The Quiet Kids

Chapter 8 (Angel)

"Hey, Ronan? Have you seen my sketch book?" I call from the mess of a room I was using at Ronan's house.

"No, but come with me to meet a friend of mine from work!" Ronan calls back. I sigh and head down the stairs. Lena hug attacks me at the bottom.

"I'm going too! Ronan said he has a music room at his house!" She shouts happily. I grin at her.

"Maybe he will let us play around then huh? Maybe we can even get Ronan to join us on the keys, huh?" I address that last to Ronan. He sighs.

"I haven't played in a long while, guys. I doubt I could do it even if I wanted."

"I think you can."

"Maybe." was all he said back.

We drove up to a fairly nice sized house but it wasn't as big as Emily's. I smile as her name comes to mind. I had asked Sam what her real name was and he had given it to me hesitantly.

The home we were at now had a happy feel to it when you looked at it. A small garden surrounded the front porch and wrapped around the side of the house.

Ronan knocks on the door and a blonde guy with a big smile opens the door to greet us.

"Hey, guys. Welcome to my house. Come on in." He steps out of the way and lets us pass into his home.

"Angel, Lena, this is a friend of mine from work. Henry Daniels, meet my little brother and sister." Ronan gestures toward us. I shake Henry's hand and Lena does too, but Henry smiles and kisses her hand.

"Nice to meet you ma'am." He says and Lena giggles.

"Where is your sister?" Ronan inquires.

"Oh she is in her room with a friend of hers." He replies.

"Can we play in your music room?" Lena interrupts.

"Lena, we have literally been here for two minutes." I chide her. She pouts and Henry chuckles.

"Actually you are more than welcome to, if you let me play the drums for you."

"If you can keep up with us." Lena challenges.

"Oh! A challenge has been issued!" Henry smiles.

"Here we go." I say rubbing my hands together.

The music room was not a small room. It had almost everything you could think of from mics to DI boxes to every instrument you would see at a concert and then some.

Henry turns on the sound board and all the DI boxes and amps. "What all will we be using today?" He asks.

"Three mics, keyboard, guitar, and tambourine for us." Ronan states. Henry nods and sets it up. He looks at Lena as he hands her the tambourine.

"What song, boss?" She grins.

"Little Talks?"

"Sounds good, to me." Henry laughs.

We start playing the intro, Henry on drums, Ronan on keys, me on guitar, and Lena with the tambourine.

"I don't like walking around this old and empty house," Lena starts the song and I continue it.

"So hold my hand I'll walk with you my dear."

"The house creaks as I sleep it's keeping me awake,"

Ronan takes the next part, "It's the house telling you to close your eyes."

We take turns and sing together when it calls for it. When the song is over clapping is heard from the door and I freeze. Emily, Darcy, a blonde girl who looks like Henry, and an older woman stands in the doorway.

Darcy seemed frozen as she stares at Ronan. Ronan looks away from her, ignoring her.

"You guys are very talented!" The blonde girl says, giving Ronan a once over.

"Angel, Lena, this is my twin sister Hannah and my mom, Melissa." Henry says.

"Nice to meet you." I say, smiling, but my eyes never leave Emily.

"I didn't know you guys played and sang. You sounded great." Emily says, blushing a little.

"Thanks." I smile.

"I have an idea! How about we all go to dinner at Mr. Haynes' restaurant?" Melissa suggests.

"Sure." Henry smiles.

We all start to leave and Darcy grabs Ronan's arm. "Wait. Can we please talk?" She pleads with him. He looks like he wants to say no but he nods with a sigh.

"Fine. You ride with me and Angel and Lena can ride with Em." He says. Her eyes fill with relief.

We all sit and eat in a bit of an awkward silence at first while we waited for a server. It shocked me when Mr. Haynes himself comes to take our order. He normally just stays in the kitchen or his office.

He immediately asks Melissa for her order first and she smiles big at him as she orders. She pats his hand and he lingers a little before shaking himself and pulling his hand away. Ronan sends me a look and I can barely hide my smile. There is something there.

Emily looks as if she just remember something and pulls out my sketch pad.

"Here. You left this in my car."

"Did you look through it?" I ask.

"What? I-no. I'm not a snoop. I wouldn't- I mean I didn't-" She sighs. "Maybe a little."

"What did you think?" I smile.

"Those are beautiful. You have got a lot of talent. I especially loved the one you did of Ronan. You know the one where he was looking out the window with this kind of sad expression?" I nod. She grins.

"Thank you."

After I drop Lena off at Ronan's house I head home to the last place any of us want to be, but I had to go. I brought leftovers so I wouldn't be punished for not giving the jerk something to eat.

My dad was passed out on the couch and I left him be, heading to clean up the dishes that were always there when I got home.

I lost track of time while cleaning and thinking of Emily when a voice starts to speak.

"You know, I loved your mother. She was beautiful and smart. All I wanted was to make her happy." I turned to look at my dad. "I bet she never told you I had a son before I met her."

"No." I say.

"He died a year before and when I realized I loved your mother I found out she had a son. I figured it was a bonus, but on the anniversary of my son's death I realized I could never love a child who was't mine."

"Why are you telling me this?" I question but he ignores it.

"Then I lost your mother. I knew she had been cheating on me towards the end. I knew! I just never thought that bitch had become pregnant with another man's baby. She told me she was mine." He trails off. I stood there, too worried to move.

Anger marred his face then and he pushes me against the sink. "I bet you aren't even really mine either!" He snarls and punches me in the wind pipe. I can't breathe.

He punches my gut before I can breathe and leaves what air I have to leave me. Then he goes for my hair and pulls my head up. "I wish I never met your mother."

"Me and you both." I spit. He punches me in the head a few times before grabbing a knife out of the sink.

Before I can defend myself he stabs my hand with it & shoves it through the cabinet door.

A scream of pain is ripped from me and I lose consciousness with the final blow to my head.