INTRUDER

ANDREW (Bonus Chapter)

I walk outside with Andrew (the guy I have to walk with) and I can see he is a bit uneasy. He looks like he wants to tell me something but he doesn't.

"Hey Andrew, what's up?" I ask.

He smiles and shakes his head as if saying not here.

He takes me by the arm and we reach a park down by where we were walking. We sit on a bench there.

I sense there is something wrong.

"Andrew?"

He looks at me and then starts crying, tears pouring down his melted chocolate eyes. They fall slowly, though. It's not a river of tears but more like a single stream at a time.

"Look Claire, I have to tell you something....."

I sit in silence, waiting for him to finally say something. To tell me what he has been dying to tell me ever since I told him who I was thinking about.

"I tried to kill myself once... and what you were saying about what you were thinking really got me because it was exactly what had been on my mind. Look, sorry. You don't need to know all the details. It's very complicated and it will take to much time. But I want to thank you, because, truly, you are a good person. I know people don't believe you about that, but I just want you to know that I believe you were only trying to save yourself and your sister... and your mother."

I was in shock, what could I say? How could I respond to something like this? I just sat there on the bench we were sitting on.

"T-thank you," I said quivering, "you don't know how much that means to me, Andrew."

I got up and ran over to him and gave him a big hug. He slowly hugged me back, hesitant to at first.

"Thank you Andrew for always listening to me on these walks and above all, thank you for seeing the good. I hope you do understand that what I did was wrong, but it makes me glad that you also see where I was coming from when I committed that mistake."

He smiled and said that there was no problem, that he always try to see the good in people. Because always when there is something bad, there is something good.

Andrew got up and wiped away his tears, so did I. We continued walking the park, but this time we were holding hands.

Not holding hands because we loved each other or anything "stereotypical" that everyone thinks, but solely because we had found out that we understand each other completely and we don't want to let go.

Andrew's blond hair shines in the sun, which is setting in the distance. His hands feel rough, but yet young. He is probably in his late 20's.

I really want to know more about Andrew's past but that's a story for another day. Right now, I want to focus on this moment of finding. The moment when you feel that someone finally understands.

We arrive back at the compound and he says:

"We'll talk later! But thanks for everything Claire."

All I do is wave and I'm still slowly crying when I get back to my room.

I start to cry even harder than I was before. All the memories of my past life flash before me.

How can one thing someone say mean so much?

How can it feel so much?

Oh God, please, why do I have to go through this...?

Mom, please come back.

Come back