You Can Take It Off (When You're Ready) [Twenty One Pilots]

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Messenger

Lena found sleep around four in the morning that night. By that time, Tyler had been long gone, so fast asleep he hadn't even stirred when Lena had pulled the ukulele out of his hands. Her own sleep was much lighter though, as she kept tossing and turning, her mind reeling with images of a baby wrapped up in a blanket in the arms of a woman that wasn't its mother. Wavering in and out of consciousness, she first thought she was dreaming when she saw a silhouette at the foot of the bed.

It seemed strangely familiar, and the wave of fear that had first crept up into Lena's chest soon gave way to a warmer feeling. She had seen this shadow before, she remembered it clearly, and she felt weirdly at ease with it now, as if she knew it. Still unsure if this was a dream or not, she glanced at Tyler, still peacefully asleep at her sides, then back at the shadow who was now standing up on her side of the bed. Lena's breath caught in her throat, surprised, as the silhouette bent over, bringing what seems to be its head closer to hers. 

Lena felt calmer than she'd ever been, yet her heart was beating faster and faster. She could sense an urgency in the silhouette as if it expected her to do something else. Something more. She didn't have a clue what it was, but she was suddenly persuaded that she had missed something important. The feeling grew stronger as the shadow of a hand stroke her cheek. Instinctively, Lena brought her hand to the very same place, only realising she was crying when her skin touched the running tears. The girl looked up, overcome with emotion as her eyes crossed the silhouette's stare. It had eyes, this time. A bright and intense blue colour was looking back at her, and its mouth opened slightly. Words came out as a whisper, caressing Lena's face with a cool breeze.

"When life leaves you blind, love keeps you kind," it said softly, repeating the words like a mantra, over and over without ever stopping to catch its breath.

Lena felt her heart grew warmer and warmer, thudding against her chest so hard it threatened to burst. It seemed like her body was slowly elevating, floating a few inches above the bed, pulled by an invisible thread until it snapped and Lena fell back onto the mattress, her heart skipping a beat.

She opened her eyes to the feeble moonlight peering through the curtains. Instantly, Lena sat up, the image of the silhouette still imprinted in her eyes, and the words still repeating in her mind. 

When life leaves you blind, love keeps you kind.

Lena blinked a few times, glanced at Tyler's shape next to her, then the other way around. The clock said 6:02. The girl had barely gotten a couple hours of troubled sleep, yet she knew she couldn't fall back even into a slumber. Not after that. Because these words meant something and she was determined to figure out what. 

Lena didn't wait on Tyler to wake up. She knew she wasn't needed at work until a few hours, but she figured she might as well go over there earlier. She couldn't stand still anyway. She didn't forget to warn her boyfriend though, leaving a little note on the bedside table, mentioning that she would probably finish later and that he didn't need to pick her up. It wasn't that she didn't want him to... but she had other plans. And it wasn't really a lie if she didn't mention them in the first place, right?

Hannah's eyebrows shooting up to the sky was what greeted her as she stepped into the kitchen of the diner.

"Are you sick? Your shift doesn't start until elev-"

"I know," Lena shrugged before her cousin even had the time to finish. "I just couldn't sleep and I thought you'd need the help..."

Hannah raised an eyebrow, filling a tray with diverse hot drinks. "That's an insult," she said gravely, faking hurt, before flashing a smile. "Are you okay, though?" 

Lena took in a deep breath, facing Hannah's worried stare. The girl glanced at her clients, then the hot chocolates on her tray, before whispering, "Be right back."

A few seconds later, her tray now empty, she was back behind the counter. "Taking a break!" she yelled to the chef before untying her apron and walking towards the back door, Lena's hand in hers. Without a word, she sat down on the old wooden bench, took her pack of cigarettes out of her back pocket and scurried over to give room to Lena. 

"Tell me everything," Hannah muttered, her now lit cigarette between her lips. "Is this about Tyler? Have you guys-"

Lena rolled her eyes, unable to prevent a laugh from escaping her lips. "Can you stop thinking about sex all the time?" she muttered, hitting her cousin playfully on the arm. 

"What is it, then? I can't see anything else that would-" Hannah started, before realising what she was about to say could never be even remotely true. Her mouth stood ajar, like she was searching for the words. "Leah?" she finally simply mouthed.

Lena nodded, sighing deeply, before launching herself in the point by point commentary of what had happened the previous day. She told Hannah about the love story between Jessica and her own dad, about her miscarriage and the trauma she'd had to face on her own, and when she finally explained the "dead-come-alive" leading to the actual kidnapping, Hannah's mouth had dropped to the floor.

"So you're telling me she got out of that hospital carrying a baby that everyone thought was dead?" The girl exclaimed, visibly shaken up and far more angry than she'd previously let on. "How's that even possible?"

Lena shrugged, at a loss for words. She'd asked herself the same question many times. The whole ordeal had been turning and turning in her head all night, yet she was still unable to come up with a proper explanation. 

"Something else is bothering me, actually," Lena finally let out after a short silence. "That ripped picture, remember? How and when was it taken? Most importantly, how did your dad come across the other half of it?"

Hannah looked up, puzzled, as her cigarette was aimlessly burning away. Silence fell again as both girls looked at each other in awe, and Lena sighed again. Whenever she thought she'd finally gotten all the answers, other questions magically popped up from nowhere, bringing more confusion and despair along. 

"I think he knew," Hannah whispered, more to herself than anything. "It makes sense, doesn't it? Why else would he have been so hopeless? Why would he constantly be drunk? I mean, we had a pretty good life before he decided to move here."

Would this ever be over? Lena wondered desperately, sighing deeply. A few seconds later, and before the cousins had the time to investigate any further, Lena was brought back to reality by the voice of Amy. The new girl was coming out for a bit of fresh air, not forgetting to mention to her coworker that she'd been alone in the diner for almost half an hour. She seemed nice enough, and Lena liked how confident she was despite her young age - very different from how she'd been when she was her age. As she listened to the conversation between her and Hannah, though, Lena's mind kept coming back to that photograph of the baby twin sisters. How was uncle Rick involved? 

For a second, Lena contemplated going over to his place to get answers, but the haunting memory of his pervert hands on her ass made her shiver with fear and disgust. She would never dare to go back there on her own, and she couldn't possibly ask Tyler again. The poor boy had had enough trouble already, and she didn't want him to worry more than he already did. This story affected him as well, and she had to start thinking a little bit more about him now that he had proved over and over how important she was to him. 

That said, Lena was still convinced there was more to this story, and the only person who still had answers for her, according to all the boxes and packed up bags Lena had seen the previous day, was about to leave the city. She had to act now. 

"Hannah," Lena suddenly stood up, more determined than ever. She looked at her cousin and Amy, both girls staring at her expectantly, hesitating half a second before asking, "Can you guys cover for me today?"

A short twenty minutes later, Lena was on a bus, hoping to catch Jessica before she had the time to flee.

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If my calculations are correct (and I don't suddenly come up with another plot twist), there now should be one chapter and one epilogue left on this story.

Any clue on uncle Rick's involvement in the story? 

Finally, I just wanted to mention the lyrics I used in this chapter. "When life leaves you blind, love keeps you kind" are from a Linkin Park song. I've been deeply shocked by Chester Bennington's passing and I hope he found peace, wherever he is now.