The Art of Letting Go

NINE

THE ART OF LETTING GO
CHAPTER 9 - THE WOODS

CHRIS WATCHED AMBER storm out, as she went running away with tears streaming down her face. Before he could decide what to do, his feet is already dragging his entire body to where she went.

"Where are you going?" Felix yelled at him.

"Give me a 30 minutes break!" He yelled back and ran to the back of the office where Amber went, it is towards the lounge but there are trees planted at the back and a small bench, he saw Amber on the ground with her heart on her chest... crying.

He slowly walked over to her, her white dress is now filled with dirt and her hair is all over her face as never ending tears stream down her cheeks. Chris kneeled beside her "hey, what happened?"

"Have you known?" she asked without looking at him.

"Known what?"

"About mom and dad, did you know that they are separated?"

This time, her pleading eyes met his and he didn't know what to do or tell her, he heaved a sigh "everyone knew about it, Amber"

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked without looking at him.

"I thought you already knew."

Amber bent her knees and stood up, her dress is filthy and her chestnut brown hair is all over the place "I want to get out of here" she mumbled but Chris couldn't make up what she's trying to say.

"What?" he moved closer to her.

"I said, I want to get out of here, right now!" she demanded.

"And where would you go, huh?"

She shrugged "I don't know, anywhere but here."

Chris walked over to her and held her both in the cheeks, their touch sent goosebumps all over his arms but he decided to shake the feeling off "do you really think that running away would do something?"

After hearing it from Chris, she started crying again "I don't know what I should do, okay? I know that I am stuck here for a reason" then she paused, as if suddenly realizing something "or maybe I am stuck here because none of us could move on" she mumbled again.

Chris looked at her, puzzled "what?"

She grabbed Chris by the hand and dragged her further in the woods "it's time for you to know something" she said while leading the way, Chris looked back "I only have thirty minutes, and I'm going back to work."

Amber looked at him over her shoulders "20 minutes will do, and I'm sure that Felix will come looking for you if you've reached your time limit."

"This can't wait until we go home?" he asked and suddenly realized how right that sounds, how he would have wanted to say that to her... well, when she's alive.

Amber released his hand "okay, so I'll make this quick" she started pacing to and fro "the night I did IT, everything went dark in an instant and all I see are the woods, and I'm walking through the woods but the pathway is very long and it's never ending" she looked at Chris "I was calling your name, mom and dad's, even Zoe and Andre's because I could hear all of you yelling for me."

She continued "the trees are very long and there is nothing but darkness, as I continued walking through the long and unending path, I gave up calling for mom and dad because all I could only hear was you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you were calling for me further into the darkness, and what felt like an eternity later— you stopped saying my name, it's more like a whisper, and I was afraid that you'd go away, so I came running and yelled for your name before you disappear, then you did."