Like the Darkness, but not the Darkness (A Gone series fan fiction)

Tired (Chapter Seven)

"A week's worth of food, a canteen, a sleeping bag, pepper spray, a knife-"

"Now it's my turn to tell you to relax Ivy. I have everything, we went over it five times this morning alone." Hunter groaned, hitching his backpack up higher on his shoulder.

He was right of course. Ivy had gone through his bag at least ten times over the weekend, and they'd discussed anything that might happen.

"If you do something stupid and get in trouble?"

"I tell them I need you with me, that I need you to answer for me- but seriously Ivy? I could handle anything and that'd just make me sound like a-"

"I don't care. We all know you can never get yourself out of trouble, while I can."

"Yeah, that's only because you're a good liar. You're good at making up things."

"Well, it comes in handy. More so than being able to whistle." Ivy retorted, getting a dry chuckle out of her brother.

"Ok, ok. You win."

"And what else do you get me for?" Ivy asked, looking annoyed as she tapped her fingertips against the arm of her wheelchair.

Hunter had only wheeled her to the front door, so she could easily get back inside once he left. Somehow he couldn't see Kim and Alice dragging her up the front steps- or all three of them dragging up the wheelchair itself.

Normally Ivy could handle anything, Hunter could trust her with anything- but not now.

"If someone threatens me, or anything like that. I know you wouldn't want to miss a chance to beat someone's ass."

"Ha ha. Very funny. What else do you need to remember?"

"Watch for people who shoot things out of their hands, look out for this Sam person, come get you immediately if something important happens, if I need help- ask Mary. Is that it?" Hunter asked, looking bored.

"Yes. Remember to use common sense, better judgement, and all that. I'll expect you back before ten every Saturday morning, and if you not back before Saturday evening- I'm coming in to get you." Ivy finished their talk sternly, both of them standing awkwardly for a moment.

Then Hunter leaned in for a hug and said goodbye.

"And remember, my fifteenth birthday is in seven days. You miss it, you don't get any cake." Ivy joked, smacking his lightly on the arm.

He laughed, and then they had nothing else to say. He had already taken an hour to say goodbye to the other three kids, and there was nothing left to do.

So he walked away.

Ivy could only watch silently as he walked away, screaming out for him to be safe just as he disappeared for sight.

He was gone.

It might be the last time she'd see him, if anything went wrong.

"Nothing will go wrong." She reassured herself firmly, wheeling backwards before closing the door.

But it wasn't the first time she said that, and it wouldn't be the first time she was wrong.

Very carefully she maneuvered herself through the halls, sighing in frustration every time a wheel with catch on something and she'd need to reroute herself.

But soon enough she was in the living room, frowning at her reflection as it looked warily back at her.

Most of it was familiar, the wavy, shoulder length dark brown hair, the light blue eyes and the skin that was normally more tan-

That was really where what she didn't recognize kicked in.

Her skin was more pale then she ever remembered seeing it, and now that she looked closer- her eyes looked different too.

Darker. Almost a bit smokey.

No, more like ghosts- haunting the space just underneath her pupil.

Shivering, Ivy pulled back from the mirror- dismissing it as nothing as she wheeled herself away, soon enough finding herself staring up the stairs.

This was where her path ended. Sure she could get up and walk up the stairs, but sure enough Kim would scold her and start some fight over nothing. It was the same way their mother was with their father in the earlier years, before she became more and more distant- seemingly putting her work farther and farther ahead of her husband and children.

Kim was a more consistently good motherly figure, making huge issue over tiny little things, up to not even 15 steps on the staircase. Ivy for one was glad, because she doubted that anyone besides Kim could really take care of the baby.

Ivy wasn't exactly a mother figure.

"Kim! I'm going to attempt to make dinner, come running if you smell smoke." Ivy yelled up the stairs, waiting until Kim screamed back until she wheeled herself into the kitchen- starting an awkward preparation of some of the last chicken they had.

Sure they had other foods, but Ivy was starting to get worried over how long their food would last.

Her head was only just level with the counter, so she was always either straining to reach or wheeling back and forth to the table, which was just the right height.

Sighing as she cut the chicken into strips, Ivy's mind wandering else where- away from whether to cook or fry the chicken.

For some reason she felt as if she had some huge thing she was supposed to remember, so close to remembering- but she just couldn't get it.

Her eyes became distant, her movements slowing as she delved farther and farther into trying to remember.

Something caught her eye, and in a second she snapped out of her daze.

Her hands instantly pounded on the table, her hands moving frantically until any sight of the smoke she was sure she'd seen seconds before was gone.

She leaned forward, her eyebrows crinkling in confusion as she carefully studied the table- become more and more confused as she looked.

Where would that smoke come from? For god's sake, she wasn't even at the stove! No source of heat at all! Or light for that matter!

So how was that possible?

Ivy started sewing together some sort of excuse in her head- that maybe her knife has scrapped against the table hard enough to make a spark.

But it was a wood table.

Sighing, Ivy tossed her knife down- dismissing it as just a trick her eye's were playing on her. She was getting really tired of it.

She was getting really tired of this wheelchair.

She was getting really tired of having no idea where the adults were.

She was just tired.