A Little Bit Of Everything (EARLIER CALLED YOUNG, WILD AND FREE)

19. // Memories //

From "The Waking" by Theodore Roethke:

"I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I have to go."

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As we drove through the winding roads, I started to wonder where exactly they had taken me.

'Noah,' I said softly. 'Yup,' he said, and glanced at me for a moment.

'You know I'll have to inform the cops right?' I asked him. As soon as he heard what I said, he turned pale, and the car screeched to a halt.

He looked at me, his eyes still wide. 'You..you can't,' he said, and suddenly went quiet. He seemed to be thinking about something.

He then said,' If I tell you the truth, will you still be here?', I looked into his eyes, and they showed fear. Gear that I would leave him, fear that he would lose me.

'Always,' I said, and held his hand.

'Let's get out of here,' he said, and got out of the car. I followed suit. He there were a few rocks on the side of the road, where he sat, his face bowed low.

I walked up to him, and sat down beside him. 'You know you can tell me anything right?', I told him, lifting him face up to my level with my hand.

He just looked at me for a couple of minutes, and then took a deep breath. He still seemed to think about whether he should tell me anything or not.

'Go on', I told him, and smiled.

'Okay, so this is the whole truth from the very beginning. I'm not gonna leave anything out, and you are the only person who knows everything. Just... don't judge me', he said.

' I won't ever judge you. You saved my life today Noah', I said.

'Okay... So here goes.
It all started four years back. I lived with my mom and dad somewhere around here. We were the perfect family. My dad used to work for the government, and we were... Let's say we lived very comfortably.

My mother would stay at home, and wait for the both of us to come back, and she would greet me with a huge hug, and would say,' My baby's home. I love you Noah'. '

'Then, suddenly, at the beginning of the next year, everything went downhill. My father was accused of stealing, and he was thrown out of his job. We had to change houses and and our lifestyle reduced largely.

We shifted into a smaller house, and my dad was constantly searching for jobs everywhere. He was always worried. My parents hardly ever smiled.

'I was just fourteen then. It was hard for me to cope. Then, I started getting bullied at school, because I was extremely quiet, and was always reserved.

One night, my dad, he came back home all beaten and bruised. He told us that he was attacked by a gang, and they did this to him. I was so scared that I was going to lose my father forever.'

'That night, before going to bed, I called my father to my room, and told him everything , about how I was bullied, and how I hated going to school, and also about the fear I had of losing him..'

Noah was weeping now. Tears streamed down his face, refusing to stop, and the look he had on his face made my heart break into a million pieces.

'The next day, he came to pick me up from school, and also had a word with the teachers. He hated bullies. He was bullied too, and couldn't stand the thought of me going through the same thing.'

'Because school was walking distance from home, he didn't take the car. We passed through a wood, and suddenly, we were surrounded.

Some men came out of the bushes ,and pointed guns at my father. I was petrified. I wanted to do something. I wanted to help my dad. But I knew that these men were too strong for me. I needed help. Fast.

So I ran... I ran as fast as I could, hoping to meet someone on the way, someone who would help me, help us. But nobody came.'

I shouted and shouted, my voice hoarse, but nothing happened. I was alone. Suddenly, I heard the sound of a gunshot. And then, I knew what had happened. My dad...',

Noah looked completely destroyed as he told me all this, and somehow I knew it was just the beginning. So I did the only thing I could do.

I wrapped my arms around him, and held on as tightly as I could. I felt tears prickling mt eyes too, but I refused to cry.

'That's enough Noah. You don't have to tell me any more. I get it now,' I told him, my heart beating hard against my chest.

'No Gab, I want to tell you. I have to. I feel like I'm carrying a heavy stone within me everyday, minute and second. I need to tell you. So.. let me,' he looked at me , willing me to let him continue.

I sighed and nodded.

'After I heard the bullet, I ran back to where they were, and the only thing I could see, was my dad. There he was, sprawled gracefully across the ground, I know why he died. He died to save me. '

' I went home, and told my mother about what had happened, she was shocked. But she was strong. At least she acted that way. For me.'

' She was great. For the next two years, she was my mother and my father. We shifted Orlando, because this place had too many bad memories, and we lived there for a year. Things were finally settling down.'

'But then, I came back. I had to find the men who did this to me and my family. So I went to the same place where the killed my father, and finally, after a long search, I found their den.'

'They still don't know who I am, and I prefer to keep it that way.. I went to their place as someone else. I was still Noah, Noah Waters. It was the same place they took you to. When I met them for the first time, they just laughed at me, and then told me to go away, but after some time, the truth came out', he said and looked at me again. This time, his face was expressionless. It was completely blank.

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AN
Soo.. the 19th chap.
This was literally the chapter with the most emotion. I had trouble finishing it...but, it's not the end. There's more to come for sure. What is the big secret? What happens next?
This chapter is dedicated to effervescent-shadow, cause she's just amazing. Also, read her works.
1) The Cabin.
2) The Wedding.
Don't forget to VOTE, COMMENT AND SHARE !

Toodles,
D.