Hope Shepherd

The Outside

POV Hope: I woke up with my hands clutching Amelia's shirt. I yawned and looked around my room. It was 7:30 am. There was sunlight shining through my curtains. I glanced over at Amelia and I giggled because of the way her hair was messed up and all over her face. I laid back down and fell back asleep. I was woken up from some light shaking. "What?" I mumbled. "Time to get up Hope," Amelia said gently. "Just a few more minutes mom," I groaned putting a pillow on my face. I felt it get thrown off my face and she just stood there with an annoyingly happy look on her face. "Ok what's so important that I have to get up?" I asked. "It's 9 am and we don't want you sleeping so much. You gotta get out and do things," she replied. "But why," I persisted. "Stop being a homebody, get some light. Honestly, try to prevent depression," Amelia explained. "You mean I have to go to the outside?" I moaned. "Yes, the great outdoors." Amelia said grandly. I sighed. "Stop looking so happy, you look stupid," I remarked. She gave me a disapproving look, "I was trying to be positive." "You know what? Your not cut out for positive," I shot back. She rolled her eyes, "Okay fine, hurry up and get dressed we have plans." Amelia kissed my forehead and gave me a hug. She got up and left turning on the lights and closing the door behind her. I grumbled and made loud noises getting out of the bed. I put on some dark navy jeans, a white shirt, and a black and white preppy flannel. I quickly tossed my hair up in a messy bun not being in the mood to go outside.

I walked downstairs to see Owen making pancakes. "Hey Dad," I greeted. He gave me a smile, "Good Morning! How did you sleep last night?" "Alright I guess... No nightmares," I answered. We all sat down at the table. "How many do you want?" he asked. "Just one is okay," I replied not feeling hungry. "Are you sure?" Amelia asked worriedly. "Yea, its fine. Don't worry about it, I'm just not hungry," I explained. They gave in to what I wanted and I had a pancake, strawberries and some soy milk for breakfast. "So remind me again why are we doing this and where are we going?" I asked. "Let's be honest none of us have been outside since the incident, which can make depression, anxiety, loneliness etcetera worse. Hope, you've been sleeping a little too much and we don't want staying inside too much to make your anxiety worse. Also since both Owen and I are home which never happens we might as well go out together," Amelia explained with a smile. "We can go to the park, go on a ferry, eat lunch in town," Owen listed the things we could do. I shrunk in my seat. "What's wrong?" Amelia asked. I pursed my lips deciding if I should say. Amelia gave me an expecting look. "I'm scared someone's gonna hurt me," I made my voice small. "It'll be okay, we'll both be by your side. No one can take you," Owen assured. Amelia lifted me onto her lap, wrapping her arms around me. I leaned against her and let a tear slip out. Owen wiped my face with his thumb. "Everything will be okay," Amelia said soothingly. I took deep breaths calming myself. "I love you mom and dad," I whispered. "We love you too princess," Owen replied.

POV Amelia: Owen and I wanted to make sure Hope got out. Although we said it was for loneliness we both knew she'd have a tough time going out/being alone now. And being homeschooled on a laptop didn't help her social situation. I could see that Hope was nervous so I made sure to pack a paper bag she could breathe into and a bottled water. I looked forward to today. I hoped it would bring some light into our family. "Wow I sound so cliché. Just like those moms in dark movies," I had told Owen when we were talking about getting outside. "Well your a mom. Mom's say mom things," he chuckled.

POV Hope: I clutched Amelia's hand as we headed out the door into the car. The sunlight hit my face and I did my best to enjoy it. Sunlight is rare in rainy Seattle. Amelia sat in the back with me as Owen drove into the city. We parked in an all day parking garage and stepped out. I felt fear rising in me as I saw all the people around. I gripped Amelia's hand and made sure Owen was always beside me. We walked to a park that had flowers and a small lake with ducks in it. We sat on a bench together, me sandwiched in the middle. I lay my head on Owen's shoulder staring out at the pond. I caught sight of a man that looked similar to Omar and my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking my head. "Hey you okay?" Owen asked. "Yes, I'm fine now," I replied. "Let's keep walking," Amelia said. I jumped up and we continued to walk down the street. We stopped by an Italian restaurant that was Amelia's favorite. We all sat down at the table to together. I started to feel a bit better and almost normal.

A/N: Hey! How's everyone doing? I hope you're liking this story. I haven't focused much on Hope's social life so maybe she'll make a friend her own age soon? Or maybe she'll be hanging out with Zola? You'll have to see. I've got some ideas for upcoming chapters which is good because I had some writers block last week. Have a great day! Feedback is appreciated!

Also Random Question: How old do you think I am? (asking because I want to know what you guys think my writing level is)