CHAPTERS TWO & THREE

The house felt heavier with each passing day. Lissa had been staying in her old childhood home since her mother passed away six months ago.

"Six months" she said out loud and shook her head.

Her mother Annie, died peacefully in her home beside the river like she wanted. She had spent the last months of her mother’s life taking care of her and making sure she had her daily dose of sunshine.

Lissa sat in the quiet of her childhood room, the faint scent of dust and old memories thick in the air. The house felt too small, too oppressive, a cage of her past that she had been trying so hard to escape. Every corner whispered secrets, every floorboard creaked under the weight of things left unsaid. She had come back here for a fresh start, but it felt as though the walls were closing in, trapping her in a story she had never wanted to finish.

The sun was setting, casting a soft golden light through the window. Her eyes drifted to the desk where her journal lay, a place where her deepest fears and secrets had once been scribbled in the dead of night. She hadn’t opened it in years, but the urge was there now—an old habit, one that whispered that writing might still offer the release she craved.

With a deep breath, Lissa picked it up, feeling the familiar weight of it in her hands. She turned the pages carefully, the sound of the paper almost too loud in the silence. She couldn’t help but glance at the inked words from her past—words that had been meant for no one but herself.

Her hands trembled slightly as she reached the last entry she had made before leaving town all those years ago.

June 17, 1994

I’m scared. So scared I can’t breathe sometimes. I don’t know how much longer I can keep pretending that everything’s fine. I can’t be here anymore. I have to go… and I can’t ever come back.

Lissa slammed the journal shut, the sound reverberating through the room. She hated that part of herself—the one that had been so broken she couldn’t face what was waiting for her. The part of her that had abandoned this town, abandoned everyone, to hide from her past.

But now… she was back.

Chapter Three: Emily

Lissa sat in her old room in silence.

“Breath” she told herself. She could feel her chest tighten. She inhaled through her nose and out her mouth.

The door creaked open, and Lissa’s pulse spiked. Slowly, she turned to see who had entered.

“Marley,” Lissa whispered, her voice catching in her throat.

Her old friend stood in the doorway, framed by the fading light. Marley’s white coat was absent, and instead, she wore the kind of casual clothes Lissa remembered her wearing during their carefree days. Her brown hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, and her eyes were still warm but guarded, as though seeing Lissa again had stirred something she couldn’t quite hide.

“Hey you.” Marley said softly, stepping into the room, her gaze flickering to the journal on the desk. “You alright?”

Lissa hesitated, swallowing hard. It was hard to explain what she was feeling. The familiar walls felt like they were pressing in on her, the silence too thick to breathe through.

“Just… memories,” she finally said, her voice hoarse.

Marley nodded, her expression understanding, though there was a hint of concern in her eyes. “It’s good to see you, you know? I mean… I’ve missed you.”

Lissa looked at her, feeling the weight of the years between them. The easy friendship they’d shared had slipped into something more complex, something she wasn’t sure how to handle anymore. She had spent so long pretending that this town and all the people in it didn’t matter to her, but standing here now, she realized how wrong she’d been.

“I’ve missed you too,” Lissa whispered. “I just… don’t know how to be here. It’s all so… heavy.”

Marley stepped closer, her presence a strange comfort. “You’re here now. That’s a start.”

Before Lissa could respond, a soft knock echoed through the doorframe. She turned, startled, as the door creaked open again.

“Mind if I come in?” A voice she hadn’t heard in years called out. It was familiar, laced with the warmth of old times, but strained by the distance of time.

Lissa’s heart skipped. “Emily?”

Standing in the doorway, framed by the twilight glow, was her childhood best friend. Emily had the same bright smile Lissa remembered, though it was tinged with uncertainty now, as though she wasn’t sure how to navigate this reunion either. She wore a simple tank top and jeans, but there was an air of change about her—something that spoke of time gone by and the lives they’d both lived since parting ways.

“I thought I’d stop by, see how you were settling in.” Emily said.

Lissa stood, unsure what to do with the rush of emotions that filled her. She hadn’t expected to see Emily today, and certainly not like this—after all these years. The past, it seemed, had a way of finding its way back into the present.

“Wow,” Lissa managed, her voice soft. “It’s been… a long time.”

“It really has,” Emily agreed, her tone gentle. She shifted her gaze to Marley. “Hey, it’s good to see you too. You’re still working at the ER, right?”

Marley gave a quick nod, but Lissa could tell something was shifting in the air. It was as though the two women had once shared their own version of the past, one that now seemed like a distant memory, even though they were standing in the same room.

“I… I wasn’t sure how to do this,” Emily said, her voice quieter now. “I know things were… complicated when you left. But I just wanted to check in.”

Lissa felt a lump form in her throat. The space between her and Emily had never felt so wide. She wanted to say something—wanted to bridge the gap that had formed over the years—but she wasn’t sure where to begin.

“I didn’t know where to start either,” Lissa admitted, her eyes meeting Emily’s. The years of silence hung between them, but the weight of unspoken words seemed to bring them closer.

Emily shifted, glancing down at her shoes. “I’m just glad you’re back, Lissa. It feels… strange, but in a good way. I wasn’t sure if we’d ever get the chance to talk again.”

Lissa smiled faintly. “Yeah. Me neither.”

The room was quiet for a long moment, the tension thick with all the things they hadn’t said, the things they didn’t know how to say.

Finally, Emily stepped forward, her hand reaching out toward Lissa. “Well, I’m here. Whenever you’re ready, okay?”

Lissa nodded, feeling something crack open inside her. Maybe she hadn’t come back to escape her past, but perhaps, with Emily’s presence, there was still a chance to face it—and maybe even make peace with it.