Laconic » a.i

1.3

//cooper//

Luke and Emily returned and I kept quiet. Jeremy brought them outside, not giving a reason as if I wouldn't know what he was going to tell them: that Michael left without an explanation just like Ashton. When they walked in, they were trying to act like nothing had happened, but I could tell something changed inside of them -- especially because Luke kept staring over at me.

"Well, if no one's going back to sleep, we should go check back at that house," Calum grunted as he stood up. "They've got to be home right now, right? It's early and everything."

"What if they don't answer?" Jeremy quizzed from where he sat beside me.

"I'll camp out on the lawn all morning if I have to," Calum stated, turning and walking toward the door. "So are you losers coming, or what?"

Jeremy stood before helping me to my feet. Luke and Emily stood from the couch, and we followed Calum out of the tree house and around the boarders of the property to the street. We began the trek back to the house that Annie and the family called the Marcos lived at. From what Emily told us, they were sadistic freaks -- mostly the youngest, Sabrina. She was only thirteen, but she was apparently terrifying.

"You all better hope this Ashton guy isn't in here," Emily said as we neared the house. "They love to torture people."

As the four of us hid, Calum walked to the front door and knocked.

-

//ashton//

They moved Michael to a room upstairs after leaving us down in the basement together for a couple hours. Rebecca explained that the basement was where most of the killing went on, and Sabrina added they'd be needing it for something else later, so Michael couldn't stay there. After hearing Michael describe the room to me, it was a lot like the room Mali-Koa was locked up in at the Hood house.

The next morning, after spending the night in Michael's room where I hardly got any sleep, the Marco sisters burst into the room, dragging me down the stairs and leaving Michael behind.

"We need you to take the gift." Rebecca told me as we reached the last step.

"What, why me?" I complained. "I already have two, plus this blindness thing."

"Your eyesight will come back once the gift is given to someone." she explained.

"Unless the gift is losing your eyesight, in which case you're shit out of luck." Sabrina added.

I was led into the living room and laid down on the floor with my arms at my side. I stared up at the ceiling and tried to keep my breathing even. I was nervous to get this gift. I already had two ruining my life, so I didn't need this one.

"I got it." Mali-Koa sighed as I heard her walk into the room; her heels were banging against the hardwood until they reached the area rug I was laying on.

"Let's get this over with." I said in a bored tone.

I sat and waited, listening to the silence. It felt like ages when I felt a weight press to my chest. It was a feeling I'd felt before. It was harder to breath. I was gasping for air as the weight increased until it was suddenly gone. The gift was mine. No going back.

Vision slowly slipped back and I couldn't help but sigh in relief. I was staring up at Rebecca, Sabrina, and Mali-Koa, who were all looking down at me with curiosity. I sat up and looked around as I waited to see if my gift would be something obvious. I hadn't forgotten anything, and I was functioning properly, so I must've been given something.