Caught

Escape

When I open my eyes I feel momentary panic that I'm in bed with a boy.

And then I realise that boy is Xavier and hell would freeze over before anything ever happened there.

I sit up, quietly, and rub my eyes. I've never been hungover but I can't imagine Xavier would appreciate loud noises.

As I glance down at him I see his shirt and ridden up in the night and I can see part of hi stomach, Are those abs?

I shake my head as I climb out of bed still trying to figure out how I am meant to sneak him out here. I don't even know why I brought him here in the first place.

He was so wasted and..I was worried for him.

I look at him again, one arm is draped over his head and the other is hanging off the bed. He looks peaceful, not so guarded.

I approach him quietly, it's only then do I notice something red just peeking out from his stomach.

Is it a cut? Did he hurt himself?

I push his t shirt up a bit so it's at his chest and my eyes widen, there are scars on his stomach and chest. Nothing insane, but three or four almost like slashes.

He makes a groaning noise and I leap back but he doesn't wake, only rolls over onto his stomach.

My heart drops, his back...

It's covered in scars, most old almost healed and some fresh and red.

My hand flies to my mouth as I stare at the marks all over him...what is this?

Who did this to him?

I think back to the night before, 'My dad will beat me'

I thought he was joking, what if he wasn't?

I look at Xavier again and feel a heavy pressure in my chest. I reach over and pull his shirt down and wake him gently.

"Xavier" I murmur, brushing some hair out of his face.

He stirs and blinks at me tiredly, "Elena?"

I nod and hand him water, "How are you feeling?"

"Not too bad actually." He says as he sits up and drinks the water.

I should mention the scars but...if he wanted me to know he would have told me. Now isn't the time.

"Right, so you need to leave through the window," I say standing up and opening the latch. "You can climb down the ivory."

Xavier watches me momentarily and then grins, "How scandalous.."

I laugh a little, trying not to show my panic that any moment my mom might walk through the door. 

I will have to throw myself out the window.

He stands up and yawns before crawling out the window, I lean out watching him as he hits the floor and I smile.

"Brilliant!"

"You've got some drool on your cheek by the way." He says before walking off around a corner out of sight and my hand flies to my cheek in horror. 

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

I'm sitting in English class writing about the wonderful and creepy book Lolita when the intercom crackles into life and everyone in the class raises their heads. 

"Mark Badley was found dead in the woods last night, we know he was the school's star quarterback and......"

Everything else fades out as I stare at the speaker in shock, another person. 

Someone else is dead....it's only been two weeks since Missy was killed.

I feel faint this was not supposed to happen me and Xavier was meant to catch this person and we were meant to figure things out. Who were we kidding? 

We're just teenagers as if we could ever catch a killer. 

I hardly pay attention in class as the day drags on and then before I've had time to breathe it's hometime. 

I rise from my chair shakily and walk outside, it's sunny. 

How funny is that? Today someone lost a friend, a son a boyfriend and yet the world keeps spinning. 

We are so insignificant the thought crushes me.

When I open the door to my house I barely greet my mother but instead walk upstairs to my bedroom and crawl into bed. And that feeling I hate more than anything begins to creep up on me. 

I took it pretty well for the first three months when my father died. In a way, I couldn't fall apart because Mom did and if I broke then we'd be in serious trouble. And then my mom got better and I was the one who broke. 

For weeks at a time, I couldn't leave the bed or eat I barely existed. But then one day I was fine, I was sad, but I was fine. For two years. And then when I was fourteen it happened again just one day suddenly I couldn't leave bed or do anything I was just so sad. 

The doctor told us I have depressive episodes, very common after the death of a parent. I haven't had one in six months and right now I slowly feel that same hole of sadness slowly calling to me. 

Or at least I do until I hear a tap on my window, it was soft but then after I don't answer it turns into a bang. 

I run over and pull the curtains and almost fall over when I see Xavier at my window, I lean forward and see him holding onto the Ivy. 

Right. 

Glancing behind me I pull the window open and before I can say anything Xavier climbs in. 

"What-" 

"I knew you'd be freaking out someone else died so I came over." He says flopping onto my bed. 

I stand there, maybe in shell shock, "This is a huge overstep of personal boundaries." 

Xavier shrugs and watches me, "So regardless how do you feel tonight about checking out where the person died so we can find things the stupid sheriff definitely overlooked?" 

I nod slowly, "Okay yeah that's a good idea." 

Xavier smiles and then closes his eyes, "God I'm tired I had a biology test. I'm gonna take a nap."

"My mother is downstairs!" I squeal walking over and shoving him.

"She's not coming upstairs." 

Wow, I honestly wish  I was as insane and delusional as him. 

But I do know when I'm getting into a fight I won't win and there's no way I'm winning this so instead of further arguing I close my bedroom door and do some homework at my desk while Xavier naps on my bed. 

It's only after I finish my math homework I realise the sad and empty feeling has gone away.