Imagine A World (Luke Hemmings a.u.) [in editing]

28 Explanations

Luke's POV

As soon as the words exit Riley's mouth, Madeline falls into my arms in a dead faint.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" I scream while dragging Mad's limp body inside.

Riley rolls her eyes. "Didn't you hear me? We're cousins for eff's sake. My dad is going on a business trip and he can't take me so he's leaving me with you. Apparently your mom said no earlier, but she changed her mind because she felt bad and called back while you were...wherever you were."

"Wait, so you're Uncle Simon's daughter? I thought he never had kids..." I trail off, readjusting my grip on Madeline.

"I'm adopted." She says these words with a sort of venom, like she's ashamed to have them roll off her tongue. "He never brought me over when I was younger because he didn't want to scare you with my sudden existence. Of course, that doesn't matter now, all because of his stupid job."

I almost feel bad for her, then I remember my unconscious girlfriend. "Why were you in New York, back in July? Why did you freak her out?"

"My dad had another business trip and he heard that you were going to be there, so he figured he'd bring me along so I could finally meet you. I honestly didn't know that much about her, and I wasn't really trying to be rude or mean or scary, it just sort of...came out. I felt like anyone who had met you and had some sort of relationship with you didn't deserve it, since I never got to meet you until I was 16. I thought it wasn't fair."

I don't know if I should believe her or not, but at that moment, my mother comes in.

"Oh, Luke, you're back!" Then she gasps. "Is Madeline alright?"

"She's fine," I assure her. "It was a long night. I think I'm going to bring her to bed."

"Oh, that reminds me: you and Madeline are going to have to share your room while Riley's here. Is that okay?"

I clench my teeth at the sound of my new-found cousin's name. "It's fine. I'm going to get ready for bed. Nice meeting you, Riley."

I nod to her, and she returns it with a slight glare. I doubt she knows a whole lot about me. Well, "sick me", that is. If she does, I don't want to know who or where she heard it from.

I lay Madeline on my bed, pulling the covers over her. Her eyes flutter open and she squints up at me.

"Luke? What's going on?" she asks hoarsely.

"Shh, it's late, you should rest. I'll explain in the morning, okay? I'll be in bed in a second."

She nods sleepily and watches as I get ready for bed. After I'm done, I climb in next to her and pull her close to me. Her eyes aren't closed, as I expected then to be, but she doesn't look very alert either.

"Luke, if you're keeping something from me..."

"I told you, I'll explain in the morning. You need your rest. I don't want to know where that weird story earlier came from."

She smiles very softly, then lets her eyes shut. I watch her for a moment then snuggle a little closer to her, falling asleep as well.

*******

I wake up happy, then I remember that Riley is here.

Great.

Madeline is already awake beside me.

"Morning, Mad," I say, my voice raspy with the morning air.

"Morning, Luke. Um...could you tell me what happened last night? Like, after I passed out? And why did I pass out in the first place?"

I sigh and sit up, pulling her onto my lap. "Well, you probably passed out because..."

Just then, someone knocks on the door. I tell them they can come in, and my cousin and I exchange glares.

"Liz wants you guys to have breakfast. Apparently you have to go to the studio or something later. So, uh...get up."

She turns to leave, but Madeline stops her.

"What are you doing here?"

Riley spins on her heel to face my girlfriend. Her eyes are narrowed threateningly, but Madeline doesn't back down.

"I heard you asking Luke that stuff just now. You passed out because you saw me. You passed out because you heard me tell him that I'm his cousin. Happy? It's not that difficult, hun. And you're stuck with me until whenever it is you leave for the next tour or whatever," Riley explains in a harsh tone. Madeline shrinks into my lap slightly, then looks at me with wide eyes.

"Is that true, Luke?"

I bite my lip, then nod slowly.

"Why didn't you tell me she's your freaking cousin?!"

"Mad, I didn't even know until yesterday. It was a shock to me, too," I tell her, trying to keep my voice calm.

"I'll leave you two to sort this out. But seriously, you need you eat, you have a recording session later," Riley breaks in, then leaves.

Madeline glares after her, but it doesn't seem quite as intense as before. I'm starting to soften up to Riley as well. If she's telling the whole truth, she really didn't mean to scare either of us.

"But she still did," a voice in the back of my head whispers. "She doesn't deserve your sympathy so soon."

"Yes, she does," a louder voice responds. It sounds very similar to Madeline. "You can't hold a grudge too long, or it will be bad in the long run."

I shake my head and look back over at Madeline, who's pulling off her shirt from last night right in front of me. I turn away, blushing, and wait for her to finish getting dressed.

Once both of us are somewhat ready for the day, we leave my bedroom to have breakfast. Riley is sitting at the table, chatting with my mom, and I'm surprised to see that my cousin sends a smile mine and Madeline's way. Madeline looks suspiciously at her, but I return the grin politely.

Madeline's POV

I don't know whether or not I should trust this girl. She's sent a majority if the hate my way. Why should I trust her now of all times?

"You're right," a small but venomous voice whispers in my ear. "She can't just barge into your life and expect you to like her immediately."

"But she's your boyfriend's cousin. His family," a stronger voice that sounds strangely like Luke. "You should accept her soon, if not immediately."

I try to ignore these voices, but they grow louder and louder in my ears. Soon, everyone is looking at me, but I can only feel their stares. My vision is blocked. I know what this is called.

Relapse.

*********************************

Hi guys! Sorry this chapter is really short, I didn't know what else to put.

What do you think Madeline meant by relapse? I would imagine it would be kind of obvious, but I'll give you a hint: it hasn't appeared yet in this story.

Hopefully, that makes sense.

Please vote, comment, and follow!