placid ↦ luke hemmings {au}

thirty-six: seminar

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX:

| emma’s pov |

“Please, Emma? Just try it out. For me?” My mother begged, handing me a flyer to some sort of seminar with a renowned psychologist or whatever.

Finding no reason to say no, I agreed, “Fine, mom, but just this once, okay? I dislike lots of people in a room, you know that.” Other than that, I don’t think they can even help, but I couldn’t tell my mother that.

She giggled, happy that I complied with her request. “Yes, yes. Now, go, before you’re late! I have to get to my new job. I can’t be late on the first day!”

They all turned their heads towards me, waiting for me to tell them my reason for coming here.

“Well, my friend, he disappeared a month ago. I’ve been trying to find out where he is, but I have no luck. He… he has this friend he told me about. She’s… she’s dead, and I think she took him from me,” I explained, in a rush, but still hoping they’d understand me and know what to do.

All of them gave me odd looks, as if I was crazy. No one said anything; the silence just made me feel even more awkward and a bit annoyed. 

“The people here can tell you similar stories,” the old man, who was seated in front of all of us, told me. I held back a sneer, they would never understand me. I knew going to a shitty seminar like this was going to get me nowhere. 

Those who were around me slowly raised their hands, as if to support the man’s claim. A sigh threatened to escape my lips- they were wrong. They didn’t experience the same thing. They never will. 

One woman, who looked like she was around her early forties, spoke, “My husband died a year ago.” She flashed me a close-mouthed smile, and I could feel my blood boil. “And one night, without knowing why, I went to his room. And there he wa-“

“He’s not dead,” I snapped, rising from my seat. Everyone’s mouth was wide open from my outburst, as if they haven’t seen anything like this before. I walked to the exit, but before completely leaving, I eyed the old man from earlier, “I know Luke’s alive.” 

I stomped away, going to wherever. The people here don’t know what they’re saying. They’re telling me he’s dead when they know nothing about the whole situation?

Luke isn’t dead; he’s just hiding away from everyone.

He’s just facing his own problems, because he doesn’t want to bother anyone.

That’s what’s happening.

Or that’s just what I wanted to believe.