Iris

14 | sorry

     MY FEET carried my body through the deserted hallway and towards the door that stood across the one to my room. An eerie quietude hung upon the corners of the house and overpowered the ringing noises that had taken over my ears a few minutes earlier. It constantly reminded me of how no one besides Marcus and I were home. And it made me aware of the relationship between its heaviness and that of the voice that had pushed me into checking on my brother.

That voice had been powerful; as controlling and heavy as ever, and the silence had been its fuel. A loyal companion that had only provided its friend with the ability to control my languid limbs and to pull the fear that had encased my heart back to the surface.

Together, the merciless companions reminded me of yesterday's events—the way everything had disoriented and the way my surroundings had shifted within seconds, sending my mind back to the countless days I spent with my fosters, alone and terrified. And together, they forced a shaky hand of mine to knock lightly against the door to Marcus' room.

I impatiently waited for an answer, shifting on my feet as I did so, and nervously fiddling with the soft material of Atlas' hoodie.

"What part of 'I'm busy' don't you understand? Fuck off, whoever the hell you are!"

My throat burned as my saliva passed through it, and I almost won against the voice that hadn't stopped nagging at the back of my mind; my hands dropped limply to my sides, and I stepped away from the door that would lead to my brother's room. The last thing I wanted to do was to annoy my brother or to burden him further than I had already done.

I peered at the door that stood in front of me, my teeth digging deeply into my lip. I didn't get to celebrate my victory against the faint voice, because the next sound I could hear was the knock that resonated across the hallway as a result of the action the merciless companions had forced me to do again.

"It's me, Iris," I murmured lowly, a waver forcefully accompanying the words I had said. Fear embraced my heart, tightly and painfully, and made me realise that the companions weren't as merciless as I had thought; that they just attempted to protect my thoughts from drifting back to the chaos they had sank within the previous day. "You said I can come i–if I need anything."

When I didn't hear an answer, I spoke up again. "Our brothers left." Roman and Elliott had to leave for an urgent meeting for work, Nolan left to meet a friend of his, and so did Atlas. "I hate being alone." I was scared; terrified. Of having another flashback, and of feeling like I had been sent back to my fosters.

Moments later, I heard a click followed by a faint come in.

The sudden drop in temperature was the first thing I noticed as soon as I stepped into my brother's room. And despite the thickness of the clothes I had worn, the frigid air that swirled freely within my surroundings succeeded to cling onto my skin and to send an involuntary shiver throughout my entire body.