STRANGERS

EIGHTEEN

You can't change the past, but it's what you do now that can change and you can't keep acting like everything's normal when it's not.

Gabriel, Jonathon and Soleil were eating breakfast when their older sister Aspen walked in the door. They usually visit since they moved out, now being twenty one. Annalise came running down the stairs, tripping on a blanket that was on the floor making Gabriel and Jonathon burst out laughing. 

Aspen helps their sister up, Annalise glaring at the two boys. "Can I have ice cream?" Annalise asks Soleil who was getting some fruit. "No you may not." 

The school had given the seven the day off, seeing as they were 'missing' and most likely needed a break. The one nice thing that the school has done in a while.

"Aspen, where'd you go off to?" Gabriel asks, hugging them. They had moved out just a few months ago, but everytime Gabriel was there he'd assume they were working or something. 

"I moved out." Aspen smiles, Soleil comes to a realization. "Knew that you had a secret partner you were hiding from us, Aspen. Can we meet them yet?" 

"Who are we meeting?" Annalise questions as she jumps on the kitchen counter, sitting down. Gabriel gives her a look of proudness as that's something he does, Annalise usually copies what he does that she finds entertaining. Like, when they were younger Gabriel fell in a pile of leaves resulting little Annalise to do the same for fun every weekend. It was what they did, jump into a pile of leaves especially in the rain to make Soleil's father annoyed. 

"Quit that. Gabriel is teaching you bad manners." 

"Soleil, Gabriel is teaching me to live life to the fullest."

"Gabriel can't teach you that." 

"Well he does."

"You told me Gabriel annoyed you."

Annalise gasps; "I said no such thing. Gabriel, tell her I said no such thing."

"She said no such thing."

"How would you know, you weren't there?"

"Annalise would never talk bad about me."

"Yeah, and that's why he gives me ten dollars every weekend."

"You give her money?" Jonathon questions. "She's a kid." 

"What's she going to use ten dollars each week for?"

"She'll put it into her college savings, isn't that right Annalise?"

Annalise nods, smiling at the fact she knows that wasn't true. 

A couple hours later, Soleil went up to their room. Mykel and Elias went on a date, leaving the rest at home. Aspen, Annalise and Jonathon were in the living room watching a movie. After around thirty minutes, Gabriel got worried when he saw Soleil looking upset, so he went to check on her. 

He knocks four times, it was their way of knocking to each other so the other knows who it is. "Come in." A soft voice sounds, Gabriel enters the room closing the door quietly to not bother Soleil. They were lying down on the floor, distant music playing from their laptop was heard. He sits next to his friend. 

The two make eye contact and Gabriel smiles at them. "I have a question."

"Has anyone ever told you that you ask a lot of questions?" He says in a joking manner. "Well, you just asked a question."

"I did, what's yours?"

"You did it again."

"Soleil-"

"You know when you throw rocks, does it hurt the rock's feelings or do they want to be thrown because that's a different place they're moving to. I mean, being stuck for a long time in a place must be exhausting. What about when they get stepped on, oh I feel so bad." 

"What's going on? You okay?"

"Am I high?" 

"I sure hope not." 

"They can't see, talk, walk, hear, smell but when you separate them can they feel themselves being away from their family and they have no way to go back, they're gone forever. They don't even realize one is dead because they haven't had the chance to see them." 

Although, all of the words were random, Gabriel couldn't help but think there was something else going on. That these words had a different meaning. 

"Soleil, you okay?"

"I'm upset."

"Any reason?" 

"No." 

"You're just upset?" 

Soleil nods, tears gathering into their eyes. They sit up and wipe their eyes, Gabriel takes ahold of their hands sighing. "Okay. Here's what we can do. We can stay here and sit down, in silence or I could talk to you if you'd like that. Or we can go downstairs, watch the movie with them, or I could bring up your favorite snacks and we can have a movie marathon." 

"Movie marathon." Soleil mutters, not having the energy to talk to anyone else. 

"Yeah? Okay, I'll be back. Take your time."

The whole day lasted with Gabriel comforting Soleil as they cried, Jonathon coming in a few times to try and cheer them up, but also giving them space. 

They were all silently scared for how the whole school would react after knowing their secrets. 

But in all honesty, they should all just mind their business.