Silenced by the Night

Both Needed Each Other

Thalia, Paige and Caylah were sitting on my bed surrounding me and comforting me whilst we were all reading our letters that we received from Nathan but it had the same message on it.  It was the only way we could communicate, except for texting and calling each other. This year was 2009; we needed to change before our sixteenth birthday. Our phones buzzed at the same time.

“Who’s yours from Paige? What about you Caylah?”

“Nathan”

They answered in unison. I opened mine and saw Nathan’s name on it as well.

“What does it say?”

“We all know how it hurts being friends and only hearing from each other once in a while. But this is for our own good. Time is different now, next years sixth form!”

We answered in unison. He sent the same message to all of us.

“Doesn’t he understand the word sixth form?”

“Paige. He’ll come home this summer. And it’s only a three month break”

“Yeah, but that isn’t enough for all of us. I mean, we also have to hang out with Thalia every once in a whilst”

“Don’t worry. I talked to her yesterday and she was OK with us hanging out with Nathan whilst she’s with us”

“Then that settles it. We’re good to go in summer”

There was yapping from the other side of the door.

“That might be Thalia by now”

“Not just Thalia”

I opened the door letting Thalia and Jessica get inside.

Summer was in five months. We didn’t know what the four of us were gonna do whilst waiting for Nathan to come home and what we were all gonna do in those three months of vacation. Thalia was in a different point of view among us, she knew how it felt like without a father but I didn’t have both. 

Hanna was in a different country; Nathan was, too, in a different part of the country. We were like being scattered around U.K.

The sun was boring through my skin. It was a great feeling after being locked up in my room for almost half a month. Caylah, Paige and Thalia were sitting beside me on the sand. Our phone buzzed at the same time.

“Who’s it from?”

“Nathan”

We all answered in unison. I read his text out loud whilst listening to the sound of the waves behind us.

“We have three more months before summer and I’m missing you guys. Already excited to come home and get out of prison”

Thalia gave me a smile and put her phone back in the beach bag.

“It’s prison because Ellie’s not there”

Caylah and Paige gave her a high-five.

“She’s got a point”

I rolled my eyes and looked back to the ocean. Well, I would say ‘prison’, too, if I was in a boarding without Nathan. So, Thalia had a point. But the short message he sent us just yesterday made sense, mine was different from Caylah and Paige’s. Mine had a small note on the back and there’s didn’t have one. 

The rain poured down all of us, it was a heavy rain; heavier than those everyday rains.

“Maybe we should get back? Mum’s gonna kill us if we end up sick”

Thalia was wearing my oversized shirt whilst her hair was wrapped in a towel. Caylah and Paige were downstairs having a dramatic talk with Caroline.

“OK. Thalia, can you tell me about you and your mom actually?”

“Promise not to tell anyone”

“I promise”

“My parents weren’t really married”

“You mean you’re a love-child”

“No. They don’t actually know each other. To make it easier I was a drunken mistake”

“You’re serious?”

She sat down on the bed beside the window and lay back on the bed. I couldn’t believe she was like that; it was impossible to be but she was too beautiful to be like that. Her blonde hair was naturally straight, she had beautiful blue eyes. If those were from her father, she’s lucky. My eyes were from my mom; my hair was from my dad. Being a Collins is a bit complicated.

My phone buzzed making Thalia get up from the bed.

“Why is it only yours? Mine didn’t even buzz”

“It’s from Nathan, he said private”

“What does it say?”

I looked at her eyebrow raised; I looked back to my phone and read the message out loud.

“Couldn’t sleep, it’s hard to think of two thoughts at the same time. Especially when it’s night time, have any idea how I can fall asleep?”

Thalia gave me an exciting look and looked back to my phone; she pulled it out my hand and read the rest of the message.

“It’s hard falling asleep, whilst the girl of my dreams is still on my mind. Awe Ellie, he’s in love with you”

“Duh, there are so many girls in his school and there are so many gorgeous girls in Abbeydale. It couldn’t be me”

“You’re one of the gorgeous girls El; he’s deeply in love with you”

“Shut up”

I lay back down on my bed before my phone buzzed for the second time.

“Another text from Nathan”

“What does it say?”

“You wouldn’t believe it”

She pulled my phone and read his text out loud.

“Oh My God, Eleanor; he’s really in love with you. He sent you an ‘I love you Ellie’”

“You’re stupid”

I locked my phone and went back to sleep.

Thalia was reading Nathan’s messages on my phone, whilst Caylah and Paige were both searching about boarding schools they could enroll in when they’re in sixth form. My phone kept buzzing whilst Thalia was just ignoring them; I wonder what he’s saying.

Is there no agony like bearing an untold story inside you?