Chapter 15: Chapter 15

When you love someone, you understand the person's sadness even when the person is all smiles and reassuring you that he is fine.

- Grace Chanbee

[Amber's POV]

"I need you to help me," I heard Justin's voice say, ringing aloud with urgency.

I looked around and found myself in a swimming pool and for a reason I couldn't fathom, the water felt slimy and unusual against my skin and the whole place reeked of blood and I immediately felt like puking.

"Amber, I'm not okay," Justin's voice came again, in a whisper this time around.

The water in the swimming pool was right above my chest region and I searched in the pitch blackness of the night, on the lookout for Justin.

"Amber!" My father's voice called in the usual harsh tone.

My ears twitched instantly as my eyes diverted to the sound my father's voice had come from.

Right on the edge of the swimming pool stood a man of average height and although I couldn't see his face because of how dark everywhere was, I could tell through his stature that it was my father.

"Amber, help me, please," Justin said again.

I looked around in a futile attempt to see where Justin was and know why he so desperately needed my help so I could try to help him out in any way that I could.

The moon, in all its awesomeness, then decided to grace the tensed occasion by shining down its dim light upon us, rendering the environment a little bit bright, enabling my eyes to strain no more.

Thankful for the moon's generosity to aid me with light, I suddenly rebuked its kindness upon finding that the pool was actually awash with thick red blood and not water, hence why everywhere stank of blood.

The blood kept coming higher and higher, attempting to tower above me if I didn't swim onto dry land.

That was when I noticed Justin at the far end of the pool, tied up in chains against a stick and struggling for his life as the chains had made it impossible for him to swim towards safety.

Drops of blood dripped from his head and he looked tired and frustrated as he continued to say my name faintly, asking me for help.

"Justin!" I yelled.

I spread my legs and began to swim towards where he was tied in an attempt to save his life.

"Amber, come here!" My father thundered.

I ignored him as the pool of blood kept getting higher so much I could barely see Justin's face anymore, but still, I was determined to save him as I span across several metres of the pool, wondering how in the Lord's name a swimming pool was that large.

"Amber, aim for your own safety. Do not kill yourself to save his life. What does his life worth?" My father yelled.

I still didn't say a word to him even though I had a million and one things to say to him which were going to hurt his feelings and make him regret ever belittling a human being's life.

My body was tired from all the swimming but as I strived harder with Justin's safety as my only motivation, I got closer and closer to where he was.

All I needed to do was find a way to break his chains once I got to meet him, then we could escape for our own safety together.

I finally got to where he was and cupped his face in my small palms, smiling broadly on finally getting to see him after a whole week of him not being there with me as I was exposed to a new life I had no remembrance of.

He smiled back at me, showing off his set of sparkling white teeth. My heart tingled; I really loved when he smiled that way.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of a gunshot and Justin gasped.

I stared at him with huge curiosity as his eyes opened really wide in shock as he was visibly shaken. I was confused at first, then as he groaned in pain, I realised he had in fact been shot.

I panicked. "What's wrong with you?" I asked, shuddering out of fear.

He gave a faint smile and looked at me with so much love in his eyes as they closed and he drew his last breath.

"Can't you see? No matter what you do, you'll never be able to help him out," My father said.

I heard the sound of my father's cold-hearted wizard-like laughter fill the air as they echoed nonstop as a form of mockery as there was no doubt he was taunting me.

*****

My eyelashes fluttered as I opened my eyes to see bright light which enveloped the entire house as my teeth clattered with fear.

I had a throbbing ache in my head and despite the fact that the air conditioner was switched on, pangs of sweat engulfed my whole body, making me itch all over.

"Baby, are you awake now?" I heard my mother's voice say.

I looked towards my left where her voice had come from and saw her sitting by my bedside, wearing a pink satin dress with her blonde hair left down, graciously touching her back.

I managed to sit up amidst the pains I felt in my joints and I yawned, not feeling sleepy at all but weak; very weak.

"Hi mum," I told her.

"Hi. You said you were going to try to make a YouTube video after watching your previous ones. I had come into your room to see how that was going but I found you asleep," She said to me.

"I kinda slept off," I explained.

She smiled at me. "It's fine. I saw you tossing and turning in your sleep, you were also shivering and sweating at the same time, are you unwell?" She asked.

I sighed. "I feel weak and I umm... I had a nightmare, that's all."

My mum burst into laughter. "A nightmare? At 3pm? I don't think so."

I gave a small smile. "Sorry about that. I'm frightened," I said.

She looked concerned. "And why is that?"

"The dream I had was a really bad one. I'm freaking scared," I said.

She sighed. "Listen, baby, dreams don't come to pass, okay? They are just meant to scare us," She said.

"You don't get it. This dream felt so real..."

"All dreams feel so real," She said.

I shook my head in disagreement. "It felt like... Like my dream was trying to send me a message or... Or a sort of warning," I said, stuttering.

"Are you acting this way because you don't wanna see your therapist?" I heard my father say.

Looking up, I saw my dad dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, apparently on his way to play golf with his friends like he had already said earlier in the morning.

"She actually had a bad dream," My mother stated, coming to my defense as usual.

"Quit pampering her!" My father said, pointing his index finger at my mum.

"I'm not pamp..."

"That's enough!" He thundered, silencing my mother. "Your therapist is downstairs in your study room, waiting for you to show up. He has been waiting for you for the past one hour because your mother didn't want your siesta to be disturbed," He said, a tinge of annoyance laced in his voice.

"Must you drag me into this?" My mum asked.

He nodded, then turned back to face me. "If you don't want to see your therapist, how on earth are you going to remember all the memory that's lost?" He asked.

I swallowed hard, not saying a word.

"Darling, please, try to tell Amber the benefits of undergoing therapy treatment," He said, acting frustrated as I didn't reply.

"Baby, you should just go downstairs. It's for your own good, okay?" My mum said to me.

I heaved a deep sigh and nodded, still feeling really unsettled because of the bad dream I had had.

My father turned around, about to leave my room when a thought crossed my mind.

"Dad! Dad!!" I called, urgency ringing in my voice.

He turned around swiftly, apparently wondering why I was calling on him.

I climbed out of the bed, zipping up my shorts as I walked slowly to meet him.

"Yes?"

"I wanted to ask you for something," I said, fiddling with my fingers.

"If it's about skipping today's therapy class, I won't grant you that. Your mother has spoilt you too much, you need to be disciplined," He said, maintaining a firm tone.

I shook my head. "No, it's not that."

"Then what is it you want from me? Please, speak quickly. I'm running late," He said, pointing at his expensive Rolex wristwatch.

"It's... Umm... Can I.."

"Come on, baby, talk to your father. He'll give you anything, don't be scared," My mum urged me on.

I blinked nervously, rubbing my palms against each other.

"Listen, if you cannot speak up, I'll leave this place and we'll talk when you summon enough courage to speak to me. I'm your father, not a monster, why are you acting so scared?" He hollered, causing my heart to tremor.

With the scary way he spoke and his insanely hostile personality, why was he surprised that I was scared of speaking to him?

I braced myself and decided to just speak my mind thinking to myself that so be it if I perished. I had to ask him what was on my mind and he had to grant me my request because I was terribly scared after the horrifying dream I had just had.

"Can I perhaps speak to Justin?" I asked.

My dad looked enraged and I saw my mother let out a gasp as they were both obviously surprised at my request.

"Justin? The same one who told you he had been lying to you about me?" My father asked, emitting fury in his words.

I rolled my eyes. My father was still oblivious to the fact that I was aware that he had told Justin to lie to me so I could go home and he could be set free as a result of that.

"I just want to see if he's fine, that's all," I said with a shrug.

My mum stood up and patted my hair. "Baby, what's wrong? You haven't even said a word about this guy for a week now, what suddenly came over you?" She asked, hinting that she was worried but also pretending because I always talked to her about Justin.

I could understand her though; she didn't want my dad to feel that she was spoiling me and encouraging me to go against his wishes, so I just decided to ignore her.

"I had a bad dream. He died in that dream despite how much I tried to save him," I said, my heart thumping greatly with fear.

My mum stroked my hair softly, trying to ease the tension. "Is that why you were so worried? It's fine, baby, it's just a dream," She said to me.

I shook my head in negativity. "No, it didn't feel like just a dream. I need to speak with Justin, I need to make sure he's fine," I said.

"Enough, Amber! Enough!" My dad screamed causing me to shiver twice more than I already was.

"Calm down, Gilly," My mum cautioned in a low tone.

"Extend your words of sincere advice to your daughter. Has she gone nuts? Can't she come to terms with the fact that she belongs here and forget about that boy? Everything was going okay then she suddenly remembered that nuisance of a boy. Talk sense into her! Tell her she has a boyfriend and his name is Richard! From now on, I don't want to hear the name of that poverty-stricken boy in my house!" My dad thundered.

I shivered as tears slid down my eyes. "Boyfriend? I have a boyfriend whose name is Richard? I don't even know that guy. I've tried to like him but I don't even feel any sort of connection to him. In fact, I'm always uncomfortable around him and no matter what the world says, I just have this gut feeling that things aren't right between us!" I yelled.

"You think we're lying to you?" My father asked, still in a loud voice.

"I don't even know what to think!" I said, on top of my voice.

"Exactly! And that's why you need to focus on your therapy, and not some stupid boy," My dad said, hinting that he was being sarcastic in his statement.

"Listen, I'm not begging to stay with Justin. I'm not even asking to stop being forced to smile with people I don't know neither am I pleading with you to stop showing me old pictures and telling me who I was before now...."

"Those things are to help you recover your memory," He said, cutting in.

I scoffed. "Who says I even want to remember anything? If I had my way, I'd focus on creating new memories and starting life all over again instead of dwelling on the past, but I'm not even asking you for that. For crying out loud, I'm not asking for anything at all. I've chosen to live the life you want me to but please, let me speak to Justin just this once," I pleaded, sobbing really hard.

My father looked around the largely magnificent bedroom I possessed like he was in thoughts as I silently prayed and hoped he gave me a positive response.

"All you have to do is concentrate on your therapy. I'm sorry, but there's no room for side attractions," He said and turned around.

I grabbed unto his left hand, stopping him from leaving the room.

He turned around swiftly and looked like he actually pitied me as I was completely drenched in sweat and my very own tears.

"Please, just this once," I begged.

"Fine! I'll find a way for you to speak with him, but let this be the last time you ever mention his name in my house," My dad said.

I nodded my head rapidly, thanking him profusely for heeding to my request.

"Wipe your tears and try to look better. I don't want him thinking you're suffering in your own father's house," My dad said as he walked out of the room.

My mother pulled me into her arms and gave me a small kiss on the cheek.

"Your father has a softer heart than you could possibly imagine. He's only pretending to be tough, please, understand him," My mother said in a low tone.

"I don't like Richard at all, mum. I don't think we were ever in a relationship," I said to her, still wrapped in her embrace.

I heard her giggle. "I don't like him either, but the truth is he's your boyfriend. You know, I'd never lie to you," She said.

"Did he ever hurt me?" I asked.

She sighed and let me out of her arms, then smiled at me. "Every couple has conflicts. You just have to forgive and let go," She said.

"So why won't father let me let go of my past as well?" I asked.

"He's doing what he feels is best for you. Now, go and dress up. You need to look good and nice for Justin, you don't want him worrying about you, do you?" She asked.

"I don't," I responded.

"Good! I'll leave you to it then," She said with a small smile and proceeded to leave the room.

Although everything felt totally bizarre and suspicious, she was the only one that felt right in the house and I trusted her with all my being.

I smiled, staring at myself in one of the mirrors. I had won the battle and I could finally get to speak to Justin, hoping fervently that he was in fact okay and wasn't in harm's way and my dream had completely nothing to be worried about.

*****

I sat in front of my laptop on my bed after Helios, my dad's personal assistant helped me connect to Justin via video call on Skype and he had stayed behind to monitor how it all went.

My mum and Richard were also present in the room, trying to keep an eye on me apparently and making sure my conversation with Justin was quite censored.

The call connected and I got to see Justin sitting on a chair, looking as handsome as ever, but I couldn't see his environment because it was a phone he used in making the video call and it was strictly restricted to the selfie mode.

"Hey," I said, contemplating on the right words to use.

He gave me a dry smile. "Hi babe. How are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm well. I've been undergoing therapy, trying to get back my memory," I said to him.

"You must be quite busy then," He noted.

"Not really. How about you? Where are you and what have you been up to?" I asked.

"Just the usual," He responded with a shrug.

"I... Umm... How's your grandmother?" I asked.

He simply nodded, not saying a word.

"I was worried about you, that's why I wanted to be sure you're doing well," I said.

He gave a smile which seemed pretty forced. "Yeah, thanks for your concern. Amber, can I ask you for something?" He asked.

I nodded in a rapid motion. "Yeah, sure."

"We've already parted ways. Can you not do this again?"

"Do what?"

"Call me. I'm fine, Amber and I know you're better off with your family. We've already exchanged goodbyes, let's not speak to each other again. Please try to forget me," He said slowly, looking like he was trying to choose his words carefully.

I threw him an understanding look. "I get it. I just hope you're really fine," I said.

He bit his lip. "Yeah, I'm good."

The next thing I knew was that the call got disconnected. Apparently, he had hung up on me, probably tired of me saying anything to him.

I closed the laptop and I couldn't look up because it felt like all eyes were fixated on me which made me very much uncomfortable as my heart thumped with fear, my mind still feeling unsettled about the whole situation.

I felt someone touch my legs and looked up to see it was my mum.

She smiled. "He's right, baby. You are both with your families now, there's no need for you to still speak with him."

I nodded in accordance with what she said.

"I think you need some time alone," Richard chipped in.

"Yeah, I do," I whispered.

He came close to me and kissed me on the cheek; something which felt so gross and annoying but in the end, I tried to manage a smile.

A pregnant silence fell upon us as they slowly dispersed from my bedroom.

My first order of business was to clean my cheek severely with a napkin, wiping off every trace of the insanely irritating peck Richard had placed there.

Seeing Justin again had only cemented the fact that I still loved him and he was just literally everything I wanted as my heart had skipped upon seeing his handsome face once more.

I shook my head, knowing for a fact that everything Justin had told me was a lie. He wasn't fine and I knew it.

As if my suspicious feelings hadn't been enough, the way he had bit his lip had confirmed that nothing was right.

As tears streamed down my cheeks, I knew it was time to see Justin through any means possible.