Don't cry

"Miss, your items." The warehouse attendant stretched three wrapped packages to Ellie, but no response was given to him, and neither did Ellie turn around to collect the items.

This was because she was deep in thought, and was no longer present or conscious of her surroundings.

Facing away from the counter, with her back leaning against the raised wooden structure, her mind drifted off to finding solid reasons why she should reconsider what she was about to do.

The only solid reason that bothered her slightly was the fact that she could get caught, and the consequences would be dire. There may be other people like her who just don't believe in the vampire stuff and won't run away like every other person. What if she encounters such? How would she handle it when she definitely can't run as fast as the vampires and don't have even a fraction of the kind of strength they possess?

If she eventually gets caught, she would be thrown in prison, and Nick would be taken from her. Consequently, he may not get the kind of care he needs and may suffer more than necessary wherever he ends up.

But if she decides to change her mind now, the outcome would pretty much be the same. She would even feel worse because she didn't try.

"Miss?" The man tapped her lightly on the shoulder to get her attention, and that successfully pulled her back to the present.

Startled, she turned around to face him and saw a small, irritated frown on his face.

"I'm so sorry I spaced out." Ellie apologized, then collected the packages from him. After checking to see if they were complete, she paid him and left the warehouse.

She was doing this. Yes, she could get caught, and that was why she needed to carefully plan her movement. No way she was going to just give up without trying first.

While on her way, she received a message from Anne, informing her that it was time for her to close for the day.

Ellie quickly branched to a medicine store to get a sleep-inducing supplement for Nick before getting a taxi and heading home. After what happened last night, where he woke up and got scared, she couldn't just hope he would sleep and stay asleep until she returns. She needed to ensure it.

Anne was still in the house when she finally got home.

"Ellie, you're back." Nick's voice rang out, and she could hear some excitement in his tone. She wondered what he was so happy about. She would ask him about it, but first…

"I'm sorry for keeping you more than the agreed time. I had to get some things from the store." Ellie apologized to Anne, who got up from the bed and grabbed her bag as soon as the former walked in.

"It's fine. I tried getting him to sleep, but he doesn't want to. I'll get going now. It's getting late." Anne flashed a smile. "I'll see you in the morning, Nick." Anne waved the young boy goodbye.

"Bye, Anne." Nick wished her back, waving his fingers lightly.

"I see you are very happy this evening. Can you let me in on the secret? I'd love to join in the celebration." Ellie moved to drop all her stuff on the couch, then headed for the bed where Nick sat gazing at her with stars twinkling in his eyes.

He radiated joy and happiness, the kind of atmosphere Ellie wanted for him, and the kind of mood she loved to see him in.

Nick had always been a happy child, one capable of making her forget her bad day even without trying.

She had been shocked when her parents announced that they were expecting a second child, and she had mixed feelings about it. Already seventeen years old at that time, she didn't understand their need to have another child.

But like magic, the moment he was born and she had the opportunity to hold his little body in her arms for the first time, all her reservations and uncertainty disappeared, leaving only love and adoration for the tiny bundle in her arms.

Ever since that time, she bonded effortlessly with him and wanted nothing more than to always keep a smile on his bubbly face since he always manages to ease her stress whenever he is around her.

But then life came throwing such awful challenges at the little one, breaking her heart.

"I have a gift for you," Nick extended a folded piece of paper to her, his bright eyes and curved lips reflecting his level of excitement.

"Ahh… what is this?" Ellie received the paper, tilting her head to the side as she scrutinized it.

"Open it. There's something inside." Nick instructed and Ellie nodded in understanding.

She slowly opened the folded paper to find a piece of artwork with some labeling and a note beside it.

Four stick people, with heads painted in different colors. The smallest of them was seated on something that looked like a swing and was labeled Nick. Another stood behind the swing, labeled Ellie, while Mom and Dad stood on the left and right-hand side of the swing.

The moment Ellie saw the illustration of the swing, she recalled the day and event Nick tried to bring to life with his art.

It was the last day the entire family spent together before her parents embarked on that unfortunate journey with Nick. It was a family bonding day, and they had spent it in the park. If only she knew that would be the last time she would get to spend any more time with her parents, she would have made it more memorable and hugged them as tight as she could.

A tear slipped down to her cheek, and before she could wipe it, Nick's hand landed on her cheek, and he lightly rubbed the tear away.

"Don't cry. I saw Mom and Dad today. They were smiling at me." Nick's voice reached her ears, and his words made her pull her brows together in confusion.