Chapter 17

AMELIA

I can see that the day is affecting Neville greatly. He looks broken as he’s perching against the wall in the corridor. I watch his entire body shake with the intensity of his grief as he cries in his hands.

The corridor is empty and is not brightly lit. Everything is abundantly dark, and the scarcity of lighting makes things difficult for a passerby to realise it's actually Nev down there, sitting on the floor, with his arms hugging his knees. When I happen upon him, I wait still in my steps, thinking if I want to overstep his boundaries.

Maybe he needs this time to process his feelings.

I can’t hurt him more when he’s already hurting.

What if I say something wrong that sets him off?

If I make this anymore worse for him?

Some part of me wants to move towards him and hold him in my arms. The empathy I feel for him shocks me. I’m not the one who wants to try to make other people feel better. I’m far from that. I have always been an awkward wallflower staying as distant as I c