When we got home Luke practically tucked me into my bed like a little sister. He said he had some band things to go do and that I should get some sleep. I yawned and noded and he left me to sleep.
After I knew he was gone I opened my eyes. I couldn't't sleep. Everything's on my mind. Who was that guy in my flashback? Why is everyone against Ash? What are they doing at the band meeting that I can't know about?
I stayed awake in my bed for another 10 minutes before getting bored with my ceiling and wanting to at least half answer one of my questions. The floors are carpeted and the whole house is pretty new so there's no creaking when I sneaked out of my room, down the hallway to the arch doorway-hole-thing that leads into the lounge, and leant against the wall parallel to the kitchen on the other side of the arch.
"She's not stupid, if we keep this thing up she's going to figure out that somethings up"
"So what Mike? You suggest we ignore everything he's done!?"
"No! I suggest we stop making it so obvious that he did something in the first place!"
"He's right. She's pretty curious, and we're all making it pretty obvious that somethings wrong, she's going to ask questions, or at worst, figure it out for herself. I know I'm not the only one who saw her on the ferris wheel. She remembered something, maybe she already-"
"We don't know that. until we do we pretend we know nothing"
I gasped a little and they turned my way. I hid behind what little wall there is between the arch and the kitchen wall.
"I'm not making up with him"
"You know Luke, She's not your sister. You don't need to protect her"
I heard enough. I sneak back past the arch and down the hallway when I saw a light emanating from under Ashton's door. I slowly opened the door. I decided knocking might alert the others that I'm not actually asleep and that I heard some of what they were saying. As I opened the door I saw Ashton, lying on his bed watching some kind of anime where people are constantly catch on fire or something. Because of the way his bed is, and how loud the sound of the show over his ear buds must have been, he didn't notice me enter. I walked over to his bed. I wanted to know exactly what kind of 'monster' these guys thought they were protecting me from. I got to his bed and I stood a little behind him but mostly beside him when I noticed his muscles tense. He pauses what he was watching and turned to look at me.
"Hey" He whispered.
"Hey" I whispered back and smiled.
He moved over in his bed and I sat down next to him. There was something oddly comfortable about sitting on his bed with him.
"So" He started, "What'd you overhear?"
"Excuse me?!"
"C'mon Dailah, I'm not dumb, what'd you hear?"
I sighed and gave in, I told him everything they said that I overheard and when I was finished he was focusing directly on me, with his sensitive hazel eyes and I had one question that needed to be asked and answered. "Why?"
"What?"
"Why are they saying that? Treating you like a beast?"
He smiled a little at my words and says "Sorry love. That's one thing we all agreed to let you figure out yourself."
I fake sulked and stole one of his ear buds, "So what are we watching?"
"Dragon Ball Kai"
We kept talking for what felt like hours and I must have fallen asleep somewhere in there too because I wake up snuggled into him using his arm practically as a pillow to him trying to gently wake me. As I opened my eyes he looked slightly worried.
"What's wrong?"
"The others are all asleep, Luke's going to bed now too, he'll probably do the parent thing and check that you're asleep ok."
"Why are you so worried about him"
"Dailah, I'll explain all of this in the morning, now please. Go to bed."
I'm confused, curious, skeptical and somewhere in there, a little scared. So I did as he said and just as silently as I had snuck out of my room, I snuck back in and attempted go to sleep, cuddling one of the teddies on my bed.
