The summer weighed heavily over Raven's Shade.
The heat spared nothing — not the aging façades of downtown, not the forests surrounding the small town, not even the hearts still scarred by the year gone by.
A year. Exactly twelve months since everything had fallen apart.
I was lying on my bed, eyes fixed on the cracked ceiling, unable to ignore the suffocating silence of my room. I still replayed the scene in my mind, over and over, as if memory itself refused to leave me in peace. The screeching brakes. The shattering glass. And that brutal emptiness — louder than any sound. The kind of thing that clings to your skin, even when you think you've learned how to breathe again.
A sharp knock on the door broke through my thoughts.
— Avery, hurry up! It's time.
Daniel's voice carried that false confidence he often put on. Fifteen years old and already pretending to be a grown-up. I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes, sore from a sleepless night.
— I'm coming, I murmured, too quietly.
When I came downstairs, Mom was already waiting in the living room. Her tired face showed dark circles no makeup could hide. Her light eyes, once so bright, seemed veiled now by a constant haze. Still, she managed a fragile smile.
— Ready? she asked.
Daniel shrugged, hiding the tightness in his throat. I just nodded. No one ever really is.
---
The cemetery sat at the edge of the forest, where the pines met the marshes. The white stones stood unevenly, worn down by time. My father's, though, still looked new — almost too new. As if it hadn't been allowed to age with him.
I stood motionless before his name carved in stone.
Thomas Greenne. 1980 – 2021.
The numbers felt unreal, torn from a page I'd never wanted to turn. Daniel kept his hands shoved deep in his pockets, his lips pressed tight as his eyes filled despite himself.
Mom placed a trembling hand on my shoulder, trying to look strong as always. She didn't need to speak. Her silence weighed more than any words could.
— We miss you, Daniel whispered, barely audible.
I closed my eyes, and that was all it took for the burn to rise in my throat.
We missed him.
And the emptiness kept spreading, season after season.
---
After the quiet ceremony, I left the cemetery alone, arms crossed over my chest. Raven's Shade unfolded before me like a wrinkled map I knew by heart — cobbled streets lined with small artisan shops, the bakery smelling of cinnamon, the music store where dusty guitars waited for patient hands. The red-brick buildings whispered of a more prosperous past. And all around, the dark outlines of the mountains loomed, while the swamps breathed a damp, heavy air.
I headed for work, hoping routine would drown my thoughts.
The Shade's Diner, a slightly worn but welcoming place, waited for me on the corner of Main Street. The scent of coffee and frying bacon drifted out to the sidewalk.
Williams, the owner, greeted me with his usual warm smile. Broad-shouldered, with a short beard and the kind of reassuring charisma that reminded you of a father. He looked surprised to see me.
— Avery, you're here… I thought you weren't coming in today.
— That was the plan, but I needed the distraction, I sighed.
— Alright. Your apron's right there.
— Thanks, I said, offering a faint smile.
He smiled back — that comforting, steady smile. Over the past months, he'd been a real support. Almost a father figure, though he'd always been like that with the kids who worked or hung around the diner. A deeply kind man, always ready to listen.
---
The morning passed in a blur of orders and regulars. That's when they walked in — Calvin Harrington and his Barbie, Serena Woods.
Impossible to miss them.
Him, with that easy smile and blond hair that always looked artfully messy, like he'd just come from a game.
Her, perfect as ever, long golden hair and that confident stride — head held high as if the whole place belonged to her.
— Two strawberry milkshakes, Serena said without even glancing at the menu. And make it quick.
Her voice sounded like an order, but Calvin threw me a small, apologetic look. His light brown eyes met mine for an instant, and I thought I saw something — a quiet warmth, maybe a memory. A time when we'd been closer, before life built its walls between us.
— Thanks, Avery, he said simply, and that ordinary tone unsettled me more than I'd like to admit.
Serena, meanwhile, was already scrolling on her phone, pretending I didn't exist. Yet behind her dazzling self-assurance, I thought I saw a flicker of tension — like her crown of the high school queen was heavier than she wanted to admit.
---
The afternoon was fading when Claire Davis, my best friend, burst into the diner.
Her gorgeous curly hair was tied up in a messy puff, and she radiated energy as always. She waved dramatically before squeezing her way to the counter.
— Guess what? she said, eyes sparkling. There's a party tonight — and you're coming with me.
I shook my head, hesitant. The past year had made me wary of social gatherings.
— You spend all your time working and overthinking, she said, taking my hands in hers. I know this year hasn't been easy, but I really think this party will do you some good. Please?
Her hazel eyes softened in that way that always made it impossible to refuse her.
Williams, drying glasses behind me, raised an amused eyebrow.
— She's not wrong, he murmured.
I sighed, torn between my instinct to say no and a quiet longing not to be alone again. Claire knew me too well. Her grin widened — she already knew she'd won.
— Perfect, she said. I'll pick you up at eight.
Before I could argue, she was gone — leaving behind a faint trace of freedom I hadn't dared to ask for in a long time.
---
That evening, as I left the diner, I looked up at the sky blazing with sunset. Raven's Shade was bathed in that golden light that only summer evenings could bring.
And yet, beneath the calm beauty, I couldn't shake the feeling of something else — a quiet tension, like a secret hidden in the town's shadows.
I pulled my jacket tighter around me. Tomorrow, everything could change.
But tonight… I just needed to find the strength to keep moving forward.