"Lan, how are you? Everyone here is great! Dex is a little lonely though... Oh yea! I forgot to give you Roll's chip when you moved, so I'll just send it to you instead..."
Lan smiled as he read through the message. It's only been a day since he moved into his new home in Cyber City, and Mayl already sent him an email asking how he's been. It didn't really surprise him, though. Mayl had taken his leaving the worst, despite being told by Haruka weeks before the others. When you've known someone for your entire life, it can hurt a lot seeing them pack their bags and leave. Although, thanks to the connectivity of the Net, Mayl was able to snuggle against the fact that Lan would not vanish completely; he is simply an email away— or a two hour metroline ride.
Lan would receive an email from Mayl almost every day during his beginning weeks in Cyber City. But, as the weeks waned, so did the emails. Lan, being the busy 16 year old he was, started delaying each reply. Soon, most of their email conversations went from multiple messages to one, only spanning a couple of sentences. Its contents shifted from more personal accounts of Lan's life to just commenting on the email Mayl had sent him. The others have sent similar emails, but they yielded the same results.
He could not have forgotten about them, right? They were friends! They were friends since childhood! He promised to stay in contact with them! What could have possibly changed that would break such a bond? Did the distance between them truly have such power?
Mayl has been through so much with him. She has spent more time with him than any other. Did all that mean nothing? Did, in only a few months, all those experiences wash away into the depths of Lan's memories?
The more she thought about him, the more these questions flooded her mind. If he did move on from them, the least he could do was say goodbye— to give some indication that their time together was over. The only time she even remembered Lan saying goodbye was the day he left ACDC Town. But he cried— he cried that day. Clearly, emotions we're being felt. Were they crocodile tears? Was he simply putting on a show to make the rest of them feel better? Mayl doubted such a theory.
Still, another month has gone by and this time Mayl didn't receive anything from Lan. Silence was the only thing sent. To Mayl, this was the end. This was how their relationship died. Silence and neglect from the person she cared for the most. She thought about contacting Haruka, but what was the point? All Mayl would receive is an empty, emotionless email from Lan. If he didn't care about them anymore, then why bother?
She knew she needed to move on. But how? People think it's as simple as waking up the next morning, refreshed and relieved, but that's naive. It's hard. It's painful. It involves disconnecting yourself from the very person you invested so much into. How will you fill that void? Something needs to take its place.
But how are you supposed to disconnect yourself from a person who won't even talk to you anymore? Where's the closure? Where's the truth in knowing that it's over? It's gone. Lost with Lan as he picked up his luggage and entered his parents' car. Lost within the numerous messages claiming that they would see each other again. Lost within the love that would never be reciprocated back.
It will be hard for her to move on. She missed him. She loved him.
She lost him.