Disclaimer: I still own nothing. :( Boo. Well, I own the OCs.
A/N: Updating the second day in a row? Yeeaaah, baby. :) Well, I will put a bit of a warning to this chapter...it's pretty bad. Again, thanks for all the support for this FF, I am very thankful for it. And just another reminder, I start school on Wednesday. I will post tomorrow just so I don't leave you incase I have no writing time until like Friday or something...I'll know more tomorrow. Anyway, enjoy the update. :)
-Charity's POV-
Sleep is a good thing. A very good thing, actually, so why can't I seem to close my eyes and go off into dreamland? I'm lying awake at two in the morning, while the others are asleep, stuck in this trance of…nothingness. "Sheep…one…two," I mutter, rolling my eyes. "That never works."
Getting up, I sit in front of the window, watching the now lower rolls of thunder, the light rain coming down on the drenched, muddy ground. The woods look menacing around the house, the gnarly branches looking as if they were reaching out, trying to grasp something. I shake the thought from my head, and then search for my iPod.
After finding it, I sit back in the window and put it on shuffle. Sixpence None the Richer's 'Kiss Me' plays first, the lead singer's soft voice singing the lyrics softly, her voice perfect for the melody, which is very soothing.
"I see I'm not the only one who can't sleep," a voice whispers in my ear, immediately the tone sending chills up and down my spine. Biting my lip, I refuse to answer the person. "C'mon, I'm really not that bad, please don't ignore me," he continues, sighing. "Charity, this isn't fair, you know…"
"What isn't fair, Shannon?" I ask back coldly. "The fact that I keep telling you no and to leave me alone, and yet you keep taunting me and bugging me. Don't you get it, leave me alone."
He looks at me, eyes sparkling in the dim light. "You don't want that," he whispers, moving closer, touching my thigh. I can smell the sour scent of puke on him, his mouth very close to my neck. "You know you don't want that, why bother pushing away something you know you like, Charity?"
I bite my lip harder, and squeeze my eyes tightly shut, wishing him away. Why are the butterflies back in my stomach and dancing around? No, go away, butterflies, I don't like you butterflies. "Shannon, leave, you're drunk."
"I am not," he replies. "It's been three and a half hours since I've had a beer, Charity. Stop making this harder. Why won't you tell me what's really going on?" I take the chance of looking at him, to which I see his stunning eye color right away. His facial expression is hurt and confused, and he's looking at me with a deep aurora.
"There is nothing going on," I say curtly. "Why don't you get that?" I look away, allowing my eyes to rest on the pool and try my best to wish Shannon away. Gone, gone, gone, I wanted him gone from my room. Why didn't he understand? I'd given him the points early today, so why is he still not getting it? I hear him sigh, faint in my ears, like he is frustrated.
"I don't get you," he mumbles, and gets up. "Really, Charity. I'm not some monster that's going to hurt you." I can feel him burning his eyes into my back. I close my gray eyes and hold them shut, wishing everything to go away. "I just…I figured…" he trails off.
"Leave," I whisper, and open one eye. "Just leave, Shannon. Do something right and leave."
He goes to, but I hear his bare feet squeak on the wood, assuming he's flipped around. "What do you mean, do something right?" he asks, voice shallow. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Charity?"
"You'd know if you were doing it," I tell him, voice icy. "Leave."
"Fine, I will." I hear the door close behind him, leaving me alone in the guestroom. Something is wrong though, I can feel it. Lightening cracks like a firework in the distance, temporarily lighting the sky with its power. Something is very wrong.
Well, it's day four in the morning. I can hear Shannon and Beth arguing in the kitchen downstairs…at least something sounds right. I can't figure out what's the matter with me. Ever since last night, I've just had this bad feeling, and I can't shake it. Maybe it's because little miss Velvet Sky went all 'beautiful people' on me last night and fully embarrassed me in front of everyone…but I can't help but think that's not it, you know? It's still pouring, and the thunder is horrible. Lights are still out and without that, a lot of things are bound to go wrong. Beth can't have her coffee (black with a lot of sugar) and that's going to make her more irritable with everyone, including Shannon (which, let's not even get into him) who despite his stupid hangover is driving everyone that's up crazy. I can't straighten my hair without the electricity, so if I shower, my hair is gonna go poof!
This isn't going to be a…oh my God, that's it! Penn never called me…oh fuck. I need to go check my phone…
Quicker than I've moved in a long time, I slam the notebook shut and scan the room for my cell phone. Where is it? I think, throwing around the pillows on my bed, tossing everything onto the floor, in hopes of seeing my silver phone. Where is it? Running into the bathroom, I search every available surface, hoping to find it and see a message from Penn. Why didn't he call me?
"Whoa, what's happened in – hey, what's the matter, Char?" Matt asks, coming into my room, a cup of milk in hand. He looks around, surveying the damage I've made to my room, eyes falling on my frantic face. He sets down the mug, and comes over, hugging me. "What happened?"
"My phone…have you seen my phone?" I croak, breaking free of his warm hug, which I would have welcomed happily any other time. No, this is serious. Penn never forgets to call me. "Ineedmyphone. Mybrothermighthavecalledme!" I push the words into one sentence, jogging over to my bags, and digging through them.
"What? No…I haven't seen your phone. Did you leave it downstairs?" he asks me carefully, eyebrows raised. He has no idea how serious this is to me. My eyes light up at his suggestion, and push my way out of the mess I've made of the guestroom, moving down the stairs faster than Michael Phelps's swimming speed, eyes gazing over the living room. "Charity?" Matt asks, following me.
I run through the room, hearing Beth and Matt talking from behind me. "What's going on with her?" Beth asks, her voice slightly amused by my frazzled look.
"She can't find her cell. Something about her brother…" Matt answers, trailing off, as I collapse onto the couch, and try to resist the tears that are forming in my eyes. "Hey, Charity…"
Beth looks at me, eyes full of worry. She knows about Penn…she realizes who seriously worried I am. Matt is curious more than anything…he doesn't know too much of what is going on. "Charity," Beth says, placing a hand on Matt's chest to keep him from coming to me. "Here, use my phone, call him." She hands me her phone and smiles weakly. "I'm sure everything is fine."
"I'll think that when I hear his voice," I reply weakly, and taking the phone into my shaking hands. Opening it, I see a picture of her and Jeff kissing as the background. Any other time I would have totally swooned and smiled widely, but, now, Penn is much more important.
Finally, I dial the number I know by heart, and wait for the ringing. God, the feeling. This is the feeling I couldn't shake. Ring. Ring. Ring. FAREAKING RING. Why isn't anyone answering?
"Hello?" a voice I don't recognize answers.
"Hi? Um…I'm looking for Penn? This is his sister, Charity," I say shakily.
"Hunny? It's mommy. Why didn't you answer your phone last night, we tried calling you many times," she says, her voice a dull whisper. I know immediately something is wrong.
"I'm sorry, mom…I lost my phone. Mommy…" I start, eyes filling with tears, knowing why her voice was the way it was. I never call my mother mommy. "Where is Penn?" She chokes back a sob, slight cries escaping from her mouth, sad sounds I hated hearing. "Mom?"
"Hunny…they put him on the ventilator last night to help him breathe. He couldn't breathe, and then he slipped into a coma. They aren't sure why it happened, but it could be his liver shutting down from the chemo. They say he only has a couple hours left," she whispers, holding back more cries.
"I'm coming home," I say, tears falling freely down my face. "I'll be there as soon as I can." I look at Beth and Matt. Matt's mouth is nearly on the floor, and Beth herself have tears in her eyes.
"Okay," she whispers. "I'll see you soon. Hurry though, we don't know how much longer…" I nod, and hung up, even though she can't see me.
Shannon and Jeff come in seconds later, as I'm sobbing hard and cold. Everyone is watching me, eyes wide with sympathy and sadness. "I-I n-need to g-go h-home, m-my b-brother i-is d-dying," I stutter. "Now."
The look on Beth's face worsens. "Hunny…you can't fly home. The airports are closed because of the storm…it would take at least eight hours in the car…how long does he have?" she asks, a tear slipping down her face.
I go to stand up, but find my knees buckling on the ground. Before I can find something, I fall, my body twisting in different directions. Shannon and Jeff run over, helping me up, eyes wide. "I c-can't get…home?" I ask, my voice tiny. "I can't get home to my brother in time…a couple hours max…"
"Oh, hunny," Beth says, and runs over to me, crying too. "Call your mother back…see if there is any way…" she whispers, opening the phone and hitting redial.
"Mommy? The airports are closed…we're in a bad storm…no, it's not going to go away all day…I…I can't g-get h-home," I say, sobbing, my voice hiccupping with each word I speak. Matt, Jeff, and Shannon are all standing a few feet away, faces sad and scared. "No…it would take forever to drive…put the phone to his ear…I, NO I don't care what the d-doctor says, h-he can go s-shove it up his ass! Put the phone to Penn's ear…I know he can hear me…" I whisper. I hear the phone shuffle and hear my mother say 'go ahead.' "Penn? It's Char…I…I love, you, Penn. I love you more than I love anyone else…I can't be there with you, because I'm living our dream…it's amazing, Penn. I'm spending time with some of the most amazing people on this Earth. I know you must be proud of me, I know it. I wanted to be able to share this with you, to be able to laugh over the pictures and videos I've taken…to give you their autographs…this isn't fair Penn, why are you leaving now? Why didn't you tell me that your liver was bad…why did you let me go to this knowing that this could happen?" I ask, sobbing harder than I ever had before. Beth and everyone are watching me, tears slipping down their faces. "I just want to be with you right now…but I can't. I…I love you, more than you know, this wasn't supposed to happen, Penn. We were supposed to grow old together…I," I stop when something goes off, a loud shrieking sound. My mother begins yelling than, and I hear the doctors come running in. "I LOVE YOU PENN!" I scream, as the phone goes back to my mother's sobs. I hear my father in the background, asking what is going on, his voice shrill.
"Mr. and Mrs. Burns…I'm afraid your son is gone," a man's voice says. "He signed a DNR order when he entered the hospital…so that's all we can do. I'm terribly sorry." Before I completely lose anything I feel, I close the phone and bury my head into my hands, just as everyone swarms around me.
"NO!" I shriek, as Matt wraps around me, eyes teary. "No, Penn!" I hear myself screaming, but I still feel numb just as my world goes dark and I pass out.
I apologize for killing Penn, but that is something I've been planning since the beginning of the story. It all ties in later in the story...well, thanks again for the readings and reviews...send another my way. :) Updating: tomorrow. :)