Dislclaimer: See before chapters.

Open Your Eyes, the World is Calling

Blink

In my life I have many times been scared. When I was little and scared there were monsters in my closet, when I was scared that Carson would come after me next, when I was scared my parents and best friend were indeed dead.

I have many times been scared and of all the times this time certainly was in my top 10.

I was just walking, walking down the street. I was walking slowly when suddenly I was completely surrounded. I tried to move backwards, get away, but only succeeded in bumping into someone. He was a Soc, which surprised me. He grabbed my hair, pulled me back, softly kissed my neck, and pushed me forward.

I was screaming louder than I ever had. I could scream real loud. Seriously almost deafened someone once. "Scared, greasy whore? Maybe if you weren't such a greaser you wouldn't get beat up, then you'd never be scared."

I glared at him. He looked like Carson which made me want to kill him. I was pissed. Just like that I had made the transition from scared outta my mind to completely pissed off. I couldn't take all of these guys. There were five of 'em and I wasn't all that strong. Sure, I could hold my own but I couldn't take on five guys!

I was still scared. I could die and I knew it. No one would be coming to save me. I could be killed or raped or left there to suffer. The sad thing was all I could think of was how Dallas would smirk if he saw me so scared.

Suddenly the guy who was practically on top of me was flung out of my vision and all I could see was a brown blur run past followed by five other figures who started beating up the other Socs. I ran over to a wheelchair which sat on the side: Johnny Cade's. I knew then who it was and I almost laughed because of what I'd been thinking only a minute before.

So it was that gang with Dallas and the Curtises. I barely knew Johnny but I let him hug me as I sat in his lap on his chair. I was bawling, not something I like to admit. I had a lot of pride. When I got over it I saw who everyone was. And then I realized who the brown blur was: Dallas. Why had he saved me? I was constantly telling him to fuck off when I saw him.

The Socs went off in their car and the rest of the guys came up to me. I had decided to sit on the ground since I didn't want Johnny getting any ideas, even in my desperation. I never could get my mind on the important stuff. It was a curse I'd had since I was a kid.

Ponyboy came up to me and ask me if I was alright.

I smiled politely and nodded. This was the dreamy kid Cherry was always talking about. I didn't really get along with dreamy kids. The funny looking kid with the sideburns who hadn't ever introduced himself came up too. He introduced himself as Two-Bit Mathews. He was the clown of the group, I could tell when instead of shaking my hand he lifted me up into a huge hug.

An anti-social, angry looking guy was standing next to Sodapop. He interested me, as most people do. I was a writer back then and I was interested by this group. They were all so different. Darrel, the father figure, Two-Bit, the clown, Sodapop, everyone's best friend, Dally, the bad egg, Johnny, the pet, Ponyboy, the dreamy kid who was a little bit of everyone. And then there was this kid, who I later knew to be Steve, the mechanic and Sodapop's best friend.

I walked right up to him and stuck my hand out for him to shake it. He simply stared at it at first and then took it to shake. I smiled approvingly.

"Thanks for coming and getting me, you guys." It really had meant a lot to me. Nobody ever saved my life except for Caleb. How could so many things remind me of him, of all of them? I just wanted them to be back. I couldn't laugh without thinking it isn't right and stopping. And it was ALL my fault.

When I got back to the Valance house I knew something was wrong. I always knew when some'n was wrong right away even if everyone was smilin' the whole time. I couldn't remember things good and I didn't know a lot but I knew what I know, all right. It's like the something bad feeling is in the atmosphere.

I stared at my cousin who was softly hugging her little sister, Kathleen.

"What's wrong?" I was shaking and tears had filled my eyes. The always reading Caradog wasn't there.

"It's Caradog," Cherry answered, "He's in the hospital."

"Oh my baby, my poor poor baby. Cherry can't you take me there, please? Because you love me forever and always, please. I need to see him. I need to see my little brother." At this point I was plainly bawling.

She did end up driving me there and I ran in faster than I'd ever run before and I wasn't too fast. I ran up to the desk, squishing my boobs into the counter.

"My brother, Caradog Rowley, what's wrong with 'im?"

"He's sick, miss. He's sick. You can go in and see him if you want to. Room 212, just down the hall." And I quickly walked into that room and the sight that I saw made my heart break.

Caradog was lying there on the bed, deathly pale. I was crying and I covered my mouth. His green eyes were barely open and his dark hair was lying over his forehead in sweaty wisps. My auntie and uncle were sitting in chairs next to him.

"Caradog, my baby. Are you okay? What happened hunny?"

"I collapsed. Becca, I have cancer. I have cancer. I'm gonna die." Caradog was always sensible and he never worried or was scared. Even on the night of the murders he was the one who remembered to call the fuzz. He was always calm. I was always the nervous wreck but today Caradog looked frightened beyond belief.

"It's gonna be okay, baby, I promise. I promise," I whispered. But in my head I was saying, "I can't lose you too…" My aunt and uncle had left the room. I was moving the wisps of hair off of his forehead. I slowly kissed the palm of his hand.

"He never loved me. My dad, I mean. Mama only named me after him because she was like that. She was always really nice, wasn't she? Even when Carson when off the rails she was always so concerned about him. I loved that about her." It was funny how these are the things I said I always hated about her. She always defended Carson and I could never really understand why she took his side. Or why she loved me less.

"You know," he commented, "We all thought you and Caleb would get married when you were older. He loved you in every way possible and it killed him you couldn't see that, but he never loved you any less."

I hadn't ever known that Caleb loved me. "Caradog, kid, you're the wisest 13-year-old I know. You're smarter'n me and I'm 17."

"Never. You're so much smarter and you have no idea. You get things a lot deeper than me. And you know things that no one ever does. Plus, you're the only person I know who says that whole thing about the Socs and greasers and why they're different. And you accepted mom and dad's deaths before I ever did. I still don't and here I am dying myself."

"Don't say that, Caradog. You ain't allowed to die. You were always more of a brother'n Carson ever was. I love you, kid." His eyes softened, out of their usual cold and factual mood.

"I love you too. I don't have much longer. Only a month and then I'll probably die. I'm not strong like you are. I can't make it through this."

The remaining time I had with Caradog was the shortest time in my life and it killed me.

uma- Aw thank you. I've never rocked socks before hehe.

Gena-Curtis-Scott- Haha don't worry when people actually like this story I wouldn't dare end it. Something very special is gonna be said from OTH in the last chappie. See if you can pick it up!;)

SodapopandDallyareMINEZ- I feel so proud of myself for guessing that! Woot, aren't I awesome? I have a feeling all the books are connected but I can't figure out how Rumble Fish is. Do you know? And I'm rewriting it because I just wasn't happy with it anymore. I hated my writing at the end there so I'm going to fix it.

XoXoXOutsiderChickXoXoX- Thanks. Dally/Becca forever, girl!