Hidebound

Chapter Ten

I shake my hands out by my sides.

"Hey Poppy!" I spin back around to face Clyde as he stands in front of the car he was working on, hands on his hips. "Everything alright?" He questions. I ignore the looks from other people that are around as Clyde yells across the shop. I just nod my head yes and then continue on my way to the back.

I see Hex before he sees me. He's bent over the hood of a car, inspecting the inside, his sleeves rolled up and from here I can see his clenched fists as he tries to figure out what's wrong with the broken car. His back is to me as I stand in the doorway and gather the guts to open my mouth.

"Hex" I call softly and take a step towards him. He turns and grabs something out of his ear, it takes me only a second to realise he had one earphone in.

"Hi baby" he says, the surprise on his face quickly changes to concern. I don't know if its because he just remembered my earlier emotions or because I hadn't covered the look of horror on my face as good as I thought I had.

The simple words from him are enough to make my eyes prick with tears no matter how hard I try to hold them back.

His face goes from concern to complete lack of emotion and I know that he knows something is wrong. I have no doubt his first thought is to do with his mother.

"I-I" I choke on my words and a tear slips from my eye.

"What's happened, Poppy" he doesn't ask, he demands

"I-I saw Ace" I say quietly and sniffle. Hex takes a few steps back until he's leaning against the car he was working on and I know he's having a similar reaction to me.

"You saw Ace Pollar?" Hex clarifies. His voice is strong and doesn't shake the way mine does. He crosses his arms over his chest and his eyes turn dark, I don't know with what yet. Worry? Confusion? Anger?

"Yes" I say as I take another step towards him, needing his comfort when my arms fail to do anything for myself.

He nods and looks at the ground. I wait for him to do something, say something. To give me some form of comfort, or idea on what to do.

"What do we do?" I whisper across to him. Something is dropped in the next room, assumedly a tool. The echo works it's way through the mechanic shop and makes me jump. The tiniest things scaring me as my nerves remain on edge, constantly in flight mode.

Hex shakes his head and continues looking at the ground as he thinks. About what? I don't know but I can see the anger slowing seeping into his veins and I can feel it through our bond.

He turns back to the broken car, leaning over and looking into it but not focusing on it.

I flinch when he grabs a screwdriver and throws it. It hits the far wall and leaves a screwdriver shaped hole in its wake. Hex surprisingly remains quiet though. He had never been one to keep his anger silent but I'm assuming that his anger management classes had unknowingly helped him, even if he won't admit it.

"Lets go home" he says quietly and slams the hood of the car down making me jump again at the loud noise that is only amplified by the mechanic shop.

Hex doesn't even bother grabbing his bag before he comes to me and presses a kiss to my forehead without a word. He guides me by an arm around my waist out of the room and out of the mechanic shop.

Clyde looks up when we walk past him.

"Oi! Where are you goin'?" He asks Hex. Hex doesn't even turn around as I look over my shoulder at Clyde. Clyde seems confused and I would be too if I had no idea what was happening.

"I've got a class, I'll see you tomorrow" Hex calls over his shoulder and pulls me along. His voice is void and empty as he talks. I see Clyde throw a confused look our way before sliding back under the car he was working on.

Hex takes the keys from me and opens the door for me, making sure I get inside and then makes his way to the driver seat. He had yet to say anything surrounding the situation and its making me antsy. I don't want to go home and then have him explode there while mum is around to witness it.

We pull onto the road, I keep my face looking straight ahead but every now and then I look in the side mirror with the worry I'll see that stupid car. I don't look at Hex; I know his head is working a million miles an hour.

"Fuck!" He suddenly exclaims and punches the wheel. I wait for the steering wheel airbag to go off but it doesn't and I wonder if I should be concerned that it didn't. "I thought we were done with this shit! I thought they were gone, Poppy!" He yells. I watch, unsure of how to help him. We pull up to a red light and the car stops "I thought they were gone" Hex says quietly, so quietly that I almost miss the crack in his voice as he bends to rest his forehead on the steering wheel.

I look away, out the window and lace the back of my palm over my mouth to stop the sob that wants to be released. I manage to stop it but the tears slip through, one through each eye as Hex's panic accentuates my own.

The light turns green and Hex sits up, his face a pale shade of white, similar to mine. His hands clench around the steering wheel and his left leg jumps up and down.

"We need to tell Charlie" he voices, I nod in agreement.