I apologize for the lack of updates lately! I promise I’ll make up for it in storyline XD
TW; description of stab wound in the 4th paragraph (:
Buckle up guys~
<*~*>
Elias woke up early and decided not to linger in the small room. He was jittery and anxious and didn’t want to wake anyone, so he walked through the door (why do it the hard way?) and descended the stairs. He was terrified to see his parents and sister again, so he needed a little moment to get himself under control.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see his family, he just wasn’t prepared for them to see him like this.
As if life knew what he was thinking about, he walked right past a mirror. He stopped, tilting his head curiously. It was quite unsettling to see how transparent he was, he could see the cabinet behind him through his chest, which gave his dark green jacket a weird mossy color. His skin looked even paler than it was when he was alive, looking almost white in the stark light of one of the small lamps on the wall. His eyes were a poor replica of the vibrant blue they once had been, now an icy and cold color, even making himself uncomfortable when he stared at them for too long.
He blinked and looked down to his abdomen, to see that the wound had not changed a bit in the last couple of days. There was a little bit of blood slowly dripping down, but it disappeared as soon as it lost contact with his non-existent body. The transparent red coated a large part of his shirt, jacket and jeans. It made the wall behind him look like it could have been in a murder mystery.
He swallowed and inspected the wound a bit more, hoping for some clues about his death. It seemed like a sword wound, but that was all he could see. Clumps of blood and ragged skin obscured the size of the injury, making it impossible to see anything else. Pieces of shirt had stuck to bits of skin, and in the middle a big angry red gash stared at him.
Elias let out a shaky breath, suddenly feeling sick. He hugged his stomach, successfully hiding it from sight. He closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths, attempting to calm down. It didn’t work
He had to get out of here, now.
He stumbled out of the house and took off running on shaky legs, not worrying about being seen.
<*~*>
His feet took him to the tree where he and Cyrus always met each other. For a second he thought he saw a lonely figure lying beneath the tree, smiling up at him with that crooked smile of his, but it was gone in a blink.
Elias blinked and sighed tiredly. He flopped down onto the soft grass, making sure he didn't fall through the tree when he leaned against it. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes, forcing himself to relax and think back to the days he and Cyrus spent here, curled up together.
<*~*>
The moment of relaxation didn’t last long. Not even twenty minutes after he settled under the tree a shrill scream startled him awake.
He looked around wide-eyed and spotted a familiar face looking at him from a careful distance.
Shit. This was not how that was supposed to go. He was such an idiot.
Soon enough two other figures, a man and a woman, came running down the road, coming to a stop next to the girl already standing there.
Elias shifted uncomfortably. Should he get up? Say something? Do nothing?
Luckily the choice was made for him, as the man let out a disbelieving shout.
“Elias?!”
“Sorry for barging in here without warning you. And like this.” He gestured to himself and chuckled awkwardly. Then he subtly moved his arms and knees in front of the stab wound, glancing at his little sister.
“You- You’re a ghost!” His mother shrieked, holding on to her husband's sleeve so tightly her knuckles turned white. She looked terrified.
“Uh-” Elias stammered, not knowing what to say.
Then his sister took a step forwards, an unreadable expression on her face, extended a hand and attempted to whack him on the head. Instead she went straight through him and retracted her hand as if she burnt herself. A squeak escaped her mouth. Then she glared at him and opened her mouth to yell at him.
“What the actual frick are you doing?! Just lounging under a tree and not thinking about how said tree is literally in front of our house?!” She yelled, tears gathering in her eyes. “You died, Elias! You just- You left us.” Her voice wavered and she raised her hands to wipe the stray tears away.
“I-” Elias frowned and looked down guiltily. “I’m sorry, Abby, I really am. I wasn’t thinking straight.” He rubbed his neck awkwardly, avoiding his family’s eyes. “I just- It’s been a busy couple of weeks and I needed to go somewhere familiar to just try to relax a little, you know?” He rambled, struggling to put his feelings into words. He felt his own tears welling up and hastily wiped them before they could fall. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
Abby’s expression softened a little and his parents relaxed, his father eyeing his raised knees suspiciously. Elias shifted a little, uncomfortable, when his mother prepared to speak. The sound of running footsteps interrupted the moment and they all turned to look in the direction they came from.
“Elias! We’ve been looking all over for you! We-” Aza skidded to a halt and paused, Xavier and Riry right behind her. “What are you doing?”
“I-” Elias said lamely. “We-”
“We’re his family. Who are you?” His father said, immediately moving in front of his son. He looked quite intimidating despite his lanky frame.
Riry stepped forward and laid a hand on his tense arm. “Hector, I know what this looks like. They’re his friends, they won’t hurt him.”
His father narrowed his eyes at the two, lingering on the shapeshifter for a beat and then turned around to face Elias, who was debating whether or not to stand up and reveal the horrifying sight beneath his arms.
“Let’s go to our house, I’d like to know exactly what’s going on.” He said, walking towards his wife and taking her hand with a soft, sad smile.
Elias swallowed and stood up, still holding his arms in front of his stomach. He still avoided everyone’s eyes.
He missed his mother squeezing his father’s hand in reassurance and her making her way over to him. Riry pulled Xavier and Aza along, giving the grieving family a moment of privacy. Abby moved to their father and silently took his hand instead, laying her head on his shoulder and crying silently.
“Elias, honey. Look at me?” His mother’s soft voice said. He squeezed his eyes shut and felt a few tears sliding down his face, a choked sob leaving his throat. “Oh sweetie… It’s okay. It’s okay, let it all out. It’s okay to cry.”
Once those words registered in his confused mind it was as if a dam broke. Everything he had pent up in the last few weeks came tumbling out. Tears fell in rapid streams, quiet sobs making his shoulders shake. His mother stood next to him, unable to touch him, but muttering sweet words to him, grounding him.
So he cried for the life he’d never live. He cried for all the hugs, kisses or fleeting touches he’d never give or receive. He cried for all the stories he’d never hear, for the things he’d never experience, for never being able to see his sister grow up into the most beautiful woman she already was. But mostly he cried for his family, Riry, his friends, Cyrus, all having to live with the knowledge that he’d never come home again.
His family stood behind him as he cried, silently offering all the love they had for him.
And that alone meant more to him than any hug he’d ever gotten.
<*~*>
Word count: 1343
Bit of a shorter chapter, sorry about that! I just really liked the way this looked so I decided to move a whole bunch of things to the next chapter XD
Anyways, hope you still liked it! I loved writing this chapter, so many emotions and feelings and issues :)
You know I love reading comments, so if you’d want to leave some I’d be very happy :3
Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time!
~ Cap <3
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Death Before Defeat
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