The Buried Past [Previously My Family]

1. The Relocation

CONNOR MITCHELL
5 Months before Elle's disappearance

'I'm sorry, Connor, but I have to go,'

A tear slowly tumbled down Connor's cheek, overwhelmed with grief. Amanda wipes the tear that she had shed. She silently sobs, covering her mouth with her hand. Connor is still in a state of shock, disbelieving what she had said.

'My parents have decided. There's nothing I can do about it,' she silently weeps.

Connor barely heard a word. He tries to keep in his tear, but it is already rolling down. He sobs. His heart is already broken, demolished and unmendable. There is no cure or salvation for his broken heart, save the gentle embrace of her ever-welcoming arms - something that he'll never be able to feel again.

'There's got to be another way,' he mutters as he weeps. 'There is another way, isn't there?'

Amanda shakes her head, wiping her tears away. She looks up at him, her beautiful blue eyes glistering in the sunshine. 'I really must go.'

'Please don't go,' begs Connor, but there was no stopping Amanda. 'You don't have to go that far. How about Altmore Creek?' His voice breaks in despair. He simply cannot lose her. Not now, not ever.

'I told you, there's no convincing them.'

The words hit Connor hard. There's no convincing them. Though insignificant at first, it means 'I'm leaving'. Tears start flooding his eyes and gushing out onto his pale cheeks. The morning breeze, the song of the birds, the warm sun - it's not helping at all.

The urge to feel her embrace sweeps him, and he succumbs. Instantly, his arms fling outwards, grabbing her in the most loving way possible. For a moment, time seems to stop. The busy world around them suddenly stops in their tracks. He could smell the fragrance of her hair, sweet and rosy. He grabs a lock of her auburn hair, knowing that he will never have the chance again. Their hearts neat together as one, though not for long. Their simple bliss in this short instance is a memory neither will forget; to be cherished for a long time. Connor breaks away gently, staring deep into the blue sea of Amanda's eyes. In that second, they forget where they are. Their longing gaze for each other's company, embrace - love - is rekindled and revived. 

Connor swoops in, landing on her lips. That warm sensation they felt in their first kiss emerges once more. It swallows them, as Connor caresses Amanda's smooth face, wet with her tears of sadness. She gingerly holds his hands, still cuddling her. None of them wants this to end, but it must be done. She slowly pulls his hands away from him, ending the sweet union of their lips.

As their lips parted, the euphoria of the moment lingers in the air and their heart. Connor holds Amanda's hands, damp with tears. He mutters something under his breath, audible to Amanda. 'I love you.'

Tears stream down his cheeks. 'I don't want to lose you.'

'You won't,' she says. 'You'll never lose me.'

'Then stay.'

'Connor,'

Amanda looks up, their eyes meeting once more. Her unique blue eyes and his rare green eyes, creations of heaven, gaze deeply into each other. The physical manifestation of melancholy is visible in their eyes. An unattainable craving for each other's warmth rests in their longing eyes. This yearning will never be gratified.

'I really want to stay. I do. But...'

Connor sighs. Not a sigh of relief or romance. A sigh of despair, grief, devastation.