158 Stay Strong And Live

"What are you doing standing over there on your own? Come on," Amber called as she, Alissa and even Ashton were standing by the shore, just where their feet could touch the water.

Timothy was baffled, how in the world was Ashton even there? It doesn't match with his personality.

Then he looked at Amber and somehow he could only think that it was because of her, Ashton was trying to spoil her too much.

Ashton was indeed spoiling her but it was in a different reason from what Timothy was thinking about.

He was supporting her by allowing Timothy to face his fears, for compared to Xander, Timothy, who thought of himself as the elder brother who put his younger brother into danger, had a much greater fear towards this things.

Alissa who somehow understood what Amber was doing finally decided to really help out.

She of course looked at Amber who was really enjoying herself with the water before she shook her head in defeat.

'I guess, your fun is by being a busybody who loves watching over people,' she thought before looking back at Timothy.

"What, don't tell me you are also scared of this place?" she called out teasingly.

Timothy, who didn't want to tarnish his pride even more, could only remove his shoes and follow them.

'It's just the shore anyway, it won't be that scary,' he thought as he walked closer.

But just as he reached the edge where the water could reach, he stopped, memories of the past started coming in his mind.

The gunshots, the body that lost its life, the car that sped up, the way it dove down the water.

He started taking deep breaths in order to push them aside, trying to stay in the present.

Just as he was about to be engulfed by it, his hands were held. Upon looking up, he saw Amber smiling at him solemnly.

"Shall we?" she asked as she tagged at his hands making him take a step to the water.

He couldn't help but to have a sharp intake of air as he felt the water in his feet.

"Calm down, what makes you scared? The water? Or the past?"

He stared at her in shock.

"The color of your face has drained upon coming closer. What are you scared of?" she asked once again, not intending to make use of Ashton to say that she have heard of his accident from him.

"That should just be your imagination," Timothy didn't suspect anything and tried to cover it up.

"Is it? But why is it that when the water reached your feet, you look like you were about to die?"

Timothy was stunned as he could only look at her.

Amber turned around and stood beside him, "The water could be a traitor but it could also be a friend."

She looked at him and smiled, "It may have betrayed you in the past but unlike humans, when you meet it again, it is up to you whether to be betrayed or be comforted by it."

The time they arrived here was almost dusk so the wind was colder and the sun was less glaring.

Timothy didn't know why but he followed her suggestion, so he closed his eyes and slowly inhaled the air surrounding them.

"Live with the present and do not be imprisoned by the past. Be grateful you are still alive and that all your experiences were lessons for you to look back on and not to fear."

Timothy kept taking deep breaths as he felt his heart calming down and the memories that were trying to devour him slowly fade away.

"Now open your eyes and see just how beautiful the place you are being scared of," she then added.

The sky has started turning into a shade of orange and the clouds gave it more beauty than what it already has.

Upon opening his eyes he couldn't help but be amazed, he never truly watch the sunset near the ocean, just being near it was enough to make him tremble.

This was the first time in more than ten years that he really came this close to the water he dreaded.

"You don't have to take a step closer and just stay there for now, slowly just slowly learn to accept everything," was her final words before she returned beside Alissa.

The part where Alissa was standing, reaches Amber's knee.

Alissa could see a sad and happy smile at her but at the same time there was fulfillment.

Fulfillment that even just for a bit, she was able to help her brother.

Alissa smiled at her before the two of them remained staring at the horizon, not minding the wind or the sun.

"Who is she?" Timothy asked for the nth time, but this time he was asking Ashton who walked towards him and stood beside him.

"A busybody?" Ashton replied.

"Did you tell her, about what happened to me and Xander?" he couldn't help but ask for every place they went to, it somehow has some connection with the incident years ago.

"Nope," Ashton replied.

It was an honest answer for he really didn't, she just knew.

Timothy nodded before looking down at the water playing at his feet.

"It's warm," he couldn't help but say.

He still has the fear of going deeper but currently the small amount of water that touches his feet, feels comforting.

"She was right you know, if you keep living in the past, you won't be able to fully live your present and your future would be even more monotonous," Ashton commented.

Timothy knew, Ashton was referring to the reason why they got into the accident in the first place.

He and Xander wanted to runaway two years after they were left behind. A servant who became close to them decided to help them and drove the car for them.

In the end they were followed and a shoot out occurred, the servant was shot dead and the car suddenly sped up driving straight to a low cliff whose end was the ocean.

Both didn't know what happened but somehow they were saved and were brought back to the Price estate.

From then, they lost the feeling of leaving that cursed place and just lived their lives as puppets of their family.

It was only when they met Amber, that the urge to live as their own person started bubbling inside them again. The reason he returned to this country where his company was.

"Maybe, isn't that why I am here in this country now?" he asked.

On the other hand…

"Are you sad? That you couldn't speak to him as his sister?" Alissa asked after a few minutes of silence.

"No, being an unknown will save them so to be able to speak with them and give them a piece of my mind was already enough for me," Amber replied.

"Alissa…" she then called.

Alissa looked at her, but Amber remained staring at the horizon.

"What is it?"

"Can I ask for a selfish favor?" Amber said before looking back at Alissa.

"What is it? If I can then I would willingly do it," she answered.

"Can you help me help my brother overcome his fears? Currently you are the only one who can be close to him that I can trust,��� Amber said her eyes shaking.

'She's scared for asking this favor. Scared that she might impose it on me and scared that I might reject it,' Alissa thought upon seeing this.

"I'll try my best but I won't promise. If we get a chance I will once again bring him to these places," Alissa answered honestly.

For it is not like, she could just invite him and he would already join her.

"Thank you… for everything," Amber sincerely said before looking back at the horizon.

'Mother, father, is this enough? I am trying to watch over them in your place. I am trying my best to help them in everything, this is enough right?' she then thought.

*****

"Timothy and Xander said that they didn't know who saved them and heard that when they were found both were lying by the road. Could it be it was you who saved them?" Ashton asked her as they were on their way back to the hotel.

"It's not me but someone I asked to go and check on them. The night before the accident I suddenly had the intuition to check on them. So I begged some people to do so and that was the news that I received," Amber said with a shake of her head.

"I told you my intuition is quite on point," she then added.

Ashton just smiled at her before returning his eyes on the road.

*****

~"Stay strong and live, or someone might end up going crazy due to the guilt of you being left behind."~

Timothy who just fell asleep was woken up by these words.

The dream was blank but there were words.

"Those words were words I heard on my half conscious state back then. But who was it? Who saved us? Who would go crazy?" he grabbed his hair, as he couldn't understand why all these memories started resurfacing.