Tacenda

(n.)

Things better left unsaid; matters to be passed over in silence

Grayson Dills wasn’t asleep when the small girl climbed through his window in the middle of the night with a wavering smile and sad eyes. She was paler than usual wearing an oversized sweatshirt and dark black ripped jeans. Her sweatshirt was pulled up to her elbows revealing the multiple bracelets and wristbands that covered her wrists and the light of the moon made her glow as if she was an angel and maybe she was one. 

“Finn and Sawyer are outside,” she said. Her voice was soft like the smile on her face, but Grayson knew from the way that her eyes didn’t meet him that she was terrified. A silence filled the room for a moment before she wandered towards Grayson’s closet and started pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a blue sweatshirt. 

Grayson watched her with his eyes for a while admiring the way she did everything as if this was the last time he would see her, and maybe it was.

He got out of his bed and walked over to the girl who was now lost in her own thoughts and as he wrapped his long arms around her fragile waist she was snapped back to reality. They were not lovers, but they were supposed to be. 

She pulled herself out of his grasp after a while before holding out the pair of clothes for him to put on and once he was done she climbed out the window with him following close behind. 

Two boys were out waiting for them, Finn and Sawyer. Both were also accompanied by their bikes and blank faces. Grayson hopped on his silver bike and waited for her to get on her bike. 

“Lia, how much time do we have?” Finn asked after the four of them had been biking for a little over an hour. 

“Twenty minutes,” she said. Her voice cracked a little as it got lost in the wind of the night.

Finn nodded softly and started to push his black bike further and Sawyer followed leaving Grayson and Lia to ride along next to each other. Lia stared at him for a couple of seconds admiring the boy she grew to know so well over the past couple of months. 

“Lia, I-” Grayson started to say yet the words got caught in his throat. It grew silent for a couple of moments and the air grew thick around them.

“I know,” Lia replied when she could no longer breathe through the quietness. “I know Grayson.”

With that, the two continued on catching up to Finn and Sawyer, riding along the dirt path until they could see the beach the only sound being the echos of the crashing waves.

“How much time?’ Finn asked again once the four reached a stop. 

“Two minutes.” 

Everyone shared glances among one another before Sawyer stepped forward and grasped his sister into a warm hug while trying to hold back the tears. After Sawyer, Finn hugged her softly and kissed the top of her head before whispering something in her ear. 

Lia turned to Grayson once Finn stepped back and when their eyes met her face filled with an endless river of tears. Lia ran into his arms and the two collided forcefully. They were not lovers, but they were supposed to be. 

“This isn’t goodbye,” Lia tried to tell him but Grayson knew the truth. There was no stopping the darkness coming for her. 

Grayson pulled away first when the night grew colder and darker, for its presence was here. Grayson eyed the monster approaching in its form of the darkest matter and clouds of intoxicating fumes surrounded it. 

Grayson quickly turned back to Lia wanting to say the thing he never was strong enough to say, but she just shook her head silencing him. 

“I never stood a chance did I?” She asked. Her eyes were dark as the monster approached closer and Grayson couldn’t help but shatter inside from the words of the girl.

“That’s the sad part,” He whispered as she started to be consumed by Death itself. “you did once.” 

And she was gone.