Chapter 17: Her Time That Stopped

Amethyst snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder Nad heard her name being called.

She looked up and saw Slate standing there.

He actually called her when he entered but didn't receive any reply and so he came close and called her again.

"You're here," she then said standing up.

She looked down at Scarlet and seeing ehr still sleeping she looked back at Slate, "I shall get going then. The child of your caretaker was sick and so I sent her home. I hope you don't mind."

"I don't but what happened?" he asked checking on his sister.

Amethyst started explaining what had happened before bringing out the key.

"I just want to return this. Excuse me then," she placed the key on the bed side table and bowed at him before she started leaving.

"I..."

Slate started making her stop on her tracks.

He then took a deep breath, "Can you listen to me just for a bit?"

She took a deep breath herself before nodding her head.

She had already thought of it, she was not mad at them.

She was hurt after knowing about the matter but she was not mad, she only didn't want to listen back then because the wound that has not yet healed burst open again that she was feeling very much pained to listen.

And since she didn't want to say words that she could no longer get back, she chose to leave to get her mind to calm down.

Slate gestured for the chairs on one side of the room.

The room was big enough that there is a table and a pair of chairs on one side where people could rest and eat, but there was still space for others to move around the room.

Before sitting down himself, he waited by the door.

She was curious but didn't ask what he was waiting for.

Soon, Gabriel came and handed Slate two cups of piping hot drinks.

He placed on in front of her while the other in front of him before he finally sat down.

"I will start by saying that we apologize for looking into your past without telling you. We don't need your permission but we can't stay neglectful on the fact that we should have told you we knew who you were."

Amethyst didn't comment and remained seated in her chair. But she did picked up the cup and blew on it.

"At the same time, I want to say that she didn't look into you with the mind set of making you do those things after finding out who you are. She became curious because of what was in your room and she had seen the news."

Amethyst nodded her head, even though she wanted to decline it, she and Emerald has some similarities.

"I don't want to put this forward but it was you who asked how you can repay us."

Amethyst once again nodded her head, she was not rejecting this words because it was the truth.

"To be honest, she had felt some connection towards you when she spoek with you for the first time in your shop. Since then she had been wondering just what is the reason behind this connection she had been feeling."

"I see."

"I am not asking you not to get mad but I am asking you to understand. We may have kept it from you that we knew who you were but we didn't have any ill intention towards you."

Amethyst drank from her cup before she finally looked up at him.

"I was never mad."

Slate looked at her in confusion.

"But I was hurt. I think you already have an idea as to the reason behind my sickness at the end of every year. My past was traumatizing that is a fact."

She took a deep breath, "And suddenly knowing that you knew about my past and the reason you didn't ask anything about my strange behavior was because of it. My past wounds had opened and the pain had returned."

"We... really didn't mean to."

He had an apologetic tone as he said this.

She slowly shook her head, "I didn't want an apology from the both of you. Not because I didn't want to accept it but because you were never at fault."

He stared at her, both of them were guilty because of the pain on her eyes back then but she was talking right now that they didn't have to apologize?

"My past can be revealed to anyone, I never tried hiding it nor did I try to remove it, make my past unknown. You knowing about it is just normal. But as I have said the trauma was still there and that trauma had caused me so much pain."

Slate nodded his head, he understood what she was talking about.

"But you are returning the key," he then pointed out.

"When you are hurt even if you are not mad you still want to stay away from everything that will make you remember about the pain."

Slate couldn't reply, she was right.

Amethyst took a deep breath, "I'll speak with her then I will decide what I should do next."

He was once again stunned by what she had said.

"I was thinking of staying away but maybe just maybe this is a way given to me to get over what had happened and find my new way."

He didn't say anything and just sipped through his cup, he has nothing to say about this.

She just said she has a trauma and as a doctor he can tell from the next things she uttered that she was trying to get over the trauma of her past.

A knock came to the door and Gabriel opened the door and upon seeing Slate he nodded at him before leaving again.

Slate ahd asked him to remind him of the time because he still has another operation.

He knew he might lost track of it once he speak with Amethyst and his phone had just died and is still being charged.

"Can I ask you to watch over her for a bit longer, I am still on duty that I cannot stay here with her," he then told her as he stood up.

"I have nothing else to do. I can do that much right now," was her answer.

"I am grateful to you miss Evans."

"Amethyst."

Before he could step out of the room she said making him stop on his tracks.

He looked back and she was looking at him, "I think it is fine for you to call me by my name. We had been speaking with one another for a while now. We are no longer that much of a stranger."

"Then just call me by name as well. Once again I am grateful towards you Amethyst, not only for watching over her but for bringing her here before anything abd could happen."

She nodded her head in return and he finally stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

'Maybe it is really my time to start moving forward,' she thought as she looked at Scarlets sleeping face.

Her time that stopped, the time that remained unmoving after what had happened in the past.

Maybe it is time for her to make the clock ticking again.

To stop being stagnant and start moving forward.