I don't like the fact that you're leaving, but all that made me realize something..." I speak up as my heart bangs against my chest and make a small pause to catch my breath, while Claire looks at me with wide expectant eyes.

"...I realized that I can't live without you, Claire. And that I am in love with you. I know we've been friends since forever but I can't help but feel this way about you..." I finally get it off my chest as Claire's eyes widen even more and her cheeks turn red. God, she's so cute.

"I didn't think you'd tell me you love me..." She says in a low voice. "I always thought that you didn't even acknowledge me as a member of the opposite sex, if I'm being honest." Claire raises her eyes as she speaks and I find myself chuckling in response to her remark.

"That WAS true, actually. But I see it now, you're not just my childhood friend, my partner in crime anymore. You're the girl I love." I say yet again as heat rises to my face. But I don't back down in the slightest.

"I can't believe you actually confessed to me... It seems I underestimated you, Desmond Gray..." She says while stepping closer to me and I find myself utterly captivated by her eyes. "Of course, I love you too... Actually I have, for some time now." Claire says the words I wanted to hear the most as her breath tickles my lower lip. Before I even realize what's happening I feel her warm lips against mine, and I grab her waist in a moment of passion. I have never kissed a girl before, let alone the girl I'm in love with, but a mere kiss on the lips is enough to make me feel like I'm on cloud nine.

"I love you, Claire." I whisper as we embrace each other just outside the calm waters of the lake. Behind Claire's back the sun is kissing the edge of the mountain spreading that orange glow all around the evening sky.

"I love you too, Dez." She whispers back and I feel her grip tighten. "Also there's something else..." Claire separates slightly just so she can look at me.

"What is it?" I ask.

"You know since I'm leaving and all, you can have my bike!" She announced with a smile. "...Since you'll be on your own, I figured you'd like cycling around Thorn Valley like we used to!" She explains while turning to the lake in a melancholic fashion.

"No way." I simply reply and she jumps in response.

"Why?! It's not even pink or girly!" Claire protests with a glare.

"Because cycling isn't fun without you." I reply yet again with honesty as she sighs and rests her head on my chest.

"To be honest, I thought the same thing..." She replies while tightening her grip around me.

...

"Isn't it about time we went back?" I ask while I nod towards our bikes.

"You go on ahead, I want to stay here for a moment longer. Just to cherish the moment. But don't worry, I'll catch up with you... You're not beating me on the way down, too!" She says with a smile and I find myself agreeing with her as I pick up my bike and watch her wave at me just below the setting sun.

Just how can one person make me feel so happy? I can't believe she's actually my girlfriend! I have to study hard so we can attend the same college together!

As I'm thinking of mine and Claire's future together and my mind basically flies off to cloud nine, I don't even notice when I've arrived back home.

I open the door with a massive smile as I greet my family and walk upstairs to my room, my good mood is apparent to everyone.

...

I can't believe I did it... He actually confessed to me and now we're dating!

I could practically start jumping around because of how happy I was about the incident. That's why I stayed behind, I wanted to cool my head. Soon I'll be leaving this town... The town I grew up in. The town where I met Daniel... The town where we got to spend all those amazing days together. I wish I could stay...

My thoughts are interrupted by a rustling in the bushes and I quickly turn around in response.

No one should know of this place, so... why?

"Ahaha... hehe... he... ahaha..."

Suddenly I hear what appears to be a person's laugh... But I can't quite tell if they're laughing or crying instead. As soon as I halt my breathing in order to focus on my hearing, the laughing stops.

I need to get out of here!

I think to myself as I turn to look at the bike but a figure jumps out from the thick bushes and tackles me to the ground before I can run away. Suddenly, my head is pushed inside the water, and I feel a pair of hands grip my neck, as a stream of bubbles rise from my mouth. I try to resist, I try to break free, but the attacker is too strong. I try to scratch his face, kick my legs up but my resistance feels completely futile. Through the water, I can't even make out his features, but I can tell that he is a man. He starts laughing yet again, as he pushes down harder on my neck and I feel my strength escaping my body... My eyelids start shutting and I'm struggling to keep them open... My lungs are desperate for air. As I dance between life and death, I see a white light and a thought occurs to me. A certain someone's face creeps into my mind, and suddenly... I feel at ease.

Desmond...

Desmond will come. He will save me...

He always has...

...

Suddenly, there's a knock on my door, which snaps me out of my trance.

"Desmond?" My aunt opens the door with a serious look on her face.

"Yeah?" I respond quickly.

"Claire still hasn't come back, her parents our downstairs and they want to talk to you." She voices hurriedly as she urges me downstairs and I practically jump out of my bed.

Why? Why hasn't she came back?

Dread suddenly floods my body as I explain everything to her parents. The police are already here so I serve as their guide and we drive to the swamp, our secret place...

"Claire?!" "Claire, where are you?!" "Claire, sweetie?!" Everybody scatters with a flashlight in hand calling out to the missing girl.

It's already pitch black outside!! Where is SHE?!

I think in a state of panic as I frantically look around the place which was supposed to be for just the two of us. Suddenly, and as if on cue with my thoughts, I hear her mother's scream and everybody rushes to her side. What I see there, will probably stay with me for the rest of my days. Claire, my childhood friend and my girlfriend, laid there, lifeless on the surface of the swamp, her eyes wide open, with strangling marks around her neck.

...

..

.

She was dead... My one and only ray of sunshine was no longer with me... And I could do nothing to bring her back... I failed to protect her, and I will never forgive myself for leaving her behind that day.

After the funeral, her parents left town as they had initially planned, but before leaving, they handed over her bicycle to me, saying it was her wish. I also asked for the blue ribbon she always wore around her hair, and her parents obliged, passing the item over to me. It still smelled like her shampoo... I wore it around my wrist as I shut myself inside my room for who knows how long. I never came out, and eventually they had to break into my room and take me to the hospital after not eating and drinking anything for a fair amount of time. When I woke up on that hospital bed, I saw my aunt and my cousin July crying next to me, relieved that I was alive. But I wasn't relieved at all. I just wanted this suffering to end. I just wanted to see Claire, just one more time...

Eventually, I decided not to worry my family, and began doing the bare minimum that a human should do in order to survive. But I had no intention of going back to my old self. No... Even if I wanted to, I just couldn't. My heart just wasn't there anymore. It shattered in a millions pieces, leaving me with a huge void inside my chest.

...

A week after I was discharged from the hospital, I decided to ride on Claire's bike back to the swamp where it all had happened. Of course my aunt tried to protest, but I just wasn't listening. Not to her... and not to anybody.

As soon as I reached our secret little spot I left my bike next to a tree and walked to the side of the lake, where her body was found. I bent over to grab a rock with the arm her ribbon was wrapped around. After caressing the ribbon, I let go of the stone and looked up at the gray and cloudy sky.

My mind suddenly flew back to that day... the day that was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives.

Will... you miss me? I love you, Claire... ...cycling isn't fun without you. ...I won!

I told you so! ....It seems I won't be able to win ever again, though... ...I realized... I can't live without you.

I can't live without you...

How do I live without you?

......

"Hehe... Ahaha... Hehehe... Hehehahaha!"

Suddenly as I recalled bits and pieces of our conversations I heard a sound in between laughing and weeping, and turned on my heel.

"Show yourself!" I shouted at the top of my lungs as the laughing continued. "You did this to Claire, didn't you?!" I shouted yet again as the laughing became more intense. Without even realizing, I found myself running through the deep forest spreading across the shore of the swamp, in search of some madman. A madman, and a potential murderer. But instead of fear I felt anger, hatred burning inside me. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" I shouted yet again as pouring rain started falling from the sky. I didn't care what would happen to me, I didn't care if I died. I just wanted to find that piece of trash, and end him with my own hands. I frantically ran through the forest, deeper and deeper until I fell to my knees and screamed at the sky, realizing my target had already fled.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs while looking up at the rainy sky as warms tears ran down my already wet cheeks.

"AAAAAAAAHAAAAAHA!!!" I cried and screamed and wailed at the sky while I clenched my fists so hard blood dripped down from my nails.

"I WILL FIND YOU! EVEN IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO! I WILL FIND YOU! AND I WILL KILL YOU! I SWEAR I WIIIILLL!!!!" I screamed once again while punching the mud with all my might.

...

That was the day I changed. That was the day I decided to live on. To live on with a clear goal in my mind: Revenge... I had found a new reason to live for. At long last, I finally managed to pick up the pieces of my broken heart, but the threads that held everything together now were forged from a lust for revenge. I didn't care about anything other than that, everywhere I'd go, I'd look for them. I'm not afraid of them anymore... These monsters, I believed they would lead me to the one person I was looking for.

...

Desmond, my cousin... After he came drenched from the rain that day... he changed. He stopped shutting himself in his room and started going to school. He was much worse after Claire died so I was happy to see him out and about again. The day he came back home, just before we found Claire, he was smiling and he looked so happy... But all of that changed. Although he's been making good progress, none of what he does reminds us of the same old Desmond... He wasn't the Desmond I knew. He would rarely smile, and while we were walking to school every day, he'd stare into nothing, and look around aimlessly, almost like searching for something. He also started talking and acting differently. He still wasn't rude to us, his family, but he would occasionally get into fights. My cousin... my big brother had changed. Dez... Desmond was no longer himself.