Chapter 23/24 Untitled

A Chapter by Tsukin Archangel

Not much to say just another chapter lol read to find out more

The sky was dark when Volt and I stepped off the bus, the sun having finally set, the moon just beginning to crawl up from its resting place; the stars slowly twinkling to life. We paused on the curb for a moment and stretched the stiffness out of our legs and to prepare ourselves for the final trek up to where Volt lived…which conveniently rested at the top of a very large and very steep hill. What was with rich people and living in high places?

“You know,” I began after about five minutes of painful walking, “It’s times like these I regret the fact that you are above middle class.”

“Oh shut…up…,” Volt gasped a few steps ahead of me, “I don’t like this hill either, if we’re so rich why couldn’t my parents have gotten a sprawling mansion on flat land instead of this hill?”

“Probably cause that would’ve cost more and besides, they want a clear view of the peasants when they come to riot,” I said jokingly.

“Well, they were being stupid and paranoid when they bought this place.”

“Yep probably worrying about flood waters when the apocalypse comes,” I said gasping slightly and added, “Instead of worrying about what their poor daughter would feel when she had to…do I dare say it..” I paused for dramatic effect and inhaled sharply as I said, “Walk. Up. A. Hill.”

Volt turned and shot me a look, “Shut up.”

I just laughed and we continued the rest of the walk in silence.

Finally we reached the top and approached her home, her dad pacing on the porch, a cross yet worried expression on his face. He turned his head, when he heard us coming, his face instantly changing to a mask of anger, all reminisces of compassion gone.

We stopped in front of him, Volt awkwardly twirling her blonde hair on her finger looking past him, while I stared at the floor, head slightly bowed, suddenly transfixed by an utterly ordinary rock on the ground and bit my lip slightly. Seconds passed, which turned to minutes, the silence only broken when Volt’s dad said, “Well?”

Volt and I turned our sights to him, his expression unchanged, his gaze only intensified by his glasses, and his arms, now crossed, were being tapped impatiently by a finger. Neither of us said anything.

“Well?” He repeated, his patience with us wearing thin.

I stole a glance at Volt who shot me a look that said go on say something.

“Uhm,” I said clearing my throat, “Well what?”

He glared at me, and I got the sense that this would be worse than any interrogation he’d given before, “Well what? Well what? How about the well that tells me where you two ran off to, we all know you both left school early. Did you even bother to think?”

I gulped, he’d said we all, that means my parents knew too, “S-so, uhm I take it you called my parents then.”

Mr. Volt turned on me and snapped, “Of course I called you’re parents, I was worried about my daughter, and you’re the one she’s always with, I was hoping you’d both be there.”

I flinched and looked away and Mr. Volt let out a sigh to calm his nerves.

“Get inside, both of you, I need to call your parents.”

We nodded and quickly stepped past him, hurrying through the door and up to Volts room.

…

“Well that was awkward,” Volt said.

“Tell me about it,” I muttered from where I lay on her bed, an arm resting across my face.

It had been almost thirty minutes since we had gone up here and from the few snippits of talk we could here from her room I got the feeling that when I got home it wouldn’t be very pleasant.

“How bad do you think you’ll get it?” I asked Volt after a moment

“Hmm? What? Punished?”

I nodded in reply.

“They’ll probably take away my hair dye…which reminds me I aught to change it now before they get a chance, I can’t be stuck with this color much longer.”

Volt got up and walked to her bathroom, closing the door slightly only leaving a crack open.

“Hot pink right?” She called from inside her bathroom.

“Yeah,” I called back, angling my head to the door.

“’Kay,”

I heard the water turn on and Volt curse when she dropped something, I sighed and turned my attention away from her and onto the ceiling, my mind wandering to earlier today. I bit my bottom lip, overtaken with a sudden anger at myself. How could I have been so stupid? I should never have dragged Volt into this mess, it wasn’t hers. I should’ve just told her to go back to school. I already know she doesn’t like Darius all that much and now I’ve gotten her in more trouble then it’s worth. Of course if I told her not to help me anymore she’d just laugh and say like hell I’m not helping you, I’m your best friend after all.

I sighed and started making shapes out of the grains in the ceiling with my mind trying to divert my attention away from my own inner woes. It was pointless to worry about all that now. I’d just deal with it at another time and another place, right now I had to get ready for my parents arrival which I knew would probably be any minute now. I continued making shapes in the ceiling, a cat, a dog, a sheep, a spiral, Darius…

A knock on the door brought me back to reality. Disoriented,I shakily got up from my place on Volt’s bed and opened the door, my hair sticking up awkwardly in tufts.

“Your Mom’s here,” Mr. Volt said.

I nodded, too tired to say anything, and not wanting too.

“Bye Volt,” I called to her in the bathroom.

“Uh huh,” She called back to me.

I grabbed my bag and walked down the stairs, listening as Mr. Volt reprimanded his daughter.

“You better not be dying your hair in there young lady!”

I smiled to myself when I heard him say that, knowing that he’d have a hell of a time getting her out of there, but my smile quickly faded as I approached the front door, for in its opening stood my mother, her brown her tucked neatly in a bun and her amber eyes glaring at me with unrivaled fury. I gulped and said nothing.

“Come with me Damian, it’s time to go home.”

She turned around and I grudgingly followed her, my pulse steadily increasing as I approached the doors to the car that to me now looked like a torture chamber.

…

The drive home was strangely silent, I had expected her to ask me more questions, but she had only asked me if I had any luck finding Darius. I had shaken my head and said no in a soft voice before stepping into the car feeling my mom’s intense gaze on me, not even thinking it odd that she knew that’s what had taken me away from school. Of course if I had been in my right mind I’d have confronted her about that and many other things but instead I kept silent knowing now was not the time to do so.

Besides this time gave me a chance to think, cause even though I hadn’t found him, I had seen him…well I was pretty sure I had, if a half asleep vision of him was to be counted. And even if it was there was the intense possibility that it had been a dream, or that I willed it into being. But at the same time it seemed too fleeting to have been a dream, it was too close to being a lost memory and the glimpse still had a feeling of subtle reality, like it was happening in real time.

I sighed and gave up trying to think about it further, I would just talk to Volt in the morning about it, about the images, the house, the girl with long black hair who’s face was obscured with a hoodie, and poor Darius on the groud…unconscious…dead? I didn’t know, and all this dream-vision did for me was make me more anxious and give me a headache.

“Get out,” My mother said as we pulled up into our driveway, our silent hybrid rolling up to our garage. All other lights on the street where off, “We’ll deal with your punishment tomorrow. Right now I have your brother to deal with.” She let out a long sigh, “ What did that boy get himself into this time, coming home bruised and bloody.” She said the last part mostly to herself, already forgetting about me as she hurried up to the front door, let herself in and turned on the kitchen light.

“Ok,” I said to no one, my panic rising again. Ryan was hurt? If he was it must’ve been because I hadn’t come back. Guilt welled up inside me and I followed my mother as quickly as possible, locking the car and the front door behind me.

I paused inside the hallway and bit my lip worried about what I’d see. Finally I found the courage and turned the corner, peaking my head inside the door. I heard a sharp intake of breath as my eyes focused on my brother. He sat on the table, his eye swollen shut, blood crusted on his forehead, a chunk of his hair missing. I turned away, not able to stomach more, it was my fault, all of it and there was no way I could say sorry, not right now with my mother in there with him. It would give everything away and right now I didn’t want to put him in any more trouble. He hadn’t told on me, and I wont tell on him…at least not right now.

With a shaky breath I turned around and trudged up to my room, tossing my bag on the ground and falling onto my bed, covers still on. Nothing had gone as planned today. I hadn’t found Darius, I had gotten Volt punished, Ryan beat up and now probably without a source for his drug needs (which is probably not a bad thing), nothing about this day was good. All I had was regrets.

prev chapter

next chapter

© 2012 Tsukin Archangel

Author's Note

OK sorry this chap is a tad long hope thats ok, i'll prob upload another one later today so stay tuned, tell me what you think whos ur fav char so far and all that jazz OH and if u happen to have any fan art that would b much obliged~ anyway TTYL ENJOY!