Promises (Book One of The Syrenka Series)

Chapter Seven

SEVEN

The next few days seemed to drag on through a haze of sadness and disbelief. Harlan Matthew had apparently died before he even fell to the floor. The doctor's declared it a stroke and assured Kain that his death was quick and painless. I doubted those words brought any sort of comfort to my friend. His dad was gone and once that realization sunk in, he had a whole other set of obligations to deal with. 

We left Florida early the next morning. I was flying back to California and Kain was accompanying his father to Massachusetts for a private family burial. He and I didn't speak much at all after that night. I stayed near his side, helping him fend off the well-wishers and offering my silent support. He didn't cry, didn't get angry; he just moved like a robot. Our friends stayed out of the way, providing only passing glances to show how sad they were for Kain.  

He held my hand the entire flight from Key West to Miami, and when we had to part ways in the airport, he kissed my forehead and thanked me for being there with him. Tears rolled down my cheeks as he walked through the corridor toward his own connecting flight, never once showing any sign of emotion on his face. I worried about him, but knew his family would meet him in Boston. We would see each other again in another week or so when they held a memorial service in California for all of the clans. 

I felt numb and overwhelmed which made my nearly five hour flight home seem too short. Not once did I think about crashing and burning. Instead, my eyes welled up each time I remembered Kain singing to me just a few days before. Both of my parents picked me up at the airport and the ride to our house remained silent and tense.  

I didn't want to talk about anything so their multitude of questions went unanswered. Eventually, they realized that they weren't going to get anywhere and gave me a reprieve for the rest of the afternoon. I refused dinner, even when they sent my sister in to coax me downstairs. Tomorrow would be a better day, so locking myself in a room for a few more hours sounded like a good plan. 

In the middle of the night, my phone began to vibrate under my pillow. Sleepily, I tried to make my fingers move to read the message. Brendan. I hadn't even called him since I got in and I scolded myself for being so inconsiderate. 

You up? He asked. Deciding that I needed to hear his voice, I called instead of texting him back. He answered right away. 

"Evs, I miss you," he greeted me and I immediately began to cry. "Hey, what's wrong?"  

We talked for over an hour. I first explained Harlan's passing and the events of the last twenty-four hours, and soon the sharing eased the pain in my heart so I could tell him about the fun stuff that happened as well, like the reef trip and the dancing competition. Hearing his voice was the biggest comfort for me and no one else in the world could provide that serenity. 

Toward the end of the conversation he sighed and asked, "Can we meet tomorrow?" 

"Of course. I don't know what I'll have to do here, but I'm sure I can escape for a while."  

He laughed at that and replied, "I know that you can." I smiled. "Why don't you come to my place in the afternoon? I'll pick you up around three." 

"Sounds good," I murmured and realized that sleep was quickly devouring me. My heart felt at peace for a while and my body relaxed. With the phone still in my hand, I fell into a dreamless slumber. 

It was late morning before I pulled myself out of bed and into the shower. Dressed and descending down the stairs, I heard my parents on the phone, each talking briskly and making a variety of plans. When my mother saw me, she told the person on the other end to hold on and walked over to give me a giant hug. No words, just physical contact, but it was enough for me to know she was grieving too.