little bird // r.keene

xviii. slipping away.

Mr James just gave Tory and Hawk a small smile when they entered the shop, he knew why they were there and he was thankful for it. Hawk knew where to go so he just continued to read in the armchair behind the desk and got lost in its pages.

The pair of teenagers made their way up the stairs quietly and reached the door at the top, there was no noise from within. The pair exchanged a glance, unknowing as to what they were about to see. Neither had seen her in weeks and both remembered Mr James's words.

She's in a bad place.

Tory reached out and knocked twice.

No one answered. Hawk gently reached out and pushed the door open and they both walked in. The room was clean, that was the first thing they noticed. The bed was made and clothes were folded. The desk was organised and had been dusted. No clutter lay on the floor and the window was open, letting in a soft breeze from outside.

And then, beside the window was Wren, sitting in a chair with a thin blanket around her shoulders and a small clear bottle in hand.

"Wren?" Tory said her name so tenderly it was as if no time had passed at all.

"Hello." Wren answered calmly, looking over her shoulder to see her two friends standing by the door. "I didn't know you were coming..." Wren told them innocently, not moving from the chair and taking a swig from the bottle.

It was a clear liquid and the bottle had no label on it.

"We came to check on you," Hawk answered, he pressed his hands to his sides as he sat on the bed, an arms length away from Wren, who had returned to gazing out the window. "See how you were doing... ." Wren cleared her throat at that, though didn't reply right away. Tory pulled over another chair to sit next to Hawk, though Wren's body was angled away from both of them.

Wren's hair was wet and brushed, telling them she had just showered. Her eyes were slightly brighter than they had been the past few days, she had slept for what felt like forever that night but you could still see she wasn't all that well. Her features were more angular, but only by just, since they had seen her those weeks ago.

"Why now?" Wren retorted, sharply, tearing her eyes from the world outside and let them graze over Hawk, "You hated me for not telling you about myself. Then you hated me because of Robby. Then you hated me because I was, am, the champion. Then you hated me because I didn't believe in the dojo rivalry." She listed slowly, taking her time and letting Hawk soak in every last word. She looked him in the eye, "You hate me, even now, I can see it in your eyes, Eli." She finished with a small smug smirk and took another swig of the bottle and returned to looking outside.

Tory's eyes were fixed on Hawk, who was staring at the floor now, his jaw clenched and back tensed.

"Wren, we came because we are worried about you." Tory told her, "I got you involved in the fight, I started it. You know that, if you're going to hate anyone in this, hate me. I deserve it." Tory told her and she immediately felt like weights had been lifted from her chest, Wren smiled at that.

"I don't think I could ever hate you, Tory." She took another swig, remembering a time when she had once thought that about Eli too and she produced a sad smile. "You have my back and I've got yours. You didn't want to see me after the fight so you stayed away and that's okay because I stayed away too, I wouldn't have wanted to see myself either." She told them mindlessly. "Not after I hid the boy who almost killed your boyfriend."