2017↠l.h

ix

i was better. i don't know how long it had been, but i could walk and i felt stronger. althorugh, every time they came back, with the silly tiger masks always hiding their faces, i made sure i was laying on that mattress pretending to still be hurt. being the ignorant vacuous people they were, they didn't notice the dry blood on my wounds or their smaller size, another advantage for me. as the days passed, i even decided to work out, as much as my weak and malnourished body allowed me to anyway, so i could be in a better physique when i managed to escape. because i would escape, soon enough.

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everyone's heads darted up in surprise. my brother was comforting my mother, who seemed to have a breakdown. as soon as she saw me, she passed out. my father and other brother were standing there speechless, just like everyone else. only ashton dared to take a step towards me.

"luke is that you?" he spoke quietly resembling to someone who was afraid he was talking to ghosts.

i noticed how different he was from the last time i saw him. he was tired and looked older than he was supposed to. then again, everyone else looked like that.

"yeah" i spoke for the first time. calum and michael walked beside ashton as if they were trying to protect him. "stop looking at me like that, i'm not a ghost." i almost shouted, my voice the only thing being heard in the silence of the cemetery.

"oh my god!" calum exclaimed and the three of them flew towards me to embrace me in a tight hug.

"it's really you!" michael's voice was muffled as he spoke during the hug. "i thought you weren't coming back." he added.

"it's been so long, mate" ashton said and patted my back.

slowly, everyone approached us.

i didn't try to hold back my tears as each and every one of my family members came to hug me.

last but not least came my mother who had recovered, but the tears didn't seem to stop streaming down her face. she rested her head on my chest and her arms hugged my waist so tightly, like she was afraid that i would be gone again if she let go of me.

"i never thought i would see you again, my son. i thought you were gone for good. despite my prayers, i had lost hope. it had been so long. i'm so sorry, luke" she rambled silently while crying in my arms.

"what matters now is that i'm back, so stop crying and put on a big smile for me, because i've missed seeing that"

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omg one more chapter and the epilogue and this story will be completed. i don't know if i want to be happy or just cry my eyes out bc i love writing this.