Their Light

Chapter 22

Hadley

The hot water pounded into my back. Crouching down, I wrapped my arms around my knees. Sobs wracked my body. I pressed a hand to my mouth as if it would help contain the emotions pulsing through me.

I didn't want the guys to hear. I thought I had held it together pretty well back there. But now, I needed this. With each tear, the tension I'd carried since that awful nightmare slowly diminished. The water helped wash away the clinging terror, like a warm blanket draping over me. I hated breaking down, but sometimes it needed to happen. Now was definitely one of those times.

I stayed like that for a while, letting the emotions out. I couldn't get that voice out of my head. Like a chill I couldn't shake, it was forever imprinted in my brain. I kept my eyes open. Every time I closed them, I felt the sludge closing in around me again.

I let myself have a few more minutes before continuing on with my actual shower. I washed myself three times before I felt satisfied. That's how many times it took for me to feel confident that no black sludge remained.

Taking deep breaths, I reluctantly turned the hot water off and got out. I couldn't hide from the world forever. I had to face this.

Drying myself off with another beyond fluffy towel, I realized I hadn't grabbed any clean clothes. I wrapped the towel around myself and leaned against the counter. I hated how weak I felt. It was only Peter in my room. He would understand. I pushed off the counter and headed to the door. I opened it only to freeze like a dieer in a car's headlights.

All seven of them had crammed themselves into my room. I squeaked and darted back into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind me. I was sure my cheeks were once again a nice rosy red.

"Hey, Caspian?" I called through the door. I heard chuckling.

"I've got you, girlie."

It only took a couple of minutes before someone knocked lightly on the door. I cracked it open to reveal a smirking Caspian with a pile of clothes in his hands. I snatched them lightning fast and slammed the door shut in his face.

I didn't even feel bad about it as I heard more chuckling. I dropped the towel and quickly got dressed. Going through the clothes, I realized Caspian knew me pretty well. He had picked out exactly what I would have chosen, some comfy sweats and a large, soft t-shirt. They were accompanied by an oversized sweater. I immediately wrapped up in it, enjoying the warmth it provided.

It took me a moment to work up the courage to face them. I took a deep breath and headed back into my bedroom, this time fully clothed. They were lounging around the room, looking more relaxed than before.

Joe laid in the middle of the bed, loving all the attention he was getting. Finn jumped up as I walked out. I braced myself, fully expecting some towel joke, but instead he grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the door.

"I hope you're ready for this," he warned vaguely as he dragged me into the hall and down the stairs.

"Ready for what?" I asked, laughing at his excitement. It was contagious. We finally stopped in the dining room. I stared at the table. I think they had gone out and bought out the game aisle at the nearest store.

"Game night!" he declared proudly, motioning to the mountains of colorful boxes. I laughed again because this was kind of ridiculous.

"In the middle of the night?" The other guys filtered in behind us.

"Yep!" Isaac replied cheerfully.

"We don't know if you will be safe when you sleep or not," Kent elaborated, reminding me of the darkness. My smile faded.

"I can't just never sleep again."

"We have a solution coming tomorrow. This is just for tonight," Ryder told me.

"So no more late night game nights after this?" I asked teasingly, my smile growing again. Ryder sent me an exasperated look, but a small smile formed on his face.

"I never said that."

"Come on, which one do you want to start with?" Finn asked me, drawing my attention back to the table. I looked over all the games. Smiling, I pointed to one. He returned my grin as he picked up the classic black box. I'd always wanted to play pictionary.

"You are so on my team," he stated, opening up the box. I headed to take a seat next to him, but Isaac caught my arm.

"No, she's on my team."

They erupted into an argument. Before I could stop them, another hand tugged me away. Caspian smirked at me as he lead me over to where Peter and Kent were standing.

"Our team is formed," Caspian said loudly, quieting the room. I glanced over my team and then the other team. This should be interesting.

"Fine," Finn said, obviously sulking. It made me laugh again.

I couldn't help it.

I heard other laughs join mine. We all sat down and got ready to play. It took me a moment to realize that I didn't feel terrified anymore. I glanced around at them and took in the fun atmosphere they had created. They knew exactly what I needed, and with them surrounding me, I no longer felt scared. The darkness couldn't reach me here, not with all of this light.