Photographs That Were Lost (NaNoWriMo)

It was a lovely Autumn afternoon. Perfect weather for a walk to Vanelope’s favourite spot. It was small, she found it by walking through the Yuilles Wetland making her way to the Yarrowee River Trail. It was an accident, a happy accident and one she had found years ago when she had nothing do and wanted out of her house. Vanelope had a day off, she had tided some of her house and wanted fresh air. She knew that many wouldn’t see the charm of it. Others wouldn’t want to walk almost an hour or more and up two hills for it, unless they were a hiker or jogger. It was barely off the track with two logs she could sit on to be alone with her thoughts while she enjoyed the bird’s song and the soft autumn breeze on her skin. Now and then there where would be new bones that would surface while others were dragged from another location. Proof of the nature, of life and death, around her. Like the small river streams that flowed down narrow channels and gathered clovers at the side of bowed bridges. Yingying, she’ll ask Yingying to see if she’s still at work or not. These days Yingying was at work more often than not, but then, so was Vanelope. Picking up her phone from her wooden coffee table, she quickly found the number she was looking for. “Hello?” Yingying asked, her voice slightly echoed like a birds' song in an empty room. There was only one room that did that at Yingying’s work and that was the autopsy room. “Yingying,” Vanelope said, she adapted saying Yingying’s middle name. Vanelope could say that she preferred using Yingying’s middle name than her first name. Since she had been the one who had helped her pick it coming from their love of the Danmei novels Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation and Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System. It helped that Yingying had a love of Chinese history, culture and literature. In fact, Yingying wanted to learn Chinese, but she couldn’t tell the different tones and dialects of the language. It was the one thing that Yingying hated about her autism. She could read Chinese just fine, but she didn’t think she would ever speak it. “Ni hao, Vanelope,” Yingying greeted, well apart from some basic sayings that she would slip into her speech from time to time. From what Vanelope knew, she didn’t do this on purpose, and it was just second nature to use other languages alongside her English. Vanelope found it funny when strangers looked at her like she had grown a second head. But that echo was still there. “Are you busy?” Vanelope asked. “No, just writing up a draft report before having to type it into the system later,” Yingying said. There were so many reasons that Vanelope thought that Yingying and Prudence would get along better than they did, but then, Prudence did spit the words, that talking and looking at Yingying was like looking in the mirror of her past. While Yingying didn’t want to push herself onto someone who had no interest, and would keep her distance. Yingying always told her that she was happy with the two friends she had; her and Leigh. Along with Leigh’s partner, she thinks that was more of a work in process deal. “And how are you?” Yingying asked. “I’m good,” Vanelope said, “just wanted to know if you’re free.” “I’m sorry, because of an appointment I’m slightly behind on work,” Yingying said her voice was still flat, but Vanelope knew she meant it. Yingying always meant what she said, that with her Vanelope had to remember that sometimes tone, facial expressions didn’t match up to what she meant. “Tomorrow is my day off,” Yingying said. Vanelope waited for a second. “And I know from the schedule app that you’re free as well,” she continued, “could we go to your spot then? Promise you won’t go alone, you know what’s been happening around walking trails.” “I’m not going to be alone,” Vanelope promised because the way her favourite spot there were only a few sections where she wouldn’t run into people. That meant it was safe. “Stay safe,” Yingying said, “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” “See you tomorrow,” Vanelope promised. “Graci Vanelope, Ciao,” Yingying said. “Bye,” Vanelope replied. Yingying and her mixture of languages. But then she would always tell them that even those fluent in more than one language would mix up words when speaking. Vanelope grabbed her keys, putting her phone into the pocket of her leggings and put on a comfortable pair of sneakers. She made sure none of her fur babies followed her out of the door, before locking up and making her way to the first section of her hike. Vanelope adored the walk to her spot, passing by people walking their dogs, all of them were in pairs. They would ask her if she would like to join them on their walk, but she was fine by herself, plus she didn’t want to join them. The walk took longer since they would continuously stop Vanelope and the other joggers would ask her to join their duo, trio or large group. She would always politely decline. Vanelope wasn’t going in the direction they were going, she knew the Yuilles Wetland part of her walk didn’t smell great. Prudence told her it didn’t smell great because people would piss into the lake, and she had seen it herself time to time. It still grossed her out, and she felt sorry for the swans that lived in the wetland. It was funny that both Prudence and Yingying wished that they would fall into the water. Soon, she reached the forest part of her walk, the one dark spot on a sunny day and that reminded her how life could be. There was always a dark spot to go through, that feeling of something bad was bound to happen, but then there would be light at the end of the tunnel. Walking up the first hill, she knew that soon she would be at her favourite spot. She didn’t show many people this spot; just her closet friends like; Prudence, Yingying and Rebecca. Sitting down on one of the logs, Vanelope couldn’t help but think of everything that had happened since 2020. The heartbreak, friendships lost or strengthened, through it all Vanelope would give her friends a smile, made sure they had eaten and try to help forget what was going on in the world outside her door. There was also a long list of people she wasn’t pleased with, they were on the same list of people she wouldn’t show her favourite spot; people like Opal, Alexander and Lynda. Not since Opal accused Prudence and Yingying of cheating on their boyfriends at the time, even through there were witnesses at the them barely leaving their houses. Both having double shifts through their entire relationships, Leigh would tell her that Yingying would come home and just go to bed. Vanelope had been worried about her and Prudence, worried about them getting sick or hurting themselves in some shape or form. She didn’t like it when her friends were hurt, Vanelope didn’t like it when people were mean to them like when Lynda blamed the whole thing on Jay of all people, like Jay said something that could lead to that train of thought, thus was the reason Opal thought Yingying had cheated on him. The reason Prudence broke with Ken was a bit more complicated than Yingying; she was unsure of her sexuality, Ken had tried to support her through but in the end they went their separate ways. Just because it broke Ken’s heart didn’t mean she was cheating. Heck, Prudence asked Opal if she was moving on too quickly when she started to date Yuki. Yingying on the other hand, Vanelope knew the reason she broke up with Jay, that Vanelope had been the only person she had told. Yingying felt like she was using him, putting his life at risk, and it didn’t matter if he reassured her that he was that country boys were stronger. That he wouldn’t get sick, Yingying had seen what could happen since she was more often doing autopsies for those who were dying in the hospital and meant she was writing more death certificates than at any other time. She also lost count of the number of times, Yingying had almost had a nervous breakdown from the stress. In the end, it Yingying broken up Jay, and it was her decision. Didn’t mean she cheated on him. Vanelope was glad they were becoming friends again, since Yingying had so few. Besides, Jay didn’t hate her like Opal did, didn’t hate her for the way their relationship ended. Jay even had a fiancé and a baby on the way. Vanelope met Lucy and thought she was wonderful. Then again, in terms of her being friends with Opal before this happened. Well. They were never really friends, it would seem to Opal that Vanelope was just Prudence’s friend and nothing else. Opal hadn’t spoken to her before Ichigo had kittens or after since she picked up Serena, while bringing anther kitten with her. One she had got from Leigh’s sister’s cat, who had got out like Ichigo had done, and then had given birth to a litter; so Leigh had offered her one of the kittens. Kittens brought over to Yingying’s old place, so Yingying could adopt one, and she had named her small ginger girl Eostre. The kittens were brought to the rental she lived in before she brought her own house in Winter Valley. This happened while Leigh was living with her, even through Opal hated Yingying’s guts she was still friendly with Leigh. The cat she had got was a beautiful silver tabby female, it was one thing she was sad about not talking to Opal, it was that she wouldn’t be able to see Hermes, Serena and Artemis. The reason she hadn’t shown Leigh was because she had moved to Melbourne with her boyfriend; Fred. She didn’t get to see the two of them as often as she used to, but they would drop in time to time see how she was going. They still spoke over the phone and Leigh had told her that she was twelve weeks pregnant yesterday. She would make sure she would be available for whatever baby shower or gender revel party she planned in the future. Vanelope thought that Leigh and Fred made a cute couple, and she was happy for them. Her older sisters, Vanessa and Venice, didn’t know about her spot. Then they had children to worry about; her nieces and nephews. But then she had five fur babies. Her beautiful Ichigo, her twins Kisa and Momiji, along with her youngest two; Wuxian and Wanji. She took a deep breath, sitting down until she was breathing normally again. Then she stood up and prepared herself for the track back to her house, spotting sliver butterflies ahead. Then was an wanted, disturbance touch, held onto her right arm, forcefully turning her gazing into green hazel eyes. A hand went across her mouth. Tears slowly fall down her cheeks. Before it could register who it was in front of her, something sharp went into her chest, she stared upon the murderer who had attacked her for some reason, their had to be a reason. Vanelope put her hands onto the wound to stop the bleeding. People didn’t do things like this without a reason? Prudence would know, so would Yingying. Oh dear heavens, her friends, who was going to be there for them? “Who are you?” the person whispered pulling her closer to their body, “who are you and why can’t I place you.” Her vision was fuzzy, like her brain wanted to deny what she was seeing, as if, it was a sight that had once brought her comfort, like a favourite song or singer. She couldn’t think about it, she was in so much pain and then the knife was pulled out. Black spots filled her vision as she was dropped to the ground like an unwanted toy. Something was familiar about the voice and appearance, but it felt like her brain was slowly deteriorating as she bled on the ground, falling to her knee’s finally falling to her side capturing the last glimpse of life. Bird’s singing faintly, blurry green and blue, the scent from the trees slowly turned to blood, then suddenly. She died. Laying there on the ground lifeless.