Burning Ashes (Sequel to Willow House)

Chapter Seventeen: Family

I ran a hand through my dimmed red hair. The rustic colour reminded me of blood, but only, faded. Like it had dispersed in water.

Never the less, I still loved it.

I sighed deeply and my elbows fell from the large table in the kitchen of Willow. My right hand remained entangled in my red locks and felt like it was swamped with the gentle tentacles of an octopus. Biting on the inside of my cheek, I sighed again out of habit and stooped lower. My temple throbbed against the cold wood as I laid my head to its smooth surface. The fuzz of noise could be heard faintly from the gaming room not far from where my lethargic body resided alone. My eyelids drooped slightly as another shot of pain pulsed through my brain. I groaned and closed my eyes, submitting to the darkness.

Prom was on the horizon and so were the exams. Was I ready? All the transfers, my life, it was all so dramatic.

That's not an excuse to slack.

I grumbled to my inner self. Though, inner Cassie tend to have all the right ideas in life. If anything, I had to get these grades. I don't want to remain in the care system, in control of the government. However it is it works. I want to be my own self... Have my own... Normal life. One where I have the job I'd love to work in. One I would skip into in whatever I wanted to wear that morning, one that brought with it, the easy life. Got me an actual life. With a family and children and....

The door hit the wall of the kitchen and my head shot up from the table. The movement soon caught up with me and my distraught brain complained with more pain. I groaned, loudly, before slowly beginning to return to my slouched position.

"Hey hey!" An overly cheery Ash stumbled into the kitchen and I mentally rolled my eyes, not wanting to deal any more aches and pains on myself. I could almost see the way his eyebrows furrowed and his lips parted in confusion as he took a couple of steps towards my hunched figure. "What's got you all hung up eh?" My eyelids slowly responded to the boy hung over my shoulder, and the bored look he received only lead to his brows almost meeting on his forehead and an arm over my aching shoulders.

And no, before you start, it's not my time of the month.

"C'mon babe, whats up?" I cringed and closed my eyes. When I finally managed to force the weighty curtains over my eyes, I was faced with Ash sat beside me chewing on one of the piercings through his bottom lip. I bit on my bottom lip accidentally and slowly let the skin slip from my teeth. A smile broke over Ash's chapped lips and the snake bites moved accordingly. It made me smile through my pain and this small smile tickled at the edges of my eyes. Ash's smile relaxed slightly as he brought his lips together, he was so causal... Even in smiling. I blinked and pulled my head up with a long sigh.

"It's nothing sweetheart, I'll be okay."

******

I grabbed a clean pair of pants and my pj's before leaving my still rater bare room and heading for the bathroom with my necessities bundled in my arms. Leaning against the closed door, I waited impatiently for the occupant to release the room to me. I threw my head back and hit the wall accidentally.

Ow.

I scrunched up my face and embraced the pain I was swamped in. It was at that moment that the bastard exited the bathroom. Steam emptied from the room as heat was released from its trap and the user stepped out bare footed. Liam took another step out of the bathroom, his hair damp in darkened strands at which he rubbed with his towel. His jaw line was tight and set, he still didn't enjoy my company it would seem. I looked down awkwardly at his bare feet. He didn't move from the doorway so I looked up again which was exactly what he wanted. A smirk spread over his wet lips and my eye twitched slightly at his familiar face.