An Album of Forgotten Memories (1) - 1

Twelve Years Ago:

The day the two first met was a peculiar one, to say the least.

The boy had just been discharged from the hospital after his accident, still scared of the forever dark world around him.

The girl had just lost her father who had died heroically whilst fighting against one of the many villains of the city.

On that day, the whole city had mourned, as their greatest police chief had passed away.

The villain was never caught.

Both these souls, wallowing in their sadness and sorrow, couldn't help but gravitate towards each other in their most vulnerable moments.

And, by a twist of fate, they descended into each other's lives.

The day after the funeral was a gray one, the heavy clouds seeming to want to burst into tears at any moment, as even the heavens were sad at the passing of Connor Adhara.

The little girl had been walking around her neighborhood, trying to think of something other than her dad, as every time her thoughts came around to him, she would inevitably well up a tear or two.

On the other hand, the now homeless boy was taking shelter under the cover of a metal dome in the neighborhood's park, having ran away from the hospital that he was being treated at. The boy's depressed mind too staticky in its thoughts for him to be able to think clearly.

Then, it started raining, hard.

With her home over 6 blocks away, the girl could only think about getting shelter from the rain, fast.

Seeing the old park, she immediately spotted the dome, and realized that it was the perfect place to take shelter from the rain.

Climbing under the dome, she was surprised to find a young boy huddled up with his back against the closed side, shivering in the cold.

Seeing that the boy hadn't noticed her, the little girl decided to extend a greeting.

"Hi, my name is Astraea, what's yours?"

The boy's head shot up from under his arms, and when the girl saw that his eyes were sewed shut, she knew, he was a kindred soul.

But, she didn't comment on the fact, making the boy feel at ease, letting himself relax in the comfortable silence, one that was extremely different from the ridicule or pity he often faced when people saw his face.

After a while, the boy introduced himself.

"My name is Dawn."

Hearing the boy's response, a smile bloomed on the young girl's face.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Dawn... Sigh, that's such a beautiful name." The girl said dreamily.

"Like Astraea is any less beautiful." The boy rebutted.

"Ah, I guess I'm just too used to it by now."

"It's your name." The boy said flatly. "Of course it would sound boring after you hear it for the hundredth time."

After this, their conversation died out, as they both silently listened to the sounds of the rain striking the metal dome above them.

"Pitterpatterpitterpatterpitterpatterpitterpatterpitterpatterpitterpatterpitterpatterpitterpatter."

Strangely, the symphony of noises was calming. The beating of the rain was in time with the beating of the two children's hearts, the warming music fostering a sense of contentment in the minds of the two children.

At this point, the girl had positioned herself next to the boy.

They basked in the glow of their akin spirit, as if their troubles were laid bare for the other to see. And, while most would be troubled by this, the two could only reap comfort from the presence of another like them.

"Rummmmmmbbbbbbllllllleeee."

After a while, the steady beat of the rain, mixed with the intermittent chorus of thunder, induced sleepiness in the two children, causing them to fall asleep whilst each leaned on the other.

They stayed like this until the rain stopped.

...

Once the rain stopped, the little girl immediately headed back home, the little boy in tow right behind her.

Dragging the boy up to her doorstep, the girl opened the door to the image of her mother rushing up to her, hugging the living soul out of her.

The boy just awkwardly stood to the side during this time, letting the mother and daughter have their moment.

"I thought I lost you too..."

The mother kept repeating this over and over again as she continued to hug her daughter.

After a while, the mother finally realized that they had a guest.

The girl explained the boy's situation from the little information she had gathered, and the mother let the boy into their home.

Drawing the little boy a bath and then feeding him a warm dinner, the mother tried her best to make the boy feel at home.

Whether this was out of the goodness of her very soul, or if it was just a way for her to try to fill the hole her husband left in her heart, the mother treated the boy as if he was her own son.

Over the dinner table, the boy explained his situation, and the next day, the mother went to Child Services and officially adopted the boy.

The boy would then go on to live in the Adhara household for the next 7 years, before another twist of fate would go on to rip the two children apart.

This was the story of how the two youths met.

...

13 Years Later - The Present:

The two youths continued to stand there in the courtyard, as all the other youths started slowly leaving, some headed to fancy restaurants to celebrate their admission, some headed to their run down apartments to cry themselves to sleep with their delusions of,

"There is always next year..."

Finally, as the clock struck 1, they became the only two left.

They both stared at each other for the longest time, standing still, frozen in their spots.

Finally, as if on the same brainwave, they started converging towards each other, their steps hitting the grass at the exact same times.

As they came to the middle of the courtyard and faced each other, no more than a few centimeters between them, the young man took off his hat.

Seeing the familiar eyes that had been sewed shut, the girl could only gasp, her hands quickly coming up to cover her mouth.

"Hello Raea. It's been a while, hasn't it?"