"Morning"Ashton greets when he sees me sit up. I hastily rub the sleep out of my eyes and pull my hair up out of my face. "How are you feeling?" He asks turning the Tv off. He leans forward placing his elbows on his knees. I look around and see that the fire is still lit, and casting an orange glow to the naturally lit room. How many times was he in here last night keeping the fire going? The the tv is hung on the wall above the mantel. A coffee table sits in between the couch and the fire as well as two side tables separating the couch from the two arm chairs on either side. The walls are painted a deep brown and lined with mahogany bookshelves fully stocked with movies, gaming consoles, video games, CDs, and a few books.
"I don't know. " I shrug, sinking back into the couch. "Better I guess"
"Better how?"
"I'm not cold anymore." I admit.
He laughs. " Thats not really what I meant. "
"What do you want me to say?" I ask, but then suddenly know the answer to my own question. "Oh... well, my parents are dead. " a lump grows in my throat. " How could I possibly be okay??"
" I know." He murmurs. " I'm sorry" At his words the dam breaks. I fall apart once again, not caring how stupid I look. As if he knows exactly what to do,Ashton moves over onto the couch next to me and pulls me into a tight embrace. I cry and cry into his shoulder, and he doesn't say a word. He just sits there, stroking my hair, waiting. He waits until I slow my breathing to deep, shaky breaths before talking.
" Let me get you something to eat. "
All I can manage to do is shake my head. " Kelsea, you haven't eaten in over 24 hours and you're extremely dehydrated. You need to eat" I feel so safe here in his arms, I dont ever want him to leave. I haven't felt the embrace of another person in months. When he goes to get some food , I've never felt so alone in my life. I listen to him in the kitchen, humming cheerfully and drumming with spoons as he cooks. His cheerfulness seems to be contagious, but I cant seem to catch any. When he comes back in, he basically forces the soup and water down my throat after I refuse multiple times. I can't deny that I instantly feel better afterwards though.
"See?" He asks after taking the dishes to the kitchen. " I told you you'd feel better. " He walks back towards the seating area and I assume that he is going to sit back in his chair, but he quickly bypasses that and sits next to me on the couch. He turns to look at me.
"W-what?" I stammer, suddenly aware of how close I am to someone who has helped me so much. I pull my legs up into my chest and scoot back into the corner of the couch in an attempt to get away from him. As much as he's an Idol to me, I still can't trust anyone. Even if I look up to him. He's probably just gonna put me into the foster system as soon as he's sick of me. Or worse.
" I'm not going to hurt you," he sympathizes. " I just want to help"
"Help with what?" I snap. " Nothing you do can bring my parents back from the dead, and thats the only thing I need right now"
He frowns. "When did it happen?"
I shoot him a weary look. " 5 months ago. "
"The date?"
"I don't remember." I avoid his gaze.
" You and I both know that's a lie"
"Mothers Day. May 13, 2018." I sigh. " But why does it even matter?!"
"It matters because you spent the night in the cemetery, Kelsea." Despite me being stubborn, his tone stays calm and reassuring. " How did it happen?" I glare at him now, tears brimming in my eyes.
"Why does that matter? And don't you dare say because I spent the night on their graves!"
"You need to come to terms with it, Kelsea. Your recent... actions suggest to me that you havent done that. "
"I was at the funeral! Ive lived 5 months completely alone, without anyone!"
"There has to be someone who's been there for you." His disbelief is no shock to me. I knew I shouldn't have said anything.
" I was the only one besides my pastor at the funeral. He died right after we buried my parents. My entire family is dead. No one at my school even know I exist. Nobody left on this planet has any idea what Im going through. So yeah, last time I checked..."
"Oh, sweetie.."
"Don't *oh sweetie * me! Ive been fine on my own for the past 5 months, just take me home."
"I cant do that, Kelsea." He looks genuinely sorry that he cant take me home. Its probably just an act. He *is* a famous musician, he's probably got some acting skill in that pretty head of his too.
"Why not?"
"You're only, what 14?" I nod. "My point exactly. You cant be living on your own at 14, you need a guardian. "
"No I don't. "
"Kelsea, please don't fight me on this. All I'm trying to do is help you. I know this probably seems like a lot right now." His words make me feel awful for being rude to him. Im an awful person, all he's trying to do is help me and I'm being a huge jerk towards him.
"I-I'm sorry." I look down again, focusing on the patterns on my socks. My mom bought me these. I remember the day she came home laughing her head off at the socks she found that had little reindeer on them.
"You don't have to apologize, sweetie. I can only imagine what you're going through." I meet his eyes and see only compassion.
"Thank you." I say before realizing it. His face quickly morphs into confusion.
"For what?"
"Everything. Helping me. " I hesitated before continuing. Should I let him know I'm a fan? " And for what you do. I love your music. Y'all have saved me so many times." A huge grin spreads across his face.
"You're a fan?" I nod. "Thats awesome! So that means you know about the boys right?"
"Obviously!" I laugh.
"They'll be back later on today, you'll get to meet them."
"You're kidding."
"Nope. Ive already told them a bit about you. They were here last night for a bit but you were asleep."
"Whats gonna happen to me?" I ask almost as soon as the thought pops into my head. There are four guys living in this house, I already knew I wasn't staying more than one or two days, but only because he wont take me home and were on the other side of town. "I mean you won't take me home, and I can't stay here-"
"Of course you can stay here! I'm not just going to send you into the system!"
"Well then what's gonna happen? I'll have to go somewhere soon."
"I'm not quite sure what'll happen,
Kelsea. We're here for 2 more months, I'll double check with the boys, but we can foster you for a while. We can figure out the rest later." He says it all as if its common knowledge. He probably has already thought about this.
"Are you sure? You can just send me-"
"Kelsea, Im positive. We're gonna have a blast!" He hops up and turns on some music, dancing around like an idiot.
"I can see that!" I laugh just as the door opens and Luke Hemmings walks in followed by Calum Hood and Michael Clifford. Ashton keeps jumping around, either not noticing they've arrived or not caring, but my heart stops. I am sitting in the house of the four people who saved my life, and they're right there.
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Amnesia
Fanfiction14 year old Kelsea Black had a perfect life. She was happy as could be with her amazing parents until one day a fatal car accident changed her life. Now all alone in this world, she was never sent into foster care and has been living alone for the...
