Through the Dark

A day later, I was sitting on my porch, enjoying the scenery of the forest. The waterfall was roaring a few yards away from me; the trees were swaying in the breeze; I loved this place.
I then heard someone coming up to me since there was an unusual crunching of leaves and grass. I perked up and saw Bella sauntering up to me. She didn't have a bow in her hand or a pack of arrows slung on her back; she was wearing casual clothes, not clothes for hunting: a long sleeve navy blue blouse and jeans.
I was very surprised to see her. I barely had any visitors since people didn't come to my part of the forest. But I was also more than happy to see her because I wanted to hang around her more often.
"Hi, Corey!" she called to me as she walked up the wooden steps of the porch.
"Oh, hey, Bella." I gave her a small smile. "What are you doing here?" I followed her with my eyes as she came over and sat on the chair that was next to me on my right.
"I just wanted to hang out with you." She shrugged with one shoulder. "Is that fine with you?"
"Yea, yea, totally, I'm fine with that." Correction, I'm way more than fine with that. I love that. I just gazed at her, taking in every facial feature of her. I didn't realize how awkward it was until she cleared her throat.
"Oh, sorry..." I turned away from her, feeling my face warming up in embarrassment; I couldn't see what Bella was doing.
"So, you were telling me... You're from Montréal, right?" Bella started.
I looked ahead into the afternoon view and nodded. "Yea, I am. I'm actually from Châteauguay, but that's practically Montréal." He looked at her with a calm look.
"How did you get over here then...so far away, in a different country." She had her eyes widen in bewilderment and awe.
I looked away from her. "It's a long story--"
"I got time."
I turned to her again. "Are you sure?"
"Yea, I'm quite interested in you." Bella smirked at me.
I dipped my head with my elbows on my thighs as I chuckled. "I'm...interested in you, too."
"Well, my childhood is far from interesting than your's, trust me. I wanna hear more about you-- Tell me," I heard her say.
I straightened up, gazing at the blue sky. Something about Bella comforted me so that I could talk about my past, a topic I was sensitive about, which was why barely anyone knows about it. I mentally opened up my past in my mind, letting the memories spill out so that I tell about them efficiently. "I'm French-Canadian, I am from Châteauguay, Montréal, Québec. My father was a lawyer and my mother was a nurse. I didn't have any siblings. I went to an all French school, so I do know how to speak French and there, I was the goalie for the school's ice hockey team." I licked my bottom team, knowing that the part that changed my life was coming up. "One night...my parents went out alone, so...I was alone at home." I paused for a moment, thinking of the right words to say. "I waited for them to come...but...they never did." I looked down, trying to not expose the hurt that was coming back from inside me. "The police came instead--" I blurted out, throwing my head back and looking at her. "--they told me that they were dead, died in a car crash. So...I was sent to an orphanage here since the ones over there were full. I ran away three days laters after being in there 'cause I couldn't take it. I ran to this forest, and I was starting...to regret running...because...I thought I was gonna die, it was cold, it was the winter, it was snowing... But luckily, someone found me. And he brought me in as his own son. Him and his wife lived here and they rose me up as their own." I nodded my head. "And that's where I've been ever since. Hadn't moved. It's been the same for the past nineteen years."
Bella stared at me with wide eyes. "Oh my goodness," she breathed out. "I'm...I'm so sorry."
I pursed my lips. "It's fine. My life would've been a whole lot more different if they were still around. Maybe I'd never meet you."
She smiled at me. "You're brave...to be living here all alone."
I shrugged. "I'm used to it. This is practically all I know now." I extended my hands out towards the scenery. "And I like it. I don't wanna change."
"Would you ever go back to Montréal?"
I shook my head. "I don't think so...I just think it'd make matters worse."
Bella nodded her head. "I understand. But you're lucky to find a couple who took you in as their own."
"Yea, I'm so grateful for them." I smiled, thinking of them and all the things I did with them together: baking, hunting, sowing, carpeting...
"But thank you for telling me about your past," she told me with a smile.
"Thank you for listening," I told her back. "I've never told it to anyone before other than my parents."
"Yea." She nodded her head. "So, um--" She interlaced her fingers. "What are you planning to do today?"
"Actually, I was going to stop by and say hi to my parents."
"Okay, I'll let you do that then." Bella stood up.
"Whoa, wait..." I automatically held onto her wrist, gazing up at her. "...you can come, you know, meet the ones who practically saved my life."
She looked down at me with wide eyes. "Are you sure?"
"Yea, they wouldn't mind. Please?"
Bella smiled. "Sure, I'd love to come."
I stood up and gazed down at her. "Thanks." Then without thinking, I hugged her.
I felt her arms wrap around my shoulders, so I leaned closer with my arms around her waist. I letted my head rest on her shoulder, thinking of the last time I've ever hugged someone.
I closed my eyes, absorbing the silence and warmness of this moment. I love you so much, I thought to myself. I just don't know if you feel the same way.
I then pulled away and looked down at her. "Should we go?"
"Yea, let's go!" Bella exclaimed, looking quite excited.
"Uh, let me hold your hand..." I slipped my hand underneath her's and held it with a soft grip, not wanting to squeeze her hand too hard. "...so that you won't get lost in the forest."
She letted out a playoff scoff. "Okay, if you say so."
"Alright, this way." I then began making my way down the stairs with her by my side and we walked past the house and into the forest.

Notes