AMELIA’S P.O.V

There was a knock on the door but I ignored it. I didn’t want to see anyone right now. The only person I wanted was Kaden but he had made his choice and it was not me. The knocking became worse and I forced my body out of bed and towards the front door. I looked through the peephole and was shocked to see Clara and Caleb standing there.


I hesitated before opening it hoping that they would leave but Clara spoke. “I know you’re there, Amelia. Just open the door, it won’t take long.”

I let out a sigh of defeat and pulled it open. “Kaden isn’t here if that is who you came to see. You would have better luck at the hospital.”

“I know where he is,” it was Caleb who answered as Clara made her way inside and climbed up the stairs. “I also know that you are alone here and we don’t want you to be alone right now.”


“I’m fine,” I began but he shot me a look that had me going quiet. He didn’t say any other thing until Clara retuned with a small duffel bag. “Thank you, both of you.”

“You don’t have to thank us, this is what family does,” Clara whispered as she stood by my side and nudged me with her shoulder. “You shouldn’t be alone right now. Kaden will come to his senses soon enough. I’m sorry that you even have to deal with this.”


I couldn’t say any other words. I was just filled with so much gratitude towards them. My eyes watered and I gently wiped the tears away during the car ride. If they noticed me crying, they didn’t say a word until we got to the house. Pamela was waiting for me by the door and she embraced me tightly.

“I told you this house is always open to you,” she whispered to me. “I can go over and knock some sense into Kaden if that is what you want.”

I laughed more to myself than anything. “That sounds like a very tempting offer but I would have to think about it for a while.”

“Just know that it is always standing.”

I thanked her and made my way to the guest room. Nothing had been moved or changed since the last time I was there. My scent hung in the air but very faintly and it had the undertones of dust in it. I didn’t bother unpacking my box because I knew I would be out by tomorrow but I changed into something more comfortable for the night.

I had just finished putting on my nightwear when I heard a knock on my door. I opened it expecting to see Clara there but it was Caleb who walked in. He had a small tray of food in his hands and he gave me a small smile of encouragement. I stepped aside for him to walk in and he placed the tray on the dresser.

“I thought you would be hungry,” he began and I thanked him with a small smile. He didn’t make a move to leave so I knew there was something else that he wanted to talk about.

“Would you like to sit down?” I asked and he opened his mouth to refuse but then changed his mind and nodded. He took the seat by the dresser while I at by the edge of the bed. “Is everything okay?”

“I went to see Kaden at the hospital,” he began and I forced my face to remain impassive. I didn’t want him to see how many questions I had and how much I wanted to know what they had spoken about. “I don’t want you to think in any way that he doesn’t love you. This is about something else, something more.”

“He told me that he doesn’t remember much about his eighteenth year. He said she was somehow connected to it. Do you know something about that?”

“Yes and no,” he ran his hands through his hair. “When Kaden was eighteen, he went on a trip with his mother. He came back completely different. I knew immediately that something had changed but he wouldn’t speak about it. In fact, he could barely remember the events of the trip. The only people who really know what happened there are him and his mother.”

“I tried asking her but she wouldn’t tell me. All she said was to keep the girl as far away from Kaden as possible but I don’t know how she expects me to do that when he will not even leave her side.”

“I don’t think you should worry about that right now. Everything will go back to normal soon. This is just a minor setback and I promise that he will realize what is happening and come back to you.”

“Do you really think so?” I hated how soft my voice sounded but the truth was that I was terrified. I was scared that things were going to end up going the opposite direction of the way I wanted. “I’m just scared.”

“I know Kaden, he always does the right thing in the end,” he gave me a small smile and stood to his feet. “You should rest. I’ll take you back tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you Caleb, for everything.”

He nodded in my direction and was out of the room before I could utter another word. I ate my food in silence but whenever I tried to sleep, I couldn’t. I was too used to the bed I shared with Kaden, I was too used to his presence and I ended up just spending the entire night tossing and turning and wondering if he was thinking about me as much as I was thinking about him.

By the next morning, I left very early. I left when Caleb was going to work and Pamela made sure to send me off with more food than I could possibly eat. She made sure to remind me that I was more than welcome to show up if I wanted to but I hoped that I would not have need to.

“Are you sure you want to be at home?” Caleb asked for what felt like the tenth time that morning. “You can always come to the office. Kaden doesn’t have to be there.”

“I’m fine,” I assured him. “I don’t want to give people a reason to gossip but thank you for the offer.”

I could tell he didn’t agree but he allowed me go home alone. I had just finished arranging the food into the fridge when I heard a knock on the door. I assumed it was Caleb and maybe I had forgotten something so I didn’t look at the peephole and just pulled it open. I was shocked however to see Aiden standing there with a smile on his face.

“Can I come in?” he asked and it took me a second to gather my bearings, once I did, I made to shut the door but he was quick to stick his foot into the door. “Relax, I just want to talk. There is no reason for you to get violent with me.”

“I don’t want to hear a thing you have to say. I am sure this was very obvious when I ignored you the first time you tried to speak to me in the restaurant. Stay away from me, Aiden, I don’t know what stupid game you are playing but I want no part in it. I haven’t told Kaden about what happened in the library yet but do not think for any reason that I will not tell him if you push me.”

He smirked. “The way I see it, Kaden is very preoccupied today.” I rolled my eyes and started to shut the door again but he stopped me. “Okay, I’m sorry, that might not have been the right thing to say to you. I just heard what was happening and I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to see how you were doing. We were friends before all of this started. Can’t I come and check up on my friend?”

“We were never friends, now stay away from me. Kaden might not be here but that does not mean that there are not people who will throw you out on your ass.”

“What if I told you I had answers for you?” he asked and I froze. “You cannot tell me that you are not the least bit curious about everything. I know you, Amelia and I know how your mind works. You are hungry for information and I might just have it.”

“What information could you possibly have that I would want to get my hands on?” I asked feigning ignorance. “You barely come to school, I have better grades than you. If there is anything that I need to know then I can find it out on my own.”

“You and I both know that this has nothing to do with grades,” he dropped his voice to a whisper. “I think I have something you want to hear- something about the girl in the hospital. I just need you to sit down and listen and I will tell you everything.”

“Why can’t you tell me now? You are standing in front of me and I have ears. If you have something to say then say it.”

He clicked his tongue. “A true magician never reveals all his cards at once. Meet me tomorrow, at a restaurant of my choosing, if you come then I will tell you whatever you want to know. You cannot tell me that you aren’t the least bit curious.”

That was the problem, I was very curious. I didn’t trust Aiden one bit but the truth was that I wanted to know and he was the only person who was offering to hand me information. I wasn’t sure whether he truly had the information or if he was just trying to play on my desperation and loneliness.

“How do I know that you won’t try to drag me off like you did that day at the library? I wouldn’t want to be anywhere alone with you.”

“I was just trying to take you to Kaden, you just misunderstood my intentions but if it makes you feel safer then we can go to a public place.”

It was obvious he was lying through his teeth and I suddenly remembered why I didn’t trust Aiden. He was as slippery as a snake and there was no way to be sure that any words out of his mouth were true.

“I’m not interested, you can keep your information to yourself. Kaden will tell me when he is ready.”

I didn’t wait for him to respond before I slammed the door in his face and locked it. I didn’t respond when he knocked and yelled out my name again.