The Rise Of Us

Chapter 12: Voices in Pure Songs

Amberlee swings back and forth slowly in the swinging three seater swing seat, her being under the gazebo in the backyard close to the glass walls of the house coming into the backyard.

She wraps her black fluffy blanket tighter around her, her legs being tucked under her. She closes her eyes while she lets the wind blow into her face, her knowing it is around two in the morning because every night around this same time she always woke up like clock work to go out to the pier to just sit and listen to the soft waves of the pond and the cool air.

So that is what she tries to do now, her rocking back and forth on the swinging chair while looking at the large pool in their backyard, her just being alone in her own thoughts. It just seems like the water doesn't sound the same, the air doesn't feel the same as it does at the pier. She looks down lightly at the ground, seeing the smooth concrete ground. She looks at the bright blue water in the large pool and the lights under it and as well as the bathtub. She also looks at the vast view beyond the backyard that they have as well, her just looking aimlessly ahead of her.

She looks towards the door when it opens, her smiling when she sees Max make her way out, her sending a smile back to Amberlee. "Couldn't sleep?" Max questions, going to quietly close the slide door behind her.

Amberlee just shrugs her shoulders, Max going to sit down besides her with a blanket wrapped around her as well. "Just wanted to be outside."

Max nods her head, her going to look ahead of her at the vast view, her rocking the swing chair along to Amberlee's motions. "What's on your mind?"

Amberlee smiles softly. "I guess I just feel a little guilty, for getting so mad at dad when he was trying to explain himself. I should have saw his end of the spectrum, he's just trying to protect me and trying to get out of that mindset of me still being that little girl which is understandable. I guess I just...got to high on the defense."

Max nods her head in understanding. "I'm glad you both talked tonight." She says. "Your dad has just seen a lot, he's seen a lot with people coming in with the name of sincerity but when really they aren't. Chester he put a big trigger on him...he is just not easily as trusting to anyone, especially for people who look like a threat."

"What do you think?" Amberlee questions while looking up at Max.

Max shakes her head while she looks ahead of her. "Truth be told I don't know Ambie, I don't know the guy." She admits. "But he reminds me of two people I used to know."

"Who?" Amberlee questions.

"Eddie Munson." Max reveals. "I knew Eddie when I was a little bit younger then you, when I was still being hunted by Vecna. As you know he gave his life for the city as well. He just reminds me of Eddie because of the hair and his style and the jewelry of rings he wears but he reminds me about Billy as well." Max says. "Billy use to always wear those crosses on his ears, even with his attitude he reminds me of him. I'm not going to say his attitude is verbatim like Billy's because I don't know the guy but his aura reminds me of him."

"Do you think it's wrong?" Amberlee questions while looking up at Max. "What I'm doing for him?"

Max shakes her head. "It's a hard situation, it is not wrong that you are doing it for him in the name of empathy, you just need to be sure that you are doing it for that reason and not another. That's all I can tell you, because you are old enough to make your own decisions. I would definitely say just listen and understand what your father is saying, because it seems like with every person he thought was coming into our lives with bad intentions he was right about. The only person I can think of where he was wrong about was your Auntie El when they were really young, and I wasn't even in the mix of things yet."