Life as We Know it [Five]

Fourteen

Do you have a green thumb or do plants just seem to wilt in your presence?

Marianna still wasn't back even when Emery opened his eyes in the middle of the night.

He and Five had ended up laying down sometime during the hours they were asleep and when Emery eased out of Five's loose grip and snuck out into the hallway to search for the girl, a sense of dread pooled in his stomach.

He glanced at the clock 1:30 am. She would be back by now. She always came back. He'd have to talk to Allison the next chance he got, see if she'd seen the girl recently.

Emery snuck back inside but Five was already sitting up waiting for him.

"I thought you left." He said, voice low in the silent room. The lack of noise was almost unsettling.

"Just stepped out to see if Marianna was back yet."

"Why, is she not in?" Five asked with a frown. He stood up and checked the top bunk. "Huh." He said when his searched revealed nothing.

"I'm worried." Emery said.

"Well, should we go and look for her?" Five asked.

Emery was about to say yes but then he caught sight of Five and the bags still beneath his eyes. They had been having such a good sleep and Five had yet to have a nightmare tonight.

"No, it's ok." He said. "It's still dark. Let's get some sleep." Emery said, padding over to Five.

The boy tensed. "Do you want me to use the top bunk or sleep on the floor? Sorry, I kind of fell asleep on you earlier."

"No, sleep here." Emery said. He could have worded the sentence fifty different ways but he had chosen those three words. Idiot. He scolded himself as he carefully got back under the sheets and made room for Five.

He found himself holding his breath when Five joined again, not clutching to the very side of the bed like last time but making himself comfortable- therefore making them closer in proximity.

"Thank you." Five said into the darkness as he stared up. "For letting me stay here. For being on my side." He added.

"Always." Emery replied, letting his eyes shut and forcing a sense of peace within himself though his body was trying to do everything but by reminding him how close Five's body was to his and how Marianna could be dead right now and he was going to sleep with the knowledge.

This means nothing. He told himself as he faced away from Five and folded his hands beneath his head. He hated Five. Five hated him; had made it blatantly obvious. The apocalypse was in Five days. He needed to focus on that.

Restlessly, Emery fell back asleep.

✩

"Do you think they'll show?" Five asked. They were heading to the address indicated on the letter invite from Reginald. Five tapped his knee restlessly as Emery drove them there.

"Positive." Emery said.

"Even Luther?"

"He'd be a fool not to." Emery replied. "With all his talk about branching out, he's never not going to show up to something like this."

"I hope you're right." Five said.

"I hope so too." Emery said, glancing at the streets in case Marianna was wondering them. A futile effort- this much Emery knew but the worry was gnawing at him from the inside out.