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.