Chapter Six: Coughs

Unlike Troy and Emma, Noah had been able to find some sort of information, yet Emma felt it wasn't enough. During lunch she made sure to sit next to Noah, earning a curious look from Gia. While the others were distracted she leaned over, making sure only Noah could hear her.

"What does it mean?" Noah looked at her confused, then realization hit him.

He shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not sure."

"You didn't find anything else?"

He shook his head. "All I know is it has something to do with a claw."

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. "A claw?" Noah nodded. She noticed Gia looking her way and slowly began to move away from Noah.

Other than the fact that the drawing looked like a claw, she couldn't think of any other way it could lead her to something else.

"Emma?" Her head snapped up. She had forgotten where she was, having become lost in her thoughts. When she looked up, she saw all her friends looking at her.

"Sorry. What did you say?"

"I said Tensou might have found a way to finally contact Orion. We're going to head to the base afterschool. Are you coming?" Jake asked.

"I can't. I'm watching Matt." She was a bit disappointed she couldn't go but she couldn't cancel on Taylor.

"I'll ask Tensou to find a way to send the signal your way," Jake told her.

Emma smiled. "Thanks, Jake." She got up. "I'll be right back." She started to walk away. She heard footsteps echoing behind her as she made her way down the hallway. She turned around to see Gia running to catch up to her.

"We need to talk," Gia said to her once she had gotten closer.

"About what?"

"You and Noah."

"What is there to talk about?"

"Emma, do you like Noah?" Emma began to laugh. "It's not funny."

"You know we're just friends."

"Do I? I don't think I really know you anymore." Gia said crossing her arms.

"What are you talking about?" Emma frowned.

"Lately you've been so secretive. You always tell me everything." Gia pointed a finger at her. "And don't you dare say it's not true."

Emma bit her lip. She didn't know what to say. Gia couldn't know, she had promised Troy she'd keep his secret. "I've just been really tired. With school and looking after Matt, I haven't been getting as much sleep as I would like."

Gia looked at her for a long while, as if debating what to say. "Tired? That's the best you could come up with?" With that Gia turned around, heading in the direction she had come.

Emma called out to her, but Gia didn't stop.

In the middle of his last class, Jake had a gotten a text from his brother, telling him to head home straight after school. He'd asked if something was wrong but hadn't received a reply. He let the others know he wouldn't be able to make it and to go on without him.

He had just put the key through the lock when he heard a loud crash come from inside the house. He rushed to open the door, fumbling with the keys. Finally managing to get it open he let his things fall to the ground and run up the stairs.

He was greeted by the sight of his brother helping his mother up back into bed. "What happened?"

"Nothing, honey." His mother replied, coughing.

His brother looked at him. "She fell trying to get to the bathroom." Then he motioned for Jake to step out of the room, closing the door behind them. "I took her to the doctor's today." He began. "It's gotten a lot worse, Jake."

"How bad?" Jake felt his heart drop. His mother was everything to him. She was the one who had first introduced soccer to him. Just like him, she loved it. When she became sick, it had become difficult to keep playing. He knew how much it hurt her to not be able to kick the ball around for more than a couple of seconds before feeling tired.

His brother didn't answer. He couldn't even look at him. "Leo, how bad?"

"It's terminal." Jake could feel his heart breaking. His eyes were watering. He grabbed his head in his hands, squeezing his palms into his eye. He tried to hold back the tears.

When his mother had first been diagnosed with cancer, he felt scared. Scared that he could lose her. Now he was terrified. Terrified because he knew he would lose her. It felt as if his whole world was crumbling around him.

"How long?" He asked. He could feel the tears streaming down his cheeks.

"A couple months."

"Does Dad know?" Leo shook his head no.

"You know he doesn't care." Their father had left when they were young, leaving their mother for another woman. Growing up they had always known where he was. He would send gifts on their birthdays and call the house, asking to talk to them. Their mother would always send the gifts back and hang up the phone whenever it was her who picked up. While Jake had held on hope that one day his father would come back, Leo had never trusted him.

When Leo turned eighteen, he found out that he would inherit a large sum of money when he turned 21. Their grandfather on his mothers' side had left both boys part of his fortune. He had been one of the owners of a soccer club. It was how his mother had fallen in love with the sport, having spent her childhood exposed to it.

Not only had Leo discovered what his grandfather had left him but also that it was the reason their father had tried so hard to win them over after leaving. Their father had hoped to get a share of that inheritance.

Jake nodded. "He can't know."

He could hear his mother's coughs through the door. With every cough he heard, he left as if a piece of her was slowly leaving.

"I should talk to her," Jake told his brother. Leo nodded in agreement. He headed for the door, hoping he wouldn't break down in front of her.