Jericho

   -It’s raining out there, Chris. And It won’t stop- whispered Danielle, with her fingers touching the crystal, letting them to slide as if deleting the mist was the only way to delete the pain she has inside her guts, swallowing hard, she faced the other one trough the crystal. He stood, as always, that defeated look.

-Why is always raining a lot when I’m sadder? It’s a kind of joke?- she asked hugging his kneels while she looked with her sad eyes on him, as if he already had to know it. When they were younger, Chris was omniscient and at the moment, he knows every corner of Junius.

She always loved that nickname.

   -It’s raining like always- answered him, sitting by her side and cuddling her shoulders. He was the King Tiger in the end, and if there is someone who knows the pain she was feeling was him-Being sad, you think that raining is more torrential, but it’ like always been, like always will.

Danielle, going away from the window, put her head on his friend’s shoulder, and with a long sigh, drowned a shy sob. Secretly, she thanked that Ariel wasn’t there because she was one day of Chris, and one day of hers and well… Ariel understands them. She left something in the fridge. A support note and two cakes for Dani, because Chris doesn’t like sweet things too much and Danielle would need tons of sugar to quit crying. Another sigh, she looked to Chris and she hugged him stronger, she needed that pain to feel any calm.

-Hold me thight, I don’t want to get a cold- she tried to say quietly, missing because of the tears she had on her cheeks, and biting her lips, tried to not complain about pressure she had.

-Don’t let me open the windows, please. Don’t let me.

He, getting closer to her, feeling his kneels on his ribs, did not let her to get away from him. He sank his nose on her neck. He sank his emotions on that tiny body with bones of crystal, trying to not break that complain of her criying. He kissed her shoulders while he was trying to find some word to palliate the inundation that is going to be in that place and her porcelain breasts.

-Aaron is not going to come in the rain, Junius. He’s not coming back, Queen- that was everything he could say to her. He tried to say something that could comfort her, able of steal her a smile. He looked into his dictionary but he gave up. What the hell could say to let that to heal? Aaron is dead.

There is not a word that he does not deepen.

Unknown me

   It was magical. Danielle dedicate him a Smith’s song and a book of Coelho, Chris gave him an ageless shoulder and Veronika… Well, Veronika dedicated him all and every second he could have lived. Aaron deserved one and each of them. He deserved all the hearts of those persons.

 Aaron… when everyone wants to scream, he tightened up his nuts and he endured, supported and without knowing how or why, he painted the most beautiful smile ever. Danielle, with her saltpeter’s cheeks and his tighted lips, started to smile; Chris burst out in laughs, Veronika started to blush and ended up for open her tiny sugar’s mouth.

While Aaron was there, everyone and each of them were safe. He was the master pillar of the crew, of all the persons who sometimes have crossed with him “making magic”.
He liked to go to a pub and write on napkins for someone who sits there after him, for someone who cleans up tables or someone who founds it in the street, carried for a wonderful wind. He was like that, he liked to ‘unknown’ unknown even though they never looked him in the eyes, drank a coffee or just, crossed in the same avenue and known each other. He did not believe in that… did not. Until one day he found a note with his letter and a quote in it:

‘Unknown me’

At the end of the pub, Veronika blinds up everyone with bright in her eyes. And then, and only then, she felt her valor trembling for the first time.

Cat discovers a letter from Aaron

   Forgive me. 

I apologize for every kiss I had had given to you and I kept it for me, forgive me for  every touch in your neck I did not  which could have helped you to sleep, forgive me for every smile that could have made your day, and your life if I drew it, and It was not like that. Forgive me for every day you woke up without me, for every day you went to sleep without me, those days you kept going on without me, those days you lived with pain without me. I was an idiot, I know it. Forgive me for that too; and for the Valentine’s Day’s gifts, birthday’s gifts, anniversary’s gifts, forgive me for those gifts without reason I did not give to you because I did not let you to be with me one single of them together. Forgive me for the dreams I could not help you to make, neither to accomplish, but I destroyed it. My obstinacy let us down and I did not even let that happen. Forgive me too for that. But If there is something I need your forgiveness for is every second you wasted wanting to love me and I did not let you because if I kissed you once I would not let you go, I would wear down your skin; If I smiled you just one time, I would not have to stop seeing that bright your eyes have, and I wouldn’t  want to sleep nor wake up again because I already have a dream between my arms. If I wanted to make you a gift, you would see that I am not strong enough to make you something as perfect as what is having you with me. If I gave you dreams, you would understand that I did not want to fight because you were with me and you were more than I could have expected.

Forgive me for everything and more. For loving you as I did.

A cat asking for coffee.

   It is probably unknown for you, but I said it to Aaron when we were those little kids. Someday, you and I would be a fusion of personal pronouns but, what did you expect, if I saw you smiling, hiding your lips and crying? You seemed to me the cutest thing that I could see in my entire life and I still think it. Because of that I always asked to take you some photos and you always let me. I think you already knew that I was crazy for your kisses. You were as sharp as a tack, my girl! Because you looked stealthily the eye I closed to focus and I got you twice and you smiled in that way that steals your cold in Siberia and puts the Moon on crescent. They all said that you did it a few times, but you always smiled with me, although it was tiny and hidden under your black turtleneck jersey that you loved.

Aaron looked at me, he also smiled and recommended  me to conquer you one cold day with milk and honey and eskimo kisses behind the ear. I made it, and we swore loving each other all our lives, keeping together without forgetting Aaron and his golden hand. And nothing has changed! Aaron is not here, but we have him glued to the heart with green tacks, or written with red ink.

We keep walking and I love you, what could I say to you? You are the only cat that comes to my window to hear stories about the crew, asking for coffee when the thing you really want is milk and honey, smiling and always looking stealthily my left eye, to record you as much as I can in my memories.

   When she was found, she was worse than we expected. Under the rain, with the hair tangled and huddled, trying to cuddle, plaintive, her sides. She looked smaller and thinner than she really is, and there were almost no meat in her tiny arms.
Veronika was missing one day, seven hours and twelve mintutes, doing everybody fear the worst. His mother barely breathing. Danielle cried in his room with the door blocked and Chris was crazy walking and walking in every corner, every place her sister might be. Carla called every pub or every tabern whilst Demian looked in every bridge, being more pessimistic. The other part of the group were on Veronika's door, waiting for her to open it, however they moved being unable of believe the same idea: Aaron was gone.

 They were in the waiting room when the doctor was looking for them to let them see Aaron one last time althought they couldn't talk with him. Drugged, he remained asleep, but the doctor said it was the only way for him to doesn't feel any pain, but it was the final.
Daniella was the first, but Veronika couldn't pass around. She ran, as faster and stronger as her bony legs let her, as energetic as her holey heart let her and her waterlogged lungs of the tears she had slipping away, unable of stopping it.

She ran and kept running, as if running was the only way to heal the venom that was inside of her. She ran away until her body allowed her and then she kept walking without direction. Far away from everything, she didn't want to see anything related to Aaron or the real life, because she told herself that everything was a nightmare. It couldn't be possible, it couldn't be true. She refused to accept it.

And after that day, seven hours and twelve minutes, Alex found her. She looked the sea, shattered.

-How did you find me?
-I had to, Veronika. I'll always do- answered Alex, with no time to open his arms. The girl was faster and she hugged him, torn apart in tears, doing one agonizing sound that destroyed Alex.

She pulled him back, they only payed attetion to the cold they feel underneth their skin, because of the Aaron's death, and that 18th of april, Veronika's life lost volume.

A life without Aaron, without him... and she never was the same again.