Hide (Mommy's House 3)

19

The sky darkened and wrapped the atmosphere in a dark blue blanket. Plum colored clouds swirled throughout the sky as the sun hid away, leaving the crescent moon to hang above them.

Bella and Elliot sat on a bench at the train station. She stared at the empty train tracks as they waited for Cole to return from purchasing their tickets. Bella had no idea where they were headed, but she assumed that James had told Cole where they should go.

Her teeth chattered as the cold April winds blew through. She shoved her hands in her pockets, her fingers nearly numb. She looked over at Elliot and noticed him staring at the empty tracks as well, his nose and cheeks cherry red as he scrunched his body up for warmth.

"It's cold," Bella stated in an attempt to break the silence. She felt horrible for him.

Elliot sniffled and wiped his nose on the sleeve of his hoodie. He nodded, not taking his eyes away from the tracks. "Yeah," was all he said.

Bella was quiet for a few beats, before she nudged him with her elbow. "This'll be kind of fun for you, right? At least you'll be away from your parents for a while."

She tried desperately to make light of the situation for him, but knew that there was nothing she could do. He wasn't the naive seven year old in the basement anymore - he was twelve, and very mature for his age, and her heart continued to break as she remembered why.

Elliot never had a true childhood. From the time he was seven years old, a time where a kid should be out playing and oblivious to the evils of the world, he had been introduced to the worst of them. He saw things that nobody should ever see in their lives at such a young age. Bella couldn't imagine how terribly that messed with him.

She felt guilty for believing him at James' and Liv's wedding, when he told her he forgot. She felt guilty for feeling angry at that. Looking in his eyes, she could tell he didn't forget anything, and would likely never have that luxury.

And now, still in childhood, he couldn't move on. The anger she felt was unimaginable. She just wanted this all to end, and she hoped that after they completed this plan, it would.

"I don't want to be away from my parents, though," Elliot said, his voice always so soft.

"Really? When I was twelve, that's all I wanted," Bella joked, but these attempts to make him feel better were all in vain.

Elliot's eyes met hers. She knew that her situation when she was twelve, and his situation at twelve, could not be compared. She swallowed hard.

"Sorry, I know that it's not the same," she said, her eyes scanning the tracks in front of them.

Elliot sniffled again, before he put his head in his hands.

Cole came back from the booth, holding three small pieces of paper in his hand. He handed Bella one, before then handing Elliot one, and shoving the other one in his pocket.

Bella read the ticket, before she looked around to ensure that no one was around. The train station was empty. "North Carolina?" she asked, looking up at him as he stood beside the bench.

Cole looked at her. "Do you have a better idea?"

She shook her head, stuffing her ticket in her pocket. "How did you afford this?"

Cole's eyes scanned the empty area, before he looked back at Bella. "James gave us a lot of money," he said, his voice low.

Bella furrowed her eyebrows. Of course James only trusted him with that. She decided not to argue it, for now.

She looked at Elliot, watching him put his ticket in his pocket. "Do you want me to hold onto yours for you?"

Elliot looked at her, his eyes big as he shook his head. "I can do it myself."