15Sadie felt tears sting her eyes as Sanford Samuel's cruel indigo eyes connected with her distraught brown orbs.
"How could you?" she gasped, her tears flowing freely, like sparkling pixies, "How could you do that to your own daughter?!"
She was screaming now, and she didn't care who heard her.
"Miss, you are in a courtroom. Please settle down!" the judge slammed on the desk but Sadie paid no attention. She stood from her seat and lunged at Sanford. Matthew caught her arm and pulled her back against him.
"Let me go!" Sadie screamed, tears staining her cheeks like blood on a cotton sheet, "He killed my best friend!"
"She deserved it." Sanford grinned as his lawyer pushed him towards the chairs.
"No, you monster!" Sadie sobbed, her pain overcoming her. She crumpled into Matthew's arms and wailed agonizingly.
"He killed my best friend…" she sobbed into Matthew's chest. Tears streaking his own cheeks, he stroked her hair in an attempt to calm her down. Sadie shook her head and tightened her grip around Matthew's arms.
Lila stared into space; she didn't notice the tears flowing down her own cheeks. She didn't notice Sadie sobbing beside her. She didn't notice Simone's pained face. She didn't notice anything. Lila gazed at the ceiling, a small smile on her lips. She didn't even notice or move when the judge hollered, "Two life sentences, with absolutely no possibility of parole!" at Sanford the-son-of-a-bitch Samuel.
:-:
He was caught two days after the murders. The gun was found in his basement; the bullets matched the very ones which were imbedded in Grace and Mitch. The splatter of blood was still on his clothes. He hadn't changed in two days. The despicable man. He had no alibi. He confessed after ten minutes of being interrogated. His daughter's… Grace's diary had been thrown in his face.
"Here's the damned proof you were asking for!" The cop… Officer Winston had screamed in Sanford's face, "You killed her you sick son of a bitch. You killed her, but you won't get away with it. They'll destroy you in jail. You'll be crying for your mother by the end."
But Sanford just smiled.
"At least the bitch is dead." he grinned, his face took on an immediate crazed expression, "At least she's out of the way."
Lila watched behind the two-way mirror. She screamed and fell to the ground, sobbing. Sadie and Miki hugged each other and cried. They cried tears of sadness for their dear friends, who had lost their lives so suddenly. They cried tears of joy that the criminal had been caught, and they cried tears of relief, that Grace and Mitchell were finally at peace. Away from pain and heartbreak, and away from the devastating dangers of the planet.
:-:
"Goodbye, Gracie," Sadie smiled gently as the casket was lowered into the ground. Gently, she tossed a single white rose into the ground after the casket and sighed in relief.
"Sweet dreams, beautiful." she whispered, smiling, reminiscing, of times of gold. She laughed lightly, remembering Grace's loving, kind, almost too-good-to-be-true nature. She felt tears spring to her eyes when she remembered Grace's longing to be a famous doctor.
"My darling," Lila was speaking to her and Sadie fell back down to Earth.
"I want you to keep this." she handed her a small golden-framed book. There was a picture of Grace, Sadie, Mitch and Miki on the front and Sadie felt her lips twist themselves into a small smile.
"Her diary?" she looked up at Lila.
"Yes," the woman smiled and touched Sadie's cheek gently, "You were the rock that kept her grounded. Her best friend. Remember her, with this diary."
Sadie bit her bottom lip and nodded. Slowly, Lila walked away, leaving Sadie there alone, at Grace's grave. A small breeze tossed her dark hair around, making it dance around her chocolaty shoulders. Sadie raised her eyes to the sky and fixed her gaze on one small cloud. To her, it looked like a heart and she smiled through her tears.
"You don't have to be blood, to be family," Sadie whispered to the small fluffy cloud, "Do you, Grace?"
"No…" Was the gentle reply.
Now I can focus on completing "To Love You More". Thanks for reading!