AEGIS ↠ EMBRY CALL [R.U]

33| RUPTURE

     Time around Callas began moving far too quickly, she felt as if she was stuck between a riff in time and space and was floating arbitrarily through a cluster of asteroids. By the time that the paramedics had turned up to the house, she felt as though she had been forced underwater, the oxygen she wanted to breathe was beginning to thin out as everything sounded too far away and distinct. Her body had to be pried away from Silas as they lifted him up on the gurney and took him outside to the ambulance, Anya had been in a flurry of tears and heart wrenching sobs as she followed and got into the back. Callas felt lost in the world. She couldn't lose two people in under twenty-four hours, she wouldn't do that. She had already lost too much and she wasn't willing to give up on her brother or Silas. Embry had stayed behind, calling someone on his phone. But she couldn't care less who it was, so she never asked.

     Her own phone was still in her pocket from the night before. Slowly, she pulled it out and, with shaky hands, she unlocked it, hovering her hand over Reed's number. Embry had told her that he was going to be in the other room, knowing that she wouldn't want to talk about it at that time. The feeling of worry swept over her once more as she clicked onto Reed's number, lifting the phone up to her ear, listening to the rings. In the back of her mind she knew he wasn't going to pick up, he wasn't going to answer his phone, but that didn't mean that she didn't have hope. Reed wouldn't know that Silas was going to the hospital. For whatever reason, that it was that he would come up with to blame for his absence, Callas wouldn't forgive him for not calling to check in. Whatever Sam Uley had to do with his disappearing act was far beyond her knowledge of Embry's so-called friends. Her phone continued to ring. It felt like the longest thirty seconds that she had ever experienced until the ringing had stopped.

     'Hi,' it started. But Callas knew better. 'You have reached Reed Quinn's voicemail. Sorry, I can't come to the phone right now, but I'm either asleep, not near my phone, or at work. I'll, uh, what the—? No, Zeus stop. Get off. Sorry about that, anyway, I'll get back to you when I can. So, uh, I guess leave your message after the beep and I'll—' It cut off before Reed had finished his voicemail with the loud beep. Callas sucked in a deep breath, not knowing how she was meant to phrase what it was that she was about to tell him.

     "Hey, Reed. I'm not sure where you are, or if you're even alive anymore. I'm just so—" Callas sniffed as her tears came back, she hated herself for crying. "I'm so fucking scared right now. I really need my brother, and you know, if you ever get this, then call me back. Like, straight away. Silas is on the way to the hospital, they said it didn't look good." Callas's lip began to quiver and her voice began to waver, coming out forced and shaky, "But I tried," she sobbed quietly. "I really tried, I did what we were taught in P.E. that one time in Utah. You know, when we had that first aid lesson? I mean, you weren't there, but I'm sure you had a lesson like that, right? Anyway, I just really want—"

     It beeped and cut her off, the time limit being exceeded. Callas dialled the phone number again, hearing the familiar 'Hi, you have reached Reed Quinn's voicemail,' echo over the line. She waited until she heard the beep again. "Hey, I was, uh, I was cut off. I know I should be old enough to deal with things on my own, but after going through the things I've been through over the past couple of days, I'm beginning to think that I'll never be okay again. So, if you could, you know, get back to me. Or even get that Sam Uley guy to pick up a goddamn phone and call me, I'd appreciate that. Because, you know, he seems to be involved in everything around La Push. God." She scoffed, sniffing to herself. "Why the hell do we have such a fucked-up family? Why can't we just be normal? I'm sick of this. Please, just call me back when you get this, I need—" It cut off again.

     She didn't have the strength to dial again. Instead, she shook her head, bringing her knees up to her chest, dropping her phone on the ground, and ran her hands through her hair, trying to swallow the cries that left her body. She wanted to scream. She wanted to just scream and let everything that she had built up, everything that was pent up inside of her, go. Callas closed her eyes tightly, swearing to herself quietly. This wasn't something she should be doing. It was a struggle, pulling herself out of her own feelings and emotions, she was meant to be strong, for both Reed and Silas, for whatever fate was throwing at them. It wasn't a time to wallow in her own self-pity. When she picked up her phone, she forced herself to stand up, her back sliding against the wall.