The Eleventh Hour (FINISHED)

14 - He saved everything...?

Meadow slammed back into the dining room chair, gasping.

"Meadow...?" Ash said softly, hands on her shoulders as if he'd been shaking her. "What happened? Are you okay?"

She looked up at him, eyes filling with tears. "What... what were you doing just now?"

He blinked at the crack in her tone, then picked up the fork on the table that still had some egg on it. "Oh, I was just trying to feed you and you kind of just spaced out for a bit." He looked back up, watching her suspiciously. "Do you want some?"

She nodded without thinking.

He smiled at this, lifting the fork. "Say, ahhh."

Meadow then opened her mouth, letting him slide the fork in easily and closed it, chewing.

She swallowed, wiping her eyes.

"It tastes really good..." she said to him; the same words the girl said to the boy. "Thank you, Ashy."

Ash's eyes seemed to shift color, but he looked down to her plate and picked up another one. "Want more?"

She nodded, opening her mouth as a door opened on her right.

And he fed her again while she was too distracted to focus on the sound, smiling softly as she chewed solemnly and swallowed.

What was that...? Was that a memory of her childhood?

Why was Ash in her childhood...?

"Cute," a man commented, making Meadow draw back when Ash smiled.

She looked to her right to find a black haired boy standing next to them and a girl with brown hair set some keys and bags on the coffee table in the living room.

Meadow's cheeks burned and she stood, not knowing where to go so she just numbly walked off to the bedroom she woke up in.

Ash chuckled. "She's so cute."

Max raised his brows. "That's my sister, you know."

Ash looked up at him, smiling. "Cousin," he corrected.

Max then rolled his eyes.

Ash stood, stretching out his arms in a cat-like arch and exhaled. "I'm gonna go check on her."

And he walked down the hall to the master bedroom, where she woke up.

No one really lived in that room... it just seemed like the best option until they could set up her own room somewhere in here.

When he entered the space, he didn't really bother knocking-but mostly forgot-finding Meadow curled up on the bed and holding herself tightly.

Was she okay? She spaced out for like... two minutes and now she was acting pretty off.

"Hey," Ash said, leaning against the door.

She looked up then, rolling over slightly to see who was there.

When her eyes locked on him, she faked smile. "Hi."

She then sat up on the bed and pulled some red hair off her cheeks, tucking them behind her ear.

" okay?" Ash said, looking over her suspiciously.

A small nod.

"You look a little pale," he commented.

"Can you come here?" she said softly, looking down at the bed as if avoiding eye-contact.

He listened, stepping over to her and settling on the bed while she remained in the same position.