The Survival of Four

Chapter 28

Once I got off the phone with Kyle, I thanked Harper for helping me out, before heading back to my house. I walked through the door and was met with my brother and father sitting at the dining room table. Carson stood from his chair as soon as I closed the door behind me. I watched his eyes gaze down to my arm. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," I answered simply. I walked toward the stairs.

"Wait." He walked after me. "We need to talk."

I continued walking without looking back at him. "No, we don't."

I jogged the rest of the way up the stairs and made a beeline for my bedroom. I changed into a pair of leggings and a T-shirt, before climbing into bed. I found myself lying on the mattress and staring at the ceiling for hours. I had too much on my mind to slip into a deep sleep.

At three in the morning, I gave up on sleep and caught myself reaching for my phone. I would've called Mia, but I didn't want to bother her. I called Kyle instead.

"Is something wrong?" he asked immediately into the phone. "Did something happen? Are you okay?"

"Nothing else happened." I sighed, feeling defeated. "Can you come home?"

"Of course," I heard him say. "Go to my house. I'll be there by the time you walk down there."

"Thank you." I left on my comfy clothes and jogged down the stairs after I hung up the phone. To my surprise, my father and brother were still awake and sitting on the living room couch. I walked passed them, hoping they wouldn't notice my presence, but they did immediately. I heard them call my name, but I ignored them and walked out the door and out into the dark abyss of the haven.

I quickly made my way to Kyle's place, realizing I didn't bring a flashlight to easily find my way. Before I knew it, I walked up to the son of Hades' door and knocked thrice. A short moment later, the door swung open and Kyle stood before me.

A wide smile was spread across his face, stretching from one ear to the other. His black hair was unstyled and messy, but managing to still look nice. He was wearing a loose black T-shirt with dark-washed jeans and a pair of black converse.

I smiled brightly and pulled him into a tight hug. "Did you miss me?" he asked into my shoulder.

I chuckled. "Not at all."

He gasped dramatically and pulled away, before leading me inside of his house. He closed the door behind me and I walked myself to the living room. I turned toward him as he walked into the room behind me. "Thanks for coming," I told him, sitting down on his couch.

"I'll always be around if I'm needed," he replied, following my actions. I nodded and watched his gaze fall down on my wrapped arm. He gently grasped my wrist and examined my forearm. "Does it hurt?" he asked. "I have some nectar in the kitchen."

I nodded. "Yeah, that would be nice." He nodded and left the room, returning just a minute later with a small vial. I willingly took a small drink and placed the container on the coffee table.

I leaned back into the couch cushions as relief spread through my arm. I slipped off my shoes before pulling my knees up to my chest and resting my head on them. "How did everything go with your dad? Is he upset that I asked you to come back?"

He smiled softly and leaned back into the couch also. "Everything went great, although we couldn't find any leads on who could be attacking us," he told me. I nodded and placed my hand over my mouth as I yawned widely. He side smiled, watching me tiredly rub my eyes. "Do you want me to walk you home?"

I sighed. "Can I stay here for the night?" I asked him shyly. "My father is still at my house and I don't want to face him right now."

He nodded and stood up from the couch. "Of course. You can sleep in my bed. I will sleep on the couch."

I shook my head. "I will sleep on the couch."

"Are you sure? I am perfectly fine with sleeping on the couch. I don't mind a bit," he told me.

I continued to shake my head and chuckled. "I will sleep on the couch," I insisted.

He sighed and nodded, running his fingers through his hair. "I'll get you a pillow and a blanket." He walked out of the room. I stretched out and laid down on my side, across the couch. Kyle walked in a minute later, holding a thick black blanket and a dark grey pillow. He chuckled at me before telling me to lift my head. I obeyed without questioning and let him slip the pillow under my head.

I closed my eyes, feeling sleep mask me quickly. I was aware of the blanket that got draped over me and I pulled it up to my neck. I felt him kiss my hair before speaking quietly. "Goodnight Riley." Before I could reply, sleep overcame me and I slipped from consciousness.

#

"Riley, just sit up and take it," Kyle's voice filled my ears. I groaned and placed the pillow over my head, refusing to open my eyes and wake up. I wanted to sleep. "Riley, please drink it."

"I don't want to get up," I mumbled.

His soft chuckle sounded through the room. "You don't have to. Just take this nectar and then you can go back to sleep," he insisted.

With a groan, I pulled the fluffed pillow off my head and sat up while rubbing my eyes. I grabbed the vial from him and downed it in one swig. "Happy?" I fell back onto the pillow and closed my eyes, pulling the blanket up to my chest.

I felt his weight lift from the other side of the couch as he chuckled once again. "I have to go down to the head house—everyone needs to know that I am back. Just come down after you get some more rest," he told me.

"Okay," I mumbled, before slipping back off into my dreams.

***

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Thanks for reading:)

~Emily