Promise Me Darkness
A deleted scene
This is a deleted scene.
A memory.
"What do you think happens when people die, Ryder?" I asked, laying beside him on the hard ground. It was midnight. We had snuck out like we usually did and I was glad because I really needed to talk to someone tonight.
"When someone dies? I don't know. Why?" he asked, turning his head to look at me.
"Because I miss my mom," I said in a hushed tone, keeping my eyes on the dark sky above us.
I heard him let out a deep breath. "I think that when people die, their souls go to heaven."
"Yeah, but do you think they watch over us?" I asked, finally looking at him. Under the moonlight, I could see his profile. Messy hair, hard jawline, small cut on his lower lip from a scuffle at school that had landed him in detention. This was Ryder. To me, he was perfect.
"I don't know. I'm not sure I want a dead person following me around all the time, watching me. That's creepy."
"I don't think so. I think it's sweet. I think if you really love someone, you never really leave them," I said.
He stayed quiet, so I continued talking. "If I died, I would want to watch over everyone. Make sure they're okay. Maybe help them make good decisions. I would never leave them. Eternity seems like a long time to wait for someone you love to get to heaven."
"We're teenagers. We have a long time before we have to worry about dying."
I shrugged. "You never know."
Sitting up, I gathered my legs to my chest and wrapped my arms around my knees, hugging them. Rocking back, I looked up at the sky again, full of bright, twinkling stars.
"If I died, would you miss me?" I whispered.
"If I died, would you miss me?" I whispered.
He sat up and scooted closer. "Where is this coming from, Maddie?"
I shrugged. "Eva's grandmother died today. I went to the funeral. It was the first I had been to since my mom died. It just all came back - her funeral, all the people. Seeing my dad so sad." I met Ryder's eyes. "I was just wondering..."
"I don't like to talk about stuff like that."
"But it's just a question. Would you miss me?"
"Sure, I would. I talk to you every day. I spend more time with you than I do with my own brother. Hell, maybe my own family. So, yeah, I would miss you."
I smiled, knowing that was hard for him to admit.
"I'd missed you too, Ryder. I might die if something happened to you. Then we would have to hang out in heaven and raise some hell together," I teased, repeating what he always said when he was on his way out for the night, usually ending up in trouble.
"I'd missed you too, Ryder. I might die if something happened to you. Then we would have to hang out in heaven and raise some hell together," I teased, repeating what he always said when he was on his way out for the night, usually ending up in trouble.
He didn't find it funny. Picking up a blade of grass, he studied it closely.
"If something happened to me, you go on living, Maddie. You have a family. You have children. You go to school and get a good job. Get out of this small town."
He dropped the grass and stared at me with his blue eyes.
"I'll watch over you. I always have and I always will."
© Paige Weaver
"If something happened to me, you go on living, Maddie. You have a family. You have children. You go to school and get a good job. Get out of this small town."
He dropped the grass and stared at me with his blue eyes.
"I'll watch over you. I always have and I always will."
© Paige Weaver