The Locket Read Free

Mrs. Morgan might be asleep, Savannah slowed her movements and placed a finger to her lips. “Why don’t you start unpacking,” she began in a whisper, “while I check to see if Mom’s asleep.”
    Nodding, Marie made her way to the other side of the hall to Savannah’s bedroom, and left the door open a crack behind her. Digging through her belongings, she put a few selected items in the bathroom across the hall, hoping to remember them before she left the next morning. Coming back into the bedroom, Marie prodded into the rest of her things, unsure of why she felt the need to pack so many items for one night.
    A few silent minutes went by as she finished unpacking and began reading from a book that she had brought with her. Odd, she knew, to bring a book when she was just across the street, but Marie got into the habit of bringing one with her wherever she went. The Girl Scout in her believed that it could come in handy even when she least expected it.
    It wasn’t until twenty minutes later that she realized she was right. Still alone in Savannah’s room, Marie began to curse under her breath for the long wait, and then stopped herself when she heard the faint creak of the door. Looking up, she saw the familiar face of her friend and relaxed a little.
    “Jeez, Savannah, you scared me! You should know by now tha—Anna?” Savannah’s face was pale and full of what appeared most like shock. “What’s wrong?
    For a moment Savannah simply stood there, eyes glued to the ground. Then she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. “It’s okay, Anna, you can tell me anything,” Marie persisted.
    This time Savannah didn’t even bother to open her mouth, for the energy it would have taken was too great. She lifted her empty gaze from the floor and out the window, where the dark had settled over the quiet country street. The world was tumbling around her, where everything she thought she knew wasn’t real and her life was no longer hers. It was like watching The Life of Savannah being played on TV with someone else pretending to be her on the screen. How could this be possible?
    “Savannah …” Marie was more than a little anxious now, and it showed in her voice. “What happened?” She had never seen Anna act so solemn. Despite her pessimistic countenance, she had hardly ever been dramatic or, well, sad. The only other time she could remember her being like this was when … oh, God. “Savannah.” Still no response. “Is there something wrong with your mom?” At last she caught her attention.
    Although every fiber in her body wanted so desperately for Savannah to deny it, she knew. It was so hard to be surprised by the slow, distant nod.
    And it only took that one nod for her entire body to grow cold.
    “Oh my God. What happened? What’s wrong? Please tell me, Anna.”
    Savannah’s gaze had long since left her friend and was out the window once more. Everything looked so different. So cruel. So incredibly cruel.
    Coldness had consumed Savannah as well, but it was far worse than anything Marie could have felt. Every light shined dimmer, every color looked fainter, every breath felt sharper. Even the night outside had deepened its blackness and caved in to choke her.
    For a moment she was dizzy, so she sat. The world, her world, would never be the same.
    Finally, Savannah felt a small amount of energy seep back into her. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be so dramatic. But … God, I never thought I’d say this.” Swallowing the lump in her throat, she took a deep breath and did the best she could to keep herself from breaking apart before she got the words out. “My mother’s dying.”
    Savannah knew the tears building up in her would fall, but it took every ounce of her energy to hold them back. It wasn’t like her to cry and was something she had only done a rare few times in her life. It was just so hard, so very hard, to accept what she was just told to be real.
    “How?”
    She took a deep