Chapter 21:

My parents never asked for a reason, they simply let me go on with my life and pretended that nothing happened. As for me, I never truly forgot, but after one week back in the real world I started to accept things. Whenever I started to feel the ache return I would replace it with memories of the better days.

One afternoon I decided it was time to get out of the house, even if it was for a little exercise. Out of habit I started to jog down the path that led into the woods, but when I realised that it was too soon to face that level of reality I turned around and headed to beach instead.

All the hours running around the bath house had been amazing exercise, so I didn't even feel slightly uncomfortably in my tight shorts and loose fitted semi-crop top. It seemed that somewhere along the line I had gained some self-confidence, because I didn't have the erg to hide from the people walking along the beach.

I even smiled politely at people I recognised from school, which surprised me more than it surprised them. Of course it was all just an act, none of the smiles ever reached my eyes. Then again, who could possibly smile when they jog? It's just like putting a little heart sticker over a flesh wound. Still, people says it's good exercise, but even after two years I still hate it.

At least the tremendous pain in my side was distracting me from thinking about other things.

I was thinking this as I started to run back along the beach, the sun setting slowly. I was about to turn up the hill when a something along the clearing next to the woods caught my eye. I stopped and slowly started walking closer, making sure there were some random people near, just in case I needed to make a clean getaway.

Whoever the person was, she was standing just along the edge. I was pretty sure it was a girl, because of her vibrant pink outfit. Any normal person probably wouldn't even have given it a second glance, but I was quite familiar with what lay deep in the woods.

The person had slipped behind the tree when she knew I had seen her. I crossed the last part faster, almost as fast as the pace my heart was beating at, and stepped around the giant base of the tree.

The woman was standing there, waiting for me to completely emerge, because the next thing I knew she had thrown her arms around me. I gasped and stepped back, the woman's arms still firmly clamped around my neck. She was taller than me, so it made for a very awkward position.

She must have felt my surprise and stepped back.

Almost instantly the shock was replaced by surprise and finally joy. Lin stood in front of me, her hands on her hips. "Lin!" I exclaimed before doing to her what she had done only moments before. Luckily, unlike me, she laughed and wrapped her arms around my waist.

After a second I pulled away, nearly a thousand questions forming at once, but luckily prioritising them came quite easily. "What are you doing here?" I asked, taking her hands in mine. She was about to answer when I felt my cell phone vibrate against my arm where I had placed it in its strap.

I removed it from the strap before raising a hand to respectfully silence Lin. "Mom?" I asked as I accepted the call. "Honey, where are you?" she asked, sounding a little flustered. "I'm out for my jog, is there a problem?" I asked "No, not really a problem. Your father and I need to go out of town for the weekend, do you think you'd be okay alone? Or maybe I should call-" she continued, but I cut her off since I knew where the conversation was heading.

"I'll be fine mom" I said "I'm sure I can handle one night alone". I heard her sigh before she spoke again "Okay, but we're leaving right now, so we'll see you again tomorrow" she said. After I said goodbye, she hung up and I returned to Lin.

"Sorry, just my mom" I apologised, placing my phone back in its strap. "No problem" Lyn said, but I could hear she was a little bit nervous. It took me a while to realise that it was probably her first time in the human world.

"Do you maybe want to go to my house? We'll be alone, then we can talk" I asked her, motioning to my house just above us. Lyn instantly looked relieved and thank me.

The trip to my house was quick and silent, with Lyn checking around her every five seconds as if something was going to happen. When we reached my house I opened the door and let us both in. It was a good thing my parents had left, or else I would have had a very difficult time explaining to my parents who Lyn was.

"Why don't you wait for me in the living room, I'll go make us some tea" I said when she looked a little uncertain.

I handed Lyn a cup of tea once we were both settled down on separate sofas. When it looked like she had calmed down a bit I started asking her questions. "So, not that I'm not happy to see you, but why are you here?" I asked her, feeling it was the most important question.

She set her cup down on the table and looked at me. "Everyone was worried about you, so when you didn't return I was sent to come look for you" Lyn said "We thought that maybe you were forced to write the note and got kidnapped or something".

I looked at her sadly, feeling bad about leaving them without a word. "I'm sorry I left" I said into my half empty cup. "I didn't want to leave, especially not in the way I had… I just… I just couldn't stay there any longer" I took a breath to steady my shaking voice "You understand? Even though I've come to think of you as my family, it's just not the same without him there" I whispered to her, my eyes already starting to blur.

Lyn rose from her seat and hunched down in front of me, make sure that I met her eyes before she spoke. "That's what most of us assumed, you know, opposed to the former assumption" she gave a little laugh at the end.

I gave her a tiny smile before pulling myself together. Once she saw my mood lighten she got up and took her seat again. "How did you get here anyway?" I asked her, standing up to get our empty cups.

Just as I took both the cups in my hands a dark shadow covered the room. I turned to look what was covering the window and faltered. I dropped both the cups before clutching my hands to my chest, trying my best to stop the trembles that were raking my entire body.

The shadow in the window moved and stepped down into the living room. I recognized his shape instantly, almost as if I'd known it my entire life.

"Hello, Chihiro"

I just want to apologize for the short chapters, it frustrates me, but for the bigger picture it's necessary. Please bare with me, even if only for a little while :)