Caught

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Tyson, you're such an idiot."

A feminine voice pieced through the silence, making my eyes want to open. Blurry eyed, I looked up at the ceiling - all white with specks of what looked like stardust above me. My head felt like a dead weight against the pillow, aching from what must've been an awful headache I got from last night.

At least, I thought it was just the night before.

The soft rambling from the voice continued, preventing me from going back to sleep. The girl was sobbing at the same time, making it worse.

I turned my head towards the sobs, but all I saw were blurry shapes of what looked like two beds one after the other, a girl hugging a boy tighter than necessary.

"Can you keep it down?" A hoarse, tired voice asked. I recognized it faintly as Aidan's, though it lacked the energy it usually had. "I'm trying to sleep."

My eyelids already felt heavier the longer I tried to keep myself awake. I didn't want to go back to unconsciousness again, though the warm sheets and comfortable mattress wanted to pull me back. I knew my body wanted rest, but I wanted to know where we were.

I repositioned my legs under the covers, and that's when I felt it - a dull but noticeable shooting up my... left leg. I winced in pain, letting out a yelp with it. My eyes watered, now blurry because of tears, not dizziness.

"Hey, hey it's alright." Spencer's soft hands were placed on my shoulders, helping me calm down. "Just take deep breaths, the pain should be gone soon."

It wasn't long before I felt a certain drug spread through my veins, easing the pain. I wiped the tears away from my eyes and looked around. Spencer stood next to my bed, leaning against the bed frame. Tyson was in the bed next to me, a girl about her age crying in his sleeve with Aidan in the bed on the other side of him. Tyson's uncle stood next to the door, an unfamiliar man standing next to him. Two children huddled next to him.

The girl on Tyson's bed moved away from the shoulder. Tears continued to stream down her pale face,  her grey eyes sparkling. "How dare you just run away without telling us. No note, no phone call, no nothing! We were worried sick, you know? How could you just do that? And don't say that you just run out the door."

The boy remained silent, hearing the girls rages. A look of guilt spread across his face, probably knowing that his actions hurt some people.

But Tyson running away from his family? What?

I looked up at Spencer with a confused look on my face. His voice popped into my head: If he doesn't tell you soon, I'll tell you later. But he should really be the one telling.

I turned back to look at Tyson. All eyes were on the two in the middle of the room. The closer I look, I could see a resemblance between the girl and Tyson. They had the same shade of blonde hair and through they were different colours, their eyes were similar in shape and they sparkled in the sunlight.

They were probably siblings. Biological siblings.

"I -" Tyson started, but looked uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, I truly am. I'm sorry I hurt you, Taylor. I really didn't think you'd notice."

"Are you for real?" The girl - Taylor, I guess, said a little too loudly. "You're my family. My brother. My freaking twin. Of course I'd notice if you didn't show up the breakfast the next morning after - after that night." She bit her lip. "You missed the funeral. How could you miss the funeral?"

A tense silence filled the air. Tears were still streaming down Taylor's face and I could see that Tyson was trying his best hold them back. No one spoke and no one wanted to speak.