Always

24| forgiveness

ALEXIS

The curtains add an orange glow to the morning light, every morning a perfect sunrise. It reminds me of the times me and Rhys sneaked off in the morning, watching the day emerge under the golden shimmer. For a moment my mind conjures the rhythmic tick of the swing set, soft on the muddy ground and feel my heart beat to the same slow pace. I breathed in deeply.

A new day has begun. I reached my hand out to the fabric, noticing how up close the light pours through every open space between fibers, no different from how it once came through the beach-hut walls, illuminating like brilliant fire-flies each dawn. The material is warm beneath my fingers, and when the sun floods the room, painting the colors anew, I feel a little of those golden rays soak into my skin.

I sigh drying my hair, watching shorts on my tablet. I guess it's fun to see people making content for our entertainment. Like the paparazzi who stalk our lives, but instead they're filming every part of their own lives. Exposing themselves and their children to the world. I wonder how it must be to live under the watchful eye of a camera all the time.

First Period? Let's make a vlog. First day of school? Time to make the child ten times more anxious. First date? Let's hide in the bushes to film content. The people who do it willingly are aware of it. But not the three month old who is being filmed for views. It's disgusting how much human behavior has changed over the years.

A knock on my door brings me out of my chain of thought. I slide the handle open to see Carter there.

"Hello." I greeted as she walked inside.

She seemed nervous and fidgety. "Is something bothering you?" I asked, sitting down on the bed.

"Not really, I mean I want to talk to you."

"Okay then, go ahead." I told her, crossing my legs and leaning back. "I realized I never really thanked you for taking those bullets."

I opened my mouth to tell her it wasn't a problem, but she beat me to it.

"You're so selfless. You don't even see it." I shrugged and laughed, not a normal laugh, a cold, dismissive one.

"I'm not selfless, I'm a clean, manipulative bitch." She seemed shocked by my statement.

"You're not- you've gone throu-'' I laughed again.

"What I have gone through does not matter. It is the past and it will stay in the past. It does not affect how I act in the future. We've all been through our own personal shit."

She frowned. I think my statement upset her, but I couldn't care less. The truth was always cold and harsh.

"For what it's worth, I don't think you're  manipulative at all. I think you're just misunderstood and that you're just waiting for someone to come and understand."

I snorted. "That someone is dead."

She sighed and patted my head. "Thankyou anyway. I hope you know you're like a little sister to me."

"I know." And she left. Not moments after, Carina peeked from her conjoined door.

"What?" I grumbled falling back onto the bed.

"Well, I just wanted to let you know that I don't expect you to forgive me, but I hope that this makes up for it." She walked towards me and placed a long box at the foot of my bed. I eyed her and the box and walked forward, picking it up.

"How the fuck do you have this? It was broken to pieces last time I saw it." I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"I found the broken pieces in your wardrobe when we were moving. I figured it must mean a lot to you, so I've been assembling it the past few days. It's not perfect, but I tried my best." I shook my head laughing.

Grasping her shoulder, I pulled her forward in a hug, careful of the box's contents. I squeezed her for a second before pulling away. "I forgive you."

She smiled before her phone rang. Over her shoulder I could see the name Rowan. I smirked. "Go." I said, pushing her out of my door. Walking back to my bed, I traced the weapon with a light touch.

It was his bow. It was Rhys' bow.