echo // hemmings [completed]

twelve | answers

—September 8th—

Rowan thought that living in a motel was not only cheap but an easy way to expose herself to the less majestic side of the world. After all, her perception of freedom could only be obtained from learning as much as she could about the world. Some things she saw were confusing, some terrifying, or disgusting. And some things she saw were a little humorous. But what she found the most humorous of her frugal life was sitting in front of her.

Michael, Ashton, and Calum all sat uncomfortably close to each other on Rowan's two-person couch. They kept telling each other to move over or shut up, not even caring she was in the room. She found this very funny and her sense of fear had diminished quite a bit. From what was happening in front of her, she knew these boys meant no harm. Well at least to her... She wasn't sure if they meant no harm to each other.

"Michael, stop moving! Your legs are cramping my space," Ashton whined, pushing Michael's long legs away.

"Ashton, switch seats with Michael. You smell like booze," Calum stated matter-of-factly.

"Piss off Calum, I haven't had a drink in a day," Ashton snapped.

"What is that? A new record?" Calum scoffed. Ashton huffed in frustration but didn't budge from the seat in the middle.

"Can't we sit on a couch without fighting?" Michael questioned. The two other boys let out sighs and finally turned their attention to Rowan, whose presence they were not yet aware of. "Rowan, you should introduce yourself," Michael suggested. Getting Ashton and Calum to listen to her voice was Michael's first step in his plan.

Rowan swallowed nervously before speaking. "Well... Good evening, my name is Rowan Evergreen. And um... Thank you for being flexible by coming over." She didn't know what to say afterward. Was it even evening? Was she supposed to say welcome? It was only one sentence, but she was frantic. She was usually more composed. She handled strangers on the streets and drunks without any issue. So why was introducing herself to these people so hard? And that's when she came to a horrible realization. She was more used to drunks than sober people.

"Oh... My life's a wreck," she murmured to herself. She looked down in embarrassment and completely forgot about her guests. And instead of someone speaking up, the room was silent.

Michael looked patiently at the other two, waiting for a response. Ashton was lost in thought as if he was trying to put a puzzle together. And Calum was simply staring at Rowan, his mouth ajar.

"Is this a fucking joke?" Calum said shaking his head as he stood up. "Some girl with the same voice as Riley? What kind of bullshit is this Michael?" Rowan looked up and Calum was staring daggers at her. All of a sudden, Ashton stood up too.

"You're that girl that I met." He said in realization. "The one I thought was Riley when I was drunk." Ashton figured out. Rowan quickly nodded in response.

"She's also Drew's best friend," Michael pointed out. "And this isn't some joke Calum, this is real. Her name is Rowan Evergreen and she has the same voice as Riley Brooklyn Arthen."

"Holy fuck," Calum muttered. Rowan tried to maintain a smile, but her curiosity was digging into her.

"I'm sorry, but I need to know. Who is Riley?" She asked the trio. The three of them immediately looked at each other.

"We can't let her know," Calum said. 

"She needs to know," Michael argued. Rowan knowing about the incident was also a step in Michael's plan. "Let's let Ashton decide, then no one can argue." They both looked at Ashton expectantly. The curly-haired boy looked between them than to Riley. Her eyes were bright and curious, but if she knew their pain, would that light in her eyes change? He chewed at his bottom lip as he thought. If Rowan was going to get involved with the three of them, she had to know.