The Mourning After
PG-13
A/N: This is the third story in a series of stories, beginning with Hanging by a Moment, and then followed by Right Place, Right Time. Please read those two stories before you read this one, or else it won't make any sense.
I do not own Everwood, or any of the characters in this story, but in later chapters I might. Everwood is the property of the WB.
Ephram ran into Annette McMillan's house, trying to catch his breath. He searched through the whole place, trying to find the girl, but she was nowhere. He then realized he hadn't checked the bathroom, and so he slowly walked towards the door, it was shut. He crept towards it, knowing that the one this he didn't want to see would be on the other side.
As he slowly turned the knob, his fear worsened. He could see a girl's hand, and then an arm, and then her body appeared. Annette was lying on the floor with a medicine bottle clutched in her right hand, she was dead.
Ephram practically collapsed to the floor, he legs buckled underneath him, so that he couldn't stand anymore. He tried crying, but the only thing that came out was, 'Why?'
Then, to his surprise, Annette opened her eyes. She looked straight at Ephram, and never once blinked. She sat up and asked, "Why, Ephram?"
Ephram was still in a little bit of shock at the sight of this girl actually sitting up, but he contained himself and questioned her, "What are you talking about? Why, what?"
Annette kept a straight face, "Why did you let this happen to me? Why did you let me die?"
Ephram couldn't move, it felt like his heart had stopped, and Annette just kept looking at him, saying, "Why, why, why?" He could feel his lungs getting tight; it was hard for him to breathe. He tried taking a breath, but couldn't.
******
It was 9:45pm and Andy heard an odd sound come from Ephram's room as he walked down the hallway. He turned and put his ear up to the door, and then ran in. He looked down at Ephram, who was on his bed asleep, and saw that he was gasping for air.
"Oh my god, Ephram." Andy started shaking him, and that was when he realized that his son was soaked with his own sweat, "Ephram, wake up!" Andy kept shaking Ephram, but he wouldn't wake up.
Andy finally got so worried that he shook Ephram as hard as he possibly could.
With that final jolt, Ephram sat up in bed, taking one deep breath in the process. He began to cough after that breath, and he couldn't stop.
Andy ran out of the room and came back with a glass of water, Ephram downed that immediately. Finally, after a second, Ephram could talk. "Dad, what happened?" He was still disoriented.
"I would like to know the exact same thing." Andy sat on the edge of Ephram's bed.
"I," He had to think for a minute, but after he got everything together, Ephram could explain what he could remember; "I had a dream about Annette. It was horrible. She was dead one minute, and then sitting up and accusing me of letting her die the next." Ephram took one deep breath after another, "But the worst part was," Andy knew what Ephram was going to say, "I think she was right."
******
Ephram had fallen asleep not long after that. Andy couldn't say anything to him, because everything he thought of, he knew would get a reply like, 'You weren't there, dad.' or 'It WAS my fault, you wouldn't know.'
He hated seeing his son like this, but there was nothing he could do. It had been a week after Annette's death, and Ephram was going through one of the hardest times of his life, and it was getting harder.
******
Ephram slowly opened his eyes to see the sound of his alarm clock. He hated that beeping noise that it made. He had always said that he wanted to get rid of it, but he knew his dad would get angry, so he didn't.
Ephram hit the clock with his left hand, and then sat up in bed, eyes still half closed, "Why did my alarm go off? I didn't set it."
"Because you're going to school today," Andy walked into the room with Ephram backpack and started putting schoolbooks into it, "You seem to be better to me, and you could use some friends right now."
Ephram hadn't said anything about what he did to Amy, or what Bright did to him, the day that Annette died. He just let things go, and made some stupid excuse to cover the bruises on his face, which he couldn't remember what that excuse was anymore.
But now Ephram was going back to school to see his 'friends' and there was nothing he could do about it. He knew he would have to face them eventually, but he didn't expect it to be this soon. He didn't want it to be this soon, but he had to deal with that, his dad wouldn't take no for an answer.
"If you could leave me alone for a minute, I could get ready for school." Ephram stood up and walked over to his dresser, "I'm pretty sure things would go faster that way."
Andy gave Ephram a small smile and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He walked towards the stairs, but stopped when he heard Delia open her room door.
"Sweetie, are you going to be ready for school in time?"
"Yes daddy." He heard the door recluse, ad couldn't help but laugh.
"Kids these days, whatever happened to responsibility?" He started walking towards the stairs again; it was time to fix a quick breakfast for the family.
******
Ephram had gotten ready faster than ever, and was now in the kitchen ready to leave, "You need to eat before you go." Andy handed Ephram a plate with something that was supposed to be French toast on it.
"Uh," Ephram looked at the crispy black pieces of brick on his plate, "I'm not really very hungry...At least not for that." Ephram walked out the door and headed towards the car.
"Delia, you need to hurry up!" Andy was frantically getting things ready for that day, because he had gotten a late start, and Delia still hadn't been heard from since she went back into her room.
"I'm coming daddy!" Little stomps came down the steps in a hurry, "What's for breakfast?" She pushed herself up onto one of the stools at the kitchen island.
"French toast, do you want any?" Andy offered her a plate, but with a look of disgust she turned it away.
"You really need to let Ephram cook more, it would be better for all of us." She hopped down and headed for the door.
"I'm not that bad of a cook." He followed her, and they both went to the car.
******
Ephram was dropped off at school just before the bell rang, he ran to class, but when he got there the door was shut. He wasn't late, which is why he found it weird.
He put his ear up to the door to see what was going on, and to his surprise, he heard his name.
"We need to give Ephram Brown a little slack, okay? He's going through a really rough time right now, and I don't think he needs any one of you picking on him, got it?" Ephram heard his math teacher speaking to the class. He was less than happy, but more than angry. He really didn't know what to think of his teachers talk. Was it sympathy, or just something the principal told all the teachers to say?
Either way he walked into the class, acting like he hadn't heard a thing. He looked over at the far right corner of the room, and there was Amy, sitting at her desk, looking at him with sympathetic eyes.
'I don't need this right now. I can deal with this just fine.' He thought to himself. But if he had known how hard of a day he had ahead of him, then maybe he would have thought something different.
A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short, I haven't really been able to get to my computer lately, and I also haven't been able to think of a good start to this story, so this chapter might suck, and if it does, I'm sorry about that too. PLEASE review and tell me how it's going so far. I promise it will get better, I just need time, this story isn't going to be one of my 'get a chapter every other day' things, I can't think that fast with this one. Like I asked before PLEASE review, it is greatly appreciated.
PG-13
A/N: This is the third story in a series of stories, beginning with Hanging by a Moment, and then followed by Right Place, Right Time. Please read those two stories before you read this one, or else it won't make any sense.
I do not own Everwood, or any of the characters in this story, but in later chapters I might. Everwood is the property of the WB.
Ephram ran into Annette McMillan's house, trying to catch his breath. He searched through the whole place, trying to find the girl, but she was nowhere. He then realized he hadn't checked the bathroom, and so he slowly walked towards the door, it was shut. He crept towards it, knowing that the one this he didn't want to see would be on the other side.
As he slowly turned the knob, his fear worsened. He could see a girl's hand, and then an arm, and then her body appeared. Annette was lying on the floor with a medicine bottle clutched in her right hand, she was dead.
Ephram practically collapsed to the floor, he legs buckled underneath him, so that he couldn't stand anymore. He tried crying, but the only thing that came out was, 'Why?'
Then, to his surprise, Annette opened her eyes. She looked straight at Ephram, and never once blinked. She sat up and asked, "Why, Ephram?"
Ephram was still in a little bit of shock at the sight of this girl actually sitting up, but he contained himself and questioned her, "What are you talking about? Why, what?"
Annette kept a straight face, "Why did you let this happen to me? Why did you let me die?"
Ephram couldn't move, it felt like his heart had stopped, and Annette just kept looking at him, saying, "Why, why, why?" He could feel his lungs getting tight; it was hard for him to breathe. He tried taking a breath, but couldn't.
******
It was 9:45pm and Andy heard an odd sound come from Ephram's room as he walked down the hallway. He turned and put his ear up to the door, and then ran in. He looked down at Ephram, who was on his bed asleep, and saw that he was gasping for air.
"Oh my god, Ephram." Andy started shaking him, and that was when he realized that his son was soaked with his own sweat, "Ephram, wake up!" Andy kept shaking Ephram, but he wouldn't wake up.
Andy finally got so worried that he shook Ephram as hard as he possibly could.
With that final jolt, Ephram sat up in bed, taking one deep breath in the process. He began to cough after that breath, and he couldn't stop.
Andy ran out of the room and came back with a glass of water, Ephram downed that immediately. Finally, after a second, Ephram could talk. "Dad, what happened?" He was still disoriented.
"I would like to know the exact same thing." Andy sat on the edge of Ephram's bed.
"I," He had to think for a minute, but after he got everything together, Ephram could explain what he could remember; "I had a dream about Annette. It was horrible. She was dead one minute, and then sitting up and accusing me of letting her die the next." Ephram took one deep breath after another, "But the worst part was," Andy knew what Ephram was going to say, "I think she was right."
******
Ephram had fallen asleep not long after that. Andy couldn't say anything to him, because everything he thought of, he knew would get a reply like, 'You weren't there, dad.' or 'It WAS my fault, you wouldn't know.'
He hated seeing his son like this, but there was nothing he could do. It had been a week after Annette's death, and Ephram was going through one of the hardest times of his life, and it was getting harder.
******
Ephram slowly opened his eyes to see the sound of his alarm clock. He hated that beeping noise that it made. He had always said that he wanted to get rid of it, but he knew his dad would get angry, so he didn't.
Ephram hit the clock with his left hand, and then sat up in bed, eyes still half closed, "Why did my alarm go off? I didn't set it."
"Because you're going to school today," Andy walked into the room with Ephram backpack and started putting schoolbooks into it, "You seem to be better to me, and you could use some friends right now."
Ephram hadn't said anything about what he did to Amy, or what Bright did to him, the day that Annette died. He just let things go, and made some stupid excuse to cover the bruises on his face, which he couldn't remember what that excuse was anymore.
But now Ephram was going back to school to see his 'friends' and there was nothing he could do about it. He knew he would have to face them eventually, but he didn't expect it to be this soon. He didn't want it to be this soon, but he had to deal with that, his dad wouldn't take no for an answer.
"If you could leave me alone for a minute, I could get ready for school." Ephram stood up and walked over to his dresser, "I'm pretty sure things would go faster that way."
Andy gave Ephram a small smile and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He walked towards the stairs, but stopped when he heard Delia open her room door.
"Sweetie, are you going to be ready for school in time?"
"Yes daddy." He heard the door recluse, ad couldn't help but laugh.
"Kids these days, whatever happened to responsibility?" He started walking towards the stairs again; it was time to fix a quick breakfast for the family.
******
Ephram had gotten ready faster than ever, and was now in the kitchen ready to leave, "You need to eat before you go." Andy handed Ephram a plate with something that was supposed to be French toast on it.
"Uh," Ephram looked at the crispy black pieces of brick on his plate, "I'm not really very hungry...At least not for that." Ephram walked out the door and headed towards the car.
"Delia, you need to hurry up!" Andy was frantically getting things ready for that day, because he had gotten a late start, and Delia still hadn't been heard from since she went back into her room.
"I'm coming daddy!" Little stomps came down the steps in a hurry, "What's for breakfast?" She pushed herself up onto one of the stools at the kitchen island.
"French toast, do you want any?" Andy offered her a plate, but with a look of disgust she turned it away.
"You really need to let Ephram cook more, it would be better for all of us." She hopped down and headed for the door.
"I'm not that bad of a cook." He followed her, and they both went to the car.
******
Ephram was dropped off at school just before the bell rang, he ran to class, but when he got there the door was shut. He wasn't late, which is why he found it weird.
He put his ear up to the door to see what was going on, and to his surprise, he heard his name.
"We need to give Ephram Brown a little slack, okay? He's going through a really rough time right now, and I don't think he needs any one of you picking on him, got it?" Ephram heard his math teacher speaking to the class. He was less than happy, but more than angry. He really didn't know what to think of his teachers talk. Was it sympathy, or just something the principal told all the teachers to say?
Either way he walked into the class, acting like he hadn't heard a thing. He looked over at the far right corner of the room, and there was Amy, sitting at her desk, looking at him with sympathetic eyes.
'I don't need this right now. I can deal with this just fine.' He thought to himself. But if he had known how hard of a day he had ahead of him, then maybe he would have thought something different.
A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short, I haven't really been able to get to my computer lately, and I also haven't been able to think of a good start to this story, so this chapter might suck, and if it does, I'm sorry about that too. PLEASE review and tell me how it's going so far. I promise it will get better, I just need time, this story isn't going to be one of my 'get a chapter every other day' things, I can't think that fast with this one. Like I asked before PLEASE review, it is greatly appreciated.