Between You and I

Chapter Eighteen: Document One- Bench

~AN: This chapter has been structured a little differently than the rest. Once you get to the line of crosses, you'll begin reading as if you're reading the document itself.~

May 16, 2012: 88 Hours After

Okay. This is it. I'd ran back home, grabbed the laptop, came back here to the bench, and now the password screen is shining through the sunset. Well, it doesn't feel right to open the document at home and read it there. She etched it here. Whatever she wrote, she must have written it here because, well, that's what she would have done.

"I'll probably regret reading whatever I'm going to read," I sigh under my breath as I type in Arabella.

"But Valentine, I'll read it anyway."

++++++++++++

Hey Dan :)

Do you like the password for my laptop? Pretty cool, if you ask me.

Okay. I know you're wondering what all of this is about. All the passcodes, pictures, the clues... I'm going to be very blunt with you right now for once because I know how much I've hurt you. How much I'm hurting you.

If you're reading this, I want to say thank you for not giving up or forgetting me first. Even if I'm gone. Daniel, I wouldn't have been able to leave without explaining why to you, but if I told you before, I wouldn't have been able to leave either. I knew you would stop me. I knew I'd let you stop me. But, you know, I'll understand if you stop reading now and just leave it at that. Promise. I'm gone anyway, so it's really all up to you.

I'm going to try my best to explain what happened to me and how it all fits. All the things that have been building up inside of me will finally go away, because you'll understand. Well, I hope you do. I'm going to write it like a story to you, because I know you love reading them.

It all began with this bench. I was eleven.

My father and his girlfriend were fighting again. This one was the worst of it all because they were throwing things and shouting so loud that it was hard to understand what they were saying. But, it was kind of obvious. Dad lost his job. Again. All the screaming, the yelling, the ignorance and pain were drowning me and I needed to get out. I had to.

So, I came here. It was about six at night. The sun was almost gone and I was trying to ignore the tears streaming down my face by reading 'Peter Pan'. But Wendy leaving Neverland and growing up made me cry even more. Yes, I can get very emotional when I read books.

"Why are you crying?" the voice was soft and high pitched, sending my heart up into my throat since I've seen one too many horror movies where little girls are the evil ones. I must have been so consumed in the book for not noticing her. She was small with bright blonde hair, glowing green eyes, and fair skin. It honestly looked as if she was glowing in the dark.

"Oh. Um," I sniffed.

"This book is really sad." That's a lame excuse, I know, but she was a little kid. She wouldn't know otherwise.

She came closer to me, putting her tiny hands on my knees and tip toeing to try and see the words in the book. Where's her mom? Hasn't she taught her own daughter not to talk to strangers?

"It doesn't look sad..." Mumbling, she fumbled with the pages.

"What's your name?"

"Arabella." As if she wasn't thinking, the name tumbled out of her mouth while her hands continued to flip the pages back and forth.

"Where's your mom, Arabella?" This question seemed to break her out of her own thoughts.

"Mommy...?" She did a complete 360 degrees scan of her surroundings.