Serendipity

Chapter 24

Tyler

We tried to call Shaun, all of us called like, fifty times each, and he just sent all of us to voicemail. Del is out here, but Carmen isn't answering when we yell for her.

I stand up and walk down the hall, knocking. She doesn't answer, so I just let myself in.

She's wrapped in a fuzzy white blanket on the floor in front of her window, asleep.

I sit down behind her, running my fingers through her hair.

She stirs easily, and then sits up quickly, gasping.

She looks at me, alarmed, and then reality sets in, and she settles.

"You need to call your brother." I say softly. "He-he's not answering the phone."

She yawns.

"I'll do it later, let's take a nap." She says.

The thought of sleep makes me giddy.

Sleep is like, my favorite thing. When I manage to catch some, I get so incredibly happy.

But I shake my head.

"Sunshine, we need to tell your brother."

She sighs, grabbing her phone off the charge.

Its fully charged.

I sit with her as she goes through and clears away hundreds of messages and phone calls and voicemails.

When all the red circles above her apps are gone, and goes to the phone app, standing up, wandering into the living room.

I follow her.

She settles on the couch.

"We've each called him, like, fifty times." Mrs. Schuler explains.

Carmen dials, putting it on speaker.

It rings once.

He doesn't say anything, and she doesn't either, for a second.

"Uh, Mom's been calling you." She says.

Silence.

"Is this a joke?" he asks.

"No. Where are you?"

"I'm at the dorms." He says.

"Come to my condo." She says.

There's a long bout of silence.

"Shaun?" she asks.

"I thought you were dead, Carmen."

"I know." She whispers.

It's completely silent again.

"Alright, okay, I'm getting dressed."

He hangs up on her.

Ten minutes later, the elevator dings, and Shaun walks in.

Carmen's jaw drops.

He's skinny.

His whole face is frail.

Hell, we've hardly seen him. I've probably seen him twice since she left.

There's needle marks all over his arms.

Carmen stands up slowly, standing in front of him for a second.

She shocks all of us when she raises her hand, and she slaps him, and then she pins him against the wall/

"What the fuck is this?" she snarls, grabbing his arm.