Betrayal - Part 4
Jan 4, 2021 17:12:16 GMT -5
Post by therunawaygirl on Jan 4, 2021 17:12:16 GMT -5
(This is a "short" story, and I plan on sharing more of these to help build my characters. So please, enjoy!)
(WARNING! Blood, torture, extreme violence)
The stainless-steel walls around him were boring to look at for another thousand times, but it was the only thing he could see. The room he was now confined to was a supplementary hospital room under the streets of Milennia, and so there were no windows he could look through. Not that it would help, seeing the state of the city he lived in brought down to dust. He wouldn’t be able to see any green through the window, instead only ashes and the grey of concrete streets, empty of any passersby. The thought didn’t help him quell his pain, though, and he sighed, exhausted.
Ever since being held there, in order to recover, Jack hadn’t been able to sleep well. Every night, he’d wake up, trying to ignore the image burned in his mind so vividly, only causing the nurses and doctors to worry, and even going as far as drugging him back to sleep, if only for a moment. It was tiresome, to say the least —it wasn’t something he was ready to tell.
But how long would it take, before he had to confide it to someone else? Elena was the only one who knew, but it wasn’t enough to free him from those traumatic chains. She wasn’t able to help him overcome it all, given how busy she was trying to reorganize everything from scratch, after their other base had been located and raided. Thankfully, no one was hurt in that event, but it was still annoying.
Focused as he was in his thought, looking at the stale wall with just a table and fake flowers inside a vase, the teen didn’t hear the door open at all. His expression was a tired one, one who couldn’t keep up —someone broken beyond repair.
“Jack…?”
The soft-spoken voice caught his attention, only turning faintly to see Alice there. The girl seemed stressed, looking at her brother with her hands cupped over her chest. It took Jack some time to notice the expression he was wearing, quickly looking away before returning with a smile.
It was the least he could do.
“H-Hey, sis…” he staggered a bit.
“Hi…”
It was awkward, to say the least —the two hadn’t seen each other for about a few weeks, since Jack’s wounds were still too gruesome to look at, and needed considerable treatment. Silence followed soon after, and Alice remained a bit further into the room, but not quite close enough. The teen, on his end, decided to simply look away, glancing every now and then at his bandaged hands —one of the few things he was grateful to have bandaged.
Alice stepped forward a bit, her steps barely audible as she got closer to her brother, still with faint unease. Even if he was family, something about the state he was currently in caused her to be reluctant when speaking. Jack, on the other hand, didn’t want to talk, fearing that he would slip up and reveal that which he wanted to keep hidden.
“You’re already here? You rushed quite fast, didn’t you?”
The small girl was startled as Elena walked inside the room, much for Jack’s surprise. What was she doing there? Wasn’t she busy? And why visit him, of all people? The others were surely in his same situation —recovering from the wounds of that time, confined in similar rooms like himself.
So why him?
“Elena…?” Jack asked with a quizzical look.
“You wanted to ask what I’m doing here, right?” Elena sighed, “Typical…”
“Well, duh —don’t you got stuff to do?”
“I do, but there’s also one thing that concerns you, as well” Elena replied calmly, “I’m disbanding your unit —after you recover, you don’t need to report back.”
“Wha—!?”
“I’ve got 2 reasons for this. The first one: none of you are able to work the same way as before. You’re the least injured, but I can’t say if that’s a good thing yet.”
“The… Least injured?”
“…” Elena glanced away before looking at Alice, “Things I’d rather not mention to your sister —perhaps later.”
“…S-sorry… I can leave now…” Alice said, flustered.
“Sis…”
“Do you mind, Alice?” Elena asked calmly, “It won’t take a minute —I’ll let you know when you can come back in.”
The girl nodded, never looking up as she left the room, closing the door behind her in order to avoid Elena and Jack’s conversation from being overheard. Jack looked as she took her leave, a concerned look in his eyes and troubled as what else he could say once she came back. Elena’s clearing of her throat brought him back to earth, however, as he focused on what she had to say…
“So, when I said that you’re the least injured… I mean it” she continued, “I take it you didn’t see how your comrades were…?” she asked, leaving the question ambiguous, but Jack could tell what she was aiming at.
“…I didn’t…” Jack shook his head, looking down, “I… I would’ve panicked further had I done that…”
“…Brandon lost an eye, and Melissa bit her tongue” the revelation caused Jack to flinch, “Usher’s fairly well, but he took a harder beating because of his endurance. You get what I’m getting at?”
“…Yeah… We wouldn’t be able to work… So… Are Brandon and Melissa…?”
“Retiring? They have no other choice” Elena shook her head, sighing, “Melissa in particular —if she can’t communicate during missions, her job will only get tougher. Brandon decided to retire alongside her, to help her recover.”
“Makes sense…”
“Now, for the second reason…” Elena’s comment caused Jack to look back at her, “I don’t want others to use you as a last resort —all of you. I want you all to lay low for the time being —so that means no taking orders from others. Understood?”
Jack nodded faintly. Both reasons made sense, but he still couldn’t grasp them. There was a reason why he’d decided to volunteer and gather intel for the Brigade, and now that was being taken away from him, as well? His feeling of guilt kept growing, evident by him gripping onto the sheets of the bed he laid on.
He didn’t want it all to come to an end like that —he couldn’t.
A bit of silence followed, yet Elena didn’t take her eyes off the teen. Eventually, she resigned, sighing as she crossed her arms, although her gesture was hardly noticed. The teen returned to looking at the wall, ignoring all the other noises aside his own silent breathing. The news came in shockingly, although he should’ve expected them. Elena left soon after, letting Alice know that it was okay for her to go back in.
Just as before, Jack didn’t turn to greet her, although Alice had expected it already. The girl stepped forward, until she was right beside the bed, and held her brother’s hand with one of her own, catching his attention.
“…Alice?”
“Is this… Okay?” the girl asked.
“…Yeah —it’s okay. …How are you doin’?”
“…Good, I guess…”
“Hehe…” Jack patted the girl’s head, “Glad to hear. I would’ve worried if you weren’t.”
“Are you okay, though?” Alice’s question caught him off-guard, as the girl raised her head up and spoke with a serious tone, “You looked… Lost… Back when I went to see you, after Elena and Jake got you out… You forced that smile, too. What happened?”
“…”
“Are you hiding something from me…?”
“…I’m not” Jack shook his head, smiling faintly, “Honest —I’m just… Well… Stuff like what happened ain’t easy to cope with, y’know…?”
“…Sure?”
“Sure.”
“Then… Can I stay here a bit?”
“…Why?” Jack tilted his head, curious, “Don’t you got trainin’ to do for today?”
“They gave me a pass, so I’m pretty much free for the time being. Remember? I’m just waiting on my practical exam.”
“R-Right… T-Then what about school?”
“It’s not fun when I’m doing it alone…” Alice puffed her cheeks, “I like it better when you’re there to help me.”
Jack sighed, unease, and looked away. All things considered, he didn’t want to risk a slip of the tongue —something that would bring the nightmarish memories back from the depths of his consciousness, still vivid in his mind, while also hurting Alice in the process. How long had it been? How many nights had he woken up to that sight already? Would Alice know he had been forced to sleep with medicine plenty of times by now?
Given that she was his only family left, it would make sense that the doctors and nurses informed her of her brother’s condition, but perhaps they also felt the need to soften the blow to a 13-year old girl, a girl who’d lost almost everything to the war happening above them.
“…Are you sleeping okay?” Alice asked, sitting on his bed and looking at him, “I… I heard that you’ve been waking up most of the time… So, I’m worried…”
“…” Jack sighed —there it was…
“…Would it be okay if I slept here?” the girl asked, innocent.
“W… I mean, I don’t mind but…” Jack drew an uneasy smile, “The machines beep constantly to monitor me, and, well… I’m…”
“You’re not sleeping well, are you? You’re waking up at night…”
“…” Jack nodded.
“Would it make it better if I stayed here with you, then?”
“I’m not sure, sis… I don’t wanna keep worryin’ you…” Jack admitted, “You’re my baby sister, remember? I’m the one who’s supposed to watch out for ya, not the other way ‘round. Besides, don’t you got enough on your plate?”
“I can manage!” Alice puffed her cheeks, peeved, “Besides, if I stay here, then I’ll do my homework!”
“Is… That s’pposed to be motivation…?”
“You’ve watched for me long enough. It’s one of the reasons I’m taking the Navigator role —I wanna help you back, y’know?!”
“…”
“Please…?” Alice begged, worry evident in her eyes, “I promise I won’t complain…”
“…” Jack sighed, giving up, “Alright.”
Alice beamed, a smile overcoming her worry. Without any warnings, she hugged her brother, catching him off-guard by the sudden force being tossed at him. The girl’s grip suddenly turned iron, unwilling to let go of the embrace. With a sigh, Jack gave up his resistance, instead returning the embrace altogether.
If it could help him hide the truth, for a little longer… At the same time, a new fire kindled in his heart, glancing over at the bandaged hands and the sterile white of the sheets.
He had to protect what family he had left —he couldn’t afford doing the same mistake again, and losing all that he cared for yet again.
He had to protect Alice, at all costs —even if his own death came as the price for it.
The girl soon let go, asking Jack if he wanted her to bring anything with her as she went to pick her own school supplies. Once she got an answer, she left, smiling faintly as her request was accepted —she’d be staying the nights there, until Jack was released from treatment. Jack was crossed at the thought —on one hand, it felt nice knowing that she cared and was willing to put up with it, but in the other hand he worried she’d learn the truth he wanted so deeply to hide.
Yet, if she was around… Would those memories fade temporarily? He couldn’t deny that the possibility was tempting…
“I just… Don’t want her to worry more about all this…” Jack thought with concern, “If… If there is a God out there… Tell me… Am I… doing the right thing?”
Jack groaned, trapped into the nightmare that had chased him ever since. Everything was still too vivid, too raw for him to approach peacefully —it was like a wave, suddenly crashing over him and threatening to drown him into the painful recollection. He tried dismissing them to no avail, groaning louder and louder until his voice became a shout.
“STOP!”
Jack woke up, startled, his voice hoarse and cracked, and tears in his eyes. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest, threatening to suddenly break out —that, as well as the monitor keeping his condition in check, were evidence enough that he was panicking once more. The constant, fast beeping of the monitors suddenly blurred into a single one, as Jack struggled to keep his composure.
Once more, he felt it —the wounds of the day, and the sensation of being tied down. He wanted freedom from everything —not just of those memories, but from everything else. Afraid as he was of death, and what came after, the teen was simply unable to go further beyond, only allowing his memories to torture him further.
His breathing ragged, and his body shaking in fear, the teen was clearly distraught, captured into a waking recollection of the events, trying to fight them away, but unable to. Focused as he was on it all, he didn’t notice the embrace of someone, soothing his shaking body and bringing it to peace.
“I’m here…”
Alice’s faint whisper was the glimpse of light Jack needed to focus out of the spiral he found himself in. Finally able to focus on what was happening around him, he could see his sister’s silhouette in the darkness, the faint lights of the monitors and the hallway outside of the door allowing him to slowly start seeing her clearly.
She was hugging him tightly, hiding her head behind him, almost completely over him —in a sense, pushing herself towards him, as close as she could without messing around the monitors.
“A…”
“I’m here” she said, “Okay? Just… Breathe?”
“Alice…”
“…You can cry, too, if you want…”
Wavering, the teen let go, hugging Alice back tightly. Sobbing silently, he tried to cope with it all, yet without saying a word. He was thankful for his sister’s support, but the guilt was still something he couldn’t forget.
He didn’t deserve it —none of what he was being offered with. He didn’t deserve her comfort; he didn’t deserve her care.
That was how low he’d seemingly fallen into his despair.
He couldn’t keep track of the time as he held Alice close to him —seemingly unable to. His eyes were closed as he tried to control his emotions, trying to calm down, yet the pain was too much to ignore anymore. The only reason he was silently crying was because of how used he was to keeping quiet.
In a life where a single noise could signify one’s death, Jack had learnt how to remain quite —ironically unable to as his emotions took the better of him. He was forcing his voice to stay quiet, afraid to repeat the same thing that had happened before. He was terrified that, by letting his emotions out, he would hurt the only person he had left to protect.
Focused as he was, trying to keep quiet, he didn’t notice time flying by, although Alice’s embrace never left his side. He perked up when he noticed her moving, but never truly moving away from him, keeping her distance close to him in order to reassure him.
“Better?” Alice’s faint voice echoed in the silent room.
“Mm…” Jack nodded.
“That’s nice.”
“…I don’t wanna…”
“Hmm?” Alice let go a bit, calmly, tilting her head, “You don’t want to… What?”
“…I don’t wanna go back to sleep…”
“You gotta sleep, though…”
“…I can manage —how many times did I stay awake, back then?”
“Hrmmm…” Alice puffed her cheeks, berating.
“Sis…”
“…Would me staying here help you?”
“Huh? …You mean…” Jack looked with curiosity, “You… You’d just hug me to sleep?”
“Sure, why not?”
“Won’t they think it weird…?”
“Why would they?”
“W-Well… I…”
“…You’re saying you don’t want me here, right?” Alice asked, her cheeks puffed.
“N-No, that’s not it at all!”
“Then?”
“…Alright” Jack nodded a bit, giving up to his sister’s stubbornness, “Let’s… see if it’ll help.”
Alice giggled, smiling brightly in the dark room, although Jack could still see it in the shadows —that smile he would do anything for. Almost a force of habit, he patted her head, receiving a pleased giggle from her part. That voice was enough to draw a smile from him, able to overcome his worries.
Once more, the girl hugged her brother tightly, with a new smile in her face, one that was enough to ease his heart. Feeling the lack of sleep, Jack’s eyes began to feel heavy, soon giving up to a peaceful sleep for once.
How long had he been unable to sleep peacefully like that…?
(WARNING! Blood, torture, extreme violence)
The stainless-steel walls around him were boring to look at for another thousand times, but it was the only thing he could see. The room he was now confined to was a supplementary hospital room under the streets of Milennia, and so there were no windows he could look through. Not that it would help, seeing the state of the city he lived in brought down to dust. He wouldn’t be able to see any green through the window, instead only ashes and the grey of concrete streets, empty of any passersby. The thought didn’t help him quell his pain, though, and he sighed, exhausted.
Ever since being held there, in order to recover, Jack hadn’t been able to sleep well. Every night, he’d wake up, trying to ignore the image burned in his mind so vividly, only causing the nurses and doctors to worry, and even going as far as drugging him back to sleep, if only for a moment. It was tiresome, to say the least —it wasn’t something he was ready to tell.
But how long would it take, before he had to confide it to someone else? Elena was the only one who knew, but it wasn’t enough to free him from those traumatic chains. She wasn’t able to help him overcome it all, given how busy she was trying to reorganize everything from scratch, after their other base had been located and raided. Thankfully, no one was hurt in that event, but it was still annoying.
Focused as he was in his thought, looking at the stale wall with just a table and fake flowers inside a vase, the teen didn’t hear the door open at all. His expression was a tired one, one who couldn’t keep up —someone broken beyond repair.
“Jack…?”
The soft-spoken voice caught his attention, only turning faintly to see Alice there. The girl seemed stressed, looking at her brother with her hands cupped over her chest. It took Jack some time to notice the expression he was wearing, quickly looking away before returning with a smile.
It was the least he could do.
“H-Hey, sis…” he staggered a bit.
“Hi…”
It was awkward, to say the least —the two hadn’t seen each other for about a few weeks, since Jack’s wounds were still too gruesome to look at, and needed considerable treatment. Silence followed soon after, and Alice remained a bit further into the room, but not quite close enough. The teen, on his end, decided to simply look away, glancing every now and then at his bandaged hands —one of the few things he was grateful to have bandaged.
Alice stepped forward a bit, her steps barely audible as she got closer to her brother, still with faint unease. Even if he was family, something about the state he was currently in caused her to be reluctant when speaking. Jack, on the other hand, didn’t want to talk, fearing that he would slip up and reveal that which he wanted to keep hidden.
“You’re already here? You rushed quite fast, didn’t you?”
The small girl was startled as Elena walked inside the room, much for Jack’s surprise. What was she doing there? Wasn’t she busy? And why visit him, of all people? The others were surely in his same situation —recovering from the wounds of that time, confined in similar rooms like himself.
So why him?
“Elena…?” Jack asked with a quizzical look.
“You wanted to ask what I’m doing here, right?” Elena sighed, “Typical…”
“Well, duh —don’t you got stuff to do?”
“I do, but there’s also one thing that concerns you, as well” Elena replied calmly, “I’m disbanding your unit —after you recover, you don’t need to report back.”
“Wha—!?”
“I’ve got 2 reasons for this. The first one: none of you are able to work the same way as before. You’re the least injured, but I can’t say if that’s a good thing yet.”
“The… Least injured?”
“…” Elena glanced away before looking at Alice, “Things I’d rather not mention to your sister —perhaps later.”
“…S-sorry… I can leave now…” Alice said, flustered.
“Sis…”
“Do you mind, Alice?” Elena asked calmly, “It won’t take a minute —I’ll let you know when you can come back in.”
The girl nodded, never looking up as she left the room, closing the door behind her in order to avoid Elena and Jack’s conversation from being overheard. Jack looked as she took her leave, a concerned look in his eyes and troubled as what else he could say once she came back. Elena’s clearing of her throat brought him back to earth, however, as he focused on what she had to say…
“So, when I said that you’re the least injured… I mean it” she continued, “I take it you didn’t see how your comrades were…?” she asked, leaving the question ambiguous, but Jack could tell what she was aiming at.
“…I didn’t…” Jack shook his head, looking down, “I… I would’ve panicked further had I done that…”
“…Brandon lost an eye, and Melissa bit her tongue” the revelation caused Jack to flinch, “Usher’s fairly well, but he took a harder beating because of his endurance. You get what I’m getting at?”
“…Yeah… We wouldn’t be able to work… So… Are Brandon and Melissa…?”
“Retiring? They have no other choice” Elena shook her head, sighing, “Melissa in particular —if she can’t communicate during missions, her job will only get tougher. Brandon decided to retire alongside her, to help her recover.”
“Makes sense…”
“Now, for the second reason…” Elena’s comment caused Jack to look back at her, “I don’t want others to use you as a last resort —all of you. I want you all to lay low for the time being —so that means no taking orders from others. Understood?”
Jack nodded faintly. Both reasons made sense, but he still couldn’t grasp them. There was a reason why he’d decided to volunteer and gather intel for the Brigade, and now that was being taken away from him, as well? His feeling of guilt kept growing, evident by him gripping onto the sheets of the bed he laid on.
He didn’t want it all to come to an end like that —he couldn’t.
A bit of silence followed, yet Elena didn’t take her eyes off the teen. Eventually, she resigned, sighing as she crossed her arms, although her gesture was hardly noticed. The teen returned to looking at the wall, ignoring all the other noises aside his own silent breathing. The news came in shockingly, although he should’ve expected them. Elena left soon after, letting Alice know that it was okay for her to go back in.
Just as before, Jack didn’t turn to greet her, although Alice had expected it already. The girl stepped forward, until she was right beside the bed, and held her brother’s hand with one of her own, catching his attention.
“…Alice?”
“Is this… Okay?” the girl asked.
“…Yeah —it’s okay. …How are you doin’?”
“…Good, I guess…”
“Hehe…” Jack patted the girl’s head, “Glad to hear. I would’ve worried if you weren’t.”
“Are you okay, though?” Alice’s question caught him off-guard, as the girl raised her head up and spoke with a serious tone, “You looked… Lost… Back when I went to see you, after Elena and Jake got you out… You forced that smile, too. What happened?”
“…”
“Are you hiding something from me…?”
“…I’m not” Jack shook his head, smiling faintly, “Honest —I’m just… Well… Stuff like what happened ain’t easy to cope with, y’know…?”
“…Sure?”
“Sure.”
“Then… Can I stay here a bit?”
“…Why?” Jack tilted his head, curious, “Don’t you got trainin’ to do for today?”
“They gave me a pass, so I’m pretty much free for the time being. Remember? I’m just waiting on my practical exam.”
“R-Right… T-Then what about school?”
“It’s not fun when I’m doing it alone…” Alice puffed her cheeks, “I like it better when you’re there to help me.”
Jack sighed, unease, and looked away. All things considered, he didn’t want to risk a slip of the tongue —something that would bring the nightmarish memories back from the depths of his consciousness, still vivid in his mind, while also hurting Alice in the process. How long had it been? How many nights had he woken up to that sight already? Would Alice know he had been forced to sleep with medicine plenty of times by now?
Given that she was his only family left, it would make sense that the doctors and nurses informed her of her brother’s condition, but perhaps they also felt the need to soften the blow to a 13-year old girl, a girl who’d lost almost everything to the war happening above them.
“…Are you sleeping okay?” Alice asked, sitting on his bed and looking at him, “I… I heard that you’ve been waking up most of the time… So, I’m worried…”
“…” Jack sighed —there it was…
“…Would it be okay if I slept here?” the girl asked, innocent.
“W… I mean, I don’t mind but…” Jack drew an uneasy smile, “The machines beep constantly to monitor me, and, well… I’m…”
“You’re not sleeping well, are you? You’re waking up at night…”
“…” Jack nodded.
“Would it make it better if I stayed here with you, then?”
“I’m not sure, sis… I don’t wanna keep worryin’ you…” Jack admitted, “You’re my baby sister, remember? I’m the one who’s supposed to watch out for ya, not the other way ‘round. Besides, don’t you got enough on your plate?”
“I can manage!” Alice puffed her cheeks, peeved, “Besides, if I stay here, then I’ll do my homework!”
“Is… That s’pposed to be motivation…?”
“You’ve watched for me long enough. It’s one of the reasons I’m taking the Navigator role —I wanna help you back, y’know?!”
“…”
“Please…?” Alice begged, worry evident in her eyes, “I promise I won’t complain…”
“…” Jack sighed, giving up, “Alright.”
Alice beamed, a smile overcoming her worry. Without any warnings, she hugged her brother, catching him off-guard by the sudden force being tossed at him. The girl’s grip suddenly turned iron, unwilling to let go of the embrace. With a sigh, Jack gave up his resistance, instead returning the embrace altogether.
If it could help him hide the truth, for a little longer… At the same time, a new fire kindled in his heart, glancing over at the bandaged hands and the sterile white of the sheets.
He had to protect what family he had left —he couldn’t afford doing the same mistake again, and losing all that he cared for yet again.
He had to protect Alice, at all costs —even if his own death came as the price for it.
The girl soon let go, asking Jack if he wanted her to bring anything with her as she went to pick her own school supplies. Once she got an answer, she left, smiling faintly as her request was accepted —she’d be staying the nights there, until Jack was released from treatment. Jack was crossed at the thought —on one hand, it felt nice knowing that she cared and was willing to put up with it, but in the other hand he worried she’d learn the truth he wanted so deeply to hide.
Yet, if she was around… Would those memories fade temporarily? He couldn’t deny that the possibility was tempting…
“I just… Don’t want her to worry more about all this…” Jack thought with concern, “If… If there is a God out there… Tell me… Am I… doing the right thing?”
***
Night’s embrace was a cold one —one he couldn’t help but hate. After eating dinner, and seeing the nurses help Alice settle in the little room with her brother, the siblings had gone to sleep rather early. Yet even with the normalcy of it all —with Alice there, to support him— it wasn’t enough to cope with sleep.Jack groaned, trapped into the nightmare that had chased him ever since. Everything was still too vivid, too raw for him to approach peacefully —it was like a wave, suddenly crashing over him and threatening to drown him into the painful recollection. He tried dismissing them to no avail, groaning louder and louder until his voice became a shout.
“STOP!”
Jack woke up, startled, his voice hoarse and cracked, and tears in his eyes. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest, threatening to suddenly break out —that, as well as the monitor keeping his condition in check, were evidence enough that he was panicking once more. The constant, fast beeping of the monitors suddenly blurred into a single one, as Jack struggled to keep his composure.
Once more, he felt it —the wounds of the day, and the sensation of being tied down. He wanted freedom from everything —not just of those memories, but from everything else. Afraid as he was of death, and what came after, the teen was simply unable to go further beyond, only allowing his memories to torture him further.
His breathing ragged, and his body shaking in fear, the teen was clearly distraught, captured into a waking recollection of the events, trying to fight them away, but unable to. Focused as he was on it all, he didn’t notice the embrace of someone, soothing his shaking body and bringing it to peace.
“I’m here…”
Alice’s faint whisper was the glimpse of light Jack needed to focus out of the spiral he found himself in. Finally able to focus on what was happening around him, he could see his sister’s silhouette in the darkness, the faint lights of the monitors and the hallway outside of the door allowing him to slowly start seeing her clearly.
She was hugging him tightly, hiding her head behind him, almost completely over him —in a sense, pushing herself towards him, as close as she could without messing around the monitors.
“A…”
“I’m here” she said, “Okay? Just… Breathe?”
“Alice…”
“…You can cry, too, if you want…”
Wavering, the teen let go, hugging Alice back tightly. Sobbing silently, he tried to cope with it all, yet without saying a word. He was thankful for his sister’s support, but the guilt was still something he couldn’t forget.
He didn’t deserve it —none of what he was being offered with. He didn’t deserve her comfort; he didn’t deserve her care.
That was how low he’d seemingly fallen into his despair.
He couldn’t keep track of the time as he held Alice close to him —seemingly unable to. His eyes were closed as he tried to control his emotions, trying to calm down, yet the pain was too much to ignore anymore. The only reason he was silently crying was because of how used he was to keeping quiet.
In a life where a single noise could signify one’s death, Jack had learnt how to remain quite —ironically unable to as his emotions took the better of him. He was forcing his voice to stay quiet, afraid to repeat the same thing that had happened before. He was terrified that, by letting his emotions out, he would hurt the only person he had left to protect.
Focused as he was, trying to keep quiet, he didn’t notice time flying by, although Alice’s embrace never left his side. He perked up when he noticed her moving, but never truly moving away from him, keeping her distance close to him in order to reassure him.
“Better?” Alice’s faint voice echoed in the silent room.
“Mm…” Jack nodded.
“That’s nice.”
“…I don’t wanna…”
“Hmm?” Alice let go a bit, calmly, tilting her head, “You don’t want to… What?”
“…I don’t wanna go back to sleep…”
“You gotta sleep, though…”
“…I can manage —how many times did I stay awake, back then?”
“Hrmmm…” Alice puffed her cheeks, berating.
“Sis…”
“…Would me staying here help you?”
“Huh? …You mean…” Jack looked with curiosity, “You… You’d just hug me to sleep?”
“Sure, why not?”
“Won’t they think it weird…?”
“Why would they?”
“W-Well… I…”
“…You’re saying you don’t want me here, right?” Alice asked, her cheeks puffed.
“N-No, that’s not it at all!”
“Then?”
“…Alright” Jack nodded a bit, giving up to his sister’s stubbornness, “Let’s… see if it’ll help.”
Alice giggled, smiling brightly in the dark room, although Jack could still see it in the shadows —that smile he would do anything for. Almost a force of habit, he patted her head, receiving a pleased giggle from her part. That voice was enough to draw a smile from him, able to overcome his worries.
Once more, the girl hugged her brother tightly, with a new smile in her face, one that was enough to ease his heart. Feeling the lack of sleep, Jack’s eyes began to feel heavy, soon giving up to a peaceful sleep for once.
How long had he been unable to sleep peacefully like that…?