Silence

Echo...

Jack's PoV:
I continue walking with Felix, sounds ringing in my mind. Voices, memories, thoughts. My wheels turning in my mind as I try to piece things together. Burn marks... haven't seen any of Mark's family since before he went silent... how does that girl fit into all this...? I try piecing things together, only adding more pieces of my own in with it, pieces that probably aren't true. My mind keeps going back to the burn marks, his family, and the girl. There must have been a fire... what happened to his family... who's that girl and how does she fit in with all of this?

I was so caught up in my thoughts I wasn't watching where I was going and ran into someone. I look up and see it's the girl I saw Mark with yesterday after school (look at the picture above).

"Oh, um, sorry," I say, backing up a little. She looks at me then at Felix and takes her headphones off.

"I see you've got a new friend in the group Felix, wanna introduce him to me?" She says.

"Um, okay. Jack, this is Echo. Echo, this is Jack. She's smaller than the rest of us, but she's still stronger than us. I wouldn't suggest angering her, even if she is your friend. She's very protective of Mark, I still don't know why since their not boyfriend and girlfriend," Felix says. Echo just pokes him, smiling a little. Felix laughs and they fist bump (BROFIST!👊🏻).

"It's good to see you again Pewds," she says as she ruffles his hair. He fixes his hair.

"How's your sister?" He asks.

"She's good, she goes to the gym with Mark and I, but she sometimes runs around the neighborhood on her own. How're you and Cry doing?"

"We're doing great!"

I see Mark walking up to us behind Echo, headphones on, head down, hood up. I walk over to him and pull the hood down, hugging him. Mark just freezes and I let go as we walk to Felix and Echo, who are still talking. Mark puts his hood back up and I put an arm around him as we walk. He glances at me and I smile at him. He looks away and we walk to his locker silently.

Felix's PoV:
"Looks to me like Mark has another person who won't give up on him, even if he doesn't see it." Echo says, motioning at Jack and Mark.

"I don't think Jack really minds that Mark doesn't talk to him, that's what makes him more of a friend than the rest of us. We know Mark will talk when he wants to, but it bugs us, I don't think it really bugs Jack." I say, watching them as they silently walk to Mark's locker. "I just hope Jack can help Mark out of his years of silence at last. I worry about Mark, and we can't help him if he doesn't talk to us."

"I think you're helping him just fine, but there has been something different about Mark since Jack showed up."

"Really? Well, I'm glad. Are you gonna be helping the school today? Or are you going to just go home?"

"Hey, I have school too, just not all the time. But yeah, I will be helping."

"You never told us why it is you do so much with Mark."

"I don't think it's my place to tell you."

"Yeah, okay."

A/N
I've got something planned next chapter that may make you happy, or sad, or both. Depends on how you take it.