~3rd February, 2002~

Your POV

"Do you think he hears our cries?" I say as I lay on the forest floor next to my brother.

"Of course he does," Tyler replies. "We just don't think he does because we can't hear him talk back to us."

There's a short silence.

"Sometimes I doubt he exists."

"And why's that?"

"Well, before my mum died, I prayed everyday that someone would hurry up and invent the cure for cancer before she was taken away, and I prayed, and still do, to be away from my father, away from his grasp."

"One of those prayers were answered. Your father is long gone."

I shake my head. "No, he's not. This is why I still pray for him to be gone. He still hurts me. He's still after me. In my dreams. There's just no escaping him."

I feel Tyler's hand, cold from the winter air, slip into mine.

"Maybe God is just busy. One day, he'll free you from this pain and you'll think back to this day and wonder why you ever lost faith. Believe me."

"Thanks, Tyler. You have got to be the best brother in the whole entire universe."

"I try," he replies smugly.

"I don't believe that. You're just naturally good at brother-ing. I know it's not even a word, but it's true." A short, silence follows and in that short time another question eats at my mind. "Do you ever wonder why we can't hear him? Like, I know he hears us but why don't we hear him?"

He sighs. "That's something I'm still trying to figure out."

I nod and rise, my hand slipping away from his. I look up to the sky, which is covered in dark, grey clouds, and shout, "Hello?"

"Y/N, what are you doing?" Tyler asks. I switch my gaze to him as he sits up, confusion spread across his face.

"Calling out to him. Maybe to hear his voice we need to shout louder, grab his attention. Maybe if we shout louder, he'll listen to us then and help." I look back up to the sky and scream louder, "Hello?!"

"Hello?!" Another voice shouts. I turn around to see Tyler looking at the sky. "Hello!" He shouts again.

The air fills with the echos of our screams as we call out, hoping that God will see us. Hoping that he hears us. Hoping he will free us of our pain.

|- /

I know this isn't the actual story behind the song (you should all know what it is) but I thought it was a really nice touch.