Invisible

Chapter Ten: Resist

The days hadn't been so lonely, the regular schedule had returned for the Entity and his host; though, less bickering had been evident in their friendship. It was a nice change, it was a needed change. Miles no longer resented Ryder, no longer wished harm upon him. Not after all the boy, and his group of peers, had done for him in the long run.

"The only people we haven't reached out to, is your parents," Ryder hummed, leaning forward in his chair to cross his arms over the railing of the white fence to the porch, ".. It must have been hard for them."

Miles stood by the boy, hands shoved in his pocket and gaze staring blankly ahead. A mixture of snow and rain fell from the grey clouds, a chilled breeze drafting through just a few moments later. His host's mother wasn't home, the home only occupied the two. Slowly, his dark eyes shifted from one house to the next, giving a small hum of agreement to his words. A small pang in his chest ached, even if he couldn't entirely remember his parents; or, his siblings. Only a blurred memory could be fished from his mind, filled with laughter and the overwhelming feeling of joy.

"No parent should have to bury their child," He spoke up moments later, tone low and quiet, "Or, say goodbye in this way. It's unnatural, and cruel."

There was a long pause between the two, a comfortable silence. It was something that happened often, it was a nice moment. A calming moment. Nothing exactly mattered in the moments like these, at least, that's how the Entity felt. His eyes glanced at the boy, brow arched as he heard a sigh emit from his direction.

"The world is a cruel place, Miles," Ryder mumbled, resting his chin on his arm, "People are crueler."

...

"How are you so certain that this is a good idea?" Scarlett hissed, her steps coming to a stop, "If Martinez sees you out here, it's game over. He'll take you away."

The two stood in front of a decent sized home, despite it looking worn down from the years it had gone through. The yard was unkempt, trash and broken toys scattered in a few areas. It wasn't so familiar to the Entity, but, the house certainly was. It was home.

"That's the thing, I'm not certain," Ryder responded, reaching over to ring the doorbell of a house, "It's worth a try, because, I know he had something to do with this. A man without a secret wouldn't work that hard to keep us away."

Miles couldn't agree more with Ryder's choice of words, keeping his eyes trained on the door like a hawk. He was desperate to see who answered, desperate to see another familiar face. He was desperate to see his parents again, the people who had given him life; despite having it snatched away at an early age.

"If we get caught, my father is so grounding me," The female huffed out, clear annoyance dripping from her words.

The two of them had fallen silent, the door creaking open in a slow manner. Miles couldn't help but stare, eyes widening in the slightest at the elder in front of them. A wrinkled white woman had answered the door, large glasses falling off her nose as she leaned heavily on her walker for support. Mom.

"Can I help you?" She questioned after a moment, blue eyes shifting from Scarlett to Ryder, "You must be the kids.. You must be the kids that the sheriff warned me about, hm? The ones that are going to harass me about Jacob."

Miles didn't care to watch for the reaction that the younger souls had to offer, gaze staying trained on his mother only. There was a bundle of emotions he was feeling at the moment, all of them mixed and bunched together. He blinked multiple times at the elderly woman, a distressed noise rumbling in the back of his throat.

"I understand if—" Ryder started out, quickly getting cut off.

"Don't you dare tell me that you understand! You don't understand at all, boy!" She snapped at him, expression tight and visibly holding back raw emotions, "You don't know... You don't know what it's like to lose your baby, to have people constantly say that they've seen him.. That they know where he is.. None of you know. Not you, not the sheriff, not anyone. Please, be gone with yourself.. You too, little lady."

Miles didn't like the way that her voice wavered, how it cracked on occasion. Her hostility was a mask to hide the pain and sorrow, he knew that all too well.

".. Mrs. Price..." Ryder tried to speak once more, his voice softer and quieter, "I do understand what it's like to lose someone. I do understand. I lost my father and brother in a car accident. Two years ago, my father lost control of the car, and we went rolling down a hill. It still hurts."

Finally, Miles tore his gaze away from his mother, setting it on his host. That's what happened to him, was the only thought he could process. All the empty picture frames in the house, all the miscommunication, it partially made sense now. His eyes lowered to the chair, head tilting. Was that what had caused his condition? Miles had never heard the story, it was new to him.

"My boy was never found," She said with a shaky tone, having calmed down, "He was supposed to come straight home, I never saw him again afterwards. A little after Jacob went missing, his father had left.. The stress of work, and losing a son.. It had been too much, I never heard from him again. Everyone moved on with their lives, no one.. No one batted an eye after my son had vanished."

There was a silence that had taken over, the Entity returning his gaze to his mother. Tears had filled her eyes, only taking a few moments to roll down her cheeks and dampen them. His chest ached with a dull feeling, he wanted nothing more than to bring his mother into a tight embrace. The tense moments had passed, being replaced by a soft sheet of sorrow and grief.

"We'll find him," Scarlett whispered, voice quiet and thick with emotion, "We're doing all that we can.. But, we need your help as well. We need to know the people that Jacob was around, the people he considered friends."

"I..." The elder didn't bother to stop her tears from coming, simply breathing out, "I hope you kids know what you're getting into. There.. There was his best friend, a good fellow, Cruz. Nicole.. Nicole was a girl he had his heart set on, oh my.. He was so infatuated with her, even if she was a grade or two higher.."

Her name pops up everywhere.. But, who was she to me? My girlfriend? The Entity had tuned them out, hand lifting to hold the side of his head as a pang of pain coursed through his temple. A fondness was suddenly felt in his chest, a warm fuzzy feeling following right behind. The image of a girl poured into his mind. Nicole Jones. It was a blurry image, but, he could make out her sweet facial features. She was the one that he had loved, in his time.

"You can't do that!"

"Unhand the boy, this is foolishness!"

Like a slap to the face, Miles was thrown back into reality. He was left dizzy and confused, turning his body to face the sudden commotion going on. How did I miss this?! How long had his mind slipped away from the living three? His eyes had widened in the slightest, catching sight of Ryder in the back of a police car; his wheelchair was carelessly tossed to the ground. Miles snapped his gaze onto the arguing trio— Scarlett, his mother, and the sheriff.

"Martinez, the boy meant no harm!" His mother said with a stern tone, her hand gripping at the male's arm, "If you think I'm pressing charges, you are wrong! I demand that you let him go!"

"I didn't know it was against the law to talk with the people of our town!" Scarlett spat out in hostility, standing beside the elderly female.

"He's a public endangerment, ladies. That boy is a danger to 'imself. He's under arrest."