Ten minutes later, Noah alerted while tugging Mom's jacket, "Mom, I have to use the restroom." I started to notice the sky turn a slight gloomy grey as I kept pacing, waiting for Dad to return. It's probably just my imagination. I reassure myself.
"Come sweetheart," she waved over to me. We then followed the large sign labeled 'Restrooms'. After we had finally found the restrooms, I glanced towards the other trails and then faced the sky. Are we the only ones here? I questioned. Perhaps we took a less crowded route? I asked the sky above for answers, but I never received any. Suddenly, the grey clouds completely dominated the partially blue sky, and it instantly started to rain. The cool, heavy rainfall cut me out of my daze.
"Mom!" I called knocking on the steel bathroom door. "It started raining!" I held onto the railing beside me as the wind picked up speed. My long brunette hair couldn't keep still with the harsh weather. The door opened, moments later, only to reveal my worried and terrified looking mother and little brother. She gasped and tugged me inside.
As she shut the door behind us, Noah asked shakily, "Is Dad here yet?" I just shook my head, not trusting my voice to reply normally. At that moment, I prefered to act calmly, but deep down I was already broken. Sometimes it is better to feign calmness, even if you know you are far from it. Everyone is battling their own emotions everyday. The raging war inside, chaos and fear, threatening to overtake your senses completely. In that moment, I grasped the thin thread of sanity and calmness I had within and pulled myself out of my trace. Yes, that is exactly what I did. I didn't pay attention to the fear inside of me. I stood in the middle of the bathroom, examining my surroundings. Noah waddled towards the corner and cried. Mom pulled out her phone, but defeatedly put it back into her pocket. Mom was then pacing. It was usual for her to do this. She had done it before. In fact, whenever she tried to figure out a solution.
She stopped, stared straight at me and warned, "Don't open the door for any reason. Stay right here with your brother, while I search for your father."
A tear, which I fought to maintain within, slid down my cheek, "I don't think that's a good idea. Mom-".
She interrupted me before I finished my sentence, "Promise me that you'll listen to me." I knew she was stubborn, but so am I.
“We can find another way. We can-”.
Yet, again, she cut off my sentence, not willing to hear what I had to say, “No, I am not putting you and your brother at risk. I can’t let you two get lost too or, even worse, hurt. Stay here and comfort your brother. If anything happens, don’t forget that I will always love you.”
“No Mom, please don’t go,” I begged her to stay. I cannot fathom another separation.
She placed one delicate hand on my shoulder, the other softly caressing my check. “This is difficult for me too sweetheart, but I will do anything within my power to make sure my family is safe. Promise me you’ll stay here with your brother.”
There's no point in arguing with her further. Her brown eyes grew slightly larger and glistened as she waited for my response.
A few tears escaped mine. "I promise," I whispered softly, not even sure she heard or not. She pulled me into a tight embrace and whispered reasurings to me. I clung onto her for dear life, not wanting to let go. Even from inside, I...