How long had it been? She honestly couldn't know for certain. She found herself staring at a copy of some old book. It was a title she didn't recognize, but she was focusing on the golden embossed letters. The color was faded and no longer as bright as it once had been, but it still made her think of him, of his eyes. She shook her head. Almost a year, or perhaps over a year, and she still could not rid him from her mind.
His smell, his touch, his taste...everything about him plagued her, from the time she woke up in the morning to the time she went to sleep, and even then she was not free; he was in her dreams, and her nightmares. All three of them were always in her thoughts, but it was predominantly him. She'd moved to a small town almost one hundred miles south of River Lake, and the adjustment had been slow. She'd managed to find a job, in a library, and that was where she currently was.
Her father had not made any attempts to contact her, which made her think that either he hadn't found her, or he had finally realized that she wanted nothing to do with him. Or, as in her rather pleasant fantasies, he was hit by a bus. She sighed through her nose, finishing her work for the day before leaving. As was the norm for her, she began walking home. She felt uncomfortable in her own skin, as if she didn't belong here. And honestly, she didn't. As far as she could tell, she didn't belong anywhere.
The lights flickered on in her apartment, the walls bare and an off-white. She looked around with that blank look on her face. There was a hollow ringing in her ears, reflecting the utter silence of the room. She hung her key on the hook before sitting down at the single chair.
Something caught the edge of her vision, and she turned her head to look at it more fully. It was the blue ribbon that Virgil had given her for her hair. She hadn't worn it since before she had left River Lake; as far as she knew, she'd never unpacked it. She crossed the room to the counter where it lay, a frown marring her features. How had it ended up here? She picked it up, his face flashing in front of her eyes.
She closed them, trying to banish the image. What was she doing? It was never going to end, she was never going to just forget them. She couldn't just forget them. She wound the blue band around her hand, trying, and utterly failing to stem the flow of tears that suddenly surfaced. She should never have left. Hadn't she told Virgil that she wasn't going to run away anymore? Yet that had been her first thing to do.
Gods but she was a hypocrate.
She hadn't realized she was moving until she was out the front door of her building. She glanced around, wondering just how exactly she was going to--
Her eyes lighted on a car not far away. She hesitated slightly. She'd never actually driven before, but this was a bit of an odd situation. Her fingers ran over the key-shaped object that hung around her neck, and she found her resolve.
She was going back to River Lake.
His smell, his touch, his taste...everything about him plagued her, from the time she woke up in the morning to the time she went to sleep, and even then she was not free; he was in her dreams, and her nightmares. All three of them were always in her thoughts, but it was predominantly him. She'd moved to a small town almost one hundred miles south of River Lake, and the adjustment had been slow. She'd managed to find a job, in a library, and that was where she currently was.
Her father had not made any attempts to contact her, which made her think that either he hadn't found her, or he had finally realized that she wanted nothing to do with him. Or, as in her rather pleasant fantasies, he was hit by a bus. She sighed through her nose, finishing her work for the day before leaving. As was the norm for her, she began walking home. She felt uncomfortable in her own skin, as if she didn't belong here. And honestly, she didn't. As far as she could tell, she didn't belong anywhere.
The lights flickered on in her apartment, the walls bare and an off-white. She looked around with that blank look on her face. There was a hollow ringing in her ears, reflecting the utter silence of the room. She hung her key on the hook before sitting down at the single chair.
Something caught the edge of her vision, and she turned her head to look at it more fully. It was the blue ribbon that Virgil had given her for her hair. She hadn't worn it since before she had left River Lake; as far as she knew, she'd never unpacked it. She crossed the room to the counter where it lay, a frown marring her features. How had it ended up here? She picked it up, his face flashing in front of her eyes.
She closed them, trying to banish the image. What was she doing? It was never going to end, she was never going to just forget them. She couldn't just forget them. She wound the blue band around her hand, trying, and utterly failing to stem the flow of tears that suddenly surfaced. She should never have left. Hadn't she told Virgil that she wasn't going to run away anymore? Yet that had been her first thing to do.
Gods but she was a hypocrate.
She hadn't realized she was moving until she was out the front door of her building. She glanced around, wondering just how exactly she was going to--
Her eyes lighted on a car not far away. She hesitated slightly. She'd never actually driven before, but this was a bit of an odd situation. Her fingers ran over the key-shaped object that hung around her neck, and she found her resolve.
She was going back to River Lake.