Floating in the Abyss ✔️

Chapter 70

SEQUEL: RISING TO THE SURFACE by @sydnie6624 

I spent the weekend soaking up the last of my free time. I could hang around mum and dad and Nick all day and since it was the weekend, all the other boys were around too. To celebrate the first 'full' night with our parents home, we had a games and movie night. I was paired with Austin and together, we made a pretty good team. We smashed everyone else in Monopoly deal but lost most of the other games. To end the night, we watched a movie called Oddball and simultaneously played monopoly. I let Austin do most of the work, since I was enjoying the movie, plus I didn't know any of the rules.

The next morning, things started to go downhill. The fact that I was starting back at school hit harder now that my freshly ironed uniform was hanging on my door, and that it was almost the only thing being talked about in this house.

"Austin?" I called, knocking on his door.

"Hey Ash. What's wrong?" His expression changed instantly as he noticed the anxiety sprawled across my face.

"Do you think people will like me? At school?"

"Of course, they will. And if not, I'm there and so are Jonah and Sean."

"What am I supposed to tell people when they don't believe I'm your sister?" I sighed. Scarlett was enough to remind me that it would be a reoccurring issue.

"You don't have to explain yourself to anyone. If they give you a hard time, tell them to bring it up with me instead."

"I don't want to go." I whispered, after a long pause.

"You'll be fine. I promise." He hugged me. "What else do you want to know?"

I asked him all sorts of questions, but really, just talking about it helped me to relax. I wasn't confident, nor was I looking forward to it, but I felt a tiny bit more at ease after our conversations.

"Let's go outside for a walk." Austin suggested when we both went quiet.

He grabbed his skateboard and helmet as I put my shoes on and prepared Teddy. I took Abi with me too, since she'd tried to keep her distance from Teddy, not liking having to share all her doggy things. I was hoping they'd make friends soon.

I walked and Austin skated all the way until we got to a sports ground. I hadn't seen it before, but Austin said that it was where he trained for soccer for his club.

"Put the dogs over there and you and I can have a race."

"Like a running race?" I asked as I tied the leashes to the fence post. He grinned in response.

"One lap around the oval, okay?" I nodded. "Ready, set, go!" I hadn't done any running in forever, but instantly, I felt free. All those thoughts, emotions and worries about school, instantly out the window. My hair flew behind me as I battled to get ahead of my brother, pumping my legs and arms as fast as they went.

"Wow." Austin sighed, puffing for air whilst bending down. "A bit of training and there's no way I could beat you."

"That was just good luck. Let's race again." I challenged, smirking.

"You definitely are my sister. Okay." Sure enough, I lost to him, again, but not by much. "You should go on the track team at school." I'd seen the track team at my old school, and I remembered all the photos on Ben's wall, back at the hospital gym. That could be fun.

"Ready for school tomorrow?" River asked, as we all sat around in the lounge. Our game of monopoly from last night was still strewn across the coffee table, waiting for us to continue.

"Yeah, I..." I was cut off by the doorbell ringing.

"I wonder who that is." Nick stood up, but Dad beat him to the door.

"Hello." I heard him say as he opened the door. I couldn't see anything from where I was sitting.

"We're here to see Ashlyn Harlings." I heard a man say. My breath hitched in my throat. I hadn't heard that name in a very long time.

"Ashlyn Hughes?" Dad asked.

"Ashlyn Harlings, yes." A woman interrupted with a righteous tone.

"And you are?"

I heard Mum come out of her office and to the front door.

"I'm sorry, Ashlyn is busy at the moment." I could hear the slight waver of nervousness in her voice as she tried to stay calm. She knew who they were. I didn't.

"Rubbish." The woman said again, getting even more frustrated. From the sound of quick footsteps, it sounded like she was trying to walk past my parents and into the house.

"We demand to see her. We have a right!" The man yelled, his voice booming through the hallway. I clutched onto Austin, whom I was closest to.

"Sir, she's..." Dad tried to calm him down, but he was angry now.

"Ashlyn! Come down here right now! You don't need to stay a minute longer with these horrid people." The women bellowed. I couldn't see her yet.

"We have legal custody of her." The man continued, his voice sounding even louder than before.

"Upstairs Ash, right now." Ryan hissed at me.

Nick didn't miss a beat and roughly grabbed my arm and dragged me upstairs. I continued to hear yelling getting louder and louder downstairs, and that's when I really started to panic. The voices had become noise, nothing more than a constant beep that echoed through my brain. All too quickly, my senses became muddled. I was looking but not seeing, touching but not feeling, moving but remaining frozen.

"Everything is okay, just breathe, baby." My sound was coming back, and the numbness slowly started to disappear. Teddy kept alerting me to sit down, so I did, and let him lay across my lap. I would be forever grateful for the help he gave me.

"Nick, what's going on?"

"I don't know Ash, but you're safe with us. Nothing is going to happen to you ever again. Ever." He hugged me from the side, not getting in the way of Teddy as he remained on my lap for reassurance.

Ryan POV

I was pretty sure I knew the voices the moment I heard them. I had flashbacks of the few times we saw them when I was little, but of the memories I do have, Mum was always tense, and never stayed long.

~ THE END ~

author ~ @sydnie6624

sequel ~ Rising to the Surface