your
the dark red door creeped open to reveal an absence of familiar faces.
no ones here. i thought.
damiens whereabouts was unkown, his rust red car sitting immobile on the sand factored in a sense of relief.. he probably went for a walk.
the home was still, quiet and lifeless. doors had been left hanging open in a subtly eerie manner, creaking daintily from the draft
today ticked by slowly, charlie and eliza didn't return home until deep in the afternoon and steven barely beat sunset, spending most of the day with the gems
being left alone inevitably allowed my thoughts to run wild, bouncing from charlie, to steven, to those lifeless shards still in blue diamonds possession.. and finally to my brother.
the cold night had set in, still with no sign of him. steven assured me he was just spending the night somewhere else and i made myself believe it.. for awhile
despite the constant reassurance from a trusted source, sleep never came.. leaving me wide awake to gaze at the starry abyss.
my throat felt dry as as i tossed and turned, eventually bothering me to the point of annoyance.
slowly, i tip toed down the wooden stairs and into a sight i didn't expect
"charlie?" i whispered the first word i've said to him since earlier
he didn't answer, pressing his finger to his lips and gesturing to his sleeping sister.
"what are you doing..?" i lower my voice even more before continuing down the remaining steps
"taking up nicole's offer, me and eliza are leaving tomorrow"
"why didn't you tell me?"
he shrugs sloppily "you didn't wanna come."
"and i still don't, but how long are you staying there?"
"she said we can stay as long as we'd like"
...
"can i still visit..?"
charlie pauses for a moment before nodding, folding the finale blanket and stacking the last pillow neatly on the couch
"why are you packing in the middle of the night..?"
"couldn't sleep anyway"
despite the topic not being ideal, talking to him felt nice.
i quietly made my way into the kitchen and grabbed two cups, passing one to charlie after filling it with water
"am i gonna see you tomorrow before you leave?" i finish my drink
he shakes his head as he swallows, giving me the answer i despised
"tell eliza i said bye" i pulled him in for a goodbye hug.
i could feel him nod as he embraced me, the shining moonlight acting as our only light
