This Life

Chapter Eleven

(Hey hey! What's up! ^_^ Uhm.. I dunno what to say... OK. WHAT DID THE SEA SAY TO THE OTHER SEA? Nothing. PSSHT. Water can't talk! OR CAN IT?! DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN! 😏)

Chapter Eleven- Wanting Answers

ARI'S POV

"I know who took Clem" I said curtly, turning to Josh with a frown on my face. He turned his head sideways a little, like a dog would.

"Who?"

The world seemed to slow down immediately as I tried to say. The words couldn't come out. It was as if I was chocking on thin air. I could feel the presences around me, wanting to hear who it was themselves. I swallowed the bile in my throat, and answered.

"My mother"

Josh didn't actually seem as shocked as I thought he would be, though his eyebrows were knitted together in thought.

"I thought that at first, but I didn't want to say incase you got upset" he finally said, looking down at his hands as if something was unusual about them. I could see the pain reflecting in his eyes, the waves of guilt washing over him like water. Immediately, I wanted to comfort him.

"The day she went missing... I saw someone with something in their hand, a girl. I wasn't sure if it was Clem or not, but it looked a little like her. From where I was, I didn't get a very good view of it" Josh admitted. I looked at him for what seemed like an eternity. He saw something, and never told me? After these months of hard living, dreading to wake up every day because Clem won't be there? Does he know how hard it's been? I could feel my temper rising, but I forcefully pushed it down. There was no point in getting annoyed, it's not helping Clem in any way.

"You could have told me that a little sooner" I said through gritted teeth, in the effort to stop me shouting in fury.

"I know. I'm sorry." Josh replied, looking me straight in the eyes, watching for a hint of emotion in my stone cold face. Weakly, I gave him a faint smile to show I wasn't sulking with him, and walked into the lobby.

"Where are you going?" He exclaimed in surprise, watching me pull on my leather boots and warm jacket, wrapping my scarf around my neck and pulling on gloves on my numbed fingers.

"What are you doing?!"

Quietly, I turned to him, determination written all over my face.

"I'm going to find Clem."

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I stepped through the woods, twigs crunching under my feet as I carefully picked my way through the undergrowth, trying to be as quiet as I could possibly be. The louder, clumsier footsteps belonging to Josh gave away out cover more than it would have if I was out here alone, but he insisted on following me. I guess he's still true about that promise he made to Clementine that day, saying he would look after me. I couldn't help but feel warmed thinking that he wanted to look after me. One part of me thought of him as a big brother. The other part? I'm completely crushing on him. Every few minutes I would turn around to make sure he was alright, being rewarded with a smile, indicating he was fine. Thank god. My eyes scanned the ground, hoping for some clues as to where Clem was. I scaled the tree line, looking for an indication of life.

Nothing.

Finally coming into a clearing, we stopped for a breather, slumping onto a fallen log. I could feel my teeth chattering, my hands shaking, my lips turning paler. I turned to Josh for a second, to find he really didn't look in good shape. Without hesitation, I took off my warm jacket and put it on him, turning away again.

"Ari s-s-stop. You n-need this m-more than I do" He chattered, beginning to take off the radiating warmth energy. Quickly, I stopped him

"Your in pretty bad shape. I-I'm fine." I retorted, trying to make the shivers bursting through my body invisible, as if I didn't notice them. I could see from the corner of my eye him shaking his head, but he didn't object any further.

JOSH'S POV

The wind bit into my face painfully as I sat there, on that fallen log beside Ari. I could see she was freezing cold, but my brain was really numb, making it near impossible to think straight. She could see I was freezing too, as she began to take off her jacket and put it on me. Warmth radiated from the inside of it, heated up by Ari wearing it. It immediately sent warmth threw out my whole body. I sighed quietly in relief, only to be hit with the pang of guilt again. Ari's probably freezing. Causally, I turned in her direction, and noticed that her lips were turning paler and paler with every passing minute. If she could feel my gaze on her, she was ignoring it as she stared off into the distance. She's probably thinking of Clem. A wave of emotion hit me right In the chest. I hope she knows what she's doing. I hope Clem's ok, for her sake and for Ari's as well, now seeing that Ari can't cope properly without her. Quickly, I began to take the jacket off my shoulders to give back, but I was stopped by a pair of small, delicate hands.

"Ari s-s-stop, you n-need this m-more than I do-"

"Stop. I'm f-fine" came the quiet, near whisper, reply. I sighed in defeat

ARI'S POV

Josh began to warm up over the space of a few minutes, the colour returning back to his cheeks and lips, his brown eyes not looking so icy.twigs crunch on my right side, a little bit off of where we were. I stared, watching, waiting. There it was. The familiar flash of purple. Clem's hat. I watched it run, tracing its steps with my eyes. Mother, you better run.

I'm coming.

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EKKKKKK SCARY! Dunno bout you guys but I feel emotionally attached to Clem in some way. >~< ANYWAYSSS

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