Set Me Free ▪︎ Joel Miller ▪︎

▪︎○ Thirty Five ○▪︎

WARNING!

THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES SUICIDE, DEATH OF A YOUNG BOY AND SOME EVENTS THAT MAY BE DISTRESSING TO SOME READERS. SO, PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION OF YOUR OWN MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL BEING.

THANKS.
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She sat calmly, resting her back against the rough surface of the wooden desk while her hand - that held a newly sharpened pencil - moved along the blank page with grace. She smiled, tilting her head up a fraction as she flicked her gaze briefly to the fourteen year old sat with Joel and Henry around the small cooker they'd used to heat up their stew.

She studied Ellie's facial features intently, making note of the few freckles along her cheeks and the way her loose strands of auburn hair fell from her short ponytail.

She sketched silently, listening absentmindedly to Joel and Henry as they shared various impersonal stories about their lives. Finally, it seemed the two men were bonding, which warmed her soul just a tad.

Currently, Joel was sharing a story that Olivia had heard too many times before from Tommy. And so, she shook her head with a knowing smile.

"Shut the hell up," Henry said loudly in response to Joel.

"Dead serious. It was Tommy's birthday. That's all he wanted to do - just rent two Harley's and drive cross country." Joel smiled slightly, stirring the stew in his can with mild interest as he sat opposite the dark skinned man.

"Ah, man. I could die happy if I could just drive one around the block. What was it like?" Henry pressed for details, excitement in his eyes.

"Yeah, it was good. It was real good." Joel said plainly, checking his empty stew can before setting it aside and resting his arm atop his knee.

"Good?" Henry flicked his gaze to Ellie, half scoffing playfully at the answer offered. "Can you believe this guy?" he shook his head, lowering himself to lay on his side while propping himself up on his elbow. "C'mon. Man, give me details. Describe it."

Ellie smirked as the men shared a brief chuckle. Shaking her head, she shuffled to a stand while Olivia silently sighed and closed her sketch pad, placing it back in its rightful place in her pack. "You know what," the teen huffed, "you guys deserve a little privacy."

Henry tilted his head back with a smile, looking up at the teen and shaking his hand at her. "No, no. Ellie, this isn't just any regular motorcycle. Okay? You get on that bad boy, feel that engine. Nothing like it."

"Oh yeah? How would you know?" Olivia retorted with a smirk as she pulled herself to a stand and wandered to the window - ignoring Joel's lingering gaze on her.

"I've seen it in my dreams." Henry told her before sitting upright slightly and pretending to be riding an invisible motorcycle. "Vroom, Vroom, Vroom..." he laughed.

Again, Ellie huffed at the men whilst waving them off. "Okay, I'm gonna go talk to Sam." she told them as she moved towards the room the boy had been hidden within for most the evening.

Olivia watched her go with a small smile and arms folded across her chest. Then, as the men discussed Henry's group and their lacking presence here with them, she turned, focusing her attention on the moon hanging high in the night sky. She half listened to Henry, even when he announced that he was going to quickly check the perimeter before getting some shut eye.