8.26 – Empty

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Cold. Numb.

Gripping the sheets. Trying not to think. Trying not to remember.

But the unborn is proof you existed.

I’m here again

A thousand miles away from you

A broken mess, just scattered pieces of who I am

 

I tried so hard

Thought I could do this on my own

I’ve lost so much along the way

 

Then I see your face

I know I’m finally yours

I find everything I thought I lost before

 

You call my name

I come to you in pieces

So you can make me whole

 

I’ve come undone

But you make sense of who I am

Like puzzle pieces in your hand,

 

Then I see your face

I know I’m finally yours

I find everything I thought I lost before

You call my name

I come to you in pieces

So you can make me whole!

 

I tried so hard! So hard!

I tried so hard!

 

Then I see your face

I know I’m finally yours

I find everything I thought I lost before

You call my name

I come to you in pieces

 

So you can make me whole

So you can make me whole

***

Xavier’s POV

I let go of the door handle and opted to lean on the door, instead of going inside my room. I can hear her crying and I can’t bear it. I can’t even go inside and try to calm her down, it wouldn’t change a thing. And Oliver’s death is still fresh for me too. It was only yesterday. Only yesterday that the doctor revealed he didn’t make it.

I’ll miss him, there’s no doubt about that. He was a fun guy to have around.

I never got to thank him, for what he did for Erin. I wasn’t able to help her through it, but he could and I’m grateful at least someone was able to. I just hope she comes out of this okay.

Mom and I talked about it; we’ll probably find a way to force her to go see a therapist. And then maybe we’ll be able to sit down and really talk about her pregnancy.

My phone beeped and I knew it was Edmund. Him, Oliver and Erin are the only ones who text me and…well Oliver won’t be texting me anymore.

I smiled. I asked Edmund to text me if he could hang out today and I think it would do us both some good. I really just need to get out of this house right now.

I read the text…and had to reread it to make sure.

What? I don’t get this! Oliver died yesterday! What is with this timing?! How?

Ed: dad found out. we’re moving away. right now.

***

Hours earlier…

Edmund’s POV

I won’t.

I told myself again.

But it wasn’t enough to convince me, so when I felt my eyes prick I slammed my head on the wall behind me.

I won’t.

Against my better wishes my eyes began to water.

F*cking hell. Oliver’s dead.

I punched the wall, frustrated, and let myself fall on my bed.

It went by too fast. One minute he was there and then everybody was fr*cking crying because he’s dead.

I don’t know how to deal with this.

A knock on the door made me sit up rapidly. Mom smiled at me and I relaxed. Dad would hate seeing me feel so down, even if I’ve just lost a friend.

“How are you doing?” Mom asked.

I shrugged. “I’m fine.”

“Your little brother thinks otherwise.” Mom said, smiling down at her belly. Yeah, I was going to have a little brother and they’d already picked a name for him: Alistair.

I opted not to answer. I knew I wasn’t fine. One of my best friends had died just a few hours earlier and mom knew it too so there wasn’t really any point in admitting it out loud.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Mom asked as she sat on my bed.

“Not really.”

“It can only help you. I have nothing else to do but listen to you.” Mom said. I chuckled humorlessly. “I imagine Oliver’s family took the news pretty harshly.”

“His dad didn’t seem like he gave much of a damn.” I said, a little more harshly than I intended.

“What about your friends?”

“Everyone pretty much cried. But Erin was probably the one who cried the most. I’m not surprised. I’d probably do the same if Xavier…” I cut my own sentence off, deciding not to finish that phrase or even get on that train of thought.

“Who’s Xavier?” Mom asked with the same motherly voice.

The only excuse that I could give, was that my mom truly looked like she was open and willing to hear me out, to understand me, to be on my side. During my mom’s pregnancy she’d been giving me a lot more attention and it became clear to me that my mom and my dad weren’t the same at all. So I took a risk.

“He’s my boyfriend.” I felt oddly proud to say it, to confess it to my mother.

It’s only when I saw her reaction that I realized I might have done something wrong.

“Your boyfriend?” Mom asked looking surprised and almost disappointed.

No, I had not just ruined everything!

“Don’t tell dad.” I quickly blurted out, practically begging her not to.

The gentle motherly smile returned on my mother’s face. She got off my bed and kissed my forehead.

“I’m going to go make lunch. Rest or take a nap until then okay?” Mom said.

I hesitantly nodded, unsure of my mother’s response, but desperately hoping she would listen to my request. She left my room, and I let myself flop back on my bed.

***

Xavier’s POV

This isn’t right. It’s not how all of this was supposed to go.

Xav: Stall. Im comin over

If he truly is leaving, and if I can’t do anything to stop them, I want to at least have the opportunity to say goodbye.

Ed: k

It was a simple answer, but it was more than enough.

I slipped my phone into my pocket and headed out the door, yelling that I was going out for a bit.

I hadn’t made three steps out the door, before my feet froze on the ground. Surprise? Confusion? Recognition? I have no idea what was the cause for my temporary paralyzed state.

A vampire  was leaning on my mom’s car and a woman with a spike collar was standing in our driveway. I guess just the fact that I didn’t know these people was enough to surprise me.

“Xavier Whitelight?” The woman asked as the man suddenly looked up.

For a fraction of a second my eyes met with his golden glowing ones, and a scary chill went down my back. And then, almost instantly, he looked away.

I’ve never seen a vampire before. Do they all radiate this intense aura?

“My name is Annaliese Lancaster, are you Xavier Whitelight?” The woman walked over and asked again.

I frowned, unsure of what to make of these two. They looked pretty shady. “Um…no. My last name is Jales not Whitelight.” I ended up replying, eyeing Annaliese suspiciously.

“Oh.” Annaliese glanced at the vampire. “Sure, but your last name at birth was Whitelight.”

Okay, this is getting weird real fast.

“Excuse me, but who are you again? And what do you guys want?” I asked.

“Oh well, I’m a witch just like you, but you’ve never met me before. Him,” Annaliese said, pointing at the vampire. “you’ve met before.”

“I don’t get-” I started to say, glancing at the vampire who was looking a little annoyed.

“His name is James Whiteli-”

She didn’t have time to finish as her phrase was suddenly cut off, but I’d heard enough.

The man pushed himself off the car, looking like he’d let things go on a little too far.

The person this stranger here was claiming was my father.

No that’s not- he can’t be my father. Even if we have the same hair, he’s a vampire! In all my scenarios my father was never a vampire. It’s not- and they don’t have any proof. They’re spouting nonsense. I don’t even know what my last name was at birth. These two are pranking me.

“Right sorry, got off subject. I was just pretty excited to see you guys reunited and- well anyway, you’re a witch too Xavier and we need your help.” Annaliese said, retreating to the vampire’s side. The vampire who was not father. Who wasn’t even saying a word either! He was beyond creepy.

“No thanks. I don’t even know you two.” I instantly replied.

“I just told you, but in case you didn’t get it he’s-”

“And on top of that you’re both really shady looking and I’m definitely not going to help a bunch of strangers. I have somewhere to be, I’m sure you can find your way out of our driveway.” I said, remembering my original destination and my haste to get there.

Before I let them say another lie, I went around them and started running again.

Annaliese went to chase me, but the vampire blocked her path with his arm.

She sighed, watching me go.

“I was convinced it would work this way. This isn’t how I imagined the scenario to go.”

Edmund’s house wasn’t very far, but the run felt like it took too long. Every step of the way, I would think I’d been stalled too long by those two, and that I would reach his house and he’d already be gone.

What could’ve possibly tipped his father off? Where did we go wrong?

I reached the large house, a house I’d only been to once when Erin and I were drunk.

It seemed too silent…did I get here too late? Did they already leave?

I climbed the steps and hesitantly knocked on the door once. I was nervous as hell now. What if they hadn’t left and it was Edmund’s father of all people who opened the door?

Gah, doesn’t matter. Just as long as Edmund himself is in there.

I knocked again. The sound echoed inside the house.

I knew before I peeked through the windows, that the house was empty. That I was too late.

I pulled out my phone, but Edmund hadn’t texted me. So I texted him.

But I got no response.

He was gone.

I slumped on the stairs feeling absolutely drained.

Erin is depressed. Oliver is dead. Edmund is gone.

What happened?

 

End of Part 1 (out of a total of 4 parts)

Whew okay, this part was a long one. I’d planned to have top 15 chapters, and no here I am posting chapter 26.

I’d like to say the other parts’ll be shorter, but there is no way I can promise that. We’ll just have to see how it goes.

I’ll warn you guys right now, the next part’ll take place a few months later, so everyone will be adults! I’ve been very excited for this.

Good day *tips hat*

James!