Obscuring Tears Chapter 11: Twisted, a 7th heaven fanfic

Obscuring Tears

Chapter Eleven:

Twisted

Once upon a year gone by,

She saw herself give in.

Every time she closed her eyes,

She saw what could have been.

Crickets chirped from the tall grass in the park as Ruthie and Bert walked hand in hand. The pebbles of the path under their feet groaned as they scraped together. There was a comfortable silence between the two until Bert suddenly noticed something.

"You're shaking," he observed, a tinge of concern lingering in his voice. Now he looked to her face, trying to catch her wandering gaze.

Ruthie glanced nervously down at her trembling fingers that were interwoven with his. "It's just a little chilly out tonight," she lied, using the weather as an excuse.

Bert quickly took in her thin, white jacket and her bare feet. He released her hand and slipped off his own, much thicker, coat, draping it around her narrow, slouched shoulders.

Giving him a momentary look, she thanked him with a warm smile. They continued to walk, a relaxed silence settling between them once again. Neither knew where they were going, but they didn't care. Anywhere was fine as long as they were together, and Ruthie was in no hurry to go home. She could stay out forever if it meant avoiding what she knew was waiting for her.

Take away the sensation inside

Bittersweet migraine in my head

It's like a throbbing toothache of the mind

I can't take this feeling anymore.

"This is all your fault," Simon stated angrily as he noisily reentered the spare bedroom where his older brother, Matt, sat in the bed, looking as confused as he felt.

"What's all my fault?" he asked, watching Simon pull the shirt he wore the previous day over his head.

Simon huffed, "Ruthie's gone."

Matt rolled his eyes and swung his legs over the edge of the mattress. "Again?" he inquired, a hint of annoyance swimming in his voice.

"Yes, again," Simon spat, yanking on his shoes without bothering to tie the laces. "If you hadn't decided to leave after making such a big deal with your noble we'll-get-through-this-together speech, maybe she would like us – you – better and wouldn't have thought that running away was necessary, or even a good idea."

"What's going on?" Lucy asked. She, Kevin, and the boys appeared in the doorway, all with puffy, red eyes from being woken from their sleep too early.

"Take a guess," Matt answered, running a hand through his hair.

Lucy's eyes widened. "Where's Ruthie?"

"Not here," Simon grumbled.

"And that's apparently my fault," Matt retorted as Simon threw him a heated glare. Had it been years earlier, the medical student would have expected Lucy to take his side, but against all of his wishes, the married woman sided with Simon.

"Look where she learned it from," she said simply. She turned to the boys. "Guys, why don't you go back to bed? Everything will be okay by the time you wake up."

"What about Ruthie?" David asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

"Ruthie will be fine. You can see her tomorrow," Lucy assured them, and with a nod they walked back down the hall to their room.

Simon waited until his brother's were out of earshot before saying, "I'm going out to look for her. Are any of you coming with me?" The air was still. "Well?"

"Simon, maybe we should just let her come home on her own. Last time you guys went to look for her and you couldn't find her," Lucy meekly suggested under Simon's harsh gaze.

"And if she doesn't come home?" Simon prompted, his eyes holding impassioned flames.

Kevin shrugged. "Then we'll call the police department and report her."

Simon looked to Matt, but the man, who was already feeling both hopeless and helpless, said nothing. As he slid his arms through his jacket, he shook his head in disgrace and left.

As darkness quickly steals the light

That shined within her eyes.

She slowly swallows all her fear

And soothes her mind with lies.

Kevin stepped away from the fireplace after throwing in another log before coming to join Lucy on the couch. She was curled up with her legs tucked neatly underneath her body, clutching a warm blanket to her chest. Her mind was wandering, Kevin could tell. It was hard to even keep a conversation going between them with her short and automatic answers.

He smiled at her and joined her under the blanket, cuddling her close. Lucy laid her head on Kevin's strong shoulder and gazed distantly into the fire, the flames reflecting vibrantly in her bright eyes. Kevin kissed the crown of her head and caressed her arm through the thick material comfortingly.

"What's going on, baby?" he asked gently.

Lucy watched a single spark fly in the pit before answering in a soft, barely audible voice, "I'm scared."

"Of what?"

Lucy was quiet for so long, Kevin was wondering if she was going to speak at all. "Of Ruthie. I'm not really afraid of her, I'm afraid for her. I'm so afraid that she's going to do something…."

"Stupid?" Kevin provided.

Lucy nodded. "I have this terrible feeling that she's going to try something. I don't know if she's thinking about doing drugs or if she's thinking of killing herself." She swallowed. "But with the way she's been acting, I don't think I'm wrong…"

Nothing hurts and nothing bleeds

When covers tucked in tight

Funny when the bottom drops

How she forgets to fight.

"I hope you don't mind," Bert said suddenly, stopping in the path just before it forked off into two different directions. "I have to get something from someone. It'll just take a second."

Ruthie looked at him, reading his eyes but not recognizing the expression in them. "What is it?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing really, but I need to pick it up right now. My friend is just down there," he replied, pointing with his right hand down a narrow, dark trail that was so small, Ruthie hadn't even noticed it. "You can come with me, unless you want to stay here by yourself…"

Ruthie shook her head and gripped Bert's hand tighter. "No," she answered firmly. "I'm coming with you."

He smiled and led her through the heavily wooded area, pushing back branches for her as they went. Ruthie was beginning to think Bert was just goofing around with her, just trying to buy more time to stay with her, but as she was about to say something, she caught sight of a shadowy figure in the near distance. She squinted, trying to make out his facial features, but they were hidden in the darkness from the large hood over his head.

"Ten bucks a hit," the man said in a scratchy voice.

Ruthie glanced at Bert, who seemed unalarmed. He had let her hand drop as he dug into his back pocket, producing a crisp ten-dollar bill. In once swift motion, the money was traded for a white, rolled piece of paper. Instantly, Ruthie knew what was going on: Bert was into drugs and now she was involved in his trade. Instead of being appalled, Ruthie found herself strangely fascinated.

Just before they stepped back onto the path and into the bright moonlight, Bert handed her the joint. "Happy birthday," he said.

Ruthie took the illegal object from him without hesitation. "Wait. You bought this for me?"

Bert shrugged. "I know you've been really depressed lately, and I thought I would give you the chance to be…relaxed. Besides, I've already got one, and I thought we could have fun together."

She studied the joint in her hand then shoved it into the jacket pocket. Ruthie looked over at Bert and said, "Where can we go?"

All she wants and all she needs,

Are reasons to survive.

A day in which the sun will take

Her artificial light.

Simon had passed the park for the second time now. He had been searching everywhere he could think of for his sister, and still he had no luck. Just as he was about to give up and go home, he heard this insane, but familiar, giggling coming from somewhere nearby. His feet were fast, barely skimming the ground as he walked. The laughter was becoming louder and more clear, and the closer he got, the more sure he was that this was Ruthie.

In the silver light, he could make out two figures on the ground. He broke into a run, kneeling down next to Ruthie, who lay on her back in the grassed that was sprinkled with dew.

"Are you okay!" he asked in alarm. As Ruthie continued to laugh hysterically, he studied her face. Her eyes were glazed over and he could smell the marijuana on her breath. He glanced over to the boy that lay a few feet from her and instantly recognized him as Ruthie's former boyfriend. Simon noticed that he, too, was stoned.

Sighing, Simon grabbed his sister's arms, ready to help her up. "Can you stand?"

She looked at him. "No, but I can fly." She snorted with laughter. Simon, however, found nothing funny.

He pulled Ruthie off the ground, scooping her up as if she were nothing more than a child.

Bert got up from his spot and glared at Simon angrily. "Hey, man. Put her down. She don't want to go with you."

Simon turned to face the younger guy. "Hey, man," he retorted, "Go home." Not caring if Bert found his way back to his own abode or not, Simon started on his way back to Lucy's with Ruthie in his arms laughing as if she belonged in an insane asylum.

Disclaimer: I was too lazy and too uninspired to write any original poetry for this chapter, so I decided to take a few verses from songs that I thought would fit nicely…(and if they don't, too bad).

Also, there was a quote from Angel in this chapter: "No, but I can fly." Yeah, so that's not mine. I'm not that brilliant.

Vanessa Carlton:

Paradise (Be Not Nobody - CD)