Stone Circle Churchyard

His sister's words brought a thin yet knowing smile to Merrit's face. He didn't want Arlette to worry, but there was an element to her compassion and to her noticing his absence that he found reassuring. Almost like, as long as she was around, he wouldn't disappear.

She didn't need to press him to get him to talk. It had already been on his mind to share. Merrit didn't know the words exactly, but he would try. "It's dad, mostly," mostly being the key - "It's like everyone just expects me to move on from this, but - I don't know - I just can't. Maybe it's because we still don't know what happened to him," he furrowed his brow and glanced at the snow which crunched beneath their paws. He let the sound fill the air as he thought. "Maybe it's because I don't really want to move on." He shook his head, "I don't know. I'm just so frustrated, and I'm frustrated that I'm frustrated, and no one else seems to be. And I'm frustrated that no one really seems to be upset at all - not even mom - and I don't know how everyone else can just let it go."