Caged

16

"You need to breathe, Izzy," Ethan said as calmly as he could, kneeling on the ground in front of me. "Just take deep breaths, you're fine. You're stressing yourself out for no reason."

I stared at him wordlessly through watery eyes, trying to let his words relax my mind, but it wouldn't work. My heart was pounding, and my chest was beginning to physically ache as I struggled to catch my breath. I was sitting on the couch, but I felt like I'd been running from the way my pulse was racing.

"Kaiden will be home soon. Everything's gonna be fine, I promise." This time, it was Caleb who spoke.

He was also kneeling on the ground in front of me, right next to Ethan, so they were both eye level.

They'd spent the last few hours trying to calm me down, and it wasn't working.

It was close to two in the morning, and Kaiden hadn't come home yet.

Caleb and I had stayed up, waiting, and I'd been calm at the beginning, but the shock was dying down as every moment went on. My emotions were all over the place; I was a wreck.

Ethan had arrived at the apartment an hour after we came back, and that was when I'd burst into tears, not being able to help it.

I knew it had taken them both by surprise. If the circumstances would've been different, I would've laughed at the panic that flashed across both of their features at seeing me break down, and not knowing what to do with me.

I'd had several cups of coffee to stay awake. I'd also called Elijah multiple times, despite not really wanting to talk to him, but he didn't pick up once. Kaiden's phone was completely hopeless. Ethan tried to take the phone from me once, but he backed off when he saw the look I gave him.

My mind raced every second, and my brothers had to stop me from pacing multiple times. If I wasn't walking around Kaiden's apartment mindlessly, I was peeling the nail polish off my fingers, or I was biting my lip. I just had to stay moving otherwise the thoughts would consume me. That had ended up backfiring on me, and now, I felt like I was on the verge of passing out.

"He's probably in jail by now, Caleb!" I yelled at him, my eyes welling up with a new set of tears. "Why are we just sitting here? Why can't we go help or go find him or call someone for help? And why won't Elijah pick up the phone, he should be –"

I broke off as Caleb groaned in frustration and went limp. He threw his head forward so it was resting on my knees now. He didn't bother saying anything to calm me down anymore and I glared at his head, even though he couldn't see it.

Ethan briefly closed his eyes, and I knew they were both becoming irritated, but I couldn't help it.

"Izzy," Ethan began firmly, his eyes hard. I scowled at him as he grabbed my jaw, his hand squeezing almost painfully. He forced me to look at him. "You. Need. To. Calm. Down. I will not ask again."

I slapped his hand away. "Don't tell me to calm down!" I hissed, glowering. He rolled his eyes. "You're not the one who was held at gunpoint by a fucking creep, you asshole. You didn't almost die, and then watch Kaiden beat a guy to death, and then watch the police come, and then – "

I cut myself off when Ethan stood up quicker than I could blink. He glared down at me and Caleb's head snapped up from my knees to look at our brother. He looked exhausted. I almost felt bad.