Ellie's Fate: Love & Friendship, #3

By Aisha Urooj

What would you do if Fate gave you a second chance? Would you learn from your past mistakes and take it as an opportunity to correct all wrongs?

Fate has given Ellie another chance at life. The question remains... would it be worthwhile?

 

My whole life shifted when Ellie died.

Eleanor James. Ellie. My best friend.

She was someone I knew better than even myself... or so I thought.

Ellie's life was cut short. Ravaged by her addiction to drugs, and perhaps, also by her addiction to fame.

Her death felt like a waking nightmare. I wish it was something I could wake up from, but I couldn't escape it.

Not even when I tried.

Lachesis, one of the three fates, said there was a way to save Ellie. Out of the three conditions she set, I am only one part of that puzzle.

For her tragic life to turn around, Ellie would need my support. But she would also need to feel her parent's love, and be reunited with her true love.

I don't even know who that person is.

Ellie has one last chance at life.

How could all of this be done in a single lifetime, when it wasn't possible in a thousand?

Will I see her die again? Or will the fates align to give Ellie a future less grim than the ones I witnessed?

I don't know all the secrets she kept from me.

I won't remember much of our past lives.

Can I even save my best friend? Or is it too much to hope?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Aisha Urooj
• Release date: Jul 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201725877

Aisha Urooj

Aisha Urooj is a multi-genre writer who writes captivating coming of age fiction, and fantasy. Check out her writing journey at aishauroojbooks.wordpress.com

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Ellie's Fate

Copyright © Aisha Urooj, 2022 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.

For information about the author: 

https://aishauroojbooks.wordpress.com/

If you like the book, I would appreciate a review.

Thank you!

Grief (Prologue)

Henry and Isabelle (Mr. and Mrs. James)

Y ou hardly touched your breakfast, Isabelle, Henry observed. His wife came out of her reverie and said, I don’t feel hungry.

You barely had dinner, too, Henry said concerned. Is something the matter, dear? Something on your mind?

It’s Eleanor, Isabelle said.

Did you two have an argument again? Henry asked.

I wished we had, Isabelle said. Eleanor seems so distant lately. She doesn’t even call or pick up her phone anymore.

Her work must be keeping her busy? Our daughter might not have the same career as us, but she has the same drive, Henry said.

Isabelle stayed quiet.

You think it is something else? Henry asked.

Call it a mother’s intuition, but I feel she is hiding something, she replied.

We will ask her over for dinner and figure it out, Henry said. But please eat something. You can’t do much thinking on an empty stomach. He gave a small encouraging smile to his wife.

Isabelle sighed and picked up her tea, which had long gone cold. There was a doorbell, and then their butler informed them of a visitor at the front door.

Who is it? Henry asked, perplexed. Were you expecting anyone today?

Isabelle shook her head. She hoped it was Eleanor, but then she would walk right into the home.

It is the police, Their servant informed them. Officer M. Suarez, he added, giving them his card.

The police! Henry exclaimed. Perhaps he is here about the recent break-ins around our neighborhood?

Isabelle nodded, but she couldn’t shake the sinking feeling in her stomach.

Let him in, Henry said. The two of them left the kitchen table, with their food untouched, and walked into the living room to meet the unexpected visitor.

Officer Suarez came in with a grim expression on his face.

Are you Henry James and Isabelle James? he asked. Parents of Eleanor James?

Yes, we are, Isabelle said quickly. Was Eleanor in trouble? Was this why she was so distant lately?

I regret to inform you that your daughter passed away early this morning, Officer Suarez said. We are awaiting the coroner’s report to see if the cause was suspicious, but evidence points to it being an overdose. Again, I am very sorry.

Eleanor! Henry cried. An overdose? But how could this be?

Isabelle was in shock. Tears spilled from her eyes once she made sense of what the officer had said.

Eleanor was dead! Her mind screamed.

Everything else fell into an unnerving silence.

Isabelle discovered what her daughter was hiding, but it was too late to save her.

John

When John went out walking with Buddy, Cassie had been at her desk, scribbling away. When he returned, she was still there. She forgot to join them again, even if she promised she would.

Cassie?

Oh, hi John! You are back? How was the walk?

Buddy found a squirrel again, John replied, grinning. He tired himself out. He went to his bed as soon as we got back and is sleeping like a baby now.

Normally, Buddy discovering a squirrel on their walks would elicit either a groan or a laugh from Cassie. She did neither today. She barely registered any emotions anymore.

Oh, I see, she said.

When was the last time you ate, Cassie? asked John, concerned. Cassie looked pale. She had bags under her eyes. He also knew she had been getting more nightmares lately.

He would calm her whenever she woke up screaming.

I had breakfast not too long ago...

That was hours ago. Can I bring you something? John asked.

Cassie was startled and looked at the watch. It was nearly evening.

No, it’s ok John, Cassie said. Don’t worry. I will join you for dinner later.

John had heard that before. Cassie would forget again.

It was just her and her notes and her books on mythology. She was obsessed with any stories relating to death.

John? Do you think people can return once they are gone? Cassie asked.

Cassie’s voice surprised him. It was the first time she asked him something sounding like her old self. She must be thinking about Ellie, John thought.

I don’t think so... But then again, I don’t know what happens after we die, John replied.

So, there could be a possibility?

Perhaps... But we would have heard of it by now? John said. Truth be told, I don’t think it is possible to be back in this lifetime or this world.

But it could be in others?

What do you mean, Cassie? John asked.

You said that it is not possible in this lifetime or this world... But it could be in other lifetimes or in other worlds?

I wish there was a way, but it seems like a dream, John said.

His words startled Cassie.

Dreams? Dreams! That must be it. That is the link... Cassie exclaimed.

Cassie?

Cassie was busy writing again. John knew that when she started writing, it would be hours before she looked up again.

John knew what Cassie wanted. But it wasn’t possible, no matter how much one wished for it. There wasn’t a way to bring Ellie back.

After Ellie died, Cassie just hadn’t been herself anymore. She blamed herself for her best friend’s death. John tried to tell that there was nothing she could have done.

Cassie seemed to think that she could have.

She still thought that there was a way.

John looked at Cassie again. He wished to take away her pain, but didn’t know how. He knew Cassie would forget to eat again, so he went into the kitchen to make them both sandwiches.

He would make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

The Cassie he used to know loved them. The girl who would find joy in the simplest of things had been missing for a long time.

Now, she was barely living. Grief overcame her life as she mourned for her lost best friend.

Cassie

Cassandra, why do you blame yourself for Eleanor’s death?

Because I could have saved her.

How?

The signs were there, but I never noticed them.

Even if you saw the signs, how could you change what has passed?

I can... I just know I can.

You cannot change her fate now.

I must.

Why?

Because Ellie deserved a beautiful life!

Don’t you, too?

How can my life be beautiful without Ellie living in it?

What will you do then?

I will beg the fates if I have to. Anything to get Ellie back.

My whole life shifted when Ellie died.

Eleanor James. Ellie. My best friend.

She was someone I knew better than even myself... or so I thought.

Ellie’s life was cut short. Ravaged by her addiction to drugs, and perhaps, also by her addiction to fame.

Her death felt like a waking nightmare. I wish it was something I could wake up from, but I couldn’t escape it.

Not even when I tried.

Lachesis, one of the three fates, said there was a way to save Ellie. Out of the three conditions she set, I am only one part of that puzzle.

For her tragic life to turn around, Ellie would need my support. But she would also need to feel her parent’s love, and be reunited with her true love.

I don’t even know who that person is.

Ellie has one last chance at life.

How could all of this be done in a single lifetime, when it wasn’t possible in a thousand?

Will I see her die again? Or will the fates align to give Ellie a future less grim than the ones I witnessed?

I don’t know all the secrets she kept from me.

I won’t remember much of our past lives.

Can I even save my best friend? Or is it too much to hope?

Chapter One: Retake

"N o man steps into the same river twice; For it is not the same river, and he is not the same man."- Heraclitus

Lovely as spring

Is my best friend,

Bright as the sun

Is her smile for me.

Her name is Eleanor

My Dear Ellie!

This poem documents the earliest moment of my friendship with Ellie. It was when I turned eight years old. In the poem, eight-year-old me also drew two stick figures, holding hands, surrounded by flowers, and a smiling sun.

I once asked my parents if Ellie was my sister or long-lost twin. I was so sure she was, even with my dark hair and green eyes (and Ellie with her golden hair and twinkling blue eyes.) They said no, but I still have doubts.

I cannot explain my bond to Ellie, but it seems deeper and longer than my sixteen years on Earth.

Weird, right?

I know this for sure: I am sixteen (even if I feel older)... and I have the best friend in the entire world and possibly the entire universe.

A little about me:

My full name is Cassandra Leonora Grace, though people call me Cassie.

I prefer the company of books instead of people (except for my best friend, of course!)

I have strange dreams that feel too real.

I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.

Ellie wants to be a superstar, but I am not so sure. Whatever my future career is, I hope it has something to do with reading or writing.... or possibly both!

Ellie loves all of my oddities, and I love her just the way she is. Her favorite subject is drama. Works like Shakespeare nourish her artistic soul.

Ellie says that between the two of us, there is enough artistic flame to ignite the skies... she has a flare for the dramatic.

She is obsessed with Lady Macbeth. Ellie has been waiting to play the part for ages, but that is not the role she ends up with.

Enough of Juliet, Guinevere! Let me play with darkness, murder, and madness! Then Ellie adds a perfect maniacal laugh.

Her gleeful cackle always brings a chill down my spine!

My best friend Eleanor is the epitome of confidence.

Me? I try... though I am not always successful. I stammer badly sometimes.

I always try to build my confidence, even when I don’t feel it and eventually I feel better.

If I can’t say my thoughts out loud, then I write them and that helps me too. But writing in my journal has yet to help me with a particular problem. It is about a boy and not just any boy...

Summer this year has been long, lazy, and glorious. It has been close to perfect.

I check out books from the library and spend the rest of the day reading them in a park. If the park has too many people, I take my books to the treehouse for a peaceful retreat.

Whenever Ellie is around, and not away to drama camp or some trip abroad, she drags me to the beach. Under a shady umbrella, I pour over my books while she sunbathes under the blazing sun. The guys playing volleyball try to get her attention by 'accidentally' sending over their ball.

Sometimes Ellie tosses the ball back to them, and sometimes she joins them for a game or two.

Whenever the ball comes my way, I just ignore it. I only have so much time to finish my reading pile (and this summer, like always, my to-be-read pile seems to get bigger every day).

So far, so good? I can ignore the hot volleyball guys and read my books in peace, but there is one guy I can’t ignore, no matter how hard I try. His presence is causing quite a commotion to my otherwise blissful summer.

Yesterday, I was in my favorite bookstore, which was having a mega summer sale. Of all the places, I love this small, cozy bookstore. It is one of the best-kept secrets in our town. A person can easily miss it, as it is hidden behind a gigantic oak tree. There are books everywhere, stuffed in every little corner, and in no particular order.

I could spend hours (no, days!) going through everything.

The owner is a grumpy fellow who doesn’t like kids much, but seems to be ok with me being there. I started out in the front and searched through every book I could find and reluctantly narrowed my selection down to twenty books. I only had that much money to spend, even at the crazy low prices.

I paid the shop owner, who just grunted in response, and then I carefully placed my book treasures in the basket attached to the front of my bike. I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings (I was in a book haze) and that was when I bumped into him...

Him with his gorgeous eyes.

Watch where you are going... he said. He paused when he saw me.

Did his face soften a little? My heart was beating like crazy.

Sorry! I didn’t see you, I said, flustered. I am careful with my bike, I swear. I don’t go around running over people!

My mind was reeling. My heart was in utter chaos at the sight of the beautiful stranger.

Was he new in town? I hadn’t seen him around before, but why did he look so familiar?

I stood there gawking at him like