A knock on the door startled me out of my thoughts. Hastily, I made my way to the door. "Yes?" I asked upon opening it and then found myself drawing in a sharp breath when I saw who it was.

"Hey Ryan," the female replied. "May we come in?"

I moved to the side and opened the door wider to let her and her companion in, finding myself still speechless. As soon as we'd settled down in the living room after they'd declined my offering for refreshments, I found her looking intently at my hand. Quizzically, I looked down and realized that I still held Kris's picture in mine. "Have you heard from Kristin lately?" The question came from Kris's best friend Holly.

Looking up from the picture into Holly's eyes, I found myself stalling in answering. There was something in her eyes… Worry… Hope… Distrust.

Her companion sensed my hesitation and spoke up for the first time. "You have heard from her, haven't you?" His eyes seemed to spark dangerously and I felt at unease in that room.

"Kinda…" I let the word trail off, unsure of how much to relate to them.

"Well? What did you guys say?" he demanded.

Holly shot him a look. "Calm down Daniel." She turned back to me. "I'm sorry Ryan. I should explain why we're asking. We were supposed to meet up with her yesterday afternoon but she never showed. She never called us or anything and you know she's not like that. So we've been pretty worried."

I looked back at her and Daniel, still feeling on the spot and not liking it one bit. But then again, those two were her dearest friends. They had every right to be worried considering how they they'd stuck together since the end of high school. I would have been worried too if I'd been in their position. Still… I got the feeling they were still holding back on me.

"I can see why you guys are worried. A night has passed." Holly nodded, her eyes begging me to go on. The worry was hitting her hard.

"Yeah, I saw her recently." My voice cracked and I forced myself to look away when I felt tears sting my eyes.

Holly gave a large sigh of relief and I tried to hold back a flinch, knowing what was coming. "Well did she say anything? Do you know what happened to her? Why she didn't contact us?"

I squeezed my eyes shut and nodded my head. I didn't fully trust my voice right then, but I could still feel their eyes questioning me. I looked back up at them and saw them anticipating what I was going to say next. When I didn't say anything though, Holly asked once more. "What happened to her Ryan?"

I still hesitated. How was I supposed to tell them that their friend was gone? That she wasn't going to come back to any of us anymore? "She died yesterday." I found myself whispering in the end. The tears I'd managed to control finally spilled over. There was a harshness in saying those words. The reality of Kristin's death struck a hammering blow. By saying those words, I knew I'd accepted the fact that she was gone… But I still didn't want to believe.

Holly's face was full of misery while Daniel's features radiated his fury. His hands were clenched in his lap, his face was white with anger, and his blue eyes, which had worried me before, were now pale with rage. It was little comfort for me to know that at least these feelings weren't directed to me. Still, there was a part of me thinking rationally and it was with that part of me that made me realize that their reactions were expected… They didn't seem any bit surprised at my news. It was as if they'd known that this was going to happen…

Holly slumped over in her seat, her normally straight back and proud head held high now bent forward as if the news was her burden to bear. "What happened to her Ryan? How did she die?"

She looked at me when I failed to answer right away. I could feel Daniel return his attention to me and noticed that his eyes once again regarded me suspiciously. I opened my mouth and after a bit closed it again. I shook my head to myself. How could I possibly tell them what happened when my mind was still having trouble comprehending what exactly had gone on.

Daniel opened his mouth, his eyes already making it clear that he'd force me to answer if need be. Thankfully, Holly was quicker. "Please Ryan. We have a right to know."

I sighed and looked shamefully down into my hands where I still held the framed picture. Kris's smile tugged at my heart. "I know you guys have every right to know. The two of you were her family when I couldn't be there…" I trailed off and gently set the picture back on a nearby table. "But I don't know if I can really explain what went on."

"Who was there?"

"At first, it was only me and her. We somehow ran into each other in this one alley…"

"At first?"

I nodded. "Then another guy showed up."

I felt more than saw the couple exchange looks. My eyes were still glued to Kris's picture.

"Ryan…"

I shook my head. "I can't do it. You guys won't believe me. I still have trouble believing it myself, and I was there witnessing the murder."

I heard Daniel draw in a sharp breath but he held back from commenting. Silence descended upon us and the only thing that kept me from believing time had stopped was the quiet ticking of a tabletop clock on the table next to Kris's picture.

The next thing I knew, a grey striped cat plopped itself in my lap, its eerie humanlike eyes peering intently into my own. I looked up to where Holly had sat and found Daniel there instead, his eyes also scrutinizing me. In the next moment, he'd disappeared and reappeared in his previous seat. The cat silently leapt off my lap and padded to Holly's seat. There, fur melted away and bones elongated until I was once again looking at a human Holly.

I knew I was staring at the two but I couldn't help it. With a cry of defeat, I covered my face with my hands. This isn't right, I thought. This was all beyond human capabilities. It couldn't be real. It can't be real.

I leaned forward so that my elbows rested on my knees. I clutched my hands together but refused to open my eyes. I felt a pair of hands close around mine. Wearily, I forced my eyes to open and found myself gazing into Holly's sad eyes. "We all have our secrets Ryan."

I looked up and Daniel and found all trace of hostility gone. He was just… Tired… And sad.

I told them what I knew.

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