The Neogene Project

Chapter 25 - Not Again

Chapter 25 - Not Again

Trenton didn't feel it, but he heard it. His muscles gave way and the phone in his hand dropped to the floor. Ryan's static voice was shouting through the line, but Trenton blocked it out. The blood drained from his face and he fell to the floor. Not again. He couldn't go through this again.

He frantically reached out and put the phone, cracked screen and all, against his ear, urgently listening to Ryan's screaming. Aria. Aria was in the hospital. Chance was in the hospital. Critical condition. Survival was not guaranteed.

Trenton dropped the phone once more and stood up, dashing to the bathroom. He kneeled beside the toilet and barfed. He sat, panting at the toilet seat, not feeling any better. His heart was still beating painfully in his chest. His ears were ringing. And his mind, his mind...constant flashbacks of when Aria slipped from his grasp and fell to her death flashed through his mind. He was going to be sick again. Trenton leaned over the toilet, but nothing more came out. His energy had left him and Trenton fell to the floor once more. The pounding on the door faded and he heard a new sound, coming from the back door this time. A twinkling kind of sound that reminded him of hitting one of those triangles at school. Then, he heard voices. First Blake's, then Rowen and Jade's together. They were shouting for him, calling him to come down.

He forced himself to stand, legs wobbling from underneath him. Trenton steadied himself with the glass pane of the shower, before finally leaving the bathroom. When he stepped out, he came face to face with Blake. Trenton must have looked really bad because Blake's face immediately paled too, and that was saying something for Blake's dark, olive toned skin. Rowen and Jade walked in on them a few seconds later.

"Trenton..." Jade said at the same time as Rowen said, "Aria..."

Trenton opened his mouth to say something, but instead a choked out breath came out. Jade stepped forwards and wrapped her tiny arms around him, pulling him in for a much needed hug. Trenton reached down and held onto her as tightly as he could. He needed a hug. Hugs were the best medicine, and at that moment, he was in desperate need of medicine to cure the constant feeling of his stomach dropping.

"I've got to go back," Trenton cried out, disconnecting himself from Jade. He didn't care that he sounded extremely unmanly. He threw all of those cares out the window a long time ago. If Aria had taught him one thing, it was that everyone had a right to express emotions, whether you were a man or not. "Aria...she's..."

"No. Shut up!" Blake screamed, running his hands through his hair desperately, as if it would somehow cure the pain of Trenton's words.

"Blake..." Jade tried, but Blake ignored her.

"Aria's dead, Trenton," Rowen attempted to say, to shake Trenton out of the fragile state he had fallen into.

"No, she's in the hospital. I need to go back. I need to go!"

"No," Blake barked. He reached forward and yanked Trenton to his feet. Blake shoved Trenton's weakened form into the wall next to the bathroom door, hard. Trenton didn't even bother trying to react. He could've read his mind and dodged his attack. He could've used his knowledge to fight back. He could've done something, but instead, he fell limply to the floor after hitting the wall with such force that a mark was formed. Blake growled and kicked Trenton not so lightly. Trenton didn't even have the energy in him to groan out of pain. He fell to the floor and let the tears fall. The first tear was big and trailed down his face at a snail's pace. It took its time. But once it dropped off his face and dove to the floor like it were sky diving, so many more followed behind its lead. Blake cursed and turned around, looking for something, anything, to punch. Jade walked towards Blake, trying in desperate attempts to get him to calm down. She gave a pitying look at Trenton before dragging Blake's raggedly breathing form out of the room. Rowen remained. He kneeled down and ruffled Trenton's hair. That's when another voice entered the house, one Trenton didn't recognize.