Two Worlds Crossed

Chapter 16

EZRA

As I take some time to figure out the thoughts springing around his mind, Rachel grabs his hand, "Take your time. You don't have to tell me if you don't feel comfortable ," she says.

He nods, signs, "No. I think I should tell you because to say it out rather than keeping it in," he tells her as leaning back on the couch with Rachel looking at me, "It's okay. Just breathe." I hold her hand tightly like it would the last time I would be seeing her, "I don't know where I should start?".

"Start from the beginning, from what you remember,".

I pause to think straight, " When I was twelve, everything changed when I woke up and the house was completely covered in smoke, and I couldn't see anything or anyone," I explained, and sat back on the couch. Rachel gasps, "Oh my god. Was everyone okay?" I ask concernedly. "Yeah, everyone was okay," I choke up when thinking about flashbacks and she wipes a tear down my face, "It's okay,". It's not going to be okay once I continue talking, "My mother Andrea and I survived and alright but someone didn't make it,".

"Who?" I ask.

"S- Skylar. My little sister Skylar was eleven, and I saw my mom with the paramedics getting oxygen but I turn around to notice she wasn't behind me," I stand up, and walk over to the window and watch the everybody outside walking around, "I ran back inside the house to find Skylar unconscious on the floor. I felt like I was getting haunted by a ghost for years since; I carried Skylar out of the house, then a paramedic took her to the truck before hearing a crash in the house to have the front door land on me," I close my eyes as I was still smelling the burning feeling on my skin.

I turn back around to see Rachel still on the couch, silent and wiping her tears, "Did you get burned?". I don't answer, so I walk towards her while taking off my shirt and she immediately gasps once she sees what happened, seeing my unhealed scars all over my back.

"Um.. continue your story," she whispers so quietly as if other people can hear. I nod, pick up my shirt, then Rachel grabs on it, "Why are you putting it back on? Are you ashamed of them?" she asks, wondering; I nod again, looking away.

She moved in my direction, placed her hands between his face, " Ezra, from your scars to your inked body to equal my own scars to my uninked body; you are still a mess for me," she compared her body to mine. I tilt my head and smile, " You have scars too? From where at?" I mumbled, but she didn't say anything. Then it's from him, Wyatt.The thought of his hitting her, or anything terrible, makes a fire of anger build-up to my core, " Raya, did Wyatt ever hit you?" I demand harshly.

She stays silent.

"Raya, you need to tell...".

"Tell who? You?" she assumes.

" Yes, me. You can tell me, I won't judge you," I demand, seeing the same pain she has. Rachel wipes her tears before they start streaming down her face, " We can change the subject, please?" she begs. Ezra pulls her toward his chest, "Yes, sorry for mentioning that; what do you wanna do?". Rachel shrugs her shoulders, goes to a bookshelf that's probably alphabetic order. She smiles when grabs a random book and it's the great gatsby. I wrap my arms around her waist, "Want to read it?".

Rachel jumps out of fright, "What the hell?" She slaps my chest, and shows me the book. I remember her telling me how much she liked that book, "You really love this book. Why?" I ask and she smiles as wiping sweat off of her forehead, "Are you okay? You are sweating like crazy," I tell her and she tries to fan herself.

I step back to see the full view of Rachel getting all the sweat beaming on her soft skin, "Do I-I make you nervous?" I cross my arms around each other.