Tell My Father {COMPLETED}

Chapter Eight: Refugee

Chapter Eight

Refugee

When Jade finally reached Amber's apartment, it was nearly 9:30. He turned into the parking lot of her complex and stopped his car. He put it into park and then pulled out the keys. Silently, Jade picked up his phone and unlocked his door. He knew he had to wash the blood off his face and out of his hair, but he needed water and a mirror to do it. Amber would see. But it didn't matter. She had seen him bloody before. Tonight, he couldn't care less.

Jade pushed open his door exhaustedly and stood up. It was a good thing that it was dark. Amber seeing him like this was one thing. Someone else seeing was entirely different.

Jade walked wearily up to apartment 12 and knocked on the door. A few moments later, the door opened, and Amber appeared in front of him.

The moment Amber saw Jade, she frowned. "Whoa, Puppy. What happened?" she asked, stepping aside to let him in.

Jade walked numbly into her living room. He shrugged and didn't answer her question. "Where should I go?" he asked. "I can go anywhere, I can sleep on the floor."

"Na, I have a bed for you," Amber said, tilting her head up a little. She seemed to consider going up the stairs for a moment, but she apparently changed her mind and walked up to Jade instead. She took his chin in her hand and turned his head so that she could see the cut on his face. "Nasty," she said. "Was he drunk?"

Jade gave a fake smile. "I don't...really want to talk about it."

"I understand," Amber said with a smirk. She waved at him to follow, then headed up the stairs.

Amber's apartment was quite nice, and perpetually clean. The room she had set aside for Jade was no exception.

"This is it," she said. "Bathroom's over there." She gave Jade another grin. "You look horrible, Jade."

"I just need to rest a bit," Jade said in a worn voice.

"I can tell," Amber agreed. "So I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Then she left, leaving Jade standing alone in the room. For a long moment, with his car keys and phone in one hand, he stood staring into empty space. But then he melted into movement and walked into the bathroom that was attached to the bedroom. It was a tiny bathroom, but all Jade needed was a sink and a mirror.

However, once Jade caught sight of himself in the mirror, he froze again. The right side of his face was completely painted in blood from the same gash on the side of his face that he had received before—only now, it had been opened further. The gash was matted with bloody hair. And it was obvious Jade had been crying. The teenager told himself silently that it didn't matter. He turned on the faucet and filled his cupped hands with water. Then he began to slowly wash the blood from his face and hair.

It took a long time, but at last Jade was satisfied. Then he washed his neck and shoulders. He didn't have any clothes with him, so Jade did not have to even consider changing. He could get clothes tomorrow from the basement of the Tech building in which Eclipse kept a great deal of their equipment. The building wasn't very far from Amber's apartment. It wouldn't be hard.

Then, deciding to leave the clean up job at that, Jade ran his hand listlessly through his hair and turned away from the mirror. He left the bathroom.

The seventeen-year-old shut off the light, closed the door, and lay down.

But despite the fact that he was entirely spent, it was a long time before Jade fell asleep. For a long while, the memories and horror ran like a film through his head. There were so many things that he couldn't forget—so many things that he wished he could let go of, but followed him wherever he went. How could he forget? Wounds that were always being torn open could never heal.