Castaway ➳ cth [EDITING/HIATUS]

Chapter 13

                  

[Warning: this chapter contains a lot of confusing metaphors. Sorry for including them, I felt like it.]

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Both of us didn't say any word on the way home.

What made him think he should tell me his story? I had the question lingering on the tip of my tongue, making it taste bittersweet.

But I knew he wouldn't appreciate the way I'm despicably trying to break the barriers of his past.

We walked over the gray pavement, the muddy puddles becoming apparent when my feet accidentally touched the surface.

Our souls felt sorry for the tragedy that hit his friend, the tears that glistened in our eyes wouldn't roll over our cheeks, indicating the way we both desired to accept.

Michael wouldn't say anything out loud, he firmly clenched his fists together, as if he wanted to rip apart every single split second of the day that now found its place in his memory.

"I feel sorry for the loss of your friend", I hear myself whisper into the emptiness, triggering a slight nod coming from his direction.

"No, I shouldn't have broken down." Closing his eyes, I observed him gulping in nervousness.

Although only we both knew each other for only a day, a connection already had been established. An invisible bond that tied both of our fates together.

Silence decorated the air, as if the gods hung it there, hoping we'd find confront in its deafening sound.

But the silence shattered. My fist knocked on the wooden door of my house, my mother opened it slowly, her dark eyes wandering from Michael's face to mine.

Stepping aside, she let us in.

"Where were you?" Her voice cracked. Her tender hands soothed my skin, the touch feeling strange to me. Since the day my sister had been taken out of my life, she wasn't being the same person anymore.

"Michael and I went outside for a short walk", I responded shortly and made my way towards my room, closing the door behind me.

My first instinct was to throw myself carelessly on the bed and try to close my eyes to take a nap, but my fingertips ghosted over Calum's contact on my phone. I felt the urge to call him, meet up and talk.

Although we saw each other just recently, I begged for someone's trusted presence. Apparently, my mother was way too busy handling her own, meaningless issues to even care about mine.

I shoved my phone into the back pocket, throwing on a comfortable, red jumper that was way too oversized for my petite frame. Despite the fact that it was early summer, I kept it on me anyway.

The warm wind outside brushed along the branches of the trees, the calming quietness whispering my name, as if it needed me.

I realized how weakness coated my limbs and bones, making it impossible for me to stand up, so I remained seated.

My back leaned against the cold surface of the heater that was usually not turned on during spring nor summer. Pain washed over my lungs, slowing down my breathing and creating a hitch in my throat.

The knock on the door pulled me out of the vortex of thoughts. I freed myself from the coat of weakness, tiny movement flickered in my fingertips and ankles.

"Come in."

Standing on the doorframe, my mother had her old laptop clinging under her arm. "Your sister wants to talk to you", she announced, the numb tone of her voice slipping 'with easiness off her lips.

Why did she even wasted her time to reach out for my sister? She never cared. But even if she did, would she let her go?

Taking the laptop and positioning the heavy device on my lap, my mother closed the door silently.

Neele's face appeared blurry over the bad Skype-connection. But her silky blonde hair that fell in waves down her shoulder was still recognizable. I liked the way she wore her hair. Gray-blue eyes met mine, her pink lips twisting into a soft smile that could pull the sun out of the curtain of clouds.

She was the artwork of the greatest hands, sculpted in sunlight and bathed in the stars. She was what the heaven envied and the gods feared.

"Juney!" Her voice squeaked way too loudly, but it wasn't bothering me.

"How is it going, little munchkin?" I never sounded so relieved when I experienced her happiness.

"It's great", she responded, tracing her index finger on her pink thumbnail, not looking me in the eye anymore. "Dad brought me to a new school. The girls over there are very friendly."

"Glad to her that, princess", I answered, plastering a big smile on my lips. Don't let her notice the strong desire of seeing her, otherwise she will get suspicious.

We both hesitated, the sound of silence tensioning the atmosphere in an unbearable manner.

What was I supposed to ask her? How dad was? Whether she liked California more than Australia? How their new house looked like?

"Do you miss me?" She whispered so quietly, almost impossible to capture her question. I furrowed my eyebrows, not knowing how to answer in the moment.

"I do miss you." Surprised about my change of tone, I held myself back.
Neele didn't even reach the pre-teen age, was clueless about the world. The problems circling around her. Threatening to swallow her...
They won't have any meaning to her. Yet.

I needed to keep my feelings to myself.

"Please visit me", she mentioned, intertwining her little, short fingers. "Or I'd like to visit you. Also, I cannot talk anymore, Juney, I have to do homework, if you are okay with it."

"Of course, my darling. Take your time, and stay safe."

"Tell Mommy I said good-bye. Tell her I love her. Very much."

The melody of her words coming out with such delicateness and divine made my heart skip a beat. No, she was in fact not clueless about the whole situation. She clearly knew what was going on.

Neele tried to hide it, the hatred she had towards my parents, her parents.

When she hung up, an indescribable pain flowed through my bloodstream, like vicious chemical that had the power to eliminate me in seconds.

All of a sudden, the phone in my pocket started to vibrate, cluelessness overcame me as I studied the screen.

The ID displayed the name 'Luke Hemmings'.

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(A/N): So that was chapter 17 and I'm incredibly proud that I managed to write and edit it at eight in the evening :D

Anyway, I hope it wasn't extremely confusing, but I found the beauty in literal devices and it really makes the story sound so much deeper.

The next chapter is following either this weekend or the beginning of next week.

Stay tuned and enjoy your weekend,

- Ally