Counting Stars

chapter 5

( Amy POV)

Somebody once told me I was stronger than I thought. In that moment, however, as I watched the boy from the counter walk away, I felt utterly defeated. It's not that I truly wanted to die, no, it was the fact that the only person who could get me out of a situation I had put myself in was a complete stranger.

What suddenly struck me was the fact that even though we'd talked for hours, I didn't know his name. How in the world could I feel so attached to someone whose name was a mystery? Maybe almost dying had put my life into perspective. Whatever happened, it chased away my usual nightmares and brought an almost blissful feeling with it.

The next day, all I wanted to do was find my hero. I wanted to talk to him, I wanted to understand why he had saved me. I wanted to know what he had done to my brain to make even the thought of my father getting closer and closer seem less terrifying. I wanted to know about the incredible light he carried with him because it seemed to me there was an otherworldly glow about him.

Despite the lightness I felt, I knew my father was still out there, even if it was just because I hadn't spoken to either Lisa or Brent. I didn't have the courage to talk to them at that moment. But around noon, I realized I had to call them. They must be worried sick I thought to myself.

I called them in full view of the sun, which held itself high above the world, wondering why my father had to come back and ruin everything. The phone rang a couple of times before anyone picked it up, and when it was, a feeling of relief washed over me. I recognized the cheerful voice of five-year-old Lacy, who was always eager to answer the phone.

"Hullo?" she asked, her little voice carried with it a sense of reassurance that filled my soul to the brim.

"Hey Lacy, what's up," I wondered if she knew about our situation if she understood.

"Amy!" She shrieked, I could just imagine her jumping up and down, obviously excited.

"Hey, can I talk to Mom?" I asked. I've always called Lisa mom in front of the kids. I'd learned that when they started copying me, calling them "Lisa" and "Brent" instead of mommy and daddy.

Lacy held the phone away from her ear and shouted to her mother, who I could hear running up the stairs. In my mind's eye, I saw her in her little apron dashing upstairs, looking... well, I couldn't see what her expression was, because I wasn't sure how she'd feel.

A few minutes later, I could hear heavy breathing through the phone as she tried to catch her breath.

"Lisa, are you okay?" I asked,

"Hey sweetheart, I'm fine, I was just surprised," she said, not that I didn't know that already, but she had asthma, and I knew how hard running up those stairs could be.

"How are things, is there any news?" I asked.

I expected her to shoo the kids away (I could hear them hollering in the background, each asking for a turn, causing me to hold back a laugh) but she didn't, she just quietly whispered, "You're father attacked one of the officers, who ended up shooting him in the chest."

The moment she said he had died, a wave of emotion flew over me, so many at once, it was hard to describe. I wanted to jump up and down and sob at the same time. Is this what freedom feels like? I thought to myself. Even before he broke out I'd never felt like this. It was absolutely wonderful.