She stood at the edge and looked down, unable to help herself, unable to feel anything. So this was the end. She peered into the graves of her parents and sighed, her breath quieted by the wind that whispered through her straight red hair. Should she miss them? Should she feel guilty for not fixing the space that had grown between them over the years? There was no room and no time left to fix things. There was life and there was death. Robert and Lola Thomas were just things that took up space in the ground now. They would be forgotten.

A hand cupped her shoulder and gave it a familiar squeeze. Charlie. She looked up at him and gave a small smile, gripping his hand not for her support but for his. As the oldest, he assumed all responsibility, and she knew he carried everything that happened and everything that would happen on his shoulders. She loved him as much as she loved the autumn weather that was creeping up on their little New England lives. The wind was bitter, the sky cloudy gray, and the trees and grass slowly drained of life. All the colors of summer were fading to gray. All the warmth and feeling were retreating from the harshness of the winter to come. Life seemed so far away. Love seemed lost in the wind that played coyly with her hair.

Looking out over the hill to the ocean, she sighed once again, wishing things were different. She wished she'd wept with grief when Charlie had told her he discovered their parents locked in an embrace of love, gone together on their journey into the next life. But most fervently, she wished it had been her. She wished she and her lover, whoever he may have been, were found locked together in death and love. She envied her parents for finding that love. And she wanted it as well.
At her brother's distant call, she turned from the ocean and her thoughts. Placing a single white rose between the graves, she looked one last time at the end. She blew a kiss, made a prayer of thanks and a wish, and walked away from a part of her past.

I.

"Hope, are you sure you're alright?" Charlie looked at her with worry. She had always been distant, but now she seemed completely gone from him.

Hope stared at him and tried to think of something reassuring to say. Charlie was handsome, moreso than their father had been. His auburn hair was cut short but stuck up on top like it always had. He wore a light goatee and his green eyes absolutely sparkled. He had the build of a runner, light and lithe. He wondered if she was alright. Was she?

"I'm fine. The whole atmosphere was just daunting," she murmured as they entered his house. "Go change out of your clothes while I put on some tea."

Grateful that someone else was making decisions, he agreed without a fuss. Trudging up the stairs of his modest two story Victorian, he shed his blazer and tie and threw them on the bed as he entered his room. The office was probably running smoothly, so no need to call. Jim Sorten, the doctor on call, was glad to come in for him today. Sitting on the edge of his neatly made bed, he rubbed his hands over his face. He had to call...who did he have to call? All that was left of their family was he and Hope. They were all each other had. It was a shock to think their parents dead. He had loved them, he supposed. But he couldn't remember. Aside from Hope, he knew nothing of love. He thought of his friend Jim and wished that his life was similar. Jim's wife was beautiful, smart, funny. Jim was always smiling. Was the fact that his parents were-

The teapot hissed downstairs and cast his thoughts to the wind. He wouldn't worry about himself right now. Hope needed him whether or not she admitted it.

Hope poured two steaming cups of tea and carried hers to the living room. She sat in a regal-looking armchair and watched the light drizzle of rain that had started. She felt as if the rain knew she was indifferent and persisted in its soft, sad constant tune. Charlie watched her from the doorway. His sister had hair like his that fell straight down to her shoulder blades. All that red hair made her skin glow pale and made her seem timeless and fragile. Identical green eyes turned to him and tried to offer a smile.

"This whole ordeal is maddening," she whispered as she went back to looking through the window.

Sitting on the leather couch across from her, he sighed. Yes, it was maddening and scary, he thought. "How was your drive?"

"Fine. The storm hadn't rolled in yet, so the driver was rather pleasant," Hope murmured absently. She lived four hours up the coast and actually loved the drive from her home to Charlie's. It was very picturesque and calming.

He hesitated for a moment and Hope knew what he was trying to say. "Hope...I-"

"-Stop worrying, dear. I'm fine. Honestly, there are probably lots of other things claiming your mind right now. So quit worrying about me," she interrupted with a small smile.

"That's not where I was going with this, even though I am worried. The thing is, Mum and Dad's will was looked through by my attorney before you arrived."

"Yes?" she asked, not quite sure what to expect.

"They left their summer estate to you. The old summer cottage right by the ocean in Brighton."

Needless to say, she was stunned. And maybe a little touched? Why in the world would they leave the cottage to her? Why would they leave anything to her for that matter. Surely because Charlie was the oldest he would get everything. And because she hadn't spoken to them in ten years.

"Why?"

"They left no explanation as to why they made any of the decisions in their will."

"Well, I-"

"-Wait a moment and listen," Charlie interrupted. "I think that you need a break. From everything. You told me the other day over the phone that work was stressing you out, that the busy city wasn't what you wanted-"

"-Charlie, I was whining," she scoffed. "Just letting off a little steam."

"I still think you should go there for a while. It will help you relax and work out some things that need to be addressed," he said pointedly, referring to her estrangement from their parents.

"I don't know, Charlie. What if it's awkward and I-"

"-Go and stay for at least a couple weeks. Brighton is a gorgeous town, especially with fall rolling in."

Hope laughed. "Why do I feel as if I'm being tricked?"

Even though it was nervous, it was the first time Hope had laughed in a while, and Charlie smiled at the beautiful sound.

"It's just for a couple of weeks, to relax."

"Fine. But don't expect anything good to come of it Charles Thomas."