Buried

Chapter 11

As soon as I woke up tears filled my eyes. I sucked them in, I knew I was scared but I had to be strong for my family. Remembering that Sam's mom had given me a letter I rushed over to my dresser. I opened it;
My dear Elle, I want you to know that I support and love you. I know you haven't known us for very long, but you mean so much to us already. You are amazingly strong. Even when you feel you aren't. You may cry because you're scared, but everyone cries. Crying is not a sign of weakness. It shows you are strong enough to feel emotions. We all know you can do this. There is not a question in my mind that you will succeed. I know you will. I fear for you. I fear for all of you including my sons. I love and care for all of you so much. You don't even know my name, so this probably sounds creepy. But all of this is true. Never say you aren't scared. That's lying to yourself. Just say that you can do anything and you will do everything you can. I will give you my name so that this can comfort you. My name is Ana. My husband's name is Charles. You of course know Sam. You don't know my other two boys, but they don't live with us because they're both married. Elle please be careful. We all want you to return home safely. You are amazing. I love you. We all love you. Thank you. Love, Ana, Charles, and the boys. A flood of emotions washed over me. I then broke down in tears. This time out of pure happiness. I was still frightened but it was so much easier to bare. I was expecting Will as my partner and the terror I once felt was then very little. Fear was nothing but a useless emotion. I took a deep breath and got ready. When I walked into the kitchen a delicious smell of waffles and fresh fruit filled my nostrils. I was greeted by my parents. "Did you sleep ok?" My mom asked. But before I could answer she corrected," well under the circumstances?" I put Nutella on my waffle then answered with," not really. To much on my mind I guess." She managed to give me a small sympathetic smile. "Don't worry I know you'll be alright," my dad said trying to comfort me. I gave him a sheepish smile. Normally when I was nervous or something like that I wouldn't eat. But I knew that waffles would be my last meal with my family for a while. Besides I needed the energy. After I had ate my scrumptious meal, I grabbed my things and piled them on my back. The weight of it all was heavy but not unbearable. I crawled out of the hatch; my family closely followed. I saw Will being wished luck and was saying his goodbyes. I turned to my dad first and squeezed him tightly; he returned the favor. I then gave a long lingering hug to my mom who was sobbing into me. My dad pried her off of me. I tightly hugged my little sister. She gave me a kiss on the cheek. I did the same. I walked over the Will's family and said my goodbyes to them. The last person I said goodbye to was Kasey. He was hiding in the back. A few tears escaped his eyes. I dropped my things and flung my arms around him. He held me tight. I began to sob, he whispered," there's no reason to cry. You'll do amazing. I'll see you in about four days. This isn't a goodbye; it's a see you later." I laughed and he wiped a tear away from my cheek. I kissed his cheek lightly. I gathered my things. Holding back tears I whispered to Kasey," see you later." He smiled. We could hear them wishing us love as we walked away; until their voices and sounds grew non existent.