2 Two

Now a 25 year old with a Masters in Zoology, a side interest in alternative therapies and working in a safari park, Amberly's life has finally changed for the better. Her mother now runs her own art gallery and occasionally lectures at the university, only when asked very nicely. Her father is a very successful software developer working in businesses all over the country. She also now has two younger brothers, twins, and they're equal parts chaos demons and deeply loving cuties. With a lot of hard work, their house is now a home and back to its former glory; it even hosts Christine's art unveiling ceremonies and other lavish themed parties.

"Wooaah Amber! Watch where you're going!" exclaimed Ezra, rushing out of the main office building doors, carrying a laptop and folder, as Amberly enters in at the same time. Oof, she thinks. "Oh I'm sorry Ezra! I didn't see you coming." Wow how embarrassing, she confesses to herself.

"You spacing out again?" he asks with a mix of judgement and concern written in his golden hazel eyes.

"Something like that, haha!"

"Well, I'll catch you later, ok?! I've got some urgent specimen results to check on," he explains as he meekly waves and dashes towards the laboratory building. Ezra Moonchild; a tall slender gentleman with warm golden speckled hazel eyes and short, fine, smooth caramel hair; an extremely intelligent research scientist and analyst that had his pick of jobs but chose a path that follows his passions and doing what he loves instead. One has to greatly admire that, but being envious of him is natural too, right?! she exclaims to herself. They have been close friends since her first day there; the rather bizarre new girl and the very shy, closed off guy; therefore, not many gave the time to get to know them at first but they found each other and hit it off straight away. Amberly knows him to be incredibly kind and deeply understanding, and he even accepts her many idiosyncrasies, so obviously they've worked together and been friends since the beginning.

This week Amberly's task has been to work on the meerkat enclosure; the park has had a huge influx of pups recently causing overpopulation in the current accommodation, infighting and damage to the habitat. So, it has been her job this week to overcome this obstacle, put a new strategy into place and co-ordinate this with the other teams. She is nearing the end of this task and so the only thing left to do, to ensure it is successful for both groups, is to analyse the results from various testing and observations done on the meerkats through the week by other members of the team. Managing to finish up, she locks up the enclosures and makes her way to the lab building to find Martin (Head Research Liaison). As she enters the lab and heads towards the main office, she starts to slow and becomes disorientated, even staggers a few steps, and her head starts to feel light and detached from the rest of her body. Her eyes start to go fuzzy and begins to see undulations of varying translucent colours in the air, some stronger and specific mixes around certain people close by, with others changing in the air. "Amber?! Are you ok?" As she starts to focus on the face emerging in front of her, it transforms into a clearer face, into Ezra. As she sees him and focuses on his eyes, the unpleasant sensations and peculiar coloured air dance stops, and she feels more like herself again. "Are you having those headaches of yours again?" her close friend and colleague asks with honest concern, whilst placing his large cool hands on her shoulders.

"Yeah I think so but there were lots of colours this time....maybe a migraine?!"

"Maybe you need food?! Shall we go for lunch now?" he invites, while pointing upstairs.

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After a prolonged day at work, lengthened further when Amberly gets home by playing spies outside with the boys and even more by cooking tea with her mum, while catching her up on her day; she finally gets to her room and collapses onto her bed, with a gentle bounce as she sinks into the soft memory topped mattress. It's not long before Amberly is in a deep sleep and entering a dream she's become accustomed to, on and off for the past year. She's gliding through a beautiful, warm, soft meadow; the air is perfectly tepid with a regular calming breeze;, the colours are soft pastel with a smooth cotton wool-like coating covering the ground, the scent in the breeze is succulent and fresh and the only sound to be heard is the tender bubbling and trickling of the crystal clear stream to the right of her, flowing through the side of the meadow. As she reaches the top of the hill, there is the corpulent solid oak tree, worthy of revering, with a basic light picnic set out at the base, and Amberly's otherworldly beautiful little sister serenely knelt, waiting patiently for her to join her. At times, her sister simply appears to be just as she was when her family lost her; a young 12-year-old girl, full of innocence, joy and wonder, with a side of mischief. In the same breath, she can change before your eyes into a mature, pure ethereal being that Amberly wouldn't recognise if it wasn't for her ever 'Hope'-ful eyes that let her soul shine through, and of course the 'Meadow' nose. "I've missed you Hope. The days never get easier, I just find more ways to stay strong and move forward, but I still find it all so hard and utterly empty without you." As a solitary warm tear escapes Amberly's eye down her cheek, Hope reaches out and catches it gently with one delicate slender finger and wipes it away, while giving her the most benevolent smile; with eyes reflecting Amberly's own pain and loss but undying love for one another.

"You're amazing! I love and miss you so much too but you make me so proud with how far you've come and what you've done with your life so far." She embraces her in a greatly desired connection and tactile communication, in the form of her famous warm love-enveloping hugs. Hope unwraps from the embrace and looks deep into Amberly's eyes, a serious note taking over her face as she opens her mouth to speak, ".......". But nothing is expelled. They both gaze at each other in utter confusion, she tries again but all Amber can manage to make out is "E........ch.........ready!", before she gradually starts to fade and the dream dissolves into a blank scene and numb sleep.