Cathartic ── Aiden Clark

─ix─

"Shane strangled Ben."

The new information felt heavy on the table. Taylor covered her mouth, shocked, while her twin looked down with a frown. Ashlyn, Angelica and Logan wore a concerned expression on their faces.

Angelica looked at Aiden, who was still looking to the front as he talked. He eyed her briefly and the girl knew all of this was a serious subject to him despite his nonchalantly.

"It was not with the intent to kill him, but just enough to damage Ben's voice box."

And the rest is history. Ben started picking up fights until he got involved with the wrong person and he and his family had to move.
"That was when his parents suggested he come stay with us for a while. Since we were always traveling and doing new things, they thought it would help him find a new meaning in life. Something he loves as much as singing." The way his voice took a slightly sad tone on the last sentence made Angelica's gaze fall to the ground.

He seemed to notice as he pushed his knee to the side, pressing it against hers. The girl's blue eyes redirected from the table, only to be met with Aiden's crimson gaze, accompanied by his reassuring smile.
"... So that's how he ended up with me. He has calmed down since then, but there are still things that can trigger his anger. Like when he saw Logan and that other guy in the hallway."

'So he follows Aiden around because he doesn't know what he's supposed to do with himself,' Angelica thought to herself, 'I hope he can be at peace with himself soon.'

"Wait," Tyler said, "so he can still talk, right? Just not sing."

"I mean- he can, but hw doesn't like hearing his damaged voice, so he chooses to be silent."

Aiden let Ben know he was finished and he took off his earphones. The table fell silent, Ashlyn debating whether should she or not say something. As she was clearing her throat, Taylor intervened.
"Thanks, Ben. For letting Aiden share that with us even if you don't know us that well. I'm sure it wasn't easy," she gave him a kind smile, "so I wanted to let you know that it was appreciated."

The boy's eyes widened for a second and he looked down shyly, his cheeks blushing. The sight of that brought a smile to Angelica's face, who spoke next.
"I think you're so strong for sharing this with us. I respect you. And also appreciate the gesture."

Most of the people agreed, creating a tiny but warm memory on Ben's heart. They could become a pretty good team.

'So I should have said something after all. This is difficult...' The black haired girl laughed to herself at Ashlyn's puzzled expression. Handling human emotions was surely a complex job.

"By the way..." Logan intervened, fidgeting with his fingers, "It's a little off-topic but I think I have a theory of what happened in Savannah." When he noticed all the looks were on him, he corrected himself, "well er- not exactly what happened, but how we went from Savannah all the way back here on the second night."

"Right... That's something we've been stuck on for a while," Ashlyn said, laying her cheek on her hand, "go on."

"I think the bodies we use here and in the phantom realm are separate but also... Connected, given how injuries work in relation to each dimension. So if they are connected... What if there's a distance limit?"

"So it resets if we travel too far from our position?" Angelica asked.

"Exactly," he nodded, "does it sound plausible?"

"It surely does. But the question then would be how far is that?" Angelica questioned growing engaged in the conversation. Meanwhile, Aiden was spacing out and the hispanic boy looked at them as if they were aliens.