Five-Chris

I woke up to the sound of my own screaming. My heart was beating so loud that I could hear it as if it was amplified in my ears. I shot up only to hit my head on the low slope that was in the ceiling where I was lying. I was in an attic and that would only mean…“Ashley?” I yelled out as I stroked the tender spot on my head in which I had hit.

Ashley walked into the doorway looking like she was about to bawl. “You could’ve died you moron!”

 Jeez, so much for sympathy. I distinctly remember the house blowing up or something like that-

“Yes the house blew up you idiot and you’re lucky you got out of it alive! And as for sympathy, well asshole what do you call taking care of you for five days while you were passed out because you were so stupid and went back to the house after years of them thinking you were not their problem anymore and they thought you were dead and it would’ve been better for you and they would’ve just continued to think you weren’t a problem anymore and and…” Calm down stop repeating yourself, let me get a word in miss run-along. She was always like this when she was worried.

 “I’m sorry Chris…I was just so worried you know?” she put her head in her hands. “ I just didn’t want to lose you. None of us did” she sighed.

“ Ash, I know…and what do you mean by none of us? I thought Kat and John were on the run? It’s been like, two months since we’ve seen them,” I said.

“I know, but she came as soon as possible…well John’s not back yet so he couldn’t, but you got us all so worried, and Kat’s asleep right now. She’s downstairs. You should go to sleep too, this must be a lot of work…and I’m draining your energy”

“Don’t be crazy,” I snorted, “ You? Take up all of my energy? Nah” I shook my head in mock disapproval that wasn’t such a good idea since it gave me a monster head spin. “ Kinda though, yeah. I should get some rest Ash…thanks”

“Chris, nobody could take any one of us away. We’re a family, and that’s more than we can say for our real ones right…they didn’t even treat us like family, just freaks? We have each other…and yeah, it’s corny but you know it’s true. They didn’t really love you, we’re all we’ve got.” And I knew she was right.

Ashley brought me a cup of tea and some Tylenol and went to bed. It took me a long time to sleep that night…but I had no more dreams of what had happened and instead, I dreamed of the most beautiful singing I had ever heard. It was a girl’s voice and it…was singing the saddest song I had ever heard. Somehow, I knew the song was for me.