AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Which is exactly why I shouldn’t go to the vigil tonight.”
“Travis … something is up with you. I think it will help.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll go,” he said, frowning.
“What else is bothering you?”
He paused, and I could tell he was thinking carefully about his words. “They just asked me if Adam had a partner. If anyone sent out texts to help organize the fight.”
I blinked. “Shep? No. He wasn’t there and has a solid alibi. He’s good. If they can’t connect him to the fire, they have no case.”
Travis sighed and nodded. “I don’t think we have to be careful at the apartment anymore.”
“I disagree. We should wait until we know they’re completely done with investigating everyone.”
“You’re right.”
I smirked. “That is such a turn on, Mr. Maddox.”
Travis scooped me up and carried me back toward the apartment. We laughed and I nuzzled Travis’s neck while Toto happily trotted along.
“So, you’ll go tonight?” I asked.
“I need to pack, Pidge.”
“I’ll help you this afternoon and we’ll knock most of it out.”
“Okay. It’s going to be hard, but yeah, I’ll go.”
“Good, because I told America and Shepley we would. And Trent and Cami are coming, too. I think it would be good for all of us.”
Travis was packed, all but his toiletries.
We patted Toto’s head goodbye and locked the apartment door behind us. We were both fidgeting and nervous, not speaking much, unable to find a good song to listen to on the radio. Travis kept wiping the palms of his hands on his jeans.
I checked Instagram, seeing that photos from the vigil were already in my feed. My stomach sank. It wasn’t until then that I’d felt what Travis had earlier—we would have to remember that night, the fear, the desperation, the sadness and shock as they brought out lifeless bodies.
My most vivid memory after Travis and I escaped was of dozens of people calling out names—names that would never get answered to. Names that would be forever memorialized on funeral service handouts and headstones, and now could be found carved into each side the stone obelisk that served as the new Keaton Memorial.
Hundreds were gathered around the remains of Keaton. Where black and ash used to cover the ground, lush green sod had been laid, and tulips of every color crowded the base of the memorial. A dozen iron benches faced the stone, and we all stared at the bouquets of flowers, teddy bears, framed photos, and ribbons already laid at the monument’s iron foundation. In delicate font, the iron was inscribed.
Keaton Hall Memorial
March 20, 2009
LET THOSE WHO COME AFTER SEE TO IT
THAT THEIR NAMES ARE NOT FORGOTTEN
Travis wanted to crawl out of his skin the moment we arrived, panicked energy radiated off him.
This wasn’t something he could fix or fight. Like the rest of us, he just had to live with it.
Someone near the front began passing out candles, and just as the sunset painted clouds began to darken, one by one, wicks began to glow. A few girls began singing.
I heard there was a secret chord, that David played, and it pleased the Lord …
We all sang along, amid sniffles and tears,Hallelujah.
