Birds were chirping outside and I have yet to sleep.
"Ding" my phone got a notification great wonder what my dad needs now.
"Can you come over I can't sleep and I am sure Trystin will be over soon too" at least Ember's text gives me a reason to leave my house. I throw on my clothes and grab my phone. When I get there I don't even knock I just walk in. I hear Ember say my name.
"I heard my name." I say as I walk into the room.
"Wanna skip school with me today?" Ember asks me. Honestly I wasn't going anyway plus I really want to show Ember something.
"Ooo softy gone hard skipping school now." I say just trying to see her get mad because she is cute when she's mad.
"Are you in or not. We can chill here or do anything you want." she already knew I was in.
"I'm in" I didn't have to think twice about spending the whole day with Ember.
Ember just sat there staring off into space. Trystin waved his hand in her face. "Hello anybody home" he said snapping his fingers. We waited a minute or two.
"Earth to Ember" Trystin says while clapping in her face.
"Sorry I zoned out. What were y'all saying?" I couldn't help wondering what she was thinking about.
"I am gonna skip school with you, but Trystin said he is still going." I said without really thinking.
"Sure, but let's talk in the hallway before I leave." Trystin sounded angry. We shut Ember's door as we entered the hallway.
"Okay I know you like Ember too, but no way am I leaving you two alone." Trystin said in a quiet voice.
"I really need to show her something. It isn't bad I just want her to be the first person to see it." I said trying not to reveal what it is.
"What could you possibly need to show her?" I really don't want to tell him.
"It is this place I designed to get away. I know she has her own troubles at home. No parents and a brother that is rarely here. I have home problems too. Any time my dad is home he is drunk. He always wants a fight and sometimes he takes all his anger out on me." I raise my shirt to reveal the cuts and bruises on my stomach.
"Okay I will go to school, but promise me you'll keep her safe." Trystin did have a point there. Nobody knows why her parents were taken. She told me all the details she could remember. She and her parents went out on a late night walk. She was walking quite a bit behind her parents. Someone put something rag like over her mouth and nose. Everything went black and when she woke up she was alone. She was in front of her house with no clue how she got there. How do I know I can keep her safe? I don't know if those people are going to come back for her.
"I promise." even as the words came out I myself didn't trust them.
"Well then we can go back in. If anything happens call me first." I noticed a sense of slight panic in his voice. I also notice that Trystin is sweaty and pale. His pupils are very dilated almost like he was on drugs. It could just be a new medication he is on for depression. He has had to take them ever since fifth grade when we found him at the park.
I still struggle with that memory. It is hard seeing your best friend hanging from playground equipment. When we got him down he wasn't breathing. The doctors said that if he had been up there for ten seconds longer he would've been dead. I don't know if I would be able to go on. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be myself. I'll never admit to it, but Trystin is my best friend and I love him.
When we entered the room Trystin gave Ember a quick hug. I stared out the window. It looked really nice out. When I heard the door close behind Trystin I looked at Ember. Her beautiful brown eyes met looked up at me.
"So what do you want to do now?"she asked me. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I grabbed her hand and pulled her off the bed.
"I am going to take you on an adventure." I said just before dragging her outside.
We were roughly halfway down the sidewalk. Just then she tripped and fell. Darn I should have slowed down a bit. She is super clumsy and short. There is no way it was easy to keep up with me.
"Are you okay?" I felt bad that she fell. I helped her up. She had a scratch on her left cheek. I rubbed my hand over her face. I stared down at her lips watching as she said something. All I wanted to do was kiss her.
"Snap out of it Xavier!" my brain yelled at me. I basically was just internally arguing with myself not knowing what I was saying to Ember. I zoned back in when Ember hopped on my back. Wow she weighs basically nothing. We got all the way to the edge of the woods before I sat her back on her feet.
I led her to our new hang out. We went inside I didn't feel very good. So I sat down on a bean bag chair. Ember looked amazed while checking the place out. Then she asked where she could use the bathroom at so I pointed her in the direction of the one I built. She went back and I decided to grab a snack. As I reached for the cabinet handle I felt a hand touch me. The hand was on my shoulder much to big to be Ember's. As I turned I hit them in the nose causing it to break gushing blood. Yet I couldn't see their eyes under their hood. They sliced my arm open with a pocket knife. Before I could do anything else they hit me over the head with something.
When I woke up I was tied to a chair. That is when I heard other people's muffled cries as they sat tied up. I looked at the man and women on either side of me. When the women looked into my eyes I knew who they were. Ember's parents they were here beside me. That is when the hooded figure walked back in. They stood directly under a light. They took down their hood I was shocked.
"Oh my god... agh" I yelled almost saying their name as they quickly injected my arm with something. This once again turned everything in my brain off like a switch.