The End of The Beginning

Chapter 43

Chapter 43:

           

 Yep, I just died. I am in Hell and I turned into a ghost. At least I went as white as a ghost because standing right in front of me are my parents. Very. Much. Alive. Smiling at me, they began speaking. I don't understand them, though. They're speaking the same kind of gibberish that Gavin was speaking a few moments ago. Scratching the back of his head, Gavin began mumbling something about how Heaven and Hell and Purgatory all have different rules about bringing people back from the dead. Apparently Grace was in Heaven so he could bring her back easily. My parents, they ended up somewhere in the middle.

            Shaking slightly, I reached out to touch them but I only touched cold, moist mist. Microscopic tears began falling down my pale cheeks. I kneeled on the mud and simply sat there. Gavin and Rose shared a glance and then reached down to help me to my feet. Gavin muttered some words and my parents disappeared. Sighing, I began walking out of the graveyard, Rose and Gavin in tow.

            Rose ran to catch up with me. "Hey, I have an idea, but we aren't prepared yet. Do you have any friends here?" Blushing, I shook my head no. Well, technically I do, but Henry is dead to me. "Yo, have you forgotten I can read minds? Where's this Henry kid?" Crap, I forgot. Groaning, I grabbed her wrist and dragged her across the graveyard. Gavin stumbled behind us.

            Rose clapped excitedly. "I can't wait to meet your friend!" I grunted in response. Noticing my dismay, she stayed quiet. Gavin kept stumbling like a drunk man behind us, groaning and grunting. "Why, zombie Gavin!" She turned around to look at him. "You look dashing. You know, considering your not dashing!" She chuckled at her own joke.

            "Aren't you the happy little flower today," I mumbled. She didn't say anything but a laugh was all it took to know that was the case. Dragging my shoulders, I led Rose and Gavin to Henry's house. Gulping, I walked up to the front door of the peach colored house. I raised my hand slightly above my head and rested against the door for a few seconds before I got the courage to actually knock. Sighing, Rose waited for my friend to open the door.

            I heard a few sounds that I'm fairly sure were padlocks being unlocked. Tapping his foot, Gavin turned around and sat in their driveway. Shrugging, Rose smiled at the door. Eventually, I heard a small creak that told me the door was open. Peeking inside, I realized that in the year I've been gone, nothing has changed in our sleepy little town. Nothing but the inside of this house.

            What used to be a sunshine yellow, cheery house is now covered in ashes and smoke. They yellow walls have been dulled to a sickly beige and most of the furniture is gone. What astounded me most of all was a small boy huddled in a corner, hiding from our vision. "Henry?" I quietly reached out.

            "Owen!" He gasped. "You need to leave right now, if my mom find you your - " He stopped short when he saw Rose smiling down at him. "She's out right now." He gritted his teeth and pulled us inside with a swift move. "Make yourself at home." He grumbled. Well somebody sure has a lot of teenage angst.

"Henry, what happened?" I deadpanned.

"What the hell do you think happened, idiot? My mom's been tracking nearly every move of you, Owen. There's something I should explain to you and I am so incredibly deeply sorry. So, you've never seen my dad right?" His honey blonde hair fell in tangles around his forehead. Rose was looking at him quizzically. I nodded my head in response to his question.

            "Well, please don't murder me, but I think it's time you know who he is." He paused, sighing. "M-My father works in town but he's never home. My mom...she...well she married young, made a lot of stupid mistakes. That would include me, by the way. Look, Owen, I'm not a spy, I swear to you, but you aren't safe in this town and especially not in this house. There something you should know about that orphanage. Only one person runs it, believe me, my mom isn't married to two people."

            My hand flew up to my mouth. Gasping, not only out of shock but also for air. Easing my breaths, I narrowly avoided another panic attack. Lovely. "So...your father...your mother! She's married to..."

"Owen..." Rose patted my back.

"You knew? You knew and you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't know it was him! But yes...I did know he had a son in this town, yes."

"Anything else you'd like to tell me?" I fumed. Rose looked down at her hands.

"No, that's all." She turned to Henry. "Thank you, we should go now."

"No!" Henry yelled abruptly.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE!" Someone burst through the door. Thinking it was Henry's mom I cowered. Merely seconds later, Gavin stumbled through the door. Rose couldn't conceal her giggles and Henry just looked ghostly pale.

"Am I the only one who is like uber confused here?" The others just looked at me quizzically. "Uber, it means like super. Come on guys, be a normal teenager for once!" I cried out.

"Owen, none of us are normal. Screw it, I'm coming with you guys." Henry said. I looked at Rose, looking for help, but she only beamed.

"Oh, Henry that would be uber awesome!" She smiled at me only to catch me rolling my eyes.  Shrugging, I walked out the door. I could basically feel Rose beaming which annoyed me to an extent where I almost regretted living again. Rose caught up to me and the four of us stood in a circle.

"Henry," I turned towards him. "You're going to love Australia." I nodded towards Rose and Gavin and they got the hint. Grinning, we all disappeared into a shadow. I lost track of time, but it felt like hours to get there. I don't actually understand the rules of shadow traveling but whatever, I don't need to.

We were a jumble of bodies when we landed in front of Gavin's house. Kyle and Grace came running out of the house. Oh my God, Grace. Her hair is chopped up to her neck, making her look years older and she has a large gash across the left side of her face. Other than that, she looks great. I pull her into a giant hug as she comes running into my arms. Completely ignoring the fact that Rose is lying on the ground panting.

"I thought you might like to see her." Kyle smiled at me. Grace wrapped her small arms around me and I hugged her fragile body. After a few seconds she pulled away and ran back towards a group of children. "Oh yeah, I introduced her to a few of my little brother's friends."

I should have been interested in the fact that my sister actually has friends her own age now but what struck me most was that Kyle had a brother. "Whoa, hold up. You have a brother?"

Kyle laughed at my surprise. "I never told you? Yeah he's ten and he's so adorable. Well at least we know where he gets that from." He raised an eyebrow.

"You're right, we do. Because it's obviously not you." I smirked, nudging him. He pushed me back a little harder. We would have kept at this play fighting until something struck me right out of the sky of my utopian palace.

"OWEN!" Gavin yelled. My head whipped over to the direction of the sound. I saw Rose shaking on the ground, looking nearly as pale as Henry did a few moments ago. Henry was huddled over her body, hugging her like I hugged Grace.

"Get off of her!" I yelled at my former friend. He stayed there, glued in place. I growled and he stayed emotionless. Gavin was muttering incantations over her and Henry. "What happened? What did you do?" I pointed at Henry. He abruptly sat up and put his hands in the air, motioning that he's not guilty. "Why should I believe you?"

"You don't have to," Henry said, getting up. "But I didn't do anything. I'm not going to hurt my sister."

(A/N: Whoa, plot twist! I don't think anyone actually saw that one coming! I think this is the longest I've gone without posting a chapter, sorry guys! Really, does anyone even read these? Comment "<3" if you do...I'm interested to see how this turns out. Bye, lovelies.)