SPRING || ROSALIE HALE

E I G H T

"Somethings coming," the angelic hum of his mother's voice startles him out of his slumber.

Ray jolts slightly in his bed, eyes searching for the owner of the voice only to find his mother, softly massaging the kinky curls of his head and smiling down at him.

He adjusts in his sleep, relaxing back into the bed, "You scared me."

"You used to be a heavy sleeper, sometimes I'd be so worried about your soundless sleep that I would come into your room just like this and make sure you were okay." She whispered softly.

Ray suddenly remember her previous words and adjusted, "what did you mean when you said something was coming?"

She looked away and continued speaking, "when you a little baby you never cried, not even when your dad I yelled at the top of our lungs at each other. You'd always sleep through it all and I'd end every argument with the same words, the only value in this house is the angel sleeping upstairs and here we are corrupting his use. Your dad would apologize and promise he'd try better and I would too, of course, we both knew it was lies. We made so many promises to one another and most were broken except the ones we made about you. Our sleeping angel, I knew in my heart that if there was anything your dad would keep to me was the promise he made about you. I'm happy he's kept that."

A loud horn sounded shortly after and Ray turned his head to the window where he heard his dads voice yell, "RAYMOND! Wake up! Guess who's here!"

The sudden air of his mother's presence was gone, he turned his head back to see her presence had disappeared and reality had set in. With a stretch to his joints and muscles he hauled out of bed and grabbed the dirty grey sweatshirt he had thrown off last night, heading straight for his closed bedroom door and to the bathroom.

He'd just applied the minty toothpaste to his bright red brush when Bella door opened and out stepped his sister, in her grey sweatpants and flimsy Arizona cardinals shirt he noticed how tired she still was. The birds nest on her head made him smirk, "didn't get much sleep?"

"Shut up," she groaned and pushed him aside in the small bathroom, grasping her own brush and mumbling, "dads woke me up, they sound excited."

"I know, wonder what it is." Ray mumbled back, his eyes still felt heavy and the idea of falling back asleep didn't seem like a bad idea as soon as he found out what the commotion was.

Bella looked at him and raised a brow, "I looked out the window, if I were you I'd hurry."

Something about her smirk left Raymond brushing faster and harder then ever before, his heart hammering as excitement filled him and he was quick to finish the routine before heading downstairs. He swung on the thick jacket hanging by the door and pushed open the door long enough to see his dads pushing off the tarp to his car.

The very last piece of New York and his mom he still physically had.

"Well son!" His father called out smiling as even Charlie cracked a smile.

Raymond didn't respond at first, bustling down stairs until he was directly in front of the car so he could see his reflection in the shiny gloss of its exterior. His fingers ran over the cold metal, remembering the last time he'd seen the automobile. It's been nearly a month, and he's run his hand over it just like this as he's said goodbye and painfully handed the car keys over to his friend and neighbor, Tyler.

Tyler has promised he'd look after the beast and drive it directly to the shipping years where it would be driven across the country for him. He still remembered the vow his old friend had made, how he would not let him down—judging by the condition his car was in there was no let down.