Chasing An Echo

The Memories

AUTHOR"S NOTE: The above picture is of Amelia's bedroom.

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Echo fell into her mother's warm embrace, letting her mom soothe her while a few more tears squeezed out of her eyes. Echo realized this was the second person today who placated her while she sobbed like a baby on their shoulders. That wasn't like her. Gosh, she already felt guilty, now she felt pathetic too. And that was one thing Echo Harris did not like feeling. So instead she sucked it up, tried to numb all of her emotions and stepped out from her mother's grasp. Her mom's now empty arms falling limply at their sides.

"So, why did the Thompson's want to come here?" Echo asked looking over her crossed arms to the dull gray concrete beneath her beat converse high tops.

"Honest truth? After they shedded a few 'tears', they came to the sudden decision of wanting to put the apartment on the market...." She paused at Echo's sudden intake of breath then continued," Yeah I know, but the apartment is in their name and they're old, they have no need for this space down here." She said gesturing at the old run down building. Echo couldn't believe they were really already talking about selling so soon. But she shouldn't be that surprised, from what she knew that's how Amelia's grandparents had always been, all about money. Echo recalled one time when Theresa, Amelia's mother, claimed that her parents were the most greediest people shes ever known. Echo even remembered a time of her own when Theresa, after Amelia's dad lost his job, had called her parents for money to go towards their over due rent. They sent Theresa $20...Thats it. Amelia and Echo watched Theresa cry and cry over it for hours. Amelia hated them, Echo wasn't exactly fond of them either, especially now since they we're taking away her last piece of Amelia. Out the corner of her eye, Echo noticed a shadow pass by in Amelia's window. What could they be doing in there? Crap, are they thinking of getting rid of the rest of her stuff? She couldn't let them do that. Echo walked up the steps, full speed, only to hesitate at the open door way. This would be the first time she went in here since before Amelia left. This would also be the first time she entered without Amelia. Taking a deep breathe to steel her emotions, she gently stepped into the house like it was moments away from collapsing. It didn't fall apart but Echo's world did. Just a look into the the open layout of the downstairs made Echo's eyes water. She couldn't look anywhere without seeing Amelia, little moments suspended in time each a still shot of memories between them. It was torture. She could see them watching movies on the flat screen, sprawled out on the worn green couch. Or them with powder all over their clothes, baking cookies in the small kitchen. Neither of them could bake, the only thing they would make was a mess. But Amelia always said "Practice makes perfect Echo" She half smiled when she saw the large crack that was in the wooden coffee table, made by Echo's brother Liam, when he was about 12. He came with Echo to Amelia's house one night so their parents could go out. Back then he was obsessed with WWE and while trying to impress Amelia with a move, he fell off the couch, smacking his head hard on the table. He cried like a baby for a whole hour even though he was completely fine. Although he probably would've stopped crying sooner if Amelia and Echo wasn't laughing at him mercilessly. God that seemed like just yesterday. She headed up the worn steps looking at the art and various pictures along the wall leading upstairs. Most of the art pieces we're either one of Theresa's paintings or Amelia's drawings. The pictures scrambled in between we're family portraits. The first one was taken at some lake when Amelia was about five. She had dirt on her dress and her hair was wild but she was smiling. Her parents, on either side, we're holding each of her hands while she swung between them. They looked so happy...and alive. The next was of a wedding photo. Theresa, in a short red dress and Steve, in a faux tux; both with the brightest of smiles on their faces. She was in his arms under a sign that said "Chapel O' Love" and from that angle you could slightly see a baby bump. The bump that would one day be Amelia Fletcher their first and only child. Finally was a recent photo taken at least a month before the accident. Amelia and Echo were tangled together on the couch, laughing, probably at something only they found funny. Steve was angled against the arm of the couch making a goofy face and since Theresa was taking the photo, she decided to make a peace sign in the corner of the picture so she could be in it too. They all looked so carefree. Amelia was grinning ear to ear, something she stopped doing after the Flecthers died. Echo missed them so much, her heart ached to be with them again. She reached out to touch the photo but the sound of creaking upstairs brought her back to reality. She bounded up the remaining steps and pushed open the poster cover door to Amelia's room. The Thompson's stopped pawing through Amelia's things long enough to look up at Echo.