Unknown

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The midnight train chugged its way through the night towards the familiar sea-side town where my brother Charlie and his mates lived after moving out to Australia two years ago from the UK.
My thoughts drifted to earlier in the day, the basking sunlight as I walked the dusty roads of my old home town seeing the familiar stores, the one café, one bank, one servo, one pub, one odd looking metal and glass high-rise where once upon a time my horrid Uncle. George Bella had worked alongside Luke's father.
I walked the gravelled driveway seeing the old and worn timber of the small house, its paint and awnings withered with age, walking the steps up to the creaking porch where Luke had helped me up onto the day I went over the handle bars of my trail bike. The scars on my kneecaps to prove six years later.
I recalled the day two years before Luke arrived where Charlie in a fit of rage had punched a massive hole in the wall of my room and left, it was a few weeks after my parents funeral and the grief had taken its toll on my brother, he had stormed out never to darken George Bella's home again.
We reconnected in London years ago after a chance meeting at a pub and my brother and I have been in each other's lives ever since, we were the only family we had. George Bella was a horrible man who had despised his brother (my father) he blamed my father for the divorce of my grandparents and why they separated leaving George with my grandfather and my grandmother with my father. My grandmother had gone back to her maiden name Morgan. George had thought that Charlie and I were thorns in his side and though he played the part of a caring family member when others were around, I knew his true colours.

I shook my head clearing my thoughts as the train pulled into the station, and stood up preparing to depart with all the other late night passengers.
I suddenly wished Charlie was here to pick me up at the station as everyone cleared the platform and I was left on my own in the dead of night. But no. Charlie and his friends were on holidays in The Northern Territory but assured me to make myself at home after I lied to my big brother that Unknown were taking a break from touring and that Aiden, Colin, Braden, Luke and I thought about visiting them for a few days.

I made my way through the darkened streets walking past different café's, clothes stores...etc... Eventually to my relief I found Charlie's street around twenty minutes later and let myself into the house using the front door key Charlie had sent me years ago.
I walked the darken hallway nearly falling over a cricket bat that had been leaned up against a wall and emerged into the kitchen/lounge room of the lightly spaced...open plan style of the house. I walked swiftly over to the couch, grabbing a blanket from the sofas edge and throwing my backpack down for the night knowing that Luke would have read my letter this morning and no doubt he and the boys were now enjoying themselves in Melbourne.

...

Luke

The early morning sun rose above the acres of trees as I hit the familiar dusty roads that led to the small town where Eleanor, Aiden, Braden and Colin met in our earlier youth.
I dropped into the nearest service station fuelling up and brought an iced coffee sticking to the bands rule of one coffee a day for everyone, something that I knew Ella struggled with and it made me smile. I hoped back in my car and kept driving towards George Bella's old home my thoughts running with memories that left me thinking of what my life was like before I met Eleanor and the others.

1. I was rude to everyone I cared about, I had my guard up always, always letting my friends see the egoistical, stereotypical 'I don't care about anything or anyone' persona, the cool dude who was popular, didn't care about other people's feelings and the one who got invited to too many crap parties. I hid the real Luke Harris.

2. My parents got divorced after my mother cheated on my father with another man who she now is living with. She abandoned my father and me and left me to heal one broken-hearted parent.

3. The best thing that ever happened to me was moving from the big smoke to this town in the middle of nowhere.

I pulled onto the gravelled driveway remembering the first time I saw the small timber house of George Bella's and how I looked out through the car window of my father's old Ford Falcon , the paint peeling now showing weathered timber boards and the old porch looked like it was one nail away from falling down completely. I sat in the car, remembering how my black sneakers hit the dirt as I walked as a seventeen year old over towards a trail bike; Eleanor had appeared from fixing the brake wire, her turquoise eyes bright, her mouth a nervous line, her caramel coloured waves in her hair held dust.

I killed the engine and stepped out of the car onto the dirt and gravel hearing the familiar crunching of my footsteps. "Eleanor Morgan! Ellie!" I called out hoping that she may be here. "El...Ella?"

Nothing. Absolutely nothing but silence and the light rustling of trees making a small breeze in the scorching morning heat. I rolled my eyes and went back to my car, tapping my steering wheel in a pattern of thought.
I scrolled through my contacts hitting Charlie Morgan and waited...

"Hello?" Eleanor's brothers husky voice rolled through the phone line.

"Charlie its Luke Harris, Ella's mate"

"Oh hey Luke, how are you?"

"Have you heard from Eleanor recently?" I stated trying to keep the worry from seeping into my voice.

"Yeah she called yesterday...I thought she was with you guys" Charlie sounded unsure.

"No Charlie she is not...Eleanor left we had an argument months ago and she hasn't been coping well, she has gone back into her shell again, her night terrors are back, she's barley eating. She thinks I'm unhappy and that the argument was her fault. Friends fights all the time, words were said."

"Geez Luke....I wish I had known sooner. Look she is staying at my house for a while I believe."

"Thanks Charlie" I stated.

"No worries take care Luke" Charlie muttered before ending the call.

I threw my car quickly into drive and reeved the engine, causing gravel to spit up and the tyres to skid as I took off, that sensation was nothing unfamiliar as a teenager I feel like Aiden, Braden, Colin and I were always chucking skiddies. I very nearly groaned knowing a six hour drive was in order for me to hit the coast by the afternoon.

I passed the many rolling, drought ridden fields and knew that the old riverside was as dry as a bone. My thoughts drifted to our argument months ago, Eleanor was as tense as a bow string waiting to be fired, she had, had a restless energy the whole day the five of us came to the riverside for a light picnic and a swim just to chill out before heading back home to our flat near the city to pack back to go on touring with Unknown once again.

"Eleanor stop! Why do you keep shutting the world out! Keep shutting us out, we've seen you at your worst Ellie!"

I followed her as she ran towards the dirt path back towards the road.

"Shut up Luke! I need to leave. I need to get flowers; the flowers would be dead by now."

Eleanor looked feverish in the heat, a sweaty shine covered her face making her unusually pale, and her turquoise eyes had turned stormy in colour like the ocean at night. "El" I grabbed her arm gently attempting to get her to stop her mad dash. "You can't walk back it's too far!"

"I've walked these roads before Luke! I've forgotten them. I've forgotten my parents!"

"Ellie!"

"Luke! Could you just leave me alone?" She screeched

I stopped dead in my tracks and let go of her arm she stumbled back a few paces. "Fine. If that's what you wish. But just know that when your anxiety finally tears you apart I won't be here to pick up the pieces"

...
I blinked the tears back from my eyes as the image of Eleanor looking shocked, tears running down her cheeks as she flew away from me and the harsh words I had just spoken to my best friend.

...