Moonlit Awakening

Chapter 2

Alice

Alice returns to her home, her head still jumbled with guilt and sorrow. She busies herself with chores around the house, so she doesn't think about the loss of her family. Her mind wanders to the man she'd met in the forest. "Why am I thinking about him?" she questions herself, "He's attractive..."

"Ah!" She blushes and covers her face. "No, I can't be in a relationship! I don't deserve it! Not after...not after..." Guilt preoccupies her mind again. "I should focus on planning their funerals."

She spends the next few hours calling various funeral homes. Eventually, she decides on one and begins to work with the funeral director, setting up her mother and father's funerals. "Um," she asks softly, "w...would it be possible to have a joint funeral for them?"

"Yes, of course, if that's what you want," the funeral director answers.

"If it won't be too much trouble for you. I just...it'll be easier this way."

"Alright..." They continue to go over the details of the joint funeral including if she wants burial or cremation, planning the reception and the type of funeral service she would like. By the time they are finished, she places her phone down and sighs, closing her eyes due to fatigue.

She decides to go for a walk in the woods again, secretly hoping she'd run into the mysterious man she'd met there before.

Liam

Once again, Liam leaves his house as his parents are arguing about his potential marriage again. As he walks through the woods, the scent of lavenders hits him again. He follows the scent and finds the woman he'd met a few days ago. "Hello," he says.

"Oh," she whispers, "it's you."

"It's me. What are you doing in the woods again?"

"I d...don't know." She looks away from him, troubled.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just having some personal problems right now."

"Mate is sad," Cedar whimpers in his head.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks.

"I guess, maybe it would help."

"I'm all ears. I'm Liam by the way."

"Alice."

"Alice, that's a beautiful name."

She blushes. "T...thank you."

"So what's going on that's got you so troubled?"

"My parents passed away in a car accident recently. I'm planning their funeral right now. It's just hard. I don't know if I'm doing what they would've wanted." She clasps her hands so tightly they turn white. "I've been so consumed with guilt lately too."

"Why?"

"Because I lived and they didn't! Why'd I survive? Why couldn't I go with them?"

"What? Don't ask that! They would've wanted you to live!"

Alice is startled by how genuinely upset he seems by her confession. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this. I just met you, and yet I feel like I can trust you."

"You can. Do you need help with anything? I'll help with what I can."

"N...no...I don't know."

"Give me your phone." She hands him her phone and he types his number into it. "There, now if you need help, you can just text me."