The Holes in the Surface

Chapter 6

~Image not mine~

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It was when the forest was dense and the sun was blocked out that Frank disappeared for good. One morning they woke up to him faded completely but could still feel his presence loitering about. Hazel laid with her eyes closed for days, bringing about a new depression to the empty house. It had been left for ruin, left with nobody to occupy it but the three ghosts.

The walls peeled, the shadows grew thicker. In the midst of depression and heartache, Hazel found herself in a sealed coffin. She couldn't go outside, couldn't leave the house. She couldn't do anything but pace the empty halls, wondering who exactly who come next. Would anybody? Or would they be alone forever?

She tried not to think about it, but there was nothing else to think about.

On the good days, she'd play marbles with Nico. The teenage boy had a fond interest for them, claiming that they kept him sane through childhood. Together, he helped her find enough strength to flick the marbles. They played for hours at a time, breaking things in the process. Even though objects were broken, she continued to flick them too hard. It was nice to finally be able to move something.

"Hey, Hazel..." Nico looked up from their tenth game of marbles, marking his tenth win on the wall, having to dig into the wood to make a new tally mark. "Do you ever miss your family?"

"All the time." Hazel began to gather the marbles. "Why?"

Nico sighed. "I don't know why...but I'm not. It doesn't hurt to think about them anymore."

Hazel's smile fell into the shadow of sadness. "That's...good?"

Nico shrugged. "I don't know. I mean...I'm not as sad. But I'm not happy, either. Just...just forget I said anything."

"No, it's okay." Hazel closed the bag after getting all the marbles inside it. "We can talk about it. I mean, we have nothing else to talk about."

Nico ran his hand through his hair. "I used to miss my mom and sister so bad it hurt. It hurt to think about them because they would bring back all the bad memories. But now...I can think about them without any pain, without missing them."

"They say time heals all wounds." Hazel made a face. "Though I doubt they meant to wait hundreds of years for your wounds to heal."

Nico chuckled softly. "No, I don't think they did."

Hazel let out a small laugh. "So, I think it's good. I think you moved past all that. You're closer to moving on."

"Yeah but what else is holding me here?" Nico questioned. "I let them go. I let mom and Bianca go."

"What about your father?" Hazel let her smile drop. "You...you killed him, Nico. That's not something you get over easily."

Nico's face darkened. "No, it isn't..."

Hazel gave him a quick hug before kissing his forehead. "You'll get over it someday, Nico. Just hang in there. Want to play another game of marbles?"

Nico hummed in agreement. "I guess so."