We are Guilty ✔️

1. Broken

A/N Zel is the nickname for Azazel

    "Zel, what are you thinking?" My mother asked me with a concerned look and worried tone that's cause I haven't changed my position for half an hour. My mom is probably thinking that me and a half-eaten sandwich on my plate are having a stare-down competition. It seemed like the sandwich won when I averted my amber eyes towards her, she stood across the table with an empty plate in her hand, her black hair tied back in a bun, wrinkles on her face were a clear sign of the constant worry I put her through.  

    "Nothing, mom, I was thinking about the assignments and tests forthcoming this week." I lied, I am pretty sure she saw through it, but did not stop me as I stood up and exited through the kitchen door. I have been thinking about Sebastian since I am back from school. He did not show up at school and more than that, he is neither picking my calls nor replying to any of my texts.

    "Zel, finish your dinner" Mom yelled behind me from the kitchen, ignoring her I quietly ascended the stairs towards my room, side-glancing at the photo frames hung across the wall of the stairs. First, is me wearing a straw hat, in blue swimming shorts the sky-blue waves in the background, those were happy days. The second picture is a landscape photo of me and my parents at the beach. The last and most painful is me with a small baby in my arms wrapped in pink cloth. Why is that picture still here? Yeah, to remind me how careless I was and still am.

    Reaching at the end of the stairs I glanced at two doors next to each other, and stood in front of the right one, and pried open the door with a small squeaky sound. Flipped on the switch, just to find out a messed desk with a pile of books, cord of a laptop charger, and headphones all inter-wined forming a small cluster next to books. With help of my leg, I pushed the door and it closed with that annoying squeaky sound.

    I sighed, walked towards a single bed opposite the desk and next to a window facing the back-yard of our house, plopped down on the bed, my head resting on a pillow, and fished out my phone from the pocket.

    I repeated the process and clicked on the application with a green-colored icon of a phone, checked the number of outgoing calls.

*35 outgoing calls under Sebastian's name.

    He picked none of them. I clicked on his name for the 36th time, silently prayed that he will answer, just to hear his caller-tune and a small beep at the end, still no answer.

    'Where are you, Sebastian?' I closed my eyes with a thought that refused to leave my mind. It was almost 11:50 PM. I heard footsteps outside my room and quickly tossed the phone next to me and shut my eyes so mom would think I'm sleeping. I don't want her tensed up because of me. The door opened with a squeak and heard my mother whisper something under her breath before she switched off the lights and her footsteps retreated down the stairs.

    As soon as she left, I picked up a white-colored comfy blanket that was lying on the floor by the bedside and draped it over my black jeans, in an attempt to get some sleep which hit me the second I let my mind drift away from Sebastian.

   Zel, will you play with me? I heard someone and woke up with a jolt. No, this is not real. I am being delusional, my mind playing tricks on me. This can't be real, I tried to assure myself.

   Zel, come find me. The sound echoed in my ears and I covered them tightly and squeezed my eyes shut, felt beads of sweat cover my forehead and trickle down from the side of my neck.

"Go away, you are dead" I shouted back and tears ran through my eyes. Along with trembling fingers, I quickly grabbed the phone to check the time, 1:05 AM, almost an hour passed since I had goodnight's sleep.

Big brother, I want to play. She whispered again, and I immediately scanned my surroundings, everything was quiet for some time.

    I quickly jumped off from my bed and left my phone on the bed and pulled the door with minimal pressure on it, so it won't squeak.

Come here I sensed her voice echo around me and glanced at the door next to mine. It belonged to her, my little sister Stephie. She died in a road accident six months ago. It was my mistake to leave her alone in the middle of a busy park. I was too busy chatting up with my friends and never noticed that she had exited the park and tried to cross the road by herself. I knew it was too late when I heard a screech of tires and her scream.

    After that incident I skipped school for a month, I did nothing but blame myself for everything. At last, my parents took me to the doctor only to discover that I was at the edge of having depression, the doctor advised me to join some kind of therapy session that indeed worked and everything was back to normal At least that is what I had thought.

   Two months ago a similar case of breakdown happened with Sebastian when his parents went their separate ways, he skipped for a week, but never gave me a chance to come close enough and help him.

    Suddenly one day, he showed up as if nothing happened but I knew that he was broken beyond the point of repair. He loves his parents more than anyone. It was the same day I started to hear Stephie's voice for the first time. It scared me to death but I never told a living soul about this, my parents would have freaked out. I did not inform Sebastian about the voices in my head.

    Finally, the voice died down again but I knew it never left me, Fortunately, I and Sebastian had started to recover again,

   I think happiness doesn't stay with you forever Sebastian cried when the matter of parents was brought up in one of the lectures and at that time I promised myself to aid him, everyone witnessed it but no one stepped up. Not Even his so-called friends helped him It dawned on me that a friend in need is indeed and I became that friend slowly but steadily both of us were left for each other.

    Later on, to tense things up everyone started to tease me and Sebastian because both of us were too emotional and called us 'Broken duo'. They never thought that it was painful for both of us to go through hardships by ourselves.

    I felt the cold doorknob against my fingers, it pulled back from those memories, everything went awkwardly silent around me with no whispers

    I jumped in surprise, hearing the ringtone of my phone. Without thinking too much, I sprinted inside my room and stared at the bright light of my phone.

     I picked the phone, gulping and praying that it will have Sebastian's name on the screen.

*Unknown number*

     Strange!! After giving a quick-thinking I immediately pushed the green icon and stood by the edge of the bed.

    "Zel, help me!" A voice yelled from the other end and I immediately recognized it.

    "Sebastian!" I shouted as tears of joy left my eyes, a smile crept on my face. I had a dozen of questions to ask him being so discreet and creepy.

A/N Comments and votes are appreciated. Thanks.....