Farewell by Rotem Shahar

Farewell von Rotem Shahar

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Atlantis was her way out. Her opportunity to start over again, in a completely new place, with completely new people. She wasn't going to pass that up.

This could be the last time she'd ever be home, but she wasn't going to miss it.

Elizabeth looked around her house, not recognizing half of the furnishings inside. She inherited it when her parents died, but hadn't had the time or the energy to deal with the house on top of everything else. The few objects she did recognize were from her childhood; from her past, a past she sometimes wished she could forget:

How her parents were always fighting. How she sat curled up on the couch in front of her crying, waiting for them to leave. How she'd never been able to convince them that they didn't have to fight, that they could listen to each other and work out their problems. They never listened to her; after all, she was just a child.

Pictures of her family and friends were scattered on the walls. She hadn't talked to any of them in years. Contrary to her failures as a mediator at home, she was a wonderful mediator for her friends. Maybe too good of one. She was able to make her friends see both sides of the issue, and help them resolve their disputes. In fact, she'd done it so well that after a while the only time she would hear from any of them was when they'd started fighting again.

Elizabeth was looking for a picture of herself and Simon when it occurred to her that her parents had never put one up, and after the house became hers, neither had she. It didn't bother her. Her relationship with Simon had been strained at best due to all her recent travels; Colorado Springs, Antarctica, but that didn't bother her either. She knew Simon wanted more out of their relationship - he deserved more in their relationship - but she couldn't give it to him.

Before Antarctica, she told him she was going to some obscure country in Africa. He knew this time it was different, he knew that this time he might not see her again. She didn't try to assuage his fears.

She had been content in her relationship with Simon for quite some time; content yet unhappy, but her nature made it difficult for her to end their relationship. She hated conflict. After seeing her family break apart before her, she did everything she could to make her life as free from conflict as possible. And that included staying with Simon for far longer than she should have because ending a relationship involved conflict. And that was something she didn't feel she could handle any more of in her life. It's why she did what she did for a living, take people who never thought they'd be able to get along and turn them into best friends. She could do it with leaders of other nations, with strangers on the street, even with her friends, but if the situation involved her, it seemed to be destined for failure. It made her feel as though she'd failed at brokering the most important treaties of them all - the ones in her life.

The chance to study Ancient technology and find Atlantis had come at the perfect time. It finally gave her a way to end her relationship with Simon without feeling like it had been a total and complete failure. So she took it.

As she walked out of her house for the last time, she knew she'd made the right decision.

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Farewell von Rotem Shahar

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