The Edge of Hope

Chapter 20

Hope stood in front of Gabe. His eyes closed and a sense of calm on his face. He had heard her. This was good. Maybe she was getting stronger.

“Hope, please stay. Please.”

She smiled and nodded. “Of course. As long as I can.”

She sat cross-legged on the floor and watched him for a few seconds. He looked a bit ragged maybe from being back at work. And probably still what happened from the weekend before. It was horrible. She still wasn’t sure why it had gotten so bad, or why she was so violently taken from him. Well, considering how she died, it was fitting. A dark feeling overcame her when she thought of Alice. It was her fault. She was the reason Hope was dead and Gabe was sitting here a broken man.

She noticed Gabe was covering his face and she realised she’d caused the wind to become strong enough to blow dust into his eyes. She took a breath and slowed her breathing down. The breeze calmed down, too and it felt normal again. No darkness. Ok, let’s not think about her.

Hope sat up straight suddenly when a thought occurred to her. Maybe that’s what was keeping her back. The massive f*****g elephant in the room. They had never properly spoken about his ex-wife before. Any time she was brought up or something reminded Gabe of her, it just turned into an argument and then left at that.

Ok, plausible theory, but how to show Gabe that. She frantically looked around the room, trying to find a way to communicate with him. She saw he had his phone in his pocket and decided she would try to send a message again. It had taken so much out of her the last time, but she was stronger now.

She closed her eyes and imagined a keyboard in front of her. Slowly it materialized and she reached a hand up to start typing.

Painfully slow, she managed to type one word before willing it to go.

She heard the familiar ping from Gabe’s phone and cheered. Hopefully, that was her message.

Gabe reached in his pocket and stared at his phone, an unreadable expression crossing his face. “Alice?”

“Yes!” She willed the wind to blow a bit harder, and Gabe looked out the window taking notice.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he mumbled. However, that calm that was on his face before was gone and slowly a bitter expression took over. “She’s not important anymore.”

The door slammed shut and both of them looked at it in surprise. Hope didn’t know if that was her or not but she was feeling frustrated so maybe.

“You want to talk about her?”

Hope was running out of options and losing energy quickly. She was worried the roots would come back so she had to think fast.

She growled and went to the window. This was crazy and she had no idea if it would work but it was worth a shot.

First, she got Gabe’s attention to look up and then she breathed air to create condensation on the window. She whooped when it worked and quickly wrote with her finger before it disappeared.

Only a jagged line was drawn. “No, come on, work!” She tried again but felt her head getting light.

Gabe came up to the window, standing only inches from her, his cologne so familiar and comforting. She felt herself stabilise and that much-needed energy came back. She just needed him close.

She blew again and lifted her finger. “Work, dammit.” She managed to get the ‘Y’ there before the condensation disappeared but it was enough to convince Gabe, who was staring incredulously at where it had been.

“Holy shit.” He stumbled back slightly but steadied himself. “Yes.” He paced back and forth a few times and Hope worried she was running out of time. This is the longest she had remained with him or Sal.

She thought back to earlier when she was there with him. Hope was sure that she had eased his mind and given him peace. That pull she felt to him was gone. The only one who remained was this man standing in front of her questioning everything he had ever been taught in life.

“Alice, Alice, Alice,” Gabe spoke into his hand. He stood still and breathed in. “I don’t blame her. I mean, I do, but I wasn’t there, so…”

Hope could sense his anxiety. This was definitely what was holding her back. She brushed the back of her hand on his cheek, just like he wanted.

“She was a mistake I made a long time ago. And still, she managed to ruin my life all this time later.” Gabe sat down again and rested his elbows on his knees. “The police said she was high on cocaine. Not that it’s an excuse. I could’ve protected you. Stopped her before she stepped foot into our home. I should’ve listened to everyone who told me that she was a bad person. This is all my fault, Hope, and I am so sorry.”

The ground shook and Hope screamed in anger. She was not going to let the ground take her again. Gabe had to stop blaming himself and shutting her out.

It was like Gabe had heard her the way he suddenly jumped up and did a full circle with shock on his face. Understanding dawned on his face and Hope waited in anticipation. “Come on, you know this isn’t your fault! Fate was cruel and ripped us apart too soon but not because of you!”

Gabe let out a shaky breath. “You don’t agree. If I know you as well as I think I do, you’re probably swearing me crazy right now.”

“Yes, I am.” Hope was frustrated but relieved that he was finally getting the message. The rumbling below her feet had slowed but a low hum vibrated beneath her feet.

Gabe sighed in defeat and shook his head. "This is my fault. I'm sorry, Hope, but the only person to blame is me."

The ground opened wide, the abyss grabbing Hope before she could protest.

What was she doing wrong?