Outside, Melanie piles into the moving truck while Max took the driver’s seat of Avery’s car.
“I’m sure you’d rather be with
Mel, but your car is a bit more comfortable if you wanted to sleep and I’d rather be with your car in case something happens.”
With a nod toward Max, Avery slides into the back seat of her car and curls up, hoping to fall asleep quickly.
She wakes to unfamiliar surroundings and has to take a minute before she realizes that she is in her new room, in her new apartment. Before Avery can adjust herself to move out of bed, Melanie comes skipping in, a smile on her face.
Her curly black hair is artfully styled on top of her head in a messy knot-bun, showcasing her long graceful neck where a classically beautiful face is perched. She unknowingly highlights her toned physique in a black tank top and short gray gym shorts. Melanie truly is effortlessly gorgeous and with the smirk occupying Max’s face as he follows behind her, he thinks she is gorgeous as well, amongst other nauseatingly loving compliments.
“How’d you sleep, Avery?” she asks.
“Great, thanks. I can’t believe I slept through most of the trip and through the night. I haven’t slept that much in well… ever. I didn’t mean to take the bed. Where did you guys sleep?”
“Oh, hun, you needed the rest. We crashed on the couch. It was a pullout. Don’t fret about it.”
“Here’s some coffee, Avery,” Max says, handing her a travel mug. “Nikki made a big pot before she went to work this morning. She took the afternoon off so she could help you get adjusted since we need to head back around lunchtime.”
“That was nice of her,” Avery says as she takes a large swig, letting the warmth of the drink travel its way down her body. “I’m so thankful for y’alls help. Truly. You didn’t have to do this.”
“We wouldn’t be anywhere else,” Melanie replies sweetly. “We’re going to start grabbing boxes. Come on out when you’re ready.”
As they disappear out of the apartment, Avery gives herself a mental talking-to. She reminds herself that this is what Declan, Nick, Aria, and Mila would want for her - that she should enjoy her days.
With her own thoughts inspiring herself, she gets dressed quickly in a pair of black running pants and a yellow racerback tank top. Tossing her long brown hair into a ponytail, she makes her way outside, not pausing to take in her surroundings - knowing that if she absorbs the meaning of her new home, the loss of her old one may overwhelm her.
Max unloads all of her furniture - which isn’t much - while Melanie joins her in sorting through the few boxes she brought along. Before they left, Avery had asked Melanie to take the majority of Aria, Mila, and Declan’s things to charity whilst she kept a few cherished items and boxed them away for safekeeping. Nick’s parents took most of his things when he passed, though Avery managed to keep a few of his shirts.
As Avery places the treasured box in her closet, Melanie suggests she trifle through it one last time and place the items in the fireproof safe Avery had purchased for the move. She wasn’t about to take any chances with a new roommate, though she knew Melanie wouldn’t have suggested the move if she didn’t trust her cousin.
She sits down on the floor facing her closet, a dim light bulb illuminating the space. Opening the stiff cardboard, Avery is first assaulted by the smell of her old home. The smell of old weathered hardwood floors and a hint of lemon cleaner. Why Melanie thought this was a good idea, Avery will never know.
She first pulls out Declan’s treasured wristwatch that had been passed down through his family. Avery remembers that toward the end of his life he was no longer able to wear it - so weak that even the soft gold of the band was too heavy for his wrist. Two of his favorite t-shirts come out next and she brings them to her nose, taking in the smell that was uniquely Declan’s – sandalwood and male.
After setting those items aside, she unfolds and refolds the shirts of Nick’s that she kept and places them beside the box along with Declan’s. The small black box containing the engagement ring that Avery hadn’t gotten to wear nearly enough beckoned her to reach forward. The squeak of the underused hinges startled her in the silent closet before she gets a chance to admire the small diamond perched atop a band of gold. Avery takes a deep, unsteady breath before closing the box one last time and placing it in the far back corner of the safe.
Next, Avery pulls out the ceramic phoenix Mila had always kept on her dresser. Whenever Avery asked her about it, she always shrugged and reminded her that even when we think we have nothing left but ashes and dust, we will rise again like the Phoenix, and come alive with a new spark of life. Instead of placing the figurine in the safe, Avery decides to keep it out as a reminder to rise above her grief.
Finally, Avery finds herself facing the items at the bottom of the box, though they are far from the least significant. She packed three items from Aria’s belongings, though she could have found something noteworthy with anything that belonged to her sister - they all held memories for her. Like when they would go to the mall with a few extra dollars and get her a new pair of shoes, or the doll she had admired after seeing one of her schoolmates presenting it for show-and-tell. Aria never asked for anything and she was always grateful for everything she was given.
Avery pulls out a baby onesie first. Unbeknownst to her grandmother, Mila and Avery bought the pale pink material a few weeks after Aria was born. Avery remembers Aria being so tiny that she thought the outfit swallowed her whole, but of course, babies grow fast and she only got to wear it twice more. She chuckles aloud at that thought. Next, Avery plucks a small teddy bear from within the depths of the chest. Aria had slept with this bear every night for as long as Avery could remember. Closing her eyes, she swears that the bear still smells like her sister. It had obviously seen better days and Avery knew she couldn’t leave it vulnerable to the elements, so she gently placed it in the safe amongst the other items.
Last, but not least, Avery removes the folder of drawings and artwork of Aria’s that she collected throughout the years. Even at her young age, Avery knew Aria was destined to be a great artist. She had a knack for showcasing emotions within her pictures. As Avery flips through the cut-and-paste artwork from pre-school, the finger paintings from elementary school, and the penciled sketches she did just while around their apartment, she stops at a drawing that she had forgotten. Though she now remembers asking Aria about it, the youngster only replied that she saw it in her dream and needed to draw it.
Spellbound, Avery unfolds the large piece of paper and rises slowly from her closet, stretching her legs. Resting the drawing on the bed, she walks out of the bedroom to find Melanie.
“Hey, can you come here for a sec?”
“Sure, I’ll be right there. We have something to give you before we head out.”
Walking back into her bedroom, Avery stares down at the picture before her drawn in a three-dimensional format. The sketch showcases four angels, none of which has any distinguishable features other than the detailed wings on their backs and the color of their hair. The view comes from behind the angels as they are looking down onto the Earth. That’s where you see a girl, who eerily looks like herself, with long brown hair and blue eyes, fire building at the bottom of her feet. The girl is drawn looking onward, past the paper, at people off in the distance - only determinable due to the shadows cast in the drawing. It looks to be a man holding a small hand in each of his own.
Heart racing, Avery looks closer at the angels drawn so carefully in the picture, one significantly smaller than the others, and one with shoulder-length hair.
As Melanie comes into the room holding a small wrapped package, Avery tells her the history of the drawing and asks her what she makes of it.
“I’m really trying not to freak out right now, Mel.”