Echos

Chapter 14

Nobody had said anything to Porco. Seeing him crying in the arms of a stranger was an odd sight for his friends. Instead they just let him collapse on the small couch and sleep.

The guest house was small but quaint. They had updated their parents about the situation. It took a bit to calm down Pieck's father but he eventually came around.

"Well so far so good, we aren't dead yet" Annie said shooting a text off to her dad.

"Oh calm down I think we are going to be fine." Pieck said as she sat down next to a sleeping Porco.

"How much is it going to be for the tire replacement?" Bertholdt asked.

Reiner shrugged his shoulders. He was still thinking about what Mike had said in the tow truck. "Well I think Porky here has the right idea, wake me when dinner is ready or if you are all being brutally murdered"

Reiner made his way into one of the bedrooms.

Annie and Bertholdt went into the other. Leaving Porco and Pieck alone.

Pieck looked down at Porco, curled up into a ball.

"Pocky..." she whispered. She pulled a throw pillow on top her lap. "Why don't you stretch out".

She was surprised to see Porco move in his sleep, letting his head nestle on the pillow. Before she knew it, she was running her hands through Porco's hair.

It was rare for her to see Porco so vulnerable. For as long as she had known Porco, he never wore his emotions on his sleeve. Only a select few got to see this side of him. He didn't even cry at Marcel's funeral, too many people around.

But that evening, while a few people still milled about the Galliard house, Pieck found Porco in his room.

He was sitting on the floor, holding his brothers football sweatshirt, his body shaking.

She had sat there with him all night as he sobbed silently into the hoodie.

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Porco was back in his house. But it didn't feel right.

There was a chill in the air, the color seemed off.

He heard crying coming from upstairs, he instantly recognized it as Marcel. His heart jumped into his throat.

He started to sprint up the stairs, but the stairs never seemed to end. The crying got louder and louder, but Porco was no closer to his room.

Suddenly the crying stopped, so did the stairs. Porco found himself falling into a deep abyss, the shadow of Marcel's body flashing into his mind as he fell.

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"STOP!!!"

Porco shot up. He looked around the room, trying to slow his heart rate. It took him a minute to realize where he was.

"Right, the tire" he thought.

He turned to see Pieck, her head leaned back, snoring softly.

"So that's who was playing with my hair" he thought, letting it bring him some comfort.

He was about to wake her, a knock at the door beat him too it.

"Hey guys just wanted to let y'all know dinner is going to be ready soon" Mike's voice came through the door.

"Thank you we will be there shortly" Porco called out.

"Mmmm what time is it?" Pieck asked running the sleep out of her eyes.

"7:15" he said checking his phone.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just hungry" he lied, feeling a bit guilty about it.

"Well let's go get everyone else up. At least Annie will be relieved to know that we still haven't been murdered." Pieck said stretching.

"Or maybe we are dinner?" Porco joked.

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The smell that hit them when they went inside the main house beat any fast food restaurant.

The savory smell of lasagne, garlic bread, and melty cheese was so inviting.

"Well that answers the cannibal question" Pieck said.

"Hope you guys all had a good nap" Nanaba said as she was setting the table.

"Yes it was definitely needed. Is there anything we can help you with?" Porco said.

"Actually, if the tall one there could reach into the top shelf and get the salad bowl, the girls can make the salad. That way you know at least some of the food isn't poisonous" she said winking at Annie.

Annie's face went pink. "I didn't mean-"

Nanaba laughed, "I'm just joking. I don't blame you for being cautious. It's hard to know that there are still good people in this world."

She turned towards Reiner, "If you can get silverware out of the kitchen draw left of the sink that would be great".

"Yes ma'am"

When they were alone Nanaba put a hand on Porco's shoulder.

"Sweetheart are you ok?"

Porco remembered what happened earlier in the day. He felt a bit embarrassed.

"I'm sorry for losing it like that"

"Honey there is nothing wrong with showing your emotions, or allowing yourself to grieve. If there is one thing I learned from my husband and what we went through is that trying to hold it together all the time, is only going to hurt you in the long run" She said giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Porco was silent for a moment. "If I'm honest...I'm not ok...but I've been like that for a while"

"And if I'm honest with you, it's probably going to take a while before you do feel ok. But it looks like you have a great group of friends if they are willing to travel to Texas with you, especially that quite one with the dark hair"

Porco felt a small smile creep across his face. "Yeah she's pretty special"