Dear Edward - Heather Parsons (smart books to read .TXT) 📗

“You didn't know anything would happen so there was nothing you could do to stop it.” Edward said while soothing the man next to him. He knew exactly how John felt, if he could have done something to prevent his parents death he would have. But he didn't know.
A change of subject was what was needed and John did exactly that. “I heard you mention something about seeing a girl that looked like Brianna. Could you describe her to me?”
“Sure the girl,” he put it the same as John but knew it was Brianna, “had long curly brown hair with the brightest green eyes I've ever seen. I'd say she was about five-six or five-seven and she was wearing blue jeans and a buttoned up blue t-shirt with tennis shoes. When she smiled I felt peace and when she spoke...” Edward stopped talking when he saw John shutter. He'd been tactful, shouldn't have mentioned her in so much detail. Even his own breath hitched remembering how clear she looked. She could have very well been alive, standing in front of him, leaning in further to touch her lips to his. He could still feel her breath on his skin, it was creepy.
“That sounds exactly like Brianna. I don't understand you said you saw her but how?” John asked picking up his head and tilting it towards Edward. “And after what the police described of what little they could there would be no way for you to know that much.”
“It's going to make me sound crazy but ever since I can remember I've been able to see things others can't. Ghosts, spirits whatever you want to call them I can hear them, see them. I've learned to block out most of them but Brianna somehow made it past all the walls and I can't not see her.
“When I sat up I saw what was happening to her, when it happened and felt her pain. I've never been this close to anyone as I am her. I can ever hear her crying out and I don't know what to do.” Edward sighed and looked down at the floor again.
“You mean to tell me you can see ghosts? Hear them when they talk?” There was nothing in John's eyes that said he didn't believe what Edward said.
“No what I'm saying is I can only see Brianna and hear what she's saying. Hear her pleading with someone saying she's sorry, she won't do it again. I can feel her fear of him but I can't see who it is.” Edward whispered.
“So she's still here with us?” John's eyes were full of questions he wasn't ready to ask.
“Yeah she's still here. In fact she was at her own funeral, sitting beside the coffin and watching how everyone reacted.” Maybe, Edward thought, he'd said to much. The look John was giving him broke what was left of his heart.
“Next time when you see her will you tell me. I'd like to talk to her too. There are things I never told her that she needs to know.” John said then stood up.
“You'll be the first I tell but you know you don't need me to be there to talk to her. You can do it now and she'll hear you.” Edward stood up too and wrapped his arms around John.
“I know and I do. But you could tell me what she says, tell me what she looks like, I would...” John's words ended abruptly. What would you be? Sad? Happy? It wouldn't change anything, things would be the same.
“I will, I will.” Edward said and watched John walk away. His shoulder's slouched and head down.
Would doing this for John make his life easier? Would it make it worse? Edward didn't know, he'd never done anything like this before. And he couldn't tell him no, couldn't sit and watch the man's eyes cover with more tears, take away his last hope. He'd never be able to live with himself if he did.

~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~

John's walk home took him by the Sampson's residence and as much as it hurt him to look, he couldn't stop himself. All the lights were all and he could just barely make out the shape of someone standing on the porch.
Sighing softly John walked across the driveway heading straight for the house. Ella sat on the porch swing with a blanket wrapped around her tightly while Christopher stood a ways away looking out towards the sky.
He could hear Ella's cries the closer he came to the house and see her tears. Knowing that the pain from the day Brianna disappeared had returned but this time was worse. Before they could sit down and believe she would be safe and hopefully someday come home. But now they knew she never would.
Ella's eyes snapped up when she heard movement and then she saw the look on John's face. “How's Edward? When I saw him blackout I should have stayed with him. He didn't know Brianna but found her for us. I should have hugged him and said thank you.” She cried harder.
Sounding just like what Brianna would have said, they were so much a like John had to take a step back. For a minute he could have sworn it was Brianna talking. His heart beat erratically in his chest and his breaths came out shallow and harsh.
In his minds eye he could see Brianna sitting there, wrapped up asking these questions. But before his mind could think further and make him more than crazy her image faded. Ella sat forward, staring at him and waited for an answer.
Going back over her last question, he remembered and answered, “he's fine. A little shaken from finding her but fine otherwise.” He couldn't bare to tell them what Edward had told him.
“This isn't fair! Brianna's never hurt anyone, she should still be with us! Why did this happened?” Christopher burst out and slammed his fist against the railing. “I'm supposed to die before her not the other way around. She supposed to bury me first. I can't stand this!” He screamed.
“Christopher calm down. You blowing up like this won't help anything.” Ella whispered. Her eyes were wide with shock but it wasn't because he was shouting but his words.
“Well sitting by and not doing anything hasn't helped either. She's dead! My daughter's dead because I didn't do anything!” Christopher growled, slamming both fists down.
John watched his friend break down again and felt the same way. He didn't do anything to help either, no one did. And the first outside visitor this town gets, goes out looking one day and finds her when no one else could.
There wasn't an ounce of anger in his body that would make him believe Edward knew more about Brianna than anyone else. Because if he did then why would he have asked about her? Wouldn't he already know? John shook his head, Edward didn't do anything to Brianna except find her and bring her home.
Thinking about it John dropped to his knees and watched not only his life but the lives of his friends die. Brianna, he thought, why her?

TWENTY-TWO

The night held unimaginable images of horror. In his dream, at least at the time Edward thought that's what it was, he saw her. Brianna. Laying on a bed of white crisp sheets with both her arms tied from the wrists up to each side of the bedposts. Her legs were laid out flat in front of her and a sheet pulled up to her chin, tucked in around her body.
Brianna's exposed skin had cuts and abrasions, bruises and swelling. Her eyes were closed but her breath he could feel was soft against his skin. And the movements of the sheet itself said loud and clear that she was still alive.
In this so called dream Edward found himself standing over her still form and saw her as she once was. A beautiful young college student who cared about everyone and everything around her. The same girl who wrote heartfelt letters to nameless soldiers which somehow his name appeared at the top of one. This is one thing he had proof of, it still occupied his front left breast pocket.
But the mystery on how he'd received it or how it was even possible given that Brianna had been deceased when he'd received it was just that, a mystery. Could she have searched him out and known what he was capable of beforehand? Could she have sensed him and brought him here to help her?
Edward found himself reaching down, he had to touch her soft smooth skin. Wanting her eyes to open, wanting to feel her heartbeat against his palm. Needing it for his own survival. But needing her to breathe.
“Edward,” she whispered, opening her eyes to only slits. “You must leave it's not safe.” Brianna looked back and forth between Ethan and the doorway to the room. Seeing his shadowy figure standing there she screamed, “I will not let him take you as well!”
Turning around Edward saw a dark shadow take form. And the smell surrounding this figure was death. Holding his nose, Edward turned back towards Brianna to grab hold of her, to save her, and saw that her hands were no longer bound to the bedposts by ropes but held by this thing that suddenly appeared.
Within a heartbeat he made a decision to take a step towards them, to try to grab hold of her and when he did Brianna vanished. Leaving only Edward with death staring down on him. It growled a deep menacing sound that echoed deep within the cabin and made Edward's heart beat faster. Never before had he been more terrified than he was now. And his feet moved without any thought of them doing so, running faster than he'd ever done before to get distance between himself and it.
So many times Edward thought he'd wake up from this nightmare but feeling the cool night's air against his skin and the dew covered grass, he knew it was no such thing.
Edward was gasping for air when he'd reached town. He searched for John being the only person that would believe what just happened to him and the only one who would help. And the fact that he'd seen Brianna and she'd protected him from beyond the grave caused his feet to pick up the pace.
First Edward went to John's house