THE DAY OF.

Everett Clarke does not stop running. She runs, breathless and alive. She runs, adrenaline coursing through her veins, pumping, pushing her forward. Running usually gives her strength, gives her a momentary, artificial sense of freedom; freedom she craves.

But not this time.

Because she feels it, she feels the pull, the anchor that demands to be felt, the anchor that pins her to the ground, immobile. She feels the weight of her stupid, fucking town against her shoulders, pushing, dragging. She feels it all, she feels Evaline's knife plunging into Julie, she feels the blood sticky against her fingers, she feels the power surge through her - the sound of metal slicing through flesh, the gasp that Julie breathes, the arch of her body. She feels what Julie must have felt, and what Evaline still feels.

Everett Clarke feels it all, and she feels herself drifting further and further away from Cairnview, from the blood of friends and the water of the womb. She wants to get out, because she knows what Evaline has done. She wants to get out, because Julie is gone. She wants to get out because this is all too much, too much, too much.

And so Everett runs, weaving through trees, avoiding the pulse of their roots, dreaming that wherever she ends up is far, far away from home.

Then she hears it, that sickly sweet voice, that call, that tether that yanks her back and keeps her from escaping, that has kept her from escaping time and time again.

"Evie."

She freezes.

"Evie, wait."

Everett turns around, slowly, carefully and in the shadows, she sees a reflection of herself. An older version of herself - blond and scarred with green eyes haunted by past mistakes. She sees a version of herself that she wishes never to become, because the Clarke girl who stands in the shadows, with bloodied hands and darkened eyes, is the girl who did not leave. Who could not leave.

Evaline.

"Everett. Listen. I can explain, okay? Just-just hear me out."

"What did you do, Eva?" Everett croaks. "Why did you...Julie."

"You don't understand-"

"I swear to fucking god, Evaline, if you don't start making me understand, I will find out on my own."

The silent threat dawns on Evaline. "You wouldn't."

"I could."

"Everett...I'm your sister. I-I stayed for you."

It takes everything for Everett not to grab her sister's shoulders and scream. She wants to show her whose blood is on her hands. She wants to show her whose choice it was to stay. She wants to show her the way back to the past so that Evaline could just leave and reverse the mess she has made. "Julie's my sister too."

"Your own flesh and blood -"

"For fuck's sake, I'm not saying that I'm going to the police, Evaline! I'm saying, make me understand. Tell me what happened. Fucking tell me."

Her sister stands in the darkness, silent. She takes one step forward, and the soft glow of the moonlight falls on her face. Everett looks at her sister, blond hair mussed, blood streaked in her hair and on her face and on her clothes and -

Everett has felt many things towards her sister, but never fear. At least, not until now.

"Help me clean up the body first."

"No."

"Ev...help me and I'll tell you." She walks towards Everett, emboldened. Suddenly, she is a hairsbreadth away, and Everett feels the heat of her sister's breath fan across her face. Evaline grabs her little sister's hands and looks into her eyes, those endless pools of green that so resemble her own. "Please, Evie. Just help me." She reaches out, places a bloody hand on Everett's fair cheek. "I'm begging you. Help your sister."

"And then we'll talk," breathes Everett.

"And then we'll talk."

+

They carry the body in silence.

Everett clings onto Julie's legs, while Evaline takes the upper half. They carry her slowly, carefully, and Evaline leads them to a grave she had already dug up. As they toss her in, Everett looks at her older sister.

"Thought of everything, didn't you?"

Evaline's lips tug into a smile, before fading into the darkness once more. "The knife."

"The-"

"Knife." Her eyes widen, and she shakes her head. "I don't know where it is."

"What?"

Evaline whips out her phone and turns on the flashlight, scanning the ground. When she looks up and sees her sister gaping, she snaps, "Help me look, damn you."

But Everett doesn't move. She stays still, watching her sister watch her. A flicker of annoyance passes over Eva's face. "Everett. Please."

"You're asking me to look for the knife that you used to kill my best friend. I just carried my best friend, whom you killed." She presses her lips together, fists shaking, a loose tear slipping down her cheek. "What the fucking hell, Evaline?"

Evaline's eyes soften, and she takes shaky steps towards her sister. She raises her hands and cups Everett's soft, sweet face, just like she did when they were younger. She rests her forehead against hers. "Evie. I swear this will all make sense later. I know you're in shock but...help me, okay?"

Everett stiffens, breathes out and says, "Okay. Okay."

+

Everett finds the knife.

She picks it up, fingers curling around the hilt, the blade glinting as it catches the moonlight. It's still encased in blood. Julie's blood.

"Eva," Everett calls shakily, "Eva. I found it." She studies the knife, weighing perfectly in her palm. It's the knife Everett had given Evaline for her birthday years ago. There had been several robberies that year, and Evaline always had a knack for hunting, and so Everett gave her the knife.

She gave her the knife that would be used to kill her best friend.

It's ironic, and perhaps in a poem or a novel of sorts, it's poetic.

But Everett only feels blinding numbness as she tosses the knife in the grave.

And after that, they start to dig.