Broken

Chapter Twenty

"We know where Max is," Parker exclaims, "if we head North we'll run into a mountain with a cave like this."
"Why do all the villains choose the caves?" I ask him.
"I never asked my dad that. Sorry Mar."
I shiver at the nickname "Mar", Liam used to call me that and when Parker called me that I yelled at him. But now he probably thinks it's appropriate because we're dating again. I don't say anything, but he sees what he's done and he just looks at his hands.
"If we leave now," Marcus interrupts the silence, "we can get there by sunset."
"Let's go then," I throw my backpack on and walk alongside Parker with Meg up with Marcus.
Parker puts his arm around me sometime while walking but I don't say anything as we trudge through Canada. I can hear my heart thump through my thin jacket and I hope he can't hear. I still get nervous around him because something is different. He is stronger than he was before.
"What is it like?" I ask him.
"What?" He looks confused.
"What's it like being dead?" I make it more clear.
"Oh. Well I thought I was going to Hell," he mumbles.
"Wait. I thought there was no such thing as Heaven and Hell."
"I didn't say that. I said that we don't know. When I died I didn't know I was still connected to the vase. I was just stuck in the vase like a genie in a lamp."
"Was it crowded?" I ask.
"Yes. Knowing I'm claustrophobic..." he whispers.
"Since when?!" I never knew this.
"Since I was a kid. My dad-" he stops, "My dad would torture me," his voice cracks, "try to make me some kind of super human but all he did was scar me. I have a lot of phobias Marvina, but I also have a lot of bravery."
"Parker, I think I know you but then you tell me stuff like you're dad torturing you and I realize I don't know you as much as I thought, but that's one of the things I admire about you. I get to keep learning about you."
He kisses me on the cheek and it sends a shiver through my body. Like a wave signal being interfered, and it's the best feeling in the world.
As we near the cave. I can see it from afar, but a loud screech makes me grab my ears. I look up to see a bird like figure, which is disgusting because it barely has any feathers grab at Meg's coat and carry her towards the cave. I hear Marcus scream bloody murder for her but there isn't anything he can do. He takes out his bow and arrow, but Parker stops him.
"Stop, you don't want to accidentally hurt her."