''You know how they came up with the word Lunatic?'' he asked.
I shook my head, feeling like I probably didn't want to know the answer. His lips pulled up on one side in a mischievous, lopsided grin.
He stepped closer. ''Because all of the worst m...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
JUMP. JUMP. JUMP.
The voice was louder, echoing through the cave as it begged me to plunge myself into the darkness. My body ached for it, as did my mind. The darkness was silent. I could feel my brain and my senses being quieted the nearer I got. All I wanted was peace. The darkness could give it to me.
The man could give it to me.
He stood across from me again, his smile was unwavering. The expression wasn't altogether welcoming, but it wasn't frightening either. There was something familiar in it.
"Eloise," his voice carried through the cave, "you can do it."
I took another step forward at the sound of his voice. I suspected something about him, but I hardly knew what it was. He felt familiar like he was a friend I knew a long time ago.
He took a step toward me so he was on the edge of the pit now too. His hand reached out toward me and I lifted my arm-
And was yanked backward away from the pit into the cold, chaotic embrace of something else. Something real.
"Lou," a deep voice murmured, "sunshine, wake up."
I blinked away the sleep in my eyes to look up at the handsome face of Tucker Joy. He had a tired smile on his lips when he relaxed into the hospital couch we were sharing. He held out a cup of coffee and I took it gratefully.
My dream had rattled me and I expect that Tucker had something to do with pulling me back from it. Every time I had the same dream, I was closer to the darkness each time. What would happen when I finally descended into it?
The boy with the brown eyes focused his attention intently on me. His brother was laying in a hospital bed unconscious with his other little brothers running around the hospital and he could still worry about me. How someone could have that much capacity for compassion, I'd never know.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
I sighed, feeling guilty for even feeling half of what he must have been feeling. Ben, my best friend, was being drowned by his demons and it was so much worse than any of us had imagined. I should've known.
I said as much.
"You couldn't have known," he argued, "it's not your job to know what everyone is going through. Sometimes people have shit they have to go through alone. Sometimes they can't handle their shit alone. Regardless, they have to decide for themselves."
"Why couldn't I heal him?"
Neither of us knew the real reason, but Tucker seemed to have a guess.
"Maybe he needs to heal it himself. And maybe all we can do is help."
He watched as Elias and Lucas played a board game in the corner and drank from his cup. Noah saw us watching and came to sit on my lap. I gave him a warm smile and circled my arms around him. He'd been crying, I could tell. Like a true Joy boy, he'd hidden his tears from his brothers.
