Swan Song || The Lost Boys - & The One Who Found Them...

Chapter IV ~ ᚨ (Ansuz) The Silence & The Speech

"...og dei spora eg trår er kalde, så kalde..."

[ ...& the tracks I treat are cold, so cold. ]

Helvegen

_______

It was already five minutes before midnight when Michael, Sam & I finally arrived at my house on top of the hill. After that quite disturbing incident earlier we had decided to remain at the beach just a little longer so that I could regain my strength & get a clear head again. Furthermore, Michael had insisted to stay around me long enough to ensure I wouldn't suffer a second breakdown & in spite of me repeatedly telling him that there was no need for such a thing I had given in eventually. He was obviously concerned for my wellbeing, had even offered to drive me to the local hospital for a proper check-up, but after seeing me return to my old energetic self during a short walk near the cliff his mind had been put at ease at last, allowing us to have a surprisingly peaceful rest of the evening. On top of it all I had managed to finish my dinner which had done wonders to my recovery. The evening had started off beyond chaotic yet ended so nice & promising, all worries were completely cast aside for a while.

Well, most of them...

One thing in particular would probably hunt my mind for the remainder of the night, if not even longer.

" Will you be alright? "

Michael's soothing voice brought my train of thought to a sudden halt. He had parked the car in front of my porch & was now looking at me with a stern expression, his crossed arms resting against the steering wheel. A soft breathy snore from the backseat of the car led me to the conclusion that Sam had fallen asleep on the way here, thus I made sure to lower my voice before responding:

" Of course I will be...
Please, Michael, try not to worry too much about me, I'm fine. The only thing I need right now is sleep & by tomorrow I'll be unstoppable again, you'll see ~"

Such a way with words I had. It never took me long to convince people that I was doing well, even when deep down inside I was actually crumbling. That wasn't to imply that I was fond of lying or wearing a false mask in front of others. Truth be told it was one of the worst things I could think of, but if there was something I couldn't stomach for the life of mine it was having other people worry about me. Frankly I had long reached a point where I would do anything to make sure their minds were at ease, notwithstanding reality's true face...

" Are you sure?" He crooked both brows at me in doubt.

Meanwhile my hand had already wandered into my purse where they searched for the keys to my front door.

" Yes, Michael. I am sure. " I peered up for a moment, glancing over only to realize that Michael wasn't the kind of person to be easily convinced & that it would certainly take me much more than just a few words to fully erase his concerns.

" But... if it helps you relax, I will give you my phone number. If you should find yourself unable to sleep tonight - feel free to ring me out of bed. " While I spoke I took my black eyeliner from the make up kit I always carried with me - the only decent writing tool I could find in that moment - & grabbed his wrist to scribble the numbers all over his tanned skin, checking them twice for possible errors before gently patting his hand.

" Wouldn't be the first time after all, right?"

His features soon began to light up, the wrinkles of suspicion dissolving little by little. He was not quite there with me yet, but it was a good start to say the least.

" I will try not to. I'd honestly prefer if you continued to like us ~ "

" I'm sure that can be somehow arranged. "
A rather loud snore from behind startled the both of us & we couldn't help but chuckle, feeling the remaining tension finally fade away.