chapter fourteen

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dan

Dan thinks back to earlier during that morning.

Last night, his mother didn't come home after work like she usually does, Dan waited until three a.m. but she still didn't show. Eventually, Dan fell asleep on the sofa, and when he woke, she still wasn't home. Dan called her but she never answered.

He had no choice but to lie to Shawn, to tell him that she was fine, just... Out. He spent the morning trying to call her, but eventually, he had to leave for school. He was late - of course. But the sight of Phil had calmed him down.

But Phil wasn't here now, he'd run out. When he heard that Caspar had been hit by a car, he and Louise had ran straight out. Dan wishes he had friends that cared so much, however, the only person he can think of is Phil, and he has other friends to worry about.

After english finishes, Dan tries to call his mum again, but no one answers. He sighs, shaking his head. He needs to find out where she's gone, so without hesitation, Dan walks straight out of the school gates. He needs to know where she is. He may despise her, but deep down, he knows that she is mentally unstable and broken, and he realises that he really does care about his mother.

Dan runs down the street, heading towards where she usually works. He arrives out the front of the large building and pauses, surveying the streets. He's about to walk inside when he notices something; a part of the road taped off by police. Dan runs over, seeing a car stopped, another ran into the back of it. He freezes when he sees a trail of Crimson staining the road.

He pushes through and tries to keep going but a police officer stops him.

"Where do you think you're going son?" He asks, raising an eyebrow at Dan.

"What happened here?" Dan asks almost desperately.

"A woman and teenager were hit by a car," he says, "woman named Lisa Howell and the teenager was called Caspar."

"Where'd they go?" Dan asks, his heart speeding up.

"I really don't think this is any of your business kid-" the officer starts.

"That's my mum! I want to know where she's gone!" Dan yells, clenching his fists by his side.

"Oh, you're the one who's been calling the phone," The police officer says.

"Yes! Why didn't you answer it if you had it?" Dan yells.

"Look, calm down. I can take you to the hospital. Don't worry, your mother is in a stable condition."

Fifteen minutes later, Dan runs into a hospital room, finding his mother lying on the bed. Dan's heart stops. She looks bad, she looks, well, like she's been hit by a car. But Dan is pretty sure that it was intentional.

But how did Caspar get hit as well?

"D-Dan?" His mother chokes out, blinking at her son, "Dan I'm so sorry. I-I'm a horrible mother to you and Shawn. I'm not there for you, I'm so hopeless. I let him ruin me, and that's not fair on you."

Dan sits on the bed, taking her hand in his as she sobs. He feels his own heart start to melt, the icy edges growing weaker. It's not his mother's fault - it's his father's. He can see that now.

"You can fight it mum," Dan says softly, "don't let it win."

"I won't this time Dan," she says, squeezing his hand, "I promise. I needed this. It wasn't until after, when I was in the hospital, that I realised what I'd done. I was about to leave my two kids behind."

"So you ran in front of the car?" Dan asks.

"Y-yes. But this boy, he pulled me back, not quite quick enough, but enough so it wasn't fatal anymore."

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