All That Remains

11. Jaelynn

Crack.

Another chair hit the far wall, splintering on impact and falling to pieces on the floor. Jae watched as Elias threw his temper tantrum, almost impressed at his level of anger. She could understand his rage; he had probably come to the same conclusion as her.

Emmanuel must have tipped off Lorenzo about Elias confronting him.

It was the only explanation for their sudden disappearance. They were scared that Elias was going to do something now that he had found out, so they had packed up the entire group and left to find somewhere else to stay. A place where Elias couldn't find them.

Emmanuel had chosen Lorenzo, a killer, over his own child. It was a betrayal of the worst kind, made even more upsetting by the fact that he had taken Eden with him. Jae couldn't fathom how a father could hurt his children in such a devastating way.

Unless there was another reason for their absence? Perhaps Emmanuel had been silenced by Lorenzo, used as an experiment and therefore unable to stop him from taking Eden. Jae wasn't sure which possibility was worse.

Elias continued to throw things, his impressive display of rage showing no signs of abating. When he ran out of chairs, he knocked over the tables that were closest to him, kicking them in anger. His face was a mask of agony, his pain bleeding out for Jae to see.

Even before the Rise, Jae had never been particularly comfortable with outward displays of emotion. It wasn't that she was unsympathetic, just awkward and unsure how to deal with someone so angry. As Elias destroyed everything he could get his hands on, letting his fury crash out of him in waves, she stood back and watched, trying to decide what to do.

"There, there," she eventually tried, raising her voice over the sound of smashing wood.

Either he didn't hear her, or he chose to ignore her. Not that she blamed him, her attempt had been pretty pathetic. Gulping loudly, she stepped closer, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. He immediately stiffened under her touch, the plank of wood in his hands falling to the floor with a loud rattle.

For a long time they stayed like that, Elias' breathing slowly returning to normal. When he finally turned to her, he looked like a completely different person. Gone was the light that used to shine in his eyes; the air of innocence and naivety had been replaced with determination and his mouth was set in a grim line.

It was like a switch had been flipped, the sheltered Elias replaced with a replica that looked almost the same. Except this one had revenge in his eyes and fire in his soul. The transformation was scary, it reminded Jae far too much of her own.

"You were right, Jae," he said. "Caring about people destroys you." All the fight drained out of him and the anger was replaced by a mixture of fear, regret and pain. Elias seemed to fold in on himself, as though he was giving up entirely.

Jae's hand fell limply to her side and she took a step back, stunned at his words. Yes, she had meant them with every fibre of her being. But hearing them come from Elias, who was far too kind for his own good, was truly heartbreaking.

She regretted ever saying that to him and causing him to feel this way. Guilt swirled in her belly as she looked at the broken boy in front of her. She wasn't sure what to say to make him feel better. She'd never been good at this, a fact that became blatantly obvious as time dragged on while she tried to think of what to say.

"That's it." She finally settled on some tough love, unable to muster up anything else. "Pull yourself together and stop wallowing in self-pity."

"Excuse me?" He blinked, bewildered. His expression would have been comical if it weren't for the situation.