3 Years On

Chapter 1 - Shaking Room

It had been 3 months since I had started getting tutored by Liam. My grades had already improved considerably, and those 3 months flew by. Liam was a great guy and I had hung out with him a couple of times outside of tutoring and he also got on really well with my other guy mates. 

After school, Liam had offered to take me to the Geology Centre in the city to learn more about natural disasters for my assignment. It was really interesting, exept I tried to avoid the earthquake section. Liam started to walk over to a funny little room that lots of teenagers were coming out of laughing, I followed him over not knowing what the room was at first until I started getting closer, then realising it was an earthquake simulation room.  I hesitated, not wanting to go in. 

"Rosa, you wanna try it?", asked Liam enthusiasticly.

I shook my head quickly, I felt my my heart beat getting faster in my chest. I was afraid of very few things, but if I had to make a list, earthquakes would unquestionably be at the top.

"Oh come on Rosa, don't be scared!" Liam said with an innocent grin on his face,not truly knowing how anxious I was becoming. The tears started to swell up in my eyes before I could stop them. How embarrassing this was, crying over not wanting to go into a shaking room. But it wasn't just that, there was more to it, I just didn't think Liam needed to know. Not just yet.

"Are you alright?", asked Liam sincerely.

Wiping my eyes dry I replied 'Yes'. But Liam wasn't buying it.

"Maybe we should go home" he said, puting his hand on my shoulder. His hand felt strong, but soft and suprising myself, I felt dissapointed when he took it off.

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I was at home watching Annie and smiling, remembering what it was like when my sister Mia and I would recite every word while watching it. We loved the film so much, that when auditions came out for children to play extras in the musical, it was like our dreams had come true! Only extras, but we had the best time and made the best friends. I still miss everyone working on the Annie show, especially Brooke. I look up at the clock on the wall behind me and it shows exactly 11 o'clock. I was the only one at home and I was still in my uniform and hadn't made any effort to go to bed. The thoughts of this afternoon kept creeping  into my head. I had made such a fool out of myself by crying like that in front of Liam.

"I'm so pathetic," I thought, but then quickly discarding the thought as I remembered I wasn't allowed to think like that anymore.

Before I could convince myself not to, I slid my phone into the pocket of my jeans and headed outside, apart from the light breeze the night was warm. My feet took me in the direction of Liam's house. 

Liam lived on my street so it only took me about a 5 minute walk. I had studied at his house a number of times, so knew around abouts where his room was. When I got to the gate I quietly opened it, trying to make as little sound as possible. I could see Liams light was still on in his bedroom and it made me feel a  lot less nervous. My slim fingers tapped on the window and Liam slighlty pulled back the curtain, looking confused when he saw my face but let me in anyhow.

"Rosa" he said softly, "is something wrong?'

"I'm sorry about earlier", I replied to him quietly, my voice shaking slightly.

"It's fine! I'm sorry about asking you to go in that room, earthquakes not your thing obviously?"

I burst out into tears.

"Rosa!" Liam said empathetically, I felt his strong arms embrace me in a comforting hug. I pleasant shiver went up my spine and I felt a bit better.

I didn't want to leave his arms, I wanted to stay there forever, warm and safe. Pulling away from me gently Liam asked if I would tell him what was wrong and I replied with a quiet "Not yet."

I'm still not ready to tell anyone other than Brianna about what happened. Mia was an excellent cello player was starting to take her music seriously, even wanted to make a career out of it one day. Our parents decided to take Mia, my brother Josh and I on a family vacation the the Phillipines. We had never been to the Phillipines so were very excited and had lots of fun stuff planned. But on the 15th of October a big earthquake hit. It was in the morning, Mia and I were lying to bed gossiping, it was my first ever earhquake and I remember not being able to move. Being too frightened to scream. I heard my Dad shouting from the other room in the resort for us to get under cover, Mia and I tried to quickly make our way to the doorway to our room. I wasn't quite as fast as her. Then all I remember after that is something big falling on my leg as I was getting up from my bed, and Mia running back to free my leg, I remember her pulling me out of the ruble and the pain in my leg was unbearable she told me to get to the doorway and I tried to go as fast as I could and then - and then

See, I can't even tell myself the story.

And then I looked behind me and saw Mia, her neck snapped under the weight of the piece of cieling -  and then - and then I looked away.