The Forgotten Ones

Chapter 23: Numb

"Face it." Elias said. "You got lost."

"I wasn't lost." Cush replied in a low growl. "My sense of direction is loosely based on landmarks and primarily dependent on sound. We would have arrived sooner had you two stopped talking so much."

"Someone's grumpy." Sunshine spoke softly, pursing his lips.

"I'm not grumpy."

"He's grumpy." Elias leaned down closer to Sunshine, faintly adding, "...and in denial."

"Would you quit whispering to each other like little school girls. I can still hear you." Cush called to them, causing Elias to look over his shoulder.

"That's the point." He replied before snickering along with Sunshine. Finally stepping out of the forest and into the small space where the trailer was stationed, they all walked onto the rickety wooden porch. Turning to Cush with a complacent grin, Elias teased,

"Are you sure you don't want to go to your therapy session?"

"Are you sure you don't want to take the window again?" Cush replied dull, resting his eyes on Elias before slightly tilting his head, returning the grin.

Narrowing his eyes, Eli twisted the knob behind him before turning inside the trailer; shocked at what he saw before him. Turning on the light, all three boys entered, one after another, each too thrown off to speak a word.

It was clean.

Spotless. There were no more beer bottles on the floor, the Cafe containers were gone, and there was no sight of any clothes. Each surface was wiped down, the windows and glass entertainment table free of any smudges or dust. It smelled like a lightly scented febreeze had been emptied into the air, which would explain the bottle laying in the trashcan. The once messy shelves were now organized and neat, along with his collection of DVDs. Though it still felt stuffy, and the inside was still undeniably hideous in terms of walls and furniture, it was clear it had been polished from top to bottom as best the place would allow.

"Major Sunday cleaning...?" Elias looked around.

"I didn't think he was the type." Cush ran his finger along the shelves, narrowing his eyes at the lack of dust.

"Candy!"

Elias and Cush both looked over at the small boy rushing over to the bowl on the entertainment center. Grabbing handfuls of snack sized Hershy bars, KitKats, Snickers, and different kinds of lollipops, Sunshine's smile grew wider with each passing second.

"You shouldn't touch that." Cush looked at the bowl in utter disgust. "You don't know where it's been."

"It's all still wrapped." Sunshine turned to them, his large eyes silently asking for permission.

"It's an abomination to food." Cush muttered.

"Put it down Sunshine." Elias continued walking through the trailer. "We're not here to steal the man's candy. Stay focused."

With a disappointed sigh, Sunshine released the candy back into the bowl, beginning on his search. Moving deeper into the trailer, near the bed in the back, Elias noticed that the mountain of clothes were gone. Instead, there was a baby blue colored blanket, much too small to cover the entire mattress and a plain white pillow. His brows furrowed as he noticed the three plushies in the corner. There was one brown bear, a white dog, and a small purple octopus with a lazy eye.

"He's stacked on apple slices and caramel from Wendy's." Sunshine called from the other end of the trailer as he looked inside the mini fridge. "Oh, he even has their chocolate milk!"