There he stood at the edge of the river. The wind blew cold in the midst. The crisp air haunting as the tune he hummed to himself before exuding a deep sigh.

This is it, Howard. It's time to let go, he thought to himself. His hands nestled in his hoodie pocket while he shuffled his feet on the dirt path. He smiled as the sound of her laughs flowed through his soul. The warm weather, the eternal freedom, life was perfect. He watched as she splashed around with him and laughed so pure, the sunlight only shined brighter. She danced along the edge. The sun beaming down on her dark, raven hair. What a summer it was. Beautiful, just like her. Calliope was her name. She embodied her own meaning every time she sang. Whenever she sang, Howard stood by and listened.

Absolutely breathtaking, Howard smiled in regards to her aria. She could've gone far, she could've gone very far.

As the years went by, the audacious young girl, grew quieter and quieter. No songs to be sung, no sparkle in her eyes, the life was gone. Some days she'd be openly cynical but others, she'd be completely closed off. One day, he heard their parents screaming her way only for her voice to drown them out. A voice no longer laced with luminosity, now numbed by pain. Howard felt that pain every single day. When she hurt, he did too. He tried to help, but she'd force him out. Their screams intensified until she disowned him as a brother and her other half. It was then, he realized the truth. He couldn't help her, nobody could.

Eventually, he came to make amends. The morning was bright and sunny like the good old summer days they spent frolicking in the river. Ironically, that was what he was offering. A chance to relive the life they had before everything had fallen apart. This could be their new beginning. He opened the door. She wasn't there. Instead, she left a note behind.

No...Howard gulped as the cold air chilled his veins. His body trembled until he snatched the note in his hand. Though dropped it on the floor as he did too. She had already gone to the river, specifically without him. His heart was broken. This couldn't be true. This couldn't be real.

Upon the arrival of his weeping parents, he stood still. His life went in flashes. The body bag on the stretcher pulled from the water. The endless pile of bereavement food he received each day. The memorial draped in black on the coldest day of the summer. Tears were shared by all except from him. He couldn't feel. He couldn't understand. Everyone else was on the path to moving on, but he was stuck. He was in this shell of shock and delayed despair, yet couldn't escape.

For weeks, he had been avoiding that river. Even going as far as not driving to any place near the area. Then came the day. He was simply driving his car. He planned to avoid the area again. Instead, he veered his car to the right and down the narrow path. It was time to say goodbye.

"Remember when we poked that beehive and bolted into the river for safety?" Howard spoke up with a slight chuckle in his voice. "You'd think we'd broke a window or something or running from the cops."

Howard laughed heartily. His hands lodged in his hoodie pocket and his eyes on the calm waters before him. "Oh, Mom and Dad were so ticked at us... Yet you took the blame. You... you said it was your idiotic idea when it was actually mine. I mean-what?"

As Howard continued laughing, his heart picked up the pace while the laughter faded. "You were always taking risks and being yourself. It worried me sometimes, but it always made me proud. Maybe if I was more like you, I wouldn't get cussed out or at least would have more friends. Maybe I'd be happy..."

Howard took a moment to pause. He sniffled a few times while his eyes watered. He blinked profusely before wiping his face. "I miss you, Callie. I really, really wish you were here."

He closed his eyes and chuckled, "If I could go back and help you, I would've. I would've held you so tight. I wouldn't have let you destroy yourself. I would've stood by you no matter how much you fought, because I loved you..."

His knees shook like his quivering lips. A slew of sharp gasps ensued. His hands covered his face. The sniffling wouldn't stop. The flowing tears wouldn't stop. He strained against his agony to be strong, but alas was powerless. Howard fell to his knees and wept. One hand slammed on the edge while the other clenched into a ball. His cries were hoarse and stifled; never finding rhythm with his clenching fist or the slamming hand. They were supposed to be together. They were each other's half. Without one, the other was dim. Together, they were bright. Apart, they were broken.