New Reason for Living

Chapter 3: Sharing the Past

The next morning, I woke up to see the bright sunlight shining through the window into my room. Before what happened last night, I thought I wouldn't be able to see this again. But now, being able to see this made me glad that I was alive.

I headed downstairs, thinking that I was the only one there. But, I was surprised to see that Leanne was here. She looked over at me and smiled. I could help but smile back; it actually made me happy to see her.

"Good morning. How are you feeling?" Leanne asked. "A lot better, thanks." I responded. Leanne smiled to hear this.

"That's great to hear. I was worried last night about what would happen to you. Considering what you had possibly been through yesterday, I thought you didn't have that much of a chance." Leanne explained.

I was surprised. Leanne was worried about me? But, it actually made me feel happy inside to know that there was someone who cared about me; I hadn't experienced that for a while.

"You know, last night, you didn't introduce yourself to me." Leanne said. I was surprised to hear this, but I knew she was right. I actually didn't tell her my name last night, which I didn't notice at the time.

"I didn't? I'm sorry for that. I'm Aaron." I explained. "Aaron? That's actually a really good name." Leanne commented. I smiled to hear her say that; I was surprised that she actually liked that.

I sat down nearby; I just wanted to relax for a little bit, knowing that I was all right now. To my surprise, Leanne sat next to me.

"Aaron, would it be all right if I ask you something? It's a little personal though, so I hope you don't mind." Leanne said.

"That's okay, Leanne. I don't mind; you can ask me what you want to." I responded. Leanne was relieved to hear that I didn't mind what she had to ask; I just didn't know what she was going to ask me.

"What exactly happened to you last night? You didn't look so good when I found you." Leanne said. I felt a bit worried upon hearing this. Could I actually take the risk of telling her what I was going to do last night? But, I somehow knew that she was willing to help me in any way she could, so I decided to just risk it.

"Well, Leanne, you might not know about this, but last night... I was planning on taking my own life." I said. That was the truth; the one thing that I knew Leanne wanted to hear.

Much to my surprise, Leanne looked shocked to hear this. She probably couldn't imagine anyone doing something as extreme as that.

"Aaron, why would you do something like that? I just can't imagine such a thing!" Leanne gasped. I thought that once she knew what motivated to do it, then she would understand.

"Leanne, I should explain why I chose to do that. It goes back to when I was a young Riolu. Even though I was teased because I was different, I found support and care from my parents and my brother, Riley. I felt like nothing could separate us; we were all so close. But, after Riley died in an accident, my parents changed. My mum seemed to pay no attention to me at all, and my dad took out his frustrations at me. He abused me and was always violent towards me. I wanted to find help, but I just wasn't accepted by anyone. I felt like I was an outcast, and I was driven to believe that all there was in the world was abuse, anger and hatred." I explained.

Leanne looked very alarmed to hear all of this. I had wanted to tell my problems to someone for a long time, but I couldn't because no-one accepted me. Now that I found someone, I just felt like I could let it all out.

"Aaron... I'm so sorry to hear that this much happened to you. I can understand why you would think things like that; anyone would think those thought at one point in their lives. Now I know why you did what you wanted to do." Leanne said.

"Yes, because I felt like I had no place in the world, I thought that it was the best choice for me. I felt like there was a place for me in another world, and I wouldn't have to face the suffering that I always had." I explained.

"Aaron... no-one should have to go through things like that." Leanne said. I nodded in agreement; I knew that she was right. "And you won't have to now." Leanne added. I was very surprised to hear her say this.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. "What I mean is that you'll be safe with me. You won't have to go through those unbearable experiences again." Leanne responded.

I was amazed to hear this. Leanne was letting me stay with her? This was unlike anything I had ever experienced. "Leanne... thank you so much. This means a lot to me." I smiled.

Leanne beamed to hear this. "It's the least I can do for you, Aaron." Leanne explained. But that meant a lot to me. She had the things that I had never been able to see before; support, care and concern.