Chereads / The Halfway / Chapter 1 - Left Alone

The Halfway

SoniiNaaz
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Synopsis

Chapter 1 - Left Alone

Chapter 1

The cemetery is extremely quiet at the beginning of the scene. A cloudy sky, birds circling and their voices audible, a brisk breeze, and dancing trees

Skye Johnson, who is 12 years old, and William Johnson, who is 11 years old, stand by their mother's grave with sad eyes. Everyone is standing there in dark black dresses, and Skye and William are trying to hold back their tears while the priest prays for the dead and everyone says Ameen in the end.

Tearful William is wearing a coat and black pants. His hair is black, and his eyes are blue like crystal. He looks brokenhearted. Uncle Thomas places his hand on William's shoulder from behind. He looks deeply hurt that his sister has passed away. He is wearing glasses, and his tears have already made his eyes red.

Everyone places a flower on Amelia's grave. There are only a few people around the grave, and Skye watches a large crowd from afar. Another deceased person to whom people are bidding farewell

Skye's big, brown, puffy eyes are full of tears, and she is wearing a long black maxi with full sleeves and a black hat. She can't bear the fact that her mother died today.

A light rain begins to fall. Everyone is making their way back to their vehicles. Her uncle Thomas advises her to return home and leave, but Skye remains in front of Amelia Johnson's gravestone, 1984–2022. Dear Mother, Rest in peace.

"Let's go," William said, his voice breaking,

William gradually begins leaving He turns around to look at Skye. However, she doesn't move. standing in the downpour. He tries hard to control his emotions, but today he is the weakest when it comes to doing so. He looks hopeless and sheds a tear.

"Skye? " He said

No reply from her yet she stares at mother's gave. He walks over to Skye and hugs her. They both feel as though this is the end of the world; they have never seen a funeral, and it's hard for them to accept this cruel reality as they both weep in the heavy rain when Skye loudly cries. They share the same pain, and it's hard for them to accept it.

As he released Skye, he said, "Let's go."

"I despise her," she said, sobbing.

"I hate you, you know that?" Skye says to the grave

William tries to control himself but openly cries.

"Are you happy now? you got rid of us; you must be at peace," cruel Skye said at Amelia's grave.

"Please, Skye," he begged.

"No, let me say what I want; today is my day," she replied.

He holds her hand as she continues to speak to the grave.

"I will never forgive you." She said to the grave,

William turned her around by placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Let her go." He told Skye,

She shook her head with tears in her eyes. Not willing to leave her mother. Not now.

"Say goodbye to her, but not like this." He spoke suddenly

Skye slides down on her knees and begins crying again, and William crouches next to her, his hand around her shoulder, to comfort her. Within a minute, Thomas arrives with a yellow umbrella and extends it to them. while standing beside them. Both siblings are under an umbrella, but he is standing in the rain with tears in his eyes.

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While Skye and William pack their belongings, Thomas explores the artistic home. Even though it is a small, three-bedroom house, the color scheme and artistic paintings make it stand out. When Thomas examines a small mark left by Amelia on each painting, he realizes they are all made by her.

Thomas observes various plants throughout the house, some on the windows, some outside the house at the entrance, and three Persian black, white, and grey cats roaming around. While the red lamp is at the end of the table, Thomas looks at the pictures of Skye, William, and Amelia together on the yellow, clean table.

Thomas holds a photograph of Amelia smiling, with Skye, 4, and William, 3 years old, both sitting on her shoulders and smiling with pure hearts. Such a lovely photograph; it makes Thomas smile just by looking at it. At another moment he feels tears in his eyes.

Holding his two bags, he hears William walking down the hall. William looks at him as he returns the picture to the table.

"Where is she?" Thomas inquired.

Skye sheds a single tear as she watches a knitted sweater in the meantime in the room. a v-neck sweater in orange that Amelia gave her for her birthday. She couldn't stop staring at the sweater. William appears behind

"He is waiting." He informed

Skye throws the sweater on her bed while packing the other dresses in her bag. sweater extended by William

"Are you not bringing this sweater along?" He asked, 

"No,"

"This is your favorite," he said

"Not anymore." She replied seriously

Skye holds her two travel bags as she prepares to leave, placing the sweater in the wardrobe.

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Thomas is loading bags into the rented car and watching over the Kids.

Meanwhile, Skye and William are meeting Maya Shah, a neighbor who is Asian, Pakistani, and in her 50s. She has curly, medium-length black hair and is dressed in a long coat as winter approaches. She is Amelia's best friend. Maya used to take care of them when Amelia worked multiple jobs to provide them with a good life. They grew up around her, and she is like a family member to them.

Maya hugs Skye and says softly, "Take care."

"You too." Before hugging her, William said,

Skye gives Maya her three cats after kissing them.

"Don't worry; I will take care of them," Maya assured the siblings.

They walked over to the car and continued to look back at their house.