[Afterschool - 3:15PM]
The girl says her farewells to her counterpart after escorting her back to her house. Whilst making her way back home, she seeps into a trance about the events of today.
'Well today was interesting to say the least. The boundaries that are set by Destiny in the messages are quite loosely laid out. Did Freya really have these restrictions or has something changed to make it easier for me? I feel bad for her having to go through this and I understand that it was her passion on the line, but couldn't she have gone a little lighter on me?'
"Sorry." A mysterious and faint voice materialised from behind, breaking the girl out of deep thought.
"Whoa!" Freya quickly turns around to Amelia standing there with brooding eyes.
"Hello Amelia, why are you apologising to me? You seemed okay earlier when we were making our way home. Did you come back outside just for this?"
"I just felt like I had to, considering how things are going for you. I am sorry."
"What does that mean? You have nothing to apologise for, and I am doing just fine."
"Okay, Thank you Freya and sorry to bother you. Speak to you tomorrow!" Amelia gave a light nod before she began pacing her way back to the front of her house, quickly re-entering the home.
"I didn't even get an answer for what she was apologising for…"
The girl brushes off Amelia's questionable behaviour, as knowing her best, she is probably just anxious about their friendship.
[Freya's house - 3:45 PM]
After greeting her mother at the door and grabbing dinner, the girl heads to her room. She has come to find comfort laying in the bed of another. It is not quite home yet, but it provides her with a that allows her to be away from everything that the unordinary circumstance she has been placed in has to offer. A bed is the only familiar thing she has in this world. She wraps herself between the soft, warm duvet and lays her worries to rest on the fluffy pillow as she rapidly loses consciousness.
The girl opens her eyes to find herself back in a recognisable place. It is the entrance to her parents' home. Sometimes when she dreams, this is where she ends up. As usual, she trudges her way into the kitchen and slowly picks up the letter that lay on the kitchen side where her dads food was normally stationed. She unravels the letter and all it read was a simple and direct message.
[To Amelia…I'm sorry I couldn't be a better Father to you. You are a fantastic daughter and I am proud of you. If I could face you again it would have to be in another lifetime. However, just know that no matter where I may be, you are my most precious daughter. Again, I am sorry for leaving you like this. I wish this day never came. Goodbye my dear, I love you.]
That was the final message from Amelia's father before he seemingly vanished. Emotions began to flood Amelia's mind, causing her to break down in perpetual anguish. Her vision blurs, her breaths shorten as she begins to try and reclaim her composure. It's been years since he's been gone, yet she never found out why.
"Amelia?" A voice could be heard from behind the living room door. She couldn't see him but she knew it was her dad.
You're supposed to be at school, what are you doing here? Oh…you saw it already." His silhouette is prominent through the glass on the door.
"Dad…why did you leave?" swallowing the lumps in her throat, this is all the words she could muster. This is the first time her dad had shown up in her dreams since he disappeared.
"Amelia honey, I couldn't tell you myself, at least not right now. That is something you have to find out on your own. Where you're from, you can still reach me before it's too late. Look at the time, I must go now Amelia. I believe you can save me."
"Dad! Wait, I didn't even get to see your face! Let me at least see you before you go…" Amelia swung open the living room door and the silhouette that shone on the doorway was nowhere to be found and neither was her beloved father. Before she could even react, Amelia wakes up in a cold sweat, tears rolling down her face. She wipes them into her sleeves whilst sniffing profusely.
"Dad…what do you mean save you? How do I save you? What did that dream mean? Amelia sits up and checks the time on her phone. It's 8:35 PM. In her peripheral vision she can see a book lay on the desk next to her bed.
[To Defy Your Destiny]
"Well done on overcoming the first incident that was caused by [Freya Wilson] and her two friends [Grace Milton] and Holly! That was much quicker than I expected you to get it done and with such a simple solution too. However, the destiny of [Amelia Christabel] is still far from decided. We now have the [second incident] which caused [Amelia Christabel] to become a recluse.
[The loss of her dear father in November of her final year of school.]
Whilst it is unclear as to what happened to him from Amelia's perspective, interesting things begin to come to light if you view things from a different one. How would you uncover the truth and prevent it from happening? This Incident is centered around [The Truth of Your Fathers Death.] as well as [Family].
For you to succeed in this trial we recommend you begin getting closer to your two friends Holly and Grace as well as Amelia. I understand Destiny can make it hard on you, especially in regards to Amelia. However, you have to remember this is your story being written. Once you acknowledge that, nothing can stop you from achieving the rightful life you deserve. I wish you continued success on your journey and I am looking forward to seeing how you overcome this incident."
"My dad was…dead?" The girl glared at the book in her hand with disdain. She dashed the book across the room towards the direction of the mirror that was bolted against the wall, colliding against each other to make a small thud. She sharply stood up and walked towards the mirror to fetch the book but stopped to take a look at herself. Puffy, red eyes from her continuous tears, dishevelled hair and coarse skin.
"I have never seen Freya look so ugly!" Amelia broke into a fit of laughter causing her to fall back down on her bed to catch her breath.
'I understand why I had to become Freya now. It was for this new perspective that I couldn't have gained beforehand. That means Freya had something to do with my dad's death. For years, I thought he ran away from home because he was a coward. I thought he left me and mum alone because of his job falling through. At least, this is what I wanted to believe. No matter what excuse he had for running away I was always ready to forgive him if he came back. I know that it was all useless. The letter he left for me to read that was a suicide note. I didn't want to believe that. Why dad? Why did you do it? I'm sorry I couldn't save you.'
The girl's anger simmered into sadness then conviction. She had come to accept that she had lost her father. However, she was given a chance to save him this time. This is not only for her, this is for the other Amelia too.
"First, let's get cleaned up. I look like a right mess at the moment." Amelia takes a shower, brushes her hair and applies the various face creams and moisturisers to her skin that Freya had used to make her skin glow like usual.
After admiring Freya's beauty in the mirror, the girl snaps out of her trance and focuses on the task at hand. She had planned to call her Amelia but she had fallen asleep, so she's a bit behind schedule. the girl dials the number she was given and before the third ring, the line picked up.
"Hello Freya!" Amelia on the other side of the call greets Freya with pep in her voice, happy to hear from Freya.
"Hey Amelia. I had a question to ask you if that's alright."
"Yeah, that's fine by me! What did you want to ask?"
"Would you like to meet me after school this Friday? We will be with Grace and Holly so I understand if you wouldn't want to come, but I would appreciate it if you would come with us. We are probably going to the shopping centre in town. So? Would you like to come?"
"Yes I would love that! It's the first time I've been invited to hang out with friends before…" Amelia awkwardly chuckled before fading into silence.
"It's okay Amelia, you're important to me. I will invite you out more if you'd like." The girl breaks the silence to reassure Amelia bringing her comfort.
"You would? Thank you so much, I love you!" Amelia can vividly be heard giggling over the phone."
"Love you too, Amelia." the girl states grinning profusely. The call was coming to an end with an amicable and warm atmosphere between the two girls.
"Just so you know we are meeting at 4:15 PM. It gives us all some time to get ready before the meet up! Speak to you later." Freya remarks excitedly.
"Bye bye Freya speak to you later!"
[Call ended. Duration: 2 minutes 32 seconds]
"Oh wait, I forgot my clothes in high school were a little cringe…good luck I guess…" The girl embarrassingly states whilst rubbing her nose lightly.
"Oh well I think I'm gonna take a short walk to clear my mind. everyday is so eventful in this world." Amelia takes a short stretch before putting on suitable wear and a pair of trainers.
[Outside - 9:15 PM]
The cool nighttime breeze brushed gently against Amelia's face as she walked and admired the vastness of space, lit by the singular entity that shimmered across the night sky.
'No stars out tonight, huh?' Amelia pondered whilst staring upwards towards the firmament. She quietly trudged around, wandering aimlessly until she found herself in front of a local store.
"It was still open at this time? I guess most corner shops are open till midnight. I'll go take a look and see if I can grab a snack." She pushes open the big white glass door to reveal a treasure trove of sweet treats and drinks that Amelia liked a ton back when she was in high school. It was bright inside the store, being illuminated by the lights that hung neatly along the roof which, in contrast to the pitch dark void she just came from, felt almost comforting. She leisurely scanned the store for a snack and decided on grabbing a packet of chips and a drink to take home.
[PING!]
She took her items to the cashier and exchanged some small talk whilst paying using contactless on her phone and packaging the items.
[PING!]
It was an awkward but welcome interaction between the two people. The girl leaves the store and seeps deeper into the darkness of the night.
The girl begins to pace home. She stayed out much longer than she had originally wanted. It's difficult to see more than a few feet as in rural areas there's very little street lights. She's trudging forward carefully but purposefully, being fully alert of her surroundings. The moon hangs brightly in the sky watching over her. Stagnant and unwavering, staring down at the young girl as she makes her journey home. Approaching the entrance to the house Amelia scrambles for the spare keys hidden above the door frame, almost dropping them in the process. They rattle violently whilst being thrusted quickly into the door. She struggles to unlock it at first, but gets it in. She calmly opens the door.