(Formerly known as "When Our Paths Crossed")
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A tale of two lost souls brought together by pain, grief and trauma.
Atlas tries to find a place in a world he's worked so hard to escape. Elijah struggles to balance the life he's building and the...
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-- One Week Later --
"YOU MAKE ME sick, you fucking piece of shit," my mom sneers, advancing towards me. Her eyes are glossy, and her words slur together as she grabs my hair. Her face is twisted into something feral and vicious."You take and take and take and then completely ignore me when I ask you to do something!"
"I'm sorry," I cry, squirming. She gives me a shake, and I feel a few strands of hair pull out of my head. "I forgot!"
"It's the same old excuse every time," my mom snaps and throws me into my room. As I fell to the floor, my knee hits the dresser, and a searing pain shoots through it. Even with my sobs, she doesn't seem to care."I've had it, Atlas. You can go without dinner tonight, and maybe next time, you'll think twice before disobeying me again."
The door slams shut, and suddenly my sister is standing in the middle of my room, her mouth opened in a silent scream. She's wearing the blood-stained nightgown she wore the night everything changed, and her long hair is dishevelled, her face drained of all colour. My name echoes through the room in June's voice, but it's not coming from her. When she reaches for me, her hand is covered in blood--
"Atlas!"
I'm wrenched out of my dream, gasping and crying as I lean against June. My pyjamas cling to my sweaty body while June smooths my hair back soothingly. I rest my cheek against her shoulder, each breath heaving and shaking. The imprint of June's scream and her bloody hand is a vivid and unrelenting scar on my mind.
"It's okay," June whispers. "You're okay, Atlas."
I don't know how long we sit there, but my breathing slows after an eternity, and my heartbeat mellows out. I push away from my sister, wiping my tear-stained face with the back of my hand sheepishly. I'd been too panicked to notice at first, but June's not wearing the nightgown as she was in my dream. She's dressed in her navy blue dress military uniform. Her thick hair is pulled back in a tight bun. I don't remember the last time she wore her uniform, but she looks fierce and ready for a fight, even in her dress uniform.
"Where are you going dressed like that?" My voice is thick from crying and the grogginess of sleep. I clear my throat, but it doesn't help alleviate the lump.
"A funeral for someone from my squad," she says. Her eyes are round with concern as she rests a hand against my cheek. "But I don't have to go. I can stay here and keep you company."
After everything that's happened, I'm almost tempted to take her up on her offer. Eli's been trying to focus on school, and when he's not there, he's hanging out at my place. I don't think he's been to his own apartment either, instead just crashing at his parents' place.
We avoid the topic of Dan and his foolish hoarding of drugs, but I can tell Eli is nervous about it. Neither Selena nor Jason have come to call, but it can happen at any moment. Both of us know it can. He doesn't go anywhere that isn't bursting with people, and when he's back home, the door's locked by nine o'clock. I doubt he's getting much sleep, even if he insists he is. The telltale bags under his eyes say otherwise.
