ʜɪᴅᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴇᴇᴋ

CHAPTER FIVE

Jay and Cole sit out in the smoking area of the hospital. A small section dedicated with a thin roof and a terrible vase of graffiti. The two sip their coffees as the rain purs heavily.

"So, thoughts?" Asks Jay.

"The boyfriend gives me weird vibes," responds Cole.

"We'll keep an eye on him," says Jay.

The rest of the group meet them at the smoking area. They look in a hurry to get out of the rain as Quinn takes the keys from Skyler's hands. Jay and Cole rush toward thr car, in a frantic panic.

"What's going on?" Asks Cole.

Quinn starts the car, driving to her mothers house. A short time later, they arrive. The group is left peering out the window at the massive estate that sits a house in the middle.

"Quinn, you know you're rich, right?" Says Cole.

"It's my mothers house," replies Quinn.

The friends climb the steps to the front door. Quinn knocks as they wait to be let in. A woman pulls open the door quickly. She wipes tears away from her eyes as she hugs Quinn. The hug is reciprocated as Quinn grips on to her mother tightly.

"Hi, sweetheart. I missed you," says Quinn's mother.

"You too, mom," replies Quinn.

The group make their way inside the lavish house. Quinn looks around, being reminded of old memories of the way she played as a kid with her sister.

Her mother never changed a thing, not even the cartoon drawings that are still stuck to the fridge with the magnet Quinn made in fourth class. She runs her hand over the drawing, smiling. Some of her fondest memories are in this house and in her old room.

Quinn climbs the stairs, her hand gliding off of the bannisters on the way up. She remembers sliding down it before school or how her younger sister would follow on the steps beside her, trying to keep up.

She pushes open the door, a vibrant, bright, pink bed sits in the corner, just under the window ledge. The old smell of her Yankee candle, almost as if it's still lit to this day.

Quinn looks out her old bedroom window, and it faces out into a graveyard. She remembers her old trauma, trying to sleep when she was little, but all she could think about was the headstones not far away.

Or how the wind would whistle, and she'd trick herself into thinking the dead had come back to life to haunt her because she was the closest to them.

In hindsight, it wasn't meant to be her room. It was meant for Millie, but after much negotiations, Quinn had taken the room to relieve her sister of the nightmares she claimed to have.

That's the type of older sister Quinn is, the selfless type, and nothing worries her more than the safety of her family, especially her little sister.

Quinn is startled when she feels a hand press against her shoulder. She turns quickly to see Sklyer standing behind her. She collapses into his arms as she grips around him tightly.

"Are you ok?" He asks.

"I'm fine," she continues, "Sometimes it's just overwhelming."

Skyler brushes her hair gently with his hands. He tries to relieve the tension by picking up one of Quinn's favourite dolls when she was just a child.

"Who is this guy?" He asks jokingly.

"That's, Mr. Teddyworth," she responds.

"How orginal," says Sklyer.

Quinn cracked a little smile as she took her favourite teddy from Skyler, hugging it gently. He looks out her window, seeing the graveyard.

"Jesus," he continues, "That's a bit much, isn't it?"

"Poor location," says Quinn.

Skyler looks out the window, further on. It's nothing but open fields and a barn, far in the distance.

"Yours?" He points on the glass.

"Used to be," she continues, "My dad sold it before he died."

The two of them make their way back into the living room. The rest of the group is sitting around the sofa, looking at Quinn's old baby photos. Just for a moment, the mood in the house is less sombre, almost as if it's just another friendly trip home.

"We have to go to Millie's apartment," Quinn continues, "Mom, you have a spare key, right?"

Quinn's mother nods her head and hands the baby book to Cole. He flips through it, slowly. He comes to a picture of Quinn, Millie, and Luke from many years ago. He makes a mental note of the photo.

"Listen, Millie lives in the city," Quinn continues, "So, you don't have to go."

Quinn looks at the group, their gaze fixed upon her as words are not needed. They're in this together.