Sebastian Bear (complete)

NINETEEN

NINETEEN

Nine-year-old Sebastian had found Madeline Hunter outside her aunt's home. The house was filled with grieving relatives. He had picked Madeline out a stack of thousands. She had looked particularly sad, her wide wet eyes begging for help. He had felt a connection with her from the very beginning, something his young brain didn't question. He had picked her immediately. He knew he was supposed to.

Madeline had been skeptical of him from the start. She had asked where he came from, why his clothes were spattered with paint, why no one could see him. She had taken his answers as fact but that was the beauty of youth. From the moment Sebastian talked to his new friend, he reckoned he'd never forget her.

Months had passed. Games had been played, secrets shared. Madeline had grown very used to Sebastian and his curious eyes. She had expected him to stick around forever. She hadn't considered he might leave or that she might be the one that sent him away.

It was almost a full year into their friendship that Nolan had arrived in her life. Nolan was serious and so very solid that No one ever questioned the validity of his presence. Sebastian had watched in the corner as his best friend Madeline replaced him with someone so very mundane. He could understand her wanting someone more visible but he could hardly comprehend why that person might be Nolan.

Madeline woke to the sound of Ethan running down the stairs. She blinked, staring at her ceiling, her eyes adjusting to the morning light. Sebastian wasn't there, something that made her feel uneasy. It also made her uneasy that his lack of presence bothered her. She would have to get used to it. Sebastian could make all the promises he wanted but there was something monumentally huge about their differences that just didn't seem solvable. She couldn't tell him that though, not when he was kissing her and promising her the world. She just smiled at him as realistically as she knew how and nodded when appropriate.

Maggie was yelling, not out of anger but urgency. She could hear the muffled demands about plates in the sink and then something about finding a decent pair of shoes so they could leave. Madeline yawned, rolling out of bed in search of some overly sweet coffee and explanations.

The downstairs smelled of burnt French toast. Madeline laughed as Ethan ran around with one sandal, a beat tennis shoe hanging from his right hand.

"Oh my gosh! Where could it be?" Maggie's hair was exceptionally wild. Her curls bounced into her eyes.

"What are we looking for?" Madeline poured a cup of lukewarm coffee.

"The other shoe. Either of them," Maggie was crouching under the kitchen table.

"It's on top of the dryer," Madeline dumped a load of sugar in her cup and stirred in some heavy cream.

"Why?" Maggie laughed. She was moving toward the laundry room, returning with the rogue sandal. Ethan dropped the spare tennis shoe at his feet. "We are a mess kid," she pushed his hair from his forehead and ordered him casually to grab his bag.

"Where are you guys going?" Madeline was sitting at the table then.

"Hershel's," Maggie whispered. She looked over her shoulder, making sure her son was out of earshot. "I wanted to make sure he feels safe. I've talked to him. I know you have but Hershel has always had a way with you kids." Maggie smiled softly. "We're going for ice-cream after. I'll bring you back some if you want."

"Nah don't worry about me," Madeline sipped at her caffeine. "After another cup of this, I've probably reached my sugar limit for a few hours."

Maggie chuckled, watching Ethan bound back in the room. With a few more hugs from his favorite cousin, Madeline's small family vacated their home. Not ten minutes later there was a knock at the door. Madeline laughed, imagining her aunt returning because she forgot her keys but when she threw open the front door there was the not so familiar face of Blake Fairfield. She hadn't seen him since the party. She honestly didn't remember him before that, even if he had mentioned their history back in grade school together. Madeline froze, unable to hide the confusion from her features.