ARCANE

016

When he opens the door, Wesley feels like his brain has left his body. Jamie watches Wesley float over to the couch, so he leaves Hope and Erik. Instinctively, he moves to the couch and sits next to Wesley. Their legs touch and Wesley is too distracted to feel the electricity in Jamie.

Hope doesn't like a messy house. Now, she begins cleaning. She goes into Kyle's room and gathers the blood clothing off the floor. After opening three doors, she finally finds the washer and dryer. Hope grabs the stain remover from the top of the dryer. Moving to the floor, she crosses her legs and begins to scrub at the blood.

When there is a knock on the door, Jamie and Wesley stand. Before they can move, Erik gets up from the table. He is surprised to see everyone else huddled outside, just as they are surprised to see him. Erik simply shrugs and pulls back from the door.

Without taking her shoes off, Cara runs into the house. She runs into Wesley's arms, hugging him tightly. Wesley is about to wrap his arms around her when she pulls back.

"Where's June?" She asks, looking between the two of them.

Eden is quick to move up behind her. He nearly rests a hand on her shoulder but can't bring himself to move. It was only yesterday that he kissed June, and it seems that she is dead now.

"It was her?" Lee asks from the doorway.

Erik moves behind her, slamming the door shut. "Close the door, or maybe watch your mouth when someone could hear?"

Lee snorts, looking to Percy for approval. The other girl simply shrugs, moving to the table and sitting on top of it. She doesn't care if Lee grows frustrated or not, just like she doesn't care if Erik likes them or not. The only person who catches her eye is Hope, who continues to scrub the blood off of shirts on the ground.

Too much blood.

"She's sleeping in Kyle's room," Wesley says. Cara tries to dive past him, but he grabs her shirt. "Don't bother her."

"She shouldn't be sleeping," Cara rambles, looking over to Jamie for support. "She could have a concussion or internal bleeding."

"Or, her body just healed like, six broken bones and now she is sleeping it off," there is animosity in Wesley's voice. It tastes bitter in his mouth, and he watches Cara flinch.

Eden pulls Cara back, "I think we should all sit down. Let's take a minute."

No one protests. The group begins to sit down in the otherwise small room. Wes, Jamie, Eden and Cara squeeze on to the couch, even though it is far too small for them. Erik pulls a chair away from the dining room table and straddles it backwards. He glances down at Hope next to him, but she doesn't seem to pay him any mind. Since there are only a few chairs left, all of them at the table, Lee sits in the kitchen with Percy.

"Are you okay, Wesley?" Cara tries to whisper to him, but the whole room can hear them both.

The only sound is Hope scrubbing away at the clothes. Its rhythm keeps Erik from jolting his leg up and down. He concentrates on the sound until it becomes the dull pulse of the room. From her spot across from him, Lee grits her teeth.

Wesley nods slowly. "I'm fine. It's nothing I haven't seen before."

No one can tell that he is lying.

Percy looks over at Wesley. She makes her voice calm and smooth. "Did anybody see you guys?"

"Really?" Erik stands up out of the chair. "Is that what you are going to ask right now?"