Continuation of DFFM 3rd chapter

 What? " I smiled to conceal my worries.

She removed a lengthy animal hide to expose something underneath. "My bags." I had left my three bags in the car, so I was ecstatic to find them. "How did this come to you?" I gave a shrug.

"You didn't lock the car, and one more..." She searched for something. "Yours," she said, gesturing toward my phone.

In an instant, I grabbed it and searched for a signal. "No network." I scowled in disappointment. The heavy rain stopped when the dark clouds stopped showering, but the sky stayed dark. "How did you find out about the cars?" I squinted.

"I understand," she politely responded.

I don't have time to look into Mercy's abilities right now.I simply want to change her mind about being a prisoner in this forest. "Mercy, you must persuade your mother to come out of the forest." I looked at her, concerned.

Her eyes were dazed and filled with grief. "I cannot do this." She spoke, forcing the word out through her teeth. "You have to understand that she has never been harsh with me. I was perplexed as to why she disliked seeing anything outside of this forest." She responded anxiously. "I will never disobey her instructions, and she is the best mother." She grumbled, sounding as if she were speaking to herself.

"I can take you with me, but I don't want to leave your mother alone in the forest, so I will wait until today. You need to change her mind. Please do it for our lives." I persisted, appearing anxious.

"Um." She nodded.

"I hope you can change her mind."

Mercy left the room, so I refreshed and dressed myself. My thoughts on Mercy and worries about her mother bothered me greatly. For about 17 years, she kept her daughter imprisoned in the heart's jail, bound by a powerful lock called affection. I need to find the key, but I'm not sure where to start.

I ate some fruits and checked my phone. It's 12:30 p.m. I had not seen Mercy in an hour, so I stumbled silently into her mother's room. Mercy appeared so fast that I barely had time to blink before opening the wooden door. She wiped her tears with her palms, but they welled up again and quietly trickled down her pale cheeks. "Did she hurt you?" My words came out in a hoarse whisper as I pushed her aside and attempted to open the door.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me away. We moved slowly through the snow, away from the wooden house. I refused to remove my hand from hers. I assumed she'd been sseverely hurt.

After a long, painful wait, I finally broke the silence. "What happened to you?" Please tell me something. I drew her closer to my chest.

She exhaled briefly before speaking so softly that I had to carefully observe her lip movements to catch her words. "I will never forget the wonderful times I spent with you in my life." She said it with a cheerful tone of voice.

"I don't need this alone, so don't try to comfort me." I gave a frown.

"Okay, allow me to show you something special we have." She took me to a creepy grotto. She pushed one side, allowing us to enter. I noticed an older-model black car, possibly from the 1990s. The car is neat and clean, and though it is older, it will outperform the more recent one. "Who's this?" I inquired suspiciously.

"This is our car. My father bought this for my mother. She used to spend many hours a day in this vehicle. I don't know anything about my father, but my mother always promised he'd come live with us someday." She spoke sadly.

"You are crazy. You could only find him outside.” I demanded in a harsh whisper.

"I know Kevin." She replied pleasantly, smiling down.

"Come with me; I'll help you find your father." I grasped her arms and whispered.

This time, however, the silence was much longer. She pulled her arms away from me and left the room. I followed her. The outside was brighter than the inside, where the car had been stored. "Forget me." She said it without looking directly at me.

"What—what did you say?" I stammered, furious. "It's impossible; I can't believe you said it. "Mercy, you don't understand." I clapped my hand against my forehead. "I'll explain everything. Come." I took her hand and pulled her along. My hands were extremely cold, but I didn't mind walking in the snow. I sat under a tree and motioned for Mercy to join me. The ground felt cold and uncomfortable.

"What are you doing?" Mercy inquired urgently, looking puzzled.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and opened the gallery. "Look, this is my father, William, and my mother, Karen. My friends are Jake, Rob, Amy, and Hannah. I don't go a day without my friends. I gave a gasp.

"You should see an important person. He's my brother, Joe. I'd like to share everything with him." I exclaimed angrily and frowned at her.

"Kevin," she smiled but did not meet my gaze.

"Don't smile at me. Check out these videos: my birthday celebration, my parents' wedding anniversary, Joe's hospital inauguration, and my graduation day." It took a few minutes to show all of the videos, but she watched calmly and smiled at me again. "You are missing out on the happiest moments of your life," I said, disgruntled.

"I understand, but I cannot speak against Mom. I am happy here with my mother, friends, and the most beautiful silence. This is my life, my world, and yours is just as beautiful." She replied softly with a small smile.

I looked at her with disgust. "So, you don't want me?" I asked.

 

"Yes, I don't want you, and you can't stay here anymore." She walked away so quickly from my fierce scowl that I had to rush to catch up with her.

It took me a second to realize that. "Mercy, Mercy, stop." I cringed, but she refused to listen to me. I grabbed her wrist.

She turned anxiously to face me, tears welling up on her beautiful cheeks. I grabbed her face and gently pressed one finger against her lips, silencing her. "I'm in love with you, Mercy. I can't live without you. If you do not want me, that is fine, but I cannot leave you here." My emotions erupted, and I kissed her. It is difficult for me to leave her.

She pressed her hands against my cheeks and grabbed my head. She then kissed my cheeks and hugged me, crying into my shoulder.

I know she loves me, but my love was causing her so much pain that I was afraid it would change her life forever. I let her go for a short time before kissing her again. She abruptly pushed me and walked away. I followed her with impatience. She came to a stop while walking away, and I noticed my car. "I will leave you exactly where I found you. "Just go." She whispered brokenly.

"No, Mercy, I cannot leave without you. My voice was strained and hard to understand.

"I will see you again, if God wills." She responded quietly.

She captured the aerial root and flew away. It happened so quickly that if I had blinked, I would have missed her deception. I couldn't go home without Mercy, and I had no idea how to get to her house, so I stayed. My hands were so cold that I could not breathe properly.

The sky was cloudy and dark, with a cold breeze blowing through it. I assumed it would rain tonight. I watched everything in silence before shifting my gaze to my car. The broken glass was scattered across the left-hand seat. I cleaned the glass and entered. I slowly remembered that I had left my bags at Mercy's house.

I, too, was perplexed and angry. I took out my phone and saw that it was 5 p.m. I leaned back, resting my head on the headrest. The hauling and groaning sounds of many animals terrified me. Every minute, the sounds of birds decreased while those of animals increased. I looked around, terrified, wondering what would happen if the bear appeared again. My heart started racing so fast that I was afraid it would shake my fingers.

I'm finally in the dark forest, and the cold evening air touches my face. A few hours have passed, and I would rather sleep in silence. As I closed my eyes and felt the cold breeze, I prayed that the night would be over soon.

When a heavy weight was placed on my head, I became visibly uncomfortable in my seat. It startled me, and I forced myself to open my eyes. The outside was too dark, so I had to see everything by moonlight. I was surprised to see Mercy's friend, an elephant.

I quickly opened the door and got down. Hello, Daniel. How are you? Did Mercy send you? My cheerful inquiry raised new expectations.

He shook his head to either side, indicating that I was mistaken.

I ducked my head. "Even though I knew her personality, I wished Mercy had directed you to me. It's okay. I gasped in disappointment. "How is she doing? Should I have to go without mercy?" He shook his head again. "Okay, thanks." I exclaimed enthusiastically, smiling broadly. Will you take me to see her? I stammered.

Fortunately, he sat down, and I climbed up while he walked slowly. I couldn't understand my feelings for Mercy. I've only known her for a day, but I can't imagine life without her. Why was I so crazy about her? Something drew me to her.

While looking for a girl in the forest, I lost contact with my family, friends, and, most importantly, my father's detective office. What was going on inside of me? She made me angry, and I should consider my feelings toward Mercy. This will be my final meeting with her. I'll never meet her again. I took an oath.