Chapter 99
-Evan-
In the morning, when I woke up, Josh was sitting at the table, cradling a mug of fresh tea in his good hand. Steam curled up from the surface into the atmosphere. It remained there untouched; he did not drink it. He just stared out the window where snow dusted the porch steps. Morning light stretched across the counters in long, warm beams of light.
I walked over to the coffee pot and poured myself a cup. We hadn't said anything to each other since Josh was released from the hospital. Josh realized his tea was cold and went to the microwave to heat it. We sat there in the kitchen, pretending we weren't drowning.
I sighed. "We should probably agree to a story for the sake of everyone's protection." I finally broke the silence first.
He looked up after stirring some sugar in his now hot tea. "Yeah, that may be a good idea."
I looked at the wood grain that flowed through the table, thinking. "We will say Kaysi hit her head again before leaving the abyss."
He nodded once. "That tracks, and what about me?"
I sipped the coffee. It burned a little on my tongue. "You were lost in the abyss. Not dead. You made it back with me. People will accept that."
"Do you think Becky will?"
I kept my eyes on the mug. "That's not part of the story."
Josh didn't push any farther. His sleeve shifted, and I saw the glow under his skin. The divine circuits in his arm, like some prosthetic, flickered faintly. Only Waymakers could see it. To everyone else, they just saw a tattoo.
He caught me looking and tugged his sleeve down. "It still hurts when I move it."
I didn't respond. I didn't know what to say. It has been almost a week since our father had that demon take Josh's arm. If it weren't for Becky, he wouldn't be sitting here.
"I just don't know how to exist anymore, much less around her..." His words faded off like that last part I wasn't supposed to hear.
Neither do I, I thought to myself.
Our phone alarm buzzed.
"Time for school; we need to head out. You have a lot of work to catch up on if you expect to graduate this year and become a senior. You only have 2 years left to go.
- Becky POV -
The locker room lights buzzed overhead, too bright and white for my eyes. I moved on autopilot, peeling off my gym shirt and reaching for my hoodie as I got ready to leave. Every movement felt slow, like I was stuck underwater.
Kaysi stood two lockers down from me, holding a swimsuit that looked two sizes too small. She had it, looking for pure judgment and disapproval. "Becky, Just look at this. I definitely outgrew this swimsuit, wouldn't you agree? This thing is basically trying to strangle me."
I hummed in agreement.
"Indoor swimming class starts next week for this year, right? I need a new suit. I know, want to go to the mall after school?
"You could just have one ordered and delivered from online," I muttered.
Kaysi grinned and threw the too-small swimsuit into her bag as she slammed her locker shut. "I could, but then again, I wouldn't be able to drag you along if I did that. Micah, James, and everyone can make awkward fashion decisions. Come on. It will be fun."
From across the room, Micah called out. "Did I hear me and the mall? If it's a mall trip, then I'm so in! I call dibs on the radio!"
As if she owned the car and was the only one of us who could legally drive.
Before I could give my reply, Kaysi was already typing a message to the others. I didn't stop her. I didn't say yes either.
I glanced up at the mirror on my locker door, but before closing it. My reflection looks pathetic, like a sketch left in the rain. My skin lost its shine and place. I was a bit wrinkled, probably from lack of hydration, as I hadn't kept up on much. My expression was not angry or sad, just... tired.
I used to shine like someone in love. Someone who was loved, now I look like someone who forgot what that felt like.
Evan POV -
School felt wrong. Everything moved too naturally. The lockers slam, kids chatter, and the sound of footsteps echoes in the crowded halls. Even the school bells rang all the same. What else could I have expected? But for none of us was it the same.
Josh walked beside me, his movements stiff. He didn't complain much, nor did he utter a word. I kept checking him out of the corner of my eye, like I was waiting for him to crack.
"Are you sure you're up for this? I asked him.
He gave me a soft shrug. "Doesn't matter. We're all pretending anyways."
Fair enough, I thought, but before I could say anything, Kaysi popped out of nowhere, practically bouncing, phone in hand, shaking it with a big smile. "You guys saw my text, right? Mall. Afterschool. Swimsuit emergency."
Micah came around the corner, guessing she heard us talking. "Come on, don't be lame, man!"
"Well, be there," I told them.
Josh smiled at Kaysi. It was the most life I'd seen in his face since he came back home.
Micah drove her car with us all packed inside. Baby and Duke had to stay at school and finish up some work. James called shotgun, although his face still looked like he didn't want to be here. Becky and Kaysi were the last to get in; they sat in the middle row.
When we got inside, the heat from the blowers was the first to hit my face. Thick artificial air after being out in the cold. It felt good.
Holiday music played overhead. Something cheerful and slow, completely wrong for the way we all moved.
Kaysi led the charge toward one of the store outlets. She drifted off to the swimwear section of the sports store. Micah started grabbing hats and testing them out. James ran off toward the clearance section looking for something.
Josh stuck to the edge of our group, walking like he didn't want to take up space. Becky stayed hovering behind Kaysi, looking like she hadn't slept in a week.
I stayed near the entrance of the store and just watched. I had no other reason to be here.
Kaysi sniffed me out as if I were hiding anyway. Once she spotted me, she held up a neon two-piece and waved it at me. "Pink or teal?"
"Whichever one makes you feel like you can breathe underwater. I joked."
She grinned and twirled with a wave, like she was diving underwater, holding her nose. The light in her eyes flickered a little too fast.
I finally saw it—her mask.