Callin
Preston escorts us outside, to where Patrick and Jonas are waiting.
“Where's Paul?” Liam asks, as Patrick helps Louis into the back of a police car. I fleetingly wonder who Paul is, but I can't really focus on anything right now.
I need Delaney's giraffe.
Now.
I climb into the car next, and hear Preston's reply to Liam's question. “He's at the hotel. You'll see him soon.”
“What's wrong?” Louis asks me, watching my face closely. I glance up front, to see the police officer sitting in the driver's seat.
“Later” I hiss.
I guess I do want to tell Louis, though.
Maybe I should let someone else help carry my burden.
And if I'm going to tell anyone, it's Louis that I trust.
I feel like . . . maybe it's time to tell him everything.
-
Louis
We have two suites in the hotel. Top floor for us, and the next one down for security.
Paul meets us at our suite.
“Hello, boys” he says, grinning.
“I'd run up and hug you, but my foot hurts” I say, my face erupting in a massive grin. I feel like Liam wants to hug Paul as well, but Callin's leaning heavily on Liam, weak from all of her time in the wheelchair.
“Paul, this is Callin” Liam says. “It's thanks to her Louis' alive.”
“So I've heard” Paul says. “It's nice to meet you, Callin.” He holds out a hand. Callin grabs it, and shakes, but she seems dazed, unfocused.
I need to know what's wrong.
“I missed you boys” Paul says, as he opens the hotel door for us.
Honestly, I feel safer now that Paul's here.
I know it's silly, but he's always made me feel safer.
Preston's a great guy and all, but there's a reason Paul's the head of security and Preston isn't. Though, I don't know if Paul's even ready for the guys that are after us.
Me.
I limp into the room after Liam and Callin. There are four doors leading off of the main room of our suite.
“Door number one” Paul says, pointing at it. “Louis and Harry. One king bed. Door number two. Niall and Zayn. One king bed. Door number three. Liam and Callin. Two twin beds. Door number four. Preston and I. Any questions?”
“Double bed or twin?” I ask cheekily. Paul rolls his eyes at me.
“Not important” he says. “Interview's in an hour. Be ready to go then.” He sits down on the couch with the TV remote. Liam catches my eye, and then nods towards his room.
I sigh.
He's going to yell at me for joking.
But joking helps me disguise the gasp I let out when I Paul said Harry's name. Joking helps me forget that he's gone.
So I'll keep joking until we find him.
It's insane how much my mood picked up, just from seeing Paul. It's like . . . I feel like he can fix anything. Now that Paul's back, he'll fix Niall and Zayn, and find Harry. And catch the guys that did all of this.
I follow Liam and Callin into their room. Callin immediately falls onto one of the beds. She then proceeds to bury her face in a pillow.
“What?” I ask Liam.
“Nothing” he says, shrugging. “Just . . . checking on you.”
“I'm fine” I mumble. “Paul's back. I'll be fine.”
“If you're sure” Liam says, watching me carefully. “I mean . . . I know you joke when you're upset . . .”
“Oh” I say.
That's what this is about.
“I just . . . it was funny” I mumble.
“Okay” Liam says. “If you're sure. I guess . . . I'll go watch TV with Paul. You know where I'll be.” He gives me one last look before leaving the room.
As soon as he's gone, Callin sits up. Her eyes are red.
“It's just you, right?” she asks.
“Uhm . . . yeah” I say, staring after Liam. Is he right to be worried?
“I w-want to tell you now” Callin says softly. I turn to look at her.
“Tell me what?” I ask.
“What's wrong” she whispers. “What did they tell you . . . about me?”
I think back to that day, the day this all started, Preston briefing us in that little room.
“No family, no friends” I mumble. “You said you were homeless. And a foster child for awhile.” I watch her face carefully; she avoids my gaze.
“My parents died in a fire when I was nine” she says abruptly, her eyes focused on the duvet on her bed. She absently traces a pattern with her finger as she waits for . . . something.
“II-I'm sorry” I stammer. “Th-that's awful.” She continues tracing the pattern, not looking up at me.
“It was along time ago” she says. “I miss them but I'm okay.” She still won't meet my eyes.
It's not okay.
“It shouldn't be okay” I say softly.
“Well, it is” she says, finally looking up and meeting my eyes. I sit down on Liam's bed, behind me.
“It shouldn't have to be okay” I say softly. The fire in her eyes fades; she just looks sad again.
“They stuck me in the foster system after that” she says, looking back down at the bed, resuming her pattern. Like she never stopped talking at all. “It was horrible, for years and years. And then I was sixteen, in this one foster home, with my foster mum Allison. Allison was awful to us, but there was this other girl there, too. Delaney.”
I remember her talking about Delaney, that day in the hospital.
“Delaney really hated Allison. I mean, Allison was awful. She padlocked the door shut every night, and she slept with the key, so that we wouldn't escape. We shouldn't need to escape, right? You're supposed to be safe in a foster home.”
Suddenly, I don't want to know how this story ends.
Callin's trying so hard to hold back tears; I can hear it in her voice.
Whatever happened to Delaney isn't good.
But if Callin wants to keep talking, I'll listen.
“One night, Delaney stole the key. She was only twelve. I was so proud of her. That night, we left. Unlocked the door and walked away.”
She pauses for a moment. I can see her struggling right now. And for just a moment, I want nothing more then to hold her close and protect her and keep her safe.
I don't want anything to hurt her, ever again.
And I want her to stop telling this story.
“W-we were running. Not r-really paying attention. W-we lived in this small town, and w-we w-w-walked right out of it. A c-car-”
She breaks off.
Takes a deep breath.
And continues.
This is bravery.
“A car came roaring down the street. It hit Delaney and kept going. She died.”
And then, just like a dam breaking, Callin breaks at the seams. She opens her mouth in a silent scream, and the tears she has been struggling to hold back come flooding out.
No one person should have to carry this much grief.
I don't think anymore. I just do.
I stand up from Liam's bed and sit down next to her, my crutches falling to the ground uselessly, and I pull her into me.
She doesn't resist.
She buries her head in my shoulder and sobs into my shirt.
I can't help but feel so, so bad for Callin . . . and Delaney.
This just happened two years ago; Callin's eighteen now.
And . . . it's not fair that that little girl died.
And I feel so bad for both of them.
So I just hold Callin for ages, until she's all cried out.
“Th-that's the first time I've ever really told anyone” she whispers after awhile. “Except for just after it happened.”
She doesn't make any move to get out of my embrace, and I don't want to let her go. I like her being here, close to me.
I wish . . . I wish I could just take the pain away from her.
“I'm so sorry” I whisper. “I'm so, so sorry this had to happen.”
“After . . . I went back to Allison's house” she says softly, her voice hoarse. “She kicked me out. I missed Delaney's funeral, moving into a new place. The family took me in as a favour . . . they were a real family, not a foster one. The girl, August . . . she was so much like Delaney. Sh-she loved stuffed animals. D-Delaney had this one, she brought it everywhere. It . . . it was a stuffed giraffe. B-before Allison kicked me out, I took Delaney's giraffe.”
I remember being in the hospital, Callin asking me for her rucksack, and pulling out a stuffed giraffe. How frantic she was, asking for it.
“It was in the house” Callin says, her voice breaking. “The . . . the last thing I had left of Delaney, just . . . gone.”
For a second, I think she's going to cry again.
The , when she doesn't, I wonder if she's out of tears.
“It's just an object” I say. “You still have your memories.”
It's a stupid thing to say.
But if it makes her feel better, it's worth it.
“I know” she whispers. “But I still feel like I've lost her again.”
She sits up, so she's looking me in the eye. I keep my arms locked around her, and she doesn't complain.
“I'm sorry” she says. “I should've told you before. I should've told somebody. But I wanted to tell you.”
“Thank you” I say softly. “I . . . I'm glad you trust me.”
“Of course I trust you” she says, frowning. “Why wouldn't I?”
“After the interview” I mumble. Ringing it up now seems silly, petty. But I do anyway. “You were mad at me or something.”
“You didn't really listen to what you were saying, did you?” Callin asks. It's not really a question. “I thought . . . I thought you were disgusted by the question.”
“Which question?” I ask. Another not-question. I already know.
When Lavender asked if there was anything else going on.
And then I realise what Callin must have thought.
“You know which question” she whispers.
“I was surprised” I say.
“I thought you didn't like me” she says softly.
I can't help but over-think. She wants me to like her?
Does she mean 'like' or 'fancy'?
“I wasn't . . . I wasn't expecting it” I say. “I probably should've been, I guess, but it really surprised me and . . . I didn't . . . I don't know what you thought but I didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea.”
“Is it wrong?” she asks.
“I don't . . .” I start to say.
And then I realise something I should've realised before.
I fancy her.
Maybe even love her.
She fixes her eyes on mine.
And without any preamble, I lean forward and press my lips to hers.
---
A/N: Hello
So, who's crying and smiling at the same time?
Pfftt, not me, that would be pathetic . . . crying at your own story . . . pah.
OKAY OKAY I ADMIT IT.
This chapter meade me cry.
DUDE IF YOU GUYS WATCH CASTLE PM ME NOW.
Just saw the season 5 premiere c:
HAPPY.
*fangirl*
Okay, done now.
Why do I keep hitting the tab key?
Habit I suppose. From indenting paragraphs or something.
I FOUND ANOTHER SAD SONG.
I swear, I attract these things.
WHO ELSE IS HAPPY ABOUT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER.
Dude, I saw this coming . . . hahaha c:
BUT THEY'RE SO ASDFGHJKL.
Okay, the song with this chapter is the song I found up there ^ (5 lines up, guys)
It's so sweet.
AND THE BANNER.
That line, as soon as I wrote it, I was like "This is amazing."
Who knew?
So yeah. Listen to the song, read the chapter, look at the banner.
If you cry, leave me a comment.
If you smile (you horrible person) leave me a comment.
If you turn into a purple sparkly unicorn, leave me a comment.
If you do all of the above, vote.
If you feel like shouting at inanimate objects, vote.
If you think this sounds like a bad commercial, vote.
If you think this sounds like a good commercial, vote.
If you don't think this sounds like a commercial at all, vote.
If you agree with all of the above statements, vote and go see a shrink sooner rather then later (but your unicornnes may make your shrink need a shrink).
Love you <3
~Brook