Broken

.day eight.

Esther

The subway smelled purely of sweat and B.O. As luck would have it, I was jammed between Tyler and a guy who apparently didn't know deodorant existed, his hair thinning and greasy. His coat was stained with grease, remnants of food, and several large white stains. My dark blue shirt began sliding up as the train jolted everyone to the left, and I gripped onto the pole for balance. I instantly pulled the fabric down as I felt the black leather rub against my exposed skin, my face heating up. I turned my head away and I wanted to berate him or get off the train, but Tyler weaved his calloused fingers through my hair, pressing me against him. I breathed in his cologne, letting the nausea pass.

"Bad idea to come here in the middle of the day, isn't it?"

I looked up at him to find his eyes meeting mine, and all I could do was nod. My hand unconsciously reached for the locket around my neck, and I clicked it open, my eyes locking on the picture that molded to the star. My dad's hair was auburn, trimmed and shaved, his eyes were a shade of silver. His smile was small, yet filled with joy, forming a dimple on his right cheek. Only then did I realize how much I looked like him. Too much like him.

My fingers let the locket close, and I felt my vision blur. I might never see him again. I might never see him come home if I couldn't get him back. I might not come home if I couldn't get to him.

Tyler's voice sliced into my thoughts. "My mother was also captured."

Goosebumps trailed along my arms as I heard the quiet yet splitting edge in his words, and I forced myself to meet his pained gaze. "W-when?"

He sighed, and I felt the tension rippling through his body. I held my breath, waiting for him to snap. Waiting for him to yell at me.

He didn't, instead flatly stating, "2012. The year before your father was out of the picture." A dry chuckle escaped him. "I can't even remember what she looked like. All I recall was what my father said about her going on a trip because her work needed her 'there,' wherever there was."

I perked up, my spine straightening in an instant. "T-that's... that's what my mom said when Dad left."

The man from earlier squeezed through the horde of people, and I released the breath I didn't even realize I was holding until I swayed to the left, my vision darkening. Tyler let his hold on me slip, though he stepped next to me, leaving room for Hanna. She seemed fixated on the scenery past the clear doors, which showed the golden glow of the sun painting everything paler than they were. White specks flew through the sky, and it took a second for them to form into birds.

I leaned my temple against the metal pole, which was now cold, and I closed my eyes, feeling the floor waving beneath me dictating my level of fatigue, and I stood there for what seemed like an eternity. At least, until the brakes squealed against the tracks, forcing my eyes open. The doors slid open, and I turned to Tyler, who was still looking at my sister.

"Hanna." Tyler placed a hand on her shoulder, and her blank gaze focused. She blinked rapidly, running a hand through her hair before gazing at Tyler.

"Sorry, I must've... spaced out for a second," she whispered, her eyes still glazing over a tiny bit.

I watched Tyler relax slightly, though I saw the concern breaking through. "Well, we don't need you spacing out now, since we have two more lines to go. Come on."

He guided her out the doors with me trailing close behind, and the freezing air hit me instantly, biting at my skin. I shivered and rubbed my hands along my arms before the goosebumps disappeared. I felt warmth on my back, then heard a hissing, and I froze. Tyler and Hanna turned around, their faces tight with confusion.

Hanna reached for my hand, and I let her drag me between the pillars in front of me. For some reason, I felt her squeeze my hand and push me farther behind her, and in that moment, something slammed into my right side, sending me crashing into the pillar to the left before rolling several feet away from them, near the tracks. I felt the fabric of my shirt, the ends of my hair, burning, a warm liquid seeping onto the ground, and I struggled to lift my head as two people I couldn't recognize ran to me.

"Esther!" someone–a girl–screamed, holding me in her arms. Hanna. Someone kneeled next to her, and they placed a rough hand on my cheek. Tyler. I could feel my eyelids growing heavy, and I felt my sister's hands pressing into the burnt and bleeding wound in my side.

"Dammit, Esther..." Tyler muttered, his broken gaze shining. "Just... just hold on. You'll... you'll be okay..."

I opened my mouth, but I couldn't say anything, as much as I wanted to, wanted to reassure them, before everything melted away.