Memories

XIV

THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT US

'Everybody gone bad
Situation, aggravation
Everybody, allegation
In the suit, on the news
Bang, bang, shot dead
Everybody's gone mad'

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Dan hadn't been very appreciative of Thalia's words that day in practice, and it was that reason that Thalia found herself with her duffel bag standing outside of Kevin Day's dorm room at seven that evening. 

"Can I crash here for a few nights?" she asked when Nicky opened the door. The older man frowned a little, but nodded and let Thalia in. Aaron was lounging on one of the beanbags with a game controller in his hand. He looked mad, like Thalia had interrupted his game. By the way Nicky went and sat on the other beanbag and picked up another controller, she probably had. 

"He won't like what you did," Aaron said, not even looking at Thalia. Kevin was sitting at his desk, probably working on a history assignment. Thalia looked to the more passive Minyard and rolled her eyes. 

"I don't care. I said what I said, and I meant it." Thalia told him. Aaron didn't make another comment and turned back to the game. Thalia wandered over to Kevin and set her stuff down, sitting in one of the chairs. Kevin turned to look at her with a disapproving glare.

"Can I help you?" Thalia raised an eyebrow, not really giving a response. Kevin sighed. "Look, I don't know what you said today, because I was in the bathroom, but Nicky basically told me you called out the upperclassmen for being rude to Andrew. Aaron's right - he won't like it."

"He won't care." Thalia said. "There's a difference." Kevin sighed and went back to his work, but not before telling Thalia that Andrew had asked to see her when it was possible. She stood and made her way to the bedroom, knocking before entering.

Neither said anything for a while. He was smoking, sitting on top of one of the desks they'd pushed into the room and had one of the protective screens down by the side of it instead of on the window where it was supposed to be.

"Are you going to jump?" Thalia asked. She didn't get a response, so she went and sat down on the bed by Andrew. 

"Why did you say it?" he asked eventually. Thalia looked up as if he were the most ridiculous person in existence. He stubbed out his cigarette on the sill and turned around to face her. Andrew's hazel eyes were startlingly annoyed, but Thalia knew he was on his meds - she'd seen him take them in their break, before he'd gone on a run with Renee and Thalia had let her mouth run loose on her teammates.

"They were calling you a monster." Thalia said, then looked away from his eyes, as if they would burn her. "They were wrong."

"They're assholes. It's what they do." Andrew replied. "I've put up with their shit for a year and a half now. I'm used to it, and, as you should probably know by now; I don't care what they think."

"But I do. And I don't appreciate it when people get called 'monster' because others don't understand the shit they've been through." Andrew laughed hoarsely.

"And you do?" he said. He was becoming hysterical, and Thalia knew it probably wasn't best to deal with him like this. She had no choice though, and kept talking.

"To an extent." she replied. Andrew shook his head and turned back to face out of the window.

"I think you said that to protect yourself, not me." Andrew said. Thalia frowned. 

"Why would I do that? they were being assholes to you, not me." Thalia said. "Though I doubt that won't change after what I said. And you've made it clear you don't want anyone's protection." he didn't say anything to that, and Thalia figured that was an invitation to leave, so she stood and closed the door behind her.

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"We need to keep moving, Anne." a woman's voice said. She opened her eyes and saw that the woman was hauling her into a car, along with another person's force. "We can't stay here anymore."

"Where are we going?" a male voice asked. He climbed in the backseat with her, but she couldn't see his face. "You're hurt too, we need to stitch up both of your wounds."

"No. You worry about Anne, and I'll worry about getting us out of here." the woman replied sharply. The boy seemed to guess it was no use arguing, and turned to grab something. The car started moving, and she began to slip into unconsciousness again.

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"Repeat after me," the woman said, though she seemed younger than she could remember. "Don't look back," two young voices echoed the words. "Don't trust anyone. And don't be anyone or anywhere for too long." those words became echoed again, and the woman nodded, standing and taking the children's hands. 

"Good. Now, this is my son Alex, and this is my daughter, Mary." the woman said, squeezing the hand of each child as she said that. "Repeat your names to me."

"Your son Alex," a boy's voice said.

"And your daughter Mary." she finished.

"Good. And who am I?" 

"Our mother, Diane." the children repeated in unison, as though they'd practiced many times.

"Mama," the girl asked. The woman hummed as she walked briskly across the street. "What's going to happen to my friends?" the woman tensed at the question, but answered anyway.

"They are not your friends, Mary. They never were, and you will learn, in time, that they are the people you are running from."

The girl never asked questions like that again, and her brother Alex always warned her not to if it seemed like she would.