Hushed

Chapter 5: Sympathy for the Snot

HOPE YOU LIKE! encantado = enchanted

DEDICATED TO @AllyAls SHE'S A BIG INSPIRATION ON THIS BOOK!

Chapter 5:

Gage's P.O.V:

She snapped. I know she didn't mean it, but I didn't either.

"At least you have a home to go to every night, everyone in mine is DEAD," I snarled without a shred of sympathy. It was true though.

I didn't have parents to love me, no one but the other realm. People here hate us. They think we're either freaks, or losers. But is there even a difference?

She looked up at me with teary eyes. "You call this a home?" she matched my tone and spoke, "This piece of shit town has out-casted me since the day I turned. My father? He's dead. Sitting in some ditch somewhere. Or living with some other family of his. I haven't seen him since I was 9. And for my stepfather? He couldn't give a damn even if he wanted too."

"I'm sorry," I said to her with sympathy sprawling through my voice.

I looked around her room. Saunter and Ellie were looking at her and I with poker faces. Lacey looked as though she was trying to comprehend what was occuring.

And as for Elijah and Graham? Graham matched Saunter's poker face, while Elijah's eyes were filled with pain gazing at her. Her.

I looked at her. Her chest moving up and down as she caught her breath. Her eyes searched mine, looking frustrated. I couldn't help them. Any of them.

I've tried. Tried so hard to make this group as strong as a brick. Tried to make them a family. Whenall I do is push them away.

Jade's P.O.V:

I looked at him. Studied his facial features. I was confused and frustrated.

"It's fine," I spoke and lowered my gaze to the ground. Gage rushed to me and embraced me. I wrapped my arms around his firm body and it felt.. as they say in Spanish.... encantado.

But I felt another being pulling at my beating heart. Guilt. I opened my eyes to see Elijah looking sadly at the ground. How could I do that to him?

****************

After homework and studying, they ventured out of my house and to wherever they planned on spending the night.

I offered Gage a place to spend the night but he had resisted and said he'd much rather spend the night on the forrest floor than with a girl like me, it made me feel better that he said it with a teasing smile.

I fell asleep, and fast. Dozing into a hypnotic slumber, I dreamt of us. But then images flooded my mind. Kissing. Woods. A.. cabin? Picnic tables..? What did these mean?

The last one? My cold and lifeless body laying on stone cold ground with blood trickling through the stoney cracks.

I woke up flailing up into a sitting position. I heard a tap on my glass door. Elijah.

I looked through the foggy glass into the early mid-morning light into a pair of saphire eyes. I smiled and nodded him inside.

"You okay?' He asked me, reading my emotions.

"Yeah, never better," I was a horrible liar.

"Really? 'Cause your emotions say otherwise," he spoke giving me a suspicious look.

I pushed his face with my hand and he sat down onto my bed with a smile.

"What happened?" I said looking at the small gash on his forehead, blocked by his gorgeous hair. "Nothing," he said looking up at me.

"No seriously," I said to him, sitting cross-legged in my bed.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you. But it's nothing big. Trust me. So I was sleeping and I heard my parents fighting. I heard the clink of beer bottles and went out to see what was going on."

"Sooo," I said waving him on.

"And my dad said something and threw the bottle at my head," He said moving his mouth to a sort of frown-shaped position.

I opened my arms and hugged him. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Do you need first aid?"

"No Jade, I'm fine," he said wincing as I pushed his hair out of his face.

"Come here, and be quiet!" I said at a whisper. I led him into the bathroom and got supplies out of the first aid kit.

I brushed his black hair out of his face and started to dab his forehead with some cleany stuff, "Now this won't hurt.. a lot.." I said with a smirk.

"Oww," he said as he winced, "That kinda hurts!" he said and I giggled and he returned a smile.

It's good to know he was still feeling light hearted. And then my thoughts went to Lacey. This would be the anniversary of her parent's death. It's been one year.

"One year..." I whispered to myself.

A pair of stunning blue eyes met mine. "What do you mean Jade?" He looked at me with worry and confusion.

I sighed, "It's been one year since Lacey's parent's died, it just... I feel-"

"Bad, don't Jade, it's okay. Things will only get better when we leave," He looked at me reassuringly.

I sighed again and finished cleaning his wound. By the time we had spent talking about school to leaving, the sun had risen and it was around eight in the morning.

"Jade?" my mother called from out side my door. I put my pointer finger over my mouth to silence Elijah. "Are you on the phone dear?"

"No mom," I replied, "I just was singing along with the radio."

"Oh okay dear, well you better get ready for school! It's Friday." And with that she was out of hearing-distance.

"Good grief," he said with a sarcastic expression on his face.

"See ya'," he said and left leaving me mourning over the loss of his presence.

But I shouldn't be mourning about that.

Lacey's P.O.V:

Tears streamed down my pale cheeks as I layed the flowers down. Their grave stones looked blended in with the dead grass surrounding them. One year. My fault.

I stood up and gazed at what now remained of them. Two solid and cold grave stones. I had intertwined hundreds of marigolds and left them hanging along their stones.

I knelt down again and traced my finger along the engraved lettering.

Jeremiah Topaz and Mia topaz

My finger lingered on the last verse.

Forever in our hearts.

And that's when I crumbled. I crinkled into a ball and leaned up against their graves'. The tears ran down like a waterfall and I didn't want to hold them back.

Footsteps.

My heart stopped. Who was here? A lonely widower? No.

I looked up and saw Graham's soft face. "Jesus, Graham, you scared the crap out of me."

"I'm sorry," he said gazing down at me with sympathetic eyes. He outreached his hand and I grabbed it as he helped me up.

As he held my hand along the winding dirt path, I turned around, relishing the last glimpse's of my mother and father's graves as a lone tear trickled down my cold cheek.

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~alex!