Chapter 3 – The First Night
Amitie's POV
"Okay, that's the last of them." One of the moving guys said to Mom.
"Thank you so much. I know it was only a few boxes, but we still appreciate the help. If only I had some money to give you…"
"Don't worry about it, ma'am. The whole trip's free of charge." The other moving guy said.
"R-Really?! W-Wow! Thank you so much!"
"Good luck with your new life."
The moving crew left the house and drove off in their truck back the way they came. Leaving us with the 8 boxes filled with stuff from our old home. We didn't bring any of our old furniture because those things just remind us of the terrifying memories that we really want to forget.
"Well…this is it, Ami. our new home. Wanna take a look around?"
"Sure…I guess." I said with a depressed tone.
We took a tour of the house and it's quite small. But then again, it's only going to be the two of us living here, so having a bigger house wouldn't make much sense.
There were the standard rooms you expect to see in a house like this. A living area, kitchen, one bathroom, two bedrooms, an extra room for probably a guest or something, and a small patio in the back. From what Mom told me, the place had been empty for nearly a decade. I thought she was exaggerating a bit…
…but she wasn't.
The place was dusty. And I mean REALLY dusty. So dusty, in fact, that there were cobwebs in certain corners of the house. No spiders though. At least we have that going for us.
"Uh, Mom. It's really *cough* *cough* dusty in here." I said while covering my nose with my shirt.
"It's not that bad, Ami. A little cleaning should fix this place up."
"A little?"
"Ok, A LOT of cleaning. We'll start that and unpack our stuff during the weekend. For now, let's just get cleaned up and then I'll get dinner ready, alright?"
"Dinner? What's for dinner?"
"Instant ramen."
"S-Seriously? That's all you brought?"
"Well, we don't have much money, Ami. We have to save as much as we can until we can get back on our feet. So just bear with me please?"
"I-I didn't say I wouldn't. It's just…you could've picked something other than ramen."
"And just what is wrong with ramen?" Mom asked while sounding a little pissed.
Fiddlesticks. I forgot that Mom loves ramen…
"U-Uh…wh-what I mean is…"
"GAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
"Hey, did you hear that?"
"It's probably a squirrel or something."
"Mom, squirrels don't scream like that. I think someone's outside."
"Well, if you're so sure about it, then you go out and check."
"M-Me?! Wh-Why?! You're the adult!"
"And you insulted my favorite food. Now go."
"Meanie." I said as I headed out the front door.
When I got outside, I noticed that the tall grass was moving rapidly like someone was in the middle of them. As I got closer, I started hearing a voice.
"You little runt! You DARE hit a lady in their most special spot?! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THAT!"
"Special spot?" What the hell?
"H-Hello? I-Is anyone out here?" I asked whoever was in the grass.
The movement speed of the grass suddenly got faster after I said that. I was honestly getting scared. I didn't know or what was in those stacks of grass. And I was trying to think of what to do next.
But while I was doing so…
"GAH! Are you freaking kidding me?!"
"Onion! On, on, onion!"
T-Two voices?! Th-There are two people in there?! Th-That's even worse!
"I-Is someone in this grass?" I asked again. And this time, I even started moving closer to the tall grass. That's when I saw something pop out from the side of it. looking like it was running really fast.
I couldn't get a good look at it, but it…looked like a girl. A girl with long, pink, somewhat curly hair. It also looked like she was carrying something in her hand. But I couldn't make heads or tails on what it was. The whole thing was almost a blur to me.
I stood there in shock for a bit, but eventually came back to my senses and went back inside.
"So was it a squirrel?" Mom asked.
"What? No. It was actually a girl."
"A girl? What was she doing there?"
"Not sure. B-But she did say something about her…um…sp-special spot." I said the last part while blushing a little.
"Why are you blushing? You got one too."
"Y-Yeah, but I don't like talking about it!"
"Geez, Ami. You're too pure for your own good."
"It's not me being pure! It's me being normal!"
"Whatever you say, Ami."
I think I'm starting to remember why I didn't follow Mom all too often.
"Well, whatever she was doing, she's gone now. I'm going to take my bath now." I said.
"Don't take long. Or else your ramen will get cold."
"Tch!" I actually flinched a little when Mom said that.
Fiddlesticks! I forgot about the ramen!
You would think that in a house that hasn't been habituated by anyone in nearly a decade, the bathroom would be the filthiest area in the house. But to my surprise, it was the complete opposite. Even the water was clear. I decide not to question it, described it as lucky, and took my bath.
Soon after I finished my bath Mom took hers, and later we were sitting on futons in the middle of the living room eating instant ramen while watching some mystery crime solving show on a streaming site on Mom's computer. I took a quick glance around the house again, still wondering how Mom was able to afford this place despite us leaving our old home with little to no money.
"S-So, Mom…just how were you able to get this house?"
"A friend of my who lives here saved it for me. And I've heard that is was a steal, too."
"I-It was probably a steal because no one's lived here in 10 years."
"Don't worry, Ami. This house is perfectly safe. A bit dirty, but perfectly safe."
"Yeah, but even if you say that…"
"You're still worried about us being safe, are you?"
I didn't really answer her perfectly. But when Mom saw me looking away from her, she figured out what my answer was.
"Amitie. I know you're still going through your depression, but I can assure you that we are perfectly safe here. We left all our bad memories behind and we've come here to create pure new ones."
"But what if the bad ones come back? WHAT IF HE COMES BACK?! WHAT IF HE DOE…"
Before I could finish my sentence, Mom grabbed me and pulled me closer to her, embracing me into a hug. Her body was warm. As warm as a blanket coming out of the dryer. It could be because she just got out the bath, but that didn't cross my mind at all.
"LIKE HELL HE WILL! AND IF HE DOES SHOW HIS DAMN FACE AROUND HERE I'LL MAKE HIM PAY! I'LL MAKE HIM REGRET EVERYTHING HE'S DONE TO US, EVEN IF IT'LL COST ME MY LIFE!"
"Mom, please don't! I don't want anything happing to you. Because then I'll be alone."
"You'll never be alone, Amitie! You've got me, and I got you. And after all we've been through, I'm glad I get to start over with you, my daughter!"
I started bawling out tears for the second time today after hearing Mom's heart-warming speech. I had my arms around her waist and she had hers around mine. Including the chat that happened in the car earlier today, this was the happiest I've been in a long time.
"I love you, Mom."
"I love you too, Ami. I'll always will."
We then went to sleep still hugging each other. We both had a long day today. And starting tomorrow, our new pure lives will be in effect.
Watch me now, new life! I'm coming for you!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: *This chapter was edited. As some things were either added or removed from the original version.*