Rite//14

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Rite: A religious or other solemn ceremony or act.
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"It has been reported that twelve people have taken their own lives in a religious act. Last night, on Halloween, people between ages of 17 to 24 have been found in an abandoned church. The autopsy revealed that eleven of them swallowed poison while one suffered a self-inflicted shot to the head. The police has no reason to believe that the accident was caused by a third party."

If Jack had the ability to roll his eyes, he most definitely would. Ceremonies, sacrifices, rituals, all the same. Jack's knowledge on his 're-birth' wasn't something he was haunted by. He remembered the pain he felt, his eye sockets did too. When he'd think about it, the liquid running down his cheeks would increase in flow. He thought that maybe this could be his way of crying. His chances of being sad about something didn't exist, so he couldn't put that theory to the test.

Stretching a little, he walked towards the small freezer he had brought for the kidneys. Oliver hadn't returned to the apartment ever since that Friday night, so Jack had concluded that he was either visiting someone or was visiting the girl and had finally returned home. To him, that just made things easier. 

He'd been following the girl for a while now. Knowing she left the house each morning around seven, and came home between the intervals of three to five in the afternoon. He didn't bother following her around throughout the day. She went to work of course. Jack had also noticed that the windows that led to her bedroom had blinds over them all the time. He had no idea why, but it didn't matter as long as he had one clear entrance.

First day of November meant that he had to get his closure with the girl soon. He wasn't willing to stalk her during the cold snowy days. Rain was already bad enough. It was Tuesday already and he had to make his way to pick up the book she wrote down in the letter. The girl still didn't respond, probably wanting to finish the one he recommended first.

Finishing his meal, Jack washed off the mess off of his hands and face and left the shed.

The book he asked for sat on the swings of an abandoned park. He picked it up, looking around, noticing that the person who'd left it wasn't there anymore. Whatever, he knew he'd return the favor at some point.

Tapping her fingers on the table, (Y/N) waited for the lecture to end. She had stayed up late watching a movie after finishing her daily read. There wasn't much left, out of 317 pages, she had around sixty more to read. She wanted to finish the book before responding to her pen-pal. Had he been like her, he would be jumping with joy hearing someone talk about his favorite book - but she knew he wasn't.

Lauren and Andrew have been dozing off next to her, apparently both had a sleepless night. Andrew had been at a friend's house, playing video games throughout the entire night while Lauren stayed up to read a book their professor assigned a week ago.

When the professor dismissed the students, three of them sat on a bench in front of the building.

"How do you do it?" Andrew asked, with his eyes half open.

"How do I do what?" (Y/N) responded. She took notice of his messy hair, this one being much more evident than usual. His eye-bags looked like they'd fall on the floor if he leaned forward a bit. Lauren didn't look any better, however her eye-bags were less prominent due to the concealer she put on.

"How do you stay up late and then go to work and to college afterwards and not look tired? If I were in your position I would be dead by now."

"That's because I don't stay awake throughout the whole night. The least I can do is four hours of sleep, it helps."

Lauren and Andrew continued leaning on each other for support, knowing that if they didn't – they would fall on the floor. (Y/N) could only look at them with amusement. Taking her water bottle out of the bag, she poured some on her hand and splashed her friends a little.

"Get up, let's get you both home, I don't need you fainting somewhere at this time."
Looking at her phone to check the time, she noticed she had an hour before it would be five. The time was perfect, she'd have enough to take both of her friends to their homes.

She wouldn't be doing this if the weather wasn't freezing and the police still searched for the murderer. Not like she had anything smart to do at home.

While she signed up to take her friends home, she didn't expect them to cling to her as if she was their bed. Walking through the center of the city, she practically dragged her friends along. Walking and breathing crutches, she joked . The two tried their best to make simple conversations, but everything they'd say sounded like pure gibberish.

Lauren was the first one to be dropped off home. Andrew, who lived just a street above was next.

"You haven't been doing any research, have you?" The question threw her off guard. It's been three days since their visit at the library, what could've been the reason for him to ask?

"No, we agreed that we were done with that. I've actually spent last couple of days reading a book that was recommended to me. Why?"

The boy let out a sigh of relief. "Nothing, I just wanted to know. We were both worried for you, that's all. I already talked to Lauren about it, she said she was for sure done with it, so I just had you left to ask."

(Y/N) smiled at him - It was nice to have someone worry.

They continued walking in silence for a couple of more minutes, now arriving to Andrew's house.

"Text me when you come home. I'll stay awake until you do. Sorry for making you walk us home, but also thank you." He spoke, leaning on the doorframe. She noticed how his voice dropped in octaves, sounding much deeper now. He was tired though so it made sense. The tired voice of his did sound very soothing, she wasn't going to lie.

"Don't thank me, you'd do the same for me, no?" she chuckled at the taller boy. Andrew nodded, offering a smile before closing the door. (Y/N) exhaled, turning towards the road and headed home. By the time she arrived it was around 5:10, which was good - she didn't want to walk around in the dark.

Locking her door, she made her way to the couch, texted Andrew first and finally pulled out the book. While reading, the girl couldn't help but feel uneasy. She wanted to finish the book, but the feeling of being watched constantly interrupted her concentration.

Even though the feeling of uneasiness wouldn't leave, the girl never once looked away from the book, forcing herself to finish it. Finally managing to read all of the remaining pages, she got up and made herself something to drink and eat. Putting the tray on the coffee table in front of the couch, (Y/N) turned on the TV and tried to shake off the weird feeling.

Not wanting to be bothered with the feeling anymore, she headed to bed around nine, right as she finished her dinner. Sleeping it off seemed like a good idea, the windows in her provided some privacy at least. Changing her clothes, (Y/N) turned off the lights and got comfortable in bed, ignoring the tension that circulated through the air.

Jack looked around the place, noticing the book on the coffee table. Taking it and inspecting it, the boy let out a weak sigh.

So she's done then, I expect a letter from her tomorrow.

Leaving the book on the table, Jack observed the furniture arrangement of her home, noting all the important details.
As he navigated through the dark apartment he noticed the opened door down the small hallway. Peeking inside, Jack noticed a figure sleeping peacefully, tangled in sheets. A smile creeped behind his mask as he listened to her calm breathing.

I've got you.

If only she knew he stood by the door.
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Hi! I'm just stopping by to say that I will be publishing another chapter later today! I'm almost done with school so I'll have much more time to write and update :)
Perhaps I'll start updating three or four times a week instead of two - I'm not sure yet.
Thank you for reading, and remember to take care of yourselves! <3

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