13 Home, A Place Filled With Loved Ones

I brought the notebook to the café with me.

Just to keep it with myself.

I'm over an hour early, but my regular seat was already taken when I arrived here this morning, so I chose the one next to it.

Its raining outside.

Elora should have been here by now.

My eyes flicking to the door anytime someone enters or exits.

That day I couldn't tell her everything. I need to tell her about the notebook too. So I brought it with me. I need to show to her. Maybe she knows something about other vampires or something.

Back when I was in the summer camp, I was asked to call aunt Amber by dad to take care of him. I still remember that. Maybe that slipped off his mind somehow that he was the one who told me to call aunt. When I came back from summer camp, aunt took care of me too. She mostly spent her time with me writing lyrics. I was only fifteen back then. I wasn't good with lines that much yet she used to praise me like my lines were somewhat of godlike.

Dad failed to disclose that he loved her. Only if I knew then what I know now.

I just wished for a happy family come what may. I did had a happy family though that included dad and aunt.

I glimpse at the door as someone entered through the it.

My beautiful Elora Noelle.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry, Aldrich. I got stuck in the traffic. I got in a cab at nine. It took almost two hours for me to reach here", she explains apologetically.

"You called me... Aldrich?" I ask her, amused by how attractively it intoned.

"Um...maybe?" she smiles hesitantly. "You're not angry that I'm late?"

"Oh god! No no. I'm not", I laugh.

She leans forward, and she throw her arms around me. And... hugs me.

I'm so surprised that all I say is, "Ow."

She let go, and put her hands on my shoulders. Then she just looked at me for a second, and take a seat beside me, her hair plastered around her face by the rain. Her cheeks are kinda pink and she is breathing hard from running. "I'm sorry," she says, looking at me right into the eyes.

Somewhat that is making my heartbeat faster.

"I told you about my uncle, right?" she sighs.

"Yeah. How is he doing now?"

"Oh he's totally fine. That was just some old tricks of his to call me over the house. I was cheesed off with him. Like I was talking to you and for sure he did know that. Yet he called me", she frowns.

"What do you mean by 'he did know that'?"

She gives me a confused look. "I didn't tell you that my uncle is future seer?"

Damn. Vampires do have some peculiar powers, huh?

"As far as I remember, no, you didn't". I sit up straight. "No wonder I found him weird the day I visited your house", I chuckle.

She nods.

I hold the notebook behind me.

"Oh you were saying something about your dad that day", she says, taking out her purse, and pulling out her cell. She dropped a ring in her lap. She picks it up and slipped into her finger. "It was my mom's", she sighs heavily. She stares at the ring for a while and then closes her eyes.

She never mentioned about her mother before. This is the first time. I glance up at her. "What happened to her? Where is she?"

She looks away, sadness crossing her features. "She died while giving me birth, and I lost her before I knew her I told you before. My world felt so insecure, and I was so scared".

Its ripping out my heart open. My heart is full of tears, for I know the pain of losing someone with my whole heart and mind. I miss my dad.

I place a soft kiss on her cheek, and bring my hand to her face, gently running my fingers over her cheek.

Suddenly I realize that I had never felt as strongly for another person as I am at this moment.

I want to tell her my thoughts, about how I felt for my dad, but the sound of her voice suddenly silence the emotions inside me. "Amber Mei", she utters.

I refrain from looking at her, unable to function from shock I'm feeling at the name she had never mentioned before - Amber Mei.

Wait!

It is possible to have more people with similar names, right?

Yes. Maybe her mother's name is Amber too.

How can I even ignore the fact that she is a vampire. What if... her mother is..

No, Edmund. I don't need to jump on the conclusion right away. I look up at her face with a stern look. "Do you have any photos of her?"

"Yes", she immediately replies. "I always keep a photo of her with me".

She searches up her purse and takes out a picture, handing it over to me.

I take the photo, and take a look at it.

The picture slipped out of my trembling hands.

"What happened, Edmund?" she asks.

I didn't think life would be so selfish.

All these years the pain I endured just because of her birth? I struggled over my father's death. At the age of fifteenth I had an attitude toward life that was to endure, that was to make me seek those spheres of living that would keep it alive, that was to tolerate everything. When she came into my life, I started to find a new reason to keep it alive.

But..

"I need to go", I say frantically, yanking my feet out from under the table, and holding the notebook to my chest.

I rush for the door and call for a cab before a bus hit me as I don't think I can even walk a bit.

My heart is too full of sadness to dwell upon the happiness her presence brought me.

Fate is a curse. That's how I look at it. Some thinks fate is a beautiful thing. There is so much about my fate that I cannot control. A nameless fate seeking to overtake me.

Now I can just sigh over my life.

I reach my apartment. I think of home.

Home, a place filled with loved ones.

I was once at home, strong, happy, and loved. I was surrounded by loved ones. Life was too cruel to take away my happiness like that. Life gave me a reason to be happy again but snatched that away before I could even experience it.

I'd like to get home again, I'm sure.

But then again... I can only sigh over my life.