Echoes into Darkness

CHAPTER 2

"Help me let you go..."

>>>

The weight on Nyoka's shoulders wasn't just from her backpack. As she trudged up the familiar stairs to her apartment, the weight of the conversation with Jacyn pressed down on her like an anchor dragging her into the depths of uncertainty. She had hoped to see regret in his eyes, perhaps even longing to rebuild the bridge between them. Alas, she saw nothing of the sort. Only indifference wrapped around him like a cloak of apathy.

Did it hurt her? Not particularly. But she detested how stubborn he was in admitting he was wrong, his pride a fortress impenetrable even to the gentlest of breezes. That was...if he was wrong in the first place.

However, a deeper unease gnawed at her like a persistent whisper in the back of her mind. Was he truly okay, or was his flippant act a mask for something more sinister? It didn't matter if it did either way. He wouldn't open up to her regardless. He had moved on, and so had she, or so she told herself.

Reaching her door, she fumbled with her keys, the late afternoon light casting long shadows across the hallway like accusing fingers pointing at her doubts and fears. Unlocking the door, she pushed it open, a wave of relief washing over her like a gentle tide – the apartment was empty, a sanctuary from the tumult of her thoughts.

Except for a single, crimson rose lying on the welcome mat just outside the door, a single, menacing thorn glinting in the fading light like a dagger concealed within a velvet sheath.

Her brows furrowed as she bent down to pick it up, the rose's vibrant petals a stark contrast to the muted tones of the hallway. Nothing more than a letter lay beside it, its edges crisp against her fingertips. She didn't need to look at it before knowing who it was from.

The crimson rose on the welcome mat was a jarring splash of colour against the muted hallway. Nyoka's breath hitched as she recognized the sender. Richard. Didn't this boy ever give up? Scoffing, she considered tossing the rose and the letter aside, but a sliver of morbid curiosity nagged at her.

 Would this letter be as romantically nauseating as the last one she had dared to read? She didn't even want to find out. She scoffed at the rose and the letter as she considered tossing the flower aside and shredding the letter like a heart torn asunder.

However, there at the end of the corridor, stood Daryll, his three children bouncing around him like excited puppies, their energy palpable in the air. Darren, the eldest, was wrestling playfully with his younger sister, Darriene, their laughter mingling with the sound of their footsteps echoing down the hallway like a symphony of joy.

Meanwhile, little Darellyn, her brow furrowed in concentration, chased a rogue red ball down the hallway, her determined pursuit a testament to her tenacity despite her deafness.

Nyoka's smile widened as she watched the scene unfold before her, a warmth blossoming in her chest like a flower unfurling its petals. She loved Daryll's kids, especially Darellyn. The little girl, deaf since birth, possessed a vibrancy that could light up any room, her spirit a beacon of hope amidst the shadows that lingered in the corners of their lives. Nyoka dropped her backpack with a soft thud and knelt before Darellyn, her hands signing a question with a fluid grace born of familiarity and love.

"Hey there, sunshine! How was your summer? Did you miss me?" she asked, her voice a gentle melody that danced through the air like a whispered secret, far from her usual demeanour of iciness and heartlessness. With a tender smile, Nyoka tucked the rose into the girl's hair, its crimson petals a stark contrast to the dark curls that framed her face.

Darellyn's face broke into a radiant grin, her eyes alight with joy as her hands flew, signing a rapid reply filled with animated details and excitement. Nyoka chuckled, translating Darellyn's enthusiastic response for the benefit of her siblings, her words a bridge between the world of sound and silence.