We Will Catch You

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                       Xander

He didn't know how long he had been sat there listening to the sound of  silence. He had been waiting for hours for that knock on the door and that bright smile that he knew so well. The one person that could cheer him up. The boy with the bleached hair and sparkling eyes. Xander smiled to himself. Caius was his best friend. No he was more than that. Definitely something more.

Xander smiled to himself looking at the papers scattered infront of him. All sketches of the two fifteen year olds. Some were worn and brown with age whilst others were preserved in plastic sheets.

Knock knock

Xander immediately snapped back into reality.

Knock knock

He hopped to his feet and pulled the sleeves of his shirt down to hide the ugly marks.

Knock knock

He was beginning to get annoyed at the persistent knocking of the door. Had something happened?

Xander Evans walked over to the door and pulled down on the door handle. Two, stoney faced police men stood in the door way. Xander gulped. Had they heard the shouting? Were they going to ask to search the room? No. He was over thinking it surely. He gulped again trying to work up the courage to speak. What was the right thing to say when two policemen came to the door?
"H-h-hello?"
Xander cursed internally at his broken voice.
"Hello there Mr Evans," the first policeman spoke maintaining a poker face the whole time.
"Is there something wrong?"
One of the men smiled sadly and turned to the other.
"Did you know a Caius Mercury?"
Xander's heart sped up slightly at the name. Then he heard the 'did'.
"Did something happen? Is he okay?" Xander cried out trying not to come across as too much of a wimp.
"He was found washed up on the beech near the pier this morning. I am afraid the paramedics were too late."
Xander's heart stopped. How? How could Caius be dead? It couldn't be. No. No it couldn't be. He could feel the tears begin to well up in his eyes. 
"We found this sealed away with the body. Of cause Caius had no family and you were the closest person we could find to him."
The second policeman handed him 3 picutres enclosed in  plastic sheets. Completely preserved.

The first was a picture of Caius and him dressed smartly when they were 14. Caius was ruffling Xander's hair and Xander had one eye closed trying to push him away. Xander remembered that day. Sal was the one taking the picture. Life long friends.

The second picture was of Xander trying to tackle Caius to the ground whilst Rowan and Amon were trying to pull him off of the other.

The last was of all of them. Xander and Caius sat in the middle with Amon and Caesar on their left and Sal, Rowan and Yuri on their right.

"Thank you" Xander whispered breathlessly and pocketed the photos. A tear ran down his cheek.

"Is there anything else you need?"

Xander shook his head dismissively he wanted them to leave. To leave so they wouldn't see him break.

They gave one last word of condolence before shutting the door and walking away.

Xander waited until he could nolonger hear there footsteps before sinking back against the door and crying. It couldn't be. Deep down he still didn't believe it. He still believed that any moment Caius would walk through that door to him. And Xander would get up and hug him. An hour passed and Xander Was till left a sobbing mess on the ground.

The clock struck 12 o'clock. He had school that day. End of the summer break. And still Xander thought that when he walked into that classroom, Caius would be there. A smile on his face.

It couldn't be true. Caius wouldn't just leave him. He couldn't be dead. He cried and cried. All the good times were washed away by the vivid depiction of Caius dieing. Jumping off a bridge. Being hit by a car. Shot by a robber. Each one dug another chunk out of Xander's heart.

He was thrown in and out of fits of sleep filled with those terrible images.

6am brought another knock to the door.
Knock knock
Xander couldn't be bothered to open it.
Knock knock
Whoever it was would have to wait.
Knock knock
Xander wiped the tears from his eyes. He felt himself on the brink of another outburst. What had he left to live for? God had succeeded in taking everything away. What had he done to deserve this. His own parents kicking him out of the house for being a "rotten fag" as they would put it. And now his best friend. Gone. Everything had left him. Everything gone.

Xander stumbled over to the door. His shirt was in tatters and stained red whilst his trousers shredded at the cuffs. He opened the door.

"Cai-" The figure looked at Xander.

Xander looked at them back.

"oh it is you" and Rowan fell forward into the room.