Amari wasn’t sure how long she had been sitting there quietly to her own thoughts. The more she sat there, the more she twisted between feeling angry and upset. She was furious that Isabelle would say such things to her, but even more angry at the fact that they held a lot of truth… Amari had never meant to be a burden to Jake. She had tried her best to help him but at every turn...he seemed to get angry with her. So wouldn’t it be best for her to just leave?

If she was out of the picture wouldn’t Jake be happy? He’d have his...girlfriend or whatever, he’d have his fighting and he had a fantastic teacher and mentor in Joshua. Amari stood and glanced around her room. She didn’t exactly have a lot of things to call her own. Only the few things that Jake had bought her.

Damn..

She really had depended on him too much. Amari pottered about her room, collecting the most basic of things. One set of warm clothes, one set of cooler clothes… shoes and boots. What else did she need? Amari went to look for her handkerchief only to recall that Jake had lost it.

Well.

That’s everything then. Amari sat down at her desk and began to silently write a letter with a heavy heart. This was...for the best. She’d write one for Jake, then one for Joshua. Then she’d go get some supplies and head to the greenhouse to say goodbye to Helen.

Amari left the two letters on the table.Thankfully...Helen had offered her money for her troubles, Amari wouldn’t know what to do without having that small pouch of coins. She needed some sort of rations. Ah...but what do people buy for rations?

A gentle knock echoed through the solid oaken door.

Amari stilled. Who would that have been? She didn’t answer straight away. Instead, she stayed very quiet. Maybe if she didn’t make a sound they’d assume she wasn’t there.

“Amari?” Came Joshua’s voice. “Are you in there?”

Amari wanted to answer him. She wanted to slide her letter under the door and let him know she was leaving, but Amari wasn’t good at that sort of thing. Wouldn’t it have been better to just...go? Amar tiptoed around the side of the bed to hide. Praying that the squeaking floorboards were not loud enough for him to hear.

“Amari… I can hear you moving in there,” the sheriff said somewhat sheepishly. “I don’t know why you’re hidden away, but whatever it is, it can’t possibly be made worse by talking to me. May I come in?”

Amari stayed silent. The door slowly clicked and was pushed open. Amari’s eyes widened when she realised she had forgotten to lock it. She quickly dropped and kicked her travel bag under the bed and awkwardly greeted the man. “A-ah. Hello Joshua. Nice to see you today.”

Josh did not look quite like himself. It was perhaps the first time Amari had seen him sweating, as if he’d been running all over town. Rather than his familiar smile, a troubled expression haunted his gaze.

“It’s good to see you,” he said, “when you weren’t in any of the usual places… I admit, I got worried. Even Jake didn’t know where you were.”

Amari laughed. “Ah..yeh..That’s my fault. I told him I’d meet him at the Dansdel but I wasn’t feeling too good so I came back here to tidy up the room.” She paused. “Did you need me to find you a glass of water? I’d offer you my handkerchief but Jake lost it.” concern filled Amari’s voice as Joshua stepped into the room breathing heavily. Amari moved out the way and gestured for him to sit on her bed. “Sit. I’ll wet a towel for you.”

Amari headed to the bathroom to fetch a hand towel. She drenched it in water and wrung it out before returning it to him. “Here.”

“Ah, thank you.” Josh said, quickly catching his breath. He took the towel and dabbed at his forehead and collar. “What’s the matter?”

“Just a little hungover from last night. I think I need more-” Amari sighed. She didn’t feel comfortable lying. Instead of telling him she headed to her desk and handed him a letter. Detailing her run in with Isabelle, and how she felt she was a burden and that she wanted to grow on her own. Promising to return when she was able to hold her own.

“I was planning on leaving today.” Amari said as she set the letter in Joshua’s lap. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I feel...well - things get complicated. I’ve been shut away most of my life and I think I need to experience things to understand better.”

Josh was quiet a moment. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I thought you’d found that here. I thought you were happy learning from me, and Helen.”

“I was...I mean I am but - I’m not exactly a wanted nor liked person here Joshua. I want to better myself. The letter sorta explains that.”

“What are you talking about?” He said in surprise. “Who doesn’t like you?”

Amari glanced down at the letter then turned away from him, heading back into the bathroom. Isabelle...Isabelle didn’t like her, nor did half the other girls in town. Jake was beginning to show resentment toward her too. It’d only be a matter of time until Joshua acted the same way. “I’ll get you a water.”

“Just sit with me, for a moment.” Joshua told her. The letter was open in his hands. Finally, he’d read it. Amari hesitated, before finally sitting down next to him. “You know, not everyone is going to like you, everywhere you go. That’s something you’ll have to learn to deal with. If you run from it every time, you’ll soon run out of villages.

“And if you feel like you’re a burden on Jake… well, maybe you have been depending on him too long. Maybe he’s the one who should move on.”

“He’s doing that.” Amari said as she threw herself back onto the bed to stare at the ceiling. The man had given her some things to think about. “I’m happy for him. I think. Just frustrated that I was being lied to, I guess.”

“It sounds like what you really need is to have a proper talk with him.” Josh said. “But if it’s a matter of independence, we could easily find you work around here. You’re a fantastic cook. You might even find a place that isn’t, you know, right next to Jake.”

Amari shifted her eyes to look up at Joshua. How was he smiling? She looked a mess, her hair was sprawled around her and her dress unironed. Still, it warmed her to see him calm again. “I think you’re right. I wish i wasn’t so closed off from the world. I feel I’d be...Smarter? More astute to the life of being an actual adult. My whole life I was-” Amari paused. Unsure of how to continue. “Conditioned by my brother, to be something, and on top of that - I was being prepared to be handed to the Etheral Sway come my 18th. I wonder what would have happened if I didn’t step through that door. How different my life may have been. Would I be stronger? Weaker?”

“You’ll never know,” Josh said, “and you’ll never know for sure what you’ll be tomorrow. Only what you are today. And I hope you choose to stay around, at least for awhile.” He reached out as if to pat her on the shoulder and then hesitated, drawing his hand back. Something seemed to be on his mind but he stood up and moved away. “Why don’t I go and see if Helen has something for your hangover?”

Amari sat up, “Joshua what was -” She was about to question him on it, but became distracted by his offer. “Yeh. Should I join you?”

“You just rest here and… think happy thoughts.” Josh said. “I’ll be back before you know it.”