Could Cody be right? Should we look for Autumn? As I stare at my ceiling, the same thought process repeats within my head. I don't understand why this is all so, so traumatizing to me.

What happened to the girl with a group of friends; a group of  popular friends? I don't even play soccer anymore, a sport that I and the other girls loved. Why? Where? Where did it all go wrong?

I mean, I'm so glad I met Autumn and discovered the truth; that Kaylee was not as kind as I thought she was. Autumn, then Cody and Jared, became the best friends I could ever ask for.

We had fun, joked around, and even fell in love. Now, I've actually lost Autumn, but it feels like I've lost the boys, too. Cody's too hung up in what happened, but who can blame him? His father died! His mother created Chips. And, the cherry on the ice cream was Autumn's death.

But, is she really dead? She died right in front of my eyes. At least, I thought she did. But, from the time Jared and I fled the scene, what happened to her body? Could she, somehow, be alive somewhere?

I turn in my side, clutching my soft pillow against my chest. Tears have soaked its not-so-white covering, mascara flaking onto it as well. My boyfriend barely even speaks to me anymore. We've grown apart. Why?

"Eva?"

Through my blurry vision, I spot my younger sister.
Her lighter hair stands out against the darkness of my room. Her young, innocent eyes hold concern.

"Hey, Lily," I force a smile, swiping the back of my hand against my damp eyes.

She rushes forward and envelopes me in a hug as I sit up on my bed. Her slender arms wrap around me, her malnourished body pressed against mine.

"It's okay, sissy. It's all going to be okay."

"No. No, it's not." I tightly hold onto her. My poor, innocent sister. She's too young to understand the tragedies of life. She can't comprehend all that's going on in my life right now.

What I would give to revert back to a childlike innocence.

My tears soak through her shirt. She doesn't have to deal with boys stabbing her through the heart, or her best friend dying. She doesn't need to worry about anything but going to school and getting good grades.

After a long while of my sobs echoing throughout the small room, Lily pulls away from me. Her own eyes are tearing up, yet her small hands reach up to wipe my tears away.

"Don't cry, Evie. It gets better. That's what you've always told me, anyways."

My lips curve upwards in a vain attempt at a smile. "Thanks, Lil."

She grins, grabbing my hand and tugging me off my bed and out of my room. Finally, we emerge into daylight. The sun waves hello, smiling down onto my face. A gentle breeze causes the faux grass to sway underfoot and my hair to become even more tangled.

My sister points to something ahead of us. Squinting against the bright light, I make out my mom. She's sitting on the lawn with her knees drawn to her chest, the sunlight making her long chestnut hair seem golden.

"Mom, what are you doing out here?" I question, tentatively walking towards her.

She smiles. A lot has changed in the last few months. She used to not see natural sunlight much, only when she would get up to work for miscellaneous jobs. However, ever since the removal of Chips, ever since she's gotten me back from the scare of running into hiding, she's been a better version of herself.

"It's such a lovely day, Eva. I'm just enjoying it, like you should be. I'm sorry about all that happened. I'm sorry about everything you've gone through. I'm sorry I probably haven't been the best mother, or that people have failed you. But, now, it's time for a change. A change for the better."

I rush up and hug her with all of my strength. Then, I feel Lily tug on my arm.

"Can we go for a walk, Evie?"

I look to my mother, who eagerly nods.

"Alright, I don't see why not."

"Yay!"

Lily grabs my hand and practically tugs me down the sidewalk. I turn back to see my mom reading some magazine on her tablet, lost in her own world of thoughts and words.

Turning to look in front of me, I see the cracked sidewalk beneath my feet. What did Jared ever see in me? Every house in this neighborhood screams "underprivileged." Yet, he's one of the most privileged boys in this city.

Lily keeps tugging me to and fro. For the first time in a while, I allow my thoughts to wonder to positive places. Jared and I used to fight all the time. It'll all be okay.

After I broke up with Jackson, I never thought anything would be okay. But, it was. Things come and go in this world, but I need to latch onto what is good and what is still right there in front of me, like hope. I just need a little hope.

I'm shocked and appalled to see where we've ended up. Her hand is tightly squeezing mine, but the sensation becomes lost to my brain as my knees begin to wobble. Soon, they hit the overgrowing grass beneath me.

The sun is high in the sky unlike last time I was here. The fence no longer buzzes with electricity, but there are still graves of the perished beyond it.

I look to my sister, tears paralyzed behind my dry eyes. "Why would you bring me here?"

Lily shrugs. "Isn't this where your friend is?"

I begin to sob. So innocent, yet so stupid. I wrap my arms around myself, pushing her away as she tries to comfort me.

"You said you missed your friend! I just thought we could visit her."

I shake my head, wobbly pushing myself to my feet. My body begins to act of its own accord. One foot in front of the other, each step crushing the crisp grass, I head towards the fence. My fingers stretch towards the silent metal.

No more curfews. No more electricity. Everything has changed since she left. Yet, there's something wrong. I know there is.

My fingers halt inches from the fence. I pull away, casting my gaze towards the ground. Then, I gasp. There's the master chip thing. It has to be! It's the one Autumn ripped in half that fateful night.

There are two halves of the black Chip. They're a few feet away from each other, both a little charred. However, there's something engraved on one, something so small that if you didn't look close enough, you'd completely miss it.

'She's not dead'