Through It All (Narrative 3)

Her face shone so brightly that day, with a genuine happiness few can truly ever acquire. It’s still a mystery that she never found out. I’m sure if she had, that smile would have never existed. Lily was always seen to others as the perfect child. Her hair was so soft like silk, her face always radiantly shining, and her grades exceptional. Ashley on the other hand was the wild child. She rebelliously took out her anger against the ones she loved, especially myself, and of course her sister. She would always hang out with the same group of friends, mainly boys who liked to get themselves into trouble and vandalize, and she seemed to deteriorate day after day. There was nothing her sister or I could do for her by the time she turned eighteen. She stormed out in a violent rage, yet with a jubilant sense of freedom at last. Less than two months later, with her gang boyfriend arrested for cocaine possession, there she was, standing in the doorway, mascara running down her face, and barely able to hold herself upright. For a short time, it seemed like she had changed. She even planned a surprise eighteenth birthday for Lily. That was the day Lily first met him, at least REALLY met him. William was the son of a family friend, a psychology major who seemed like he could tell your every thought and wish just from looking into your eyes. (That DEFINITLY worked as a pick-up technique!) They had known each other as kids, all three of them, but never really became good friends. But today, for some reason, his scruffy brown hair and captivating sky blue eyes swept her off her feet, to some exhilarating place she had never before dared to enter. He released a more daring, adventurous person in her, taking her out of her shell which she always believed would be her home. Within a year he placed his knee on the ground and a jewel on her finger.
I would overhear her and Ashley talk about their past, present, and the fairytale life ahead of her. What Lily didn’t hear was the conversations and the furious scribbling in an abundance of small journals. Ashley needed a plan, desperately using her outside sources to create a distraction. Her adoration for Will was growing daily, and her passion to claim him for herself and finally cause her sister misery was an intoxicating goal, which she thrived to reach more than anything. She had pulled out every trick in her book. She placed women’s underwear in the backseat of his car, made up diary entries, letters, and emails, and even paid off a prostitute to arrive at their apartment like she was expected. None of this turned Lily away in the slightest, because Will’s eyes always professed the truest love in the world for her, and she remained content.
A few weeks past, and I found Ashley’s journals. What I read was the most terrible thing I have ever witnessed. Scribbles of “destroy”, “demolish”, “annihilate”, “murder”, and “misery” all sprang out in black ink. I searched her room, only finding a scattered pile of clothes and half open drawers. I felt an intense pounding in my chest as I grabbed my keys and sprinted to the car. I arrived ten minutes later to find Ashley’s run down jeep sitting on the side of the road by Will’s workplace. It was 3:55, and he was scheduled to leave at 4:00. I desperately tried to think of what she was capable of, and within the next four minutes, had come up with a horrifying solution. I glanced over at her car as she revved the engine and drove away. I jumped out of my car and rushed towards Will, where he was just beginning to walk out the door, fishing for his keys in his pockets. Each step towards his car seemed slower, almost unreal. 4:00 PM, my watch flashed, and so did the sight before me. The last thing I remember was placing my hands upon his chest and forcing him backwards with all my might away from that car, chunks of metal flying towards us from an astonishing blow.
One year later, Lily and Will were married. The ceremony was fantastic, and white light shone everywhere. Their love had always been so pure, and from what I’ve seen so far, it shall be for the rest of their lives. The only thing missing that day was her sister, who she had always wanted to be her maid of honor. She had not been seen or heard from since the incident, although I have witnessed her. She has been attempting to purify her heart and start a new life. She does not want to burden her sister any longer. Lily never truly found out what had happened that day, only that her devoted, altruistic mother had given her life to save another. Now I watch her from up here day after day, simply adoring her and the man who treats her like the precious gem she is. They have a true love that can only be matched by one thing, which is the love I have for them…my son-in-law William, and BOTH of my beautiful daughters.