Chapter 15

As a mother, Danielle had learned over the years how to do a lot of things. She had always been resourceful even when she was a kid, but raising her own children had added a whole new arsenal to her repertoire of quick thinking. She could apply bandaids and kiss away the pain of a sidewalk scrape. She could bake cookies on a rainy afternoon to chase away a gloomy, dreary day. She could check under the bed and in closets for night-time monsters, and read bedtime stories that lulled little ears to sleep.

One thing she had yet to learn to do was mend broken hearts - more specifically her sister's.

She had wanted to chase after Annie when she fled the living room, driven by a need to console her, and at the same time shake some sense into that stubborn head of hers. Danielle could tell that Annie carried something around with her, whether they were memories, regrets, or both. Whatever it was, though, Annie refused to let it go. Even Danielle knew that you could only carry burdens on your shoulders for so long before the weight of them crushed you. Moving forward was impossible if you let the past tie you down completely, and Annie was currently anchored to whatever haunted her because of it.

Eyal, however, had held up his hand to stop her. And in her heart she knew he was right to.

Danielle felt helpless watching Annie struggle to stay afloat in the ocean of misery that was swallowing her whole, unable to throw her a life line because she had no idea where she would even start to chase the monsters from Annie's head. But as a mother, Danielle also knew you had to let your loved ones fight their own battles from time to time. Even with the best intentions, it was impossible to save everyone, and sometimes you had to learn to save yourself first.

So she settled for waiting. Patience was never her strong suit, but she was willing to compromise for Annie. For now at least. Big sisters never let little sisters off the hook entirely.

She found herself watching Auggie, still seated at the table, but with headphones removed and in the act of closing his laptop. He seemed thoughtful, a little closed off to the others in the kitchen, as if he'd pulled himself into an interior room of his own. He was the other puzzle piece in the conundrum that was her little sister's life, the one constant who was always there for her, and yet their relationship seemed more strained now than it had ever been. The gaping chasm between the two of them was obvious to Danielle, yet Auggie and Annie behaved as if it wasn't there at all.. Maybe they were choosing not to acknowledge it, maybe they were in denial. Either way something had to give, Danielle just prayed it gave soon, before the fracture between the two of them set permanently. She wasn't sure her sister could ever heal if it did.

Auggie stood up then, startling her out of her reverie, and grabbed his laptop. "I think I'm going to go and work on the couch for a bit". He stretched his back, and grinned. "My body's reminding me that this isn't exactly my super-ergonomic office chair". He began to make his way around the table and towards the living room.

Danielle started to follow, but Eyal's hand on her arm stopped her. He was looking at her intently, trying to communicate something to her with his eyes.

"I won't join you," he said. "My body's telling me I haven't had enough sleep." He widened his eyes, and nodded slightly at Danielle, motioning towards the door with his head.

"Ah… I think I'm going to turn in early too," she played along. "Good night, Auggie."

"Yup," said the man, turning over his shoulder to smile at her. "Sleep well."

Despite the exhaustion of the days trials beginning to catch up with her, she knew she could not fall asleep, so instead she found herself in the doorway of Eyal's room. The Israeli was already laid out across the small bed, legs crossed, arms behind his head. He seemed to be relaxed, his breathing even, and at the start of their adventure Danielle would have fallen for his guise, but she had grown observant.

"You're not asleep." She announced pointedly, entering the room and taking a seat at he foot of the bed.

"Are you sure?" Eyal questioned, eyes still closed, unmoving. "I was certain this was a dream."

Danielle scoffed and jabbed him in the thigh with her index finger. Eyal winced, opening his eyes with mock irritation.

"Can I ask you a question?" Danielle turned to face him, legs crossed on the bed, elbows on her knees and her chin cradled in her hands.

"Of course." Eyal nodded. "Ask away."

"Will she be ok?" Danielle's words were a whisper, struggling to hide the fear that fueled them. "Will they be ok?"

"Annie and Auggie?"

"Yes."

Eyal, who had not moved since Danielle entered the room, pulled himself up into a sitting position. He and Danielle held one another's gaze for a few moments, and she noted that the previous teasing glint in the Israeli's eyes had darkened to something more sobering and somber. He ran a hand through his already wild and tousled black hair, and then over his face with a sigh, the first hint of weariness she had ever seen from him.

"There's a saying," Eyal chuckled softly, "Two mountains can't come together, but two people can."

"Which means what?" Still not following, she continued to look at him with raised eyebrows and a slightly confused, glazed-over stare. She knew there was something behind what he was telling her, but her sleep deprivation was beginning to cloud her emotional and logical reasoning. Eyal grinned, patting Danielle's leg reassuringly before laying back down on the bed and returning to the same state she had found him in just moments before- eyes closed, feigning sleep

"It means there is always a way for people to find common ground." Eyal murmured. "Just give it time."

From the living room the two of them could hear the distinct sound of a duffel bag being unzipped.

The water in the building was either ice cold or scalding hot. Annie chose to endure the latter, letting the spray of the shower bite into her skin and turn it red. She imagined the past few months of her life being washed away, cleansed, until there was nothing left and all she felt was weightlessness. She envisioned floating away from everything, erasing the trail of destruction and misery that seemed to follow her every step, even though history had proven running away from unfortunate events only caused more misfortune. She of all people should have known best, and yet there she stood, still trying to escape the inevitable.

Poised in front of the bathroom mirror, Annie examined her arm and the stitches she should not have gotten wet, but her concern for her own well-being at this point was bordering on nonexistent. Her usual attentiveness to detail was distorted by the indescribable mental fatigue that hung over her like a shadow. It dug it's claws into the last reserves of perseverance she had left, begging for her to give up the fight, clouding her judgement. The fear of the unknown crept up on her, slow moving and suffocating, threatening to pull her under the waves of her own regret and drown her permanently. Only one other occasion in her life had prompted such tormented thoughts, and it had been at Auggie's door, the night Annie Walker returned from the dead.

She had questioned herself then, and she did the same thing now.

This was not the same Annie Walker she remembered from before. That Annie Walker had started this journey with the intentions of protecting her loved ones. Who had thought that by faking her death, she could beat a scorpion at his own game. Who had given up everything because of words like justice, deliverance, and retribution. But instead the journey had turned into a her worst possible nightmare, the scorpion had still stung her despite her most valiant efforts to thwart him, and the words that had been her shield were just as empty sounding despite the gunshot meant to vindicate them. The explosive sound and acidic smell of burning metal still haunted her, a constant echo inside her head.

Annie mournfully examined the image of a war-weary and worn woman that stared back at her. The exhausted and heartbroken eyes of the reflection in the mirror unrecognizable. Was she really as damaged as she felt?

She contemplated acting on impulse and using her fist and smash the glass.

A knock on the shoddy wooden bathroom door stopped her.

She spun around, pulling the towel she had stolen out of her sisters travel bag around herself, eyes narrowed suspiciously. After Annie had abandoned the trio in the kitchen, she had suspected one of them would come calling. It was hardly surprising, given her recent track record for pulling disappearing acts. She briefly tried to gauge how much time she had passed after she had locked herself in the bathroom, and if it had been sufficient enough amount to raise alarm. She also attempted to determine which of the three would be least painful to talk to. But seeing as the options of over-protective sister, pushy Israeli, or estranged lover were hardly ideal, she stood in stubborn, self-imposed silence instead. She expected someone - most likely Danielle - to come barging in at any minute, but when nothing happened, much to her surprise, curiosity got the best of her. She shuffled forward, and cracked open the door.

The hallway was empty, except for a gray, worn Green High School t-shirt, and a pair of gym shorts folded neatly on the floor.

A/N: Yeah, yeah, cliffhangers. I know, I'm sorry. Ok... maybe not! ;)

Love you guys, thanks for all the encouragement and support, and for sticking with me on this crazy, awesome writing journey! Stay posted for more! Oh, and Ashtordiffe, you are an editing GODDESS, that is all.