Colourless

Chapter Twenty-Two

Sitting beside Holly's stretcher bed, I fixed the sheets whilst she laughed raucously. I chuckled at her sudden fit of laughter and arched a brow. "I didn't know you'd find Charles stabbing me in the face so funny," I laughed, relaxing back in my usual, thin-padded seat.

Holly sobered, horrendously stifling a grin, "No— no, it's awful... really... bad..." She dissolved into laughter once more and I playfully glared.

"Wow, thanks," I scowled jokingly, causing her to attempt to stifle her giggling once more. Suddenly, however, her laughter turned to a fit of dry coughs that sounded like death. Hurriedly, I lurch forward and help her upright. "Breathe deeply," I command gently, pouring water into a plastic cup from the pitcher on her bedside. "Here."

Her hands shake as she reaches for the water, and I guide it to her lips; exhaling a silent sigh of relief as she finally relaxes back.

***

Lost in thoughts that mainly consisted of Holly and her frail body wracking with coughs, I splutter in surprise when a pillow strikes me across the face. Lucille smirks and pouts mockingly at my glare. "Sorry," she mouths, snickering as she played with one of the many piercings in her ears.

Charles rocks back, resting his head in my lap and humming. "Thinking about Malik?" He teases, squealing as I playfully hold a pillow over his face.

"Don't do that, Pearl," Ellie chastises as she thumbs through a worn notebook I hadn't seen before, "We all can't tell if you're kidding." Rolling my eyes, I chuckle as Charles dramatically gulps for air when I pull away the pillow after only a few seconds.

Sighing, Ellie closed her notebook and scanned her eyes expectantly over us. "I'm scared," she admits, her thin, pale lips pursing, "I know we're not exactly the one's fighting, but..."

"You're scared something will happen to us?" I supply understanding, offering a sad smile when she only nods and picks at the fraying throw rug at the end of my bed.

"Come here," Charles announces suddenly, gesturing to himself, "Group hug, ladies."

Laughing, we all lay down and practically pile onto each other; our quartet locking more like a strange cult as we giggled and held each other close. Then, as though the universe wanted a laugh too, my typically locked room door opened.

"Pearl, your door was unlocked and I—" Malik paused, milk escaping the corner of his mouth as he almost dropped his cereal and instead merely blinked— "I'm.... I'm just not gonna ask."