Unidentified.

Chapter Thirteen

I finally came back to the motel at one in the morning.

I wanted to let Aaron cool off a little and give him some alone time.

I opened the door and peered in to find Aaron sleeping peacefully on one of the two beds in the room.

Deciding to be nice I let him sleep and didn't wake him but instead hopped in the shower quickly to get the stench of human blood off me. Afterwords I packed up my stuff in my backpack for tomorrow and flung myself on the other bed.

I sighed and tried to will myself to fall asleep. I rolled over and trying to get comfortable, snuggling into the pillow and comforter. Unsatisfied, I rolled on my other side and repeated the process.

I groaned.

Why can't I fall asleep!

"Jordan?" A groggy voice said from the other side of the room.

Damn. I guess I groaned to loud and woke Aaron up.

"You awake?" Aaron asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and sitting up.

"Yeah. I just can't sleep, you sleep though. I'm sorry for awaking you." I told him quietly.

"You can't sleep?" He questioned.

In the dark, I saw him reach over and tug on the lamp cord, turning on the light source.

He looked at me with concern filling his beautiful green eyes.

Why is he looking at me like that? I thought.

"Yeah."

He stood up from Hus and bed and walked over to mine.

"What are y-" I started but before I could finish my sentence, Aaron had lied down on my bed and enveloped me in his arms.

"Shhh....." He said softly.

He pulled me closer and shifted to become more comfortable in my bed.

I was too tired to object to this human contact and didn't fight his open embrace, instead I snuggled closer to his warmfeetso and rested my face on his chest.

He set his chin on my head as I wrapped my arms around him.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

I nodded into his T-shirt.

He took this response, but didn't seem to believe me.

"Why can't you sleep?"

I shrugged my shoulders as if stating 'I don't know'.

"You do know why you can't sleep, I know too. So I want you to tell me, why can't you fall asleep?"

I looked up at him, eyes widening and he looked downwards straight into my eyes.

How could he possibly know why I can't sleep?

I gazed back down to his chest.
"I have nightmares." I said quietly as if not to be heard.

It might be my imagination, but I thought I felt Aaron grip me a bit tighter when he heard me say that.

"I know." He said.

"How do you know I have nightmares?"

"Do you think I can't hear you when you wake up screaming in the middle of the night? Do you honestly think I can't tell you are afraid to go to sleep at night? I have been with you for a while now, and that's enough for me to know you and actually start to care for you."

My eyes widened to the size of saucers at his confession.

Oh shit.

"What are your nightmares about? I want to help you"

Oh shit.

I stayed silent, only to be asked the question again.

Images flashed throughout my mind if me being hit, kicked, and verbally abused. My eyes started to water.
More pictures flashed of my mother being punched, and her trying to stop him from hurting me.
I choked up and attempted to keep my sobs in.
Then last images came, there was blood, blood everywhere and the mangled bodies of my parents lied at my feet. And a bloody kitchen knife in my hands.
I couldn't contain my tears anymore and they came steaming down my face.

I buried my face in Aaron shirt, making it wet and salty from my tears.

"I'm sorry" Aaron said and rubbed circles into the small of my back as I continued to sob.

We stayed like that for what felt like hours, us embracing, me crying, and he saying comforting words in my ear.

When my crying finally ceased, Aaron's shirt was wet and my eyes were red and super puffy.

That's when I decided I would tell him.

"The nightmares started 3 years ago. When I made my first kill." I sighed and then hiccupped. Aaron rubbed his thumb across my cheek to push away a tear and nodded for me to continue.
"It was really bad at home for me. I was 16 and was being verbally, physically, and....sexually abused by my dad.", Aaron inhaled sharply, "He did the same to my mother, in front of me no less, and one night after he was done hurting me I couldn't take it anymore so I......" I paused and exhaled and then started again, "So I murdered my parents with a kitchen knife after they went to sleep."

I was expecting Aaron to push me away, call me a monster for murdering my own parents. But he didn't instead he drew me closer to his body and said, "Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me that."

Smiled down at me and I gave him a small smile in return.

"Hey", I then asked, "Can you sing me a song to help me fall asleep?"

He looked at me oddly at first, but then nodding in understanding.

I curled up to him as he started to hum a tune.

Then he started to sing softly,

(A/N: Play the YouTube video now)

" Wandering child of the Earth,
Do you know just how much you're worth?
You have walked this path since you're birth,
You were destined for more.

There are those who will tell you, you're wrong.
They'll try to silence your song,
But right here is where you belong, so don't search anymore.

You are the dawn of a new day that's waking,
A masterpiece still in the making,
A blue in a ocean of gray.

You are right where you need to be,
Poised to inspire and to succeed,
You'll look back and you'll realize one day....

In your eyes there is doubt as you try to figure it out,
But that's not what life is about,
So have faith there's a way.

Though the world will define you,
It can't take the light that's inside you,
Don't you dare try to hide,
Let your fears fade away.

You are the dawn of a new day that's waking,
A masterpiece still in the making,
The blue in a ocean of gray.

You are right where you need to be,
Poised to inspire and to succeed,
You'll look back and you'll realize one day...

You are the dawn of a new day that's waking,
A masterpiece still in the making,
A blue in a ocean of gray.

You are right where you need to be,
Poised to inspire and to succeed,
Soon you'll realize you've finally found you own way "

As the last notes resonated from his chest, I felt myself falling asleep.

"Good night" was the last thing I heard before I fell asleep, curled in Aaron's arms.

What a weird 1am conversation.