Hope And Faith ✓

14. Faith

Author: What would you say is more important than riches, gold and diamonds?

Hope: Knowing that no matter where you are or what you have done you deserve everything. You're worth the world and more.

Even though people tend to forget their worth once in a while.

~Hope Manchester.

••

Melody sat on the floor of her bedroom and I followed suit. We had been so eager to leave now we didn't know any other options.

Melody looked at me in defeat. She was never one to accept defeat, she hated when she couldn't be everything she wanted herself to be. Finding her like this, filled with so little hope, my heart ached for her.

"Mel, you of all people know you need to leave!" Seventeen year old me whispered to her. Her Dad was downstairs, if he overheard we were as good as gone.

She shook her head and clenched her jaw, she wanted to cry but was holding back her tears. She had always believed that crying was for the weak. When you cried you made people know how broken you were.

You shouldn't let them know, you should pick up the pieces.

"We can't leave! He's going to find us! He always does, you always get it easy, Faith, I never do. Who's going to believe us anyway? He's a public figure," she gritted her teeth in anger. Our plan was slacking behind or rather, shattering.

Melody didn't want to leave. Even though she would never admit it I knew she was scared, every attempt we had made to run away had been thrown in our faces. The last time my Mom had caught me and had screamed in my face. He was never wrong. The town thought he could never be at fault.

"If we leave now he'll never find us," I held her hand loosely and looked into her grey eyes. "I promise you that. You're my best friend, I would never make a promise I wouldn't keep."

Melody's eyes softened, her lips were now shaking just like her shoulders were and I thought she was about to have a panic attack.

"Let's do it. Together," I smiled at her.

"Together."

••

I woke up as usual covered in sweat. The room was freezing since the air conditioner was switched on but that didn't stop me from shivering and hugging the blankets closer to me.

It wasn't a nightmare or a dream. It was a memory.

One of the last ones I had with Melody.

I shut my eyes, pained. Therapy was bringing emotions I had buried deep inside me, emotions I never wanted to address.

Before I had started I was just having nightmares, they were repetitive but every new one was just more intense and realistic than the last.

Because they weren't nightmares, they were memories. My memories.

I had never dreamt of Melody before. I was happy and satisfied like that. I wanted to forget about her and everything that had happened but it was impossible. The more I tried the more it came back to slap me in the face.

I didn't have much time here anymore. I was just waiting for Mom to call me up, she was the one whose call I dreaded.

Her call was going to remind me why I was here in the first place.