Author's Note: Just got over the 24-hour flu. Threw up for the first time in 4 years. It hurt, and I realize that I have no idea how bullimics can do that. Anyways, a new chapter for you, and it's my favorite so far. I think it'll actually go in a weird direction, that I did not expect it to go in...

Every Heart
Chapter 3: Both of Us Are Mourning, Yet We Walk On

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I open my eyes, grogily, and let out a groan. Morning came too early. I waited for Emma to turn off her alarm clock. She never turned it off, it just keep beeping. I got out of bed, to try and find the source of the annoying beeping noise. While doing this, I realized that Emma wasn't in her bed. I shrugged it off though. If the alarm clock hadn't been constantly beeping, I might wonder about Emma's whereabouts.

After about five minutes I find the damn thing. I can't believe she keeps her alarm clock under her mattress. I mean who would... I can't believe she hid the alarm clock from me. Does she want to annoy me? I sigh, as I walk back to sit on my cot. At the foot of the bed, I see folded clothes, a towel, and a note.

Sean,
I got some clothes from Joey and Craig, they should fit you.
You can take a shower if you like, I left you a towel, and a
wash cloth. Hope you have a good day!

- Spike

I grab the towels and clothes, and begin to head up the stairs, into the kitchen. I see Emma sitting at the table, a towel wrapped around her head, eating Golden Grahams. She glanced up at me, then looked away quickly. I swear she's trying to hide a smile.

I make it up to the bathroom. I hang up the towel on the towel rack, and place the clothes on the counter. I take my shirt off and look in the mirror. I can see why Em was hiding a smile. She was trying not to laugh at my hair sticking up in about seven different directions.

I shake my head, at the image I see in the mirror, and continue to get undressed. I get into the shower, it's the right temperature. It's not cold-warm or anything, like I got used to at home. It's hot-warm, it's perfect.

I reach for a bottle of shampoo. I open it and inhale the scent. I'm glad no one's around to see this, it makes me feel a little feminine. You know how the girls on shampoo commercials smell their shampoo. That's how I did it, and that's why it feels so feminine.

Coconut. The shampoo smells just the way Emma's hair always smelled, as long as I can remember. Is she still using the same shampoo? Nothing like how Ellie's hair smells though. Her's smells like... Like... This isn't good. It makes me glad I'm not a poet, writing poetry that describes El, or something.

I grab some soap and rub it into the washcloth, creating a nice lather. It smells kind outdoorsy. I can tell it's not Emma's, even if she spent a lot of time outside, she still never smelled like outside. She smelled like coconuts all around. Just as I think that, I notice the bottle of coconut body wash. She still must smell like coconuts.

After I dry up, and get my clothes on and everything, I take a quick look around the bathroom. I notice the tooth brush rack, with four tooth brushes. A purple one, a green one, a red one, and a blue one. That doesn't quite add up, there's three of them... I would say one is Jack's, but he doesn't even have teeth yet. Even if he did, he wouldn't need a tooth brush that big. I notice yet another note.

Sean,
I also got you a tooth brush.

Cool. I hope it's the blue one.

It's the red one.

- Spike

Damn.

I walk back downstairs, Emma's not in the kitchen anymore. I pass by the empty kitchen with my dirty laundry. I walk down to the basement, or Emma's room, whatever. I noticed a washing machine and a fryer down there.

There she is, laying on her bed, staring at her ceiling. It makes me wonder what's up there, but I let the thought go. I have no reason to take interest in anything she's doing. It's just Emma, right? I place my dirty laundry in an empty laundry basket.

I look around Emma's room, I didn't get a good look at it last night. For all I know, there could be something remotely interesting on her ceiling... I don't know. When I get to the night stand next to her bed, I stop, and stare at her clock. Slowly, I begin to glare at it.

I hate alarm clocks, now. I hate them.

"Do you always keep your alarm clock under your mattress?"

She smirks. I swear, it's rather smug looking. But she doesn't speak a word.

"Do you know how long it took me to find it?"

Nothing.

"It took me 5 mintues."

She scoffs, and you can hear the cockiness within her voice. "It took you that long?"

And now she's insulting me. I don't know which I prefer, her being quiet, or her insulting me.

"I thought you'd find it in at least two minutes. Funny."

It's the first morning, and already I'm annoyed to be staying with her.

"You think you could find it quicker than me?"

She sits up and looks right at me.

"I think I could."

"Alright, then. Give a minute to hide it."

I get up and grab the alarm clock, and begin to walk up the stairs. Emma put her hands over her eyes.

"Fine, but only one minute."

She then proceeds to count out loud. I wonder how long she'll keep up with that. I already know exactly where I'm gonna put it. She's at five by the time I've raced up the stairs. I run through the living room, and straight up the stairs. I get to the end of the hall, and pull open the closet door.

It's a lot bigger than I thought it could be. I could hide in there if I felt like it. But, just as I expected, it was filled with towels. ...And presents? That throws me for a loop, until I remember. It's December. Christmas is coming up, pretty quickly. I spaced out for a few seconds, until I remembered I have a dead line. Who knows how fast she's counting. I set the alarm to go off in one minute,shove the clock under a pile of towels, and shut the door, quietly.

I run back down stairs, through the living room, past the kitchen, and down in to the basement. Just in time to hear her say, "Sixty." She uncovers her eyes, and looks at me. Did she really keep her eyes covered? Or... Had she heard me and wanted to make it seem that way? Whatever. No time to ponder on that. We do have to be at school pretty soon.

"Alright, I'm going now."

She stands up, stretches, and begins walking up the stairs. I follow her, curious to see how off her guesses would be. I expect her to stop at the top of the stairs and wait a little longer. Instead, she goes right through the kitchen, past the living room, and up the stairs.

She walks past the bathroom. Past Jack's room. Past her parent's room. Right as we step in front of the closet, I hear a faint beeping noise. She opens the door, and pulls the clock out.

"Less than a minute."

I'm honestly in shock. How did she know?

"Am I right?"

I don't know what to say. I nod, slowly.

"H-How did you know?"

She smiles at me. It's a sad smile. The very kind I always faked for Mom and Dad when I was little.

"That's where everybody always hides things."