Chapter 24

Xanthippes

First off, let me explain the title of this chapter: 'Xanthippe' means 'an ill-tempered woman', which is what all our girls are feeling, as well as being the name of Socrates' wife (so shout out to Xavier and Cupid for Greek wisdom…?). Lemme tell you how hard it was to find a name for this chapter. It. Was. Hard. Originally I was just gonna name it 'Xavier' then I was like 'NAH BOI' so I didn't.

ALSO FROM EVERYONE I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR, FROM NOW ON IN EVERY CHAPTER, YOUR FAVOURITE QUOTE OR PART FROM SAID CHAPTER…IT WOULD HELP IMMENSELY AS AN AUTHOR.

Response to reviews!

LaurenRiverSister: Not weird at all. If you didn't sympathise, you'd be a psychopath. Cupid is more broken than twisted. And her actions come with consequences!

chica-flick: Dry out those tears and get ready for more angst! This chapter will target angst, angst, more angst, sprinkled with sadness and served with a side of tears. Good luck! Thanks for reviewing! :)

princess mh: I have never gone through such a thing, and that is quite a private matter to be sharing on a review page available to the public eye, so I congratulate your bravery on getting through such a difficult stage! If you need to talk, I will be here!

CreativeWritingSoul: Luckily for me, I have never lost a loved one and therefore never been to a funeral. I don't know what a funeral is like! But I am glad you liked it! Angst is my go-to, for sure!

Guest: There is always more! There will be a few more chapters after this!

JordyCakes1203: I understand where your hatred is coming from, but please allow me to steer the ship.

XxGalaxyUnicornLovexX: Same as JordyCakes1203's review. Thanks for being a loyal review, favouriter and follower. It's always appreciated! :)

Without further ado, I present you…

—

Cerise pressed her lips together and held Raven's hair back as the now-widow threw up into the toilet bowl. Raven shakily stood up and was fussed around by Maddie, Briar, and Cerise.

"I don't even understand why…" she muttered. "I've never been this sick."

"Grief does terrible things, love," Briar responded. "When my dad passed away, I got the stomach flu for two weeks!" Everyone winced at the thought.

"I miss him," Raven whispered, closing her eyes, looking helpless.

The three surrounding her were unsure what to say. Suddenly, Raven's eyes popped open, and Cerise helped her over to the toilet, where she continued puking.

"I feel terrible," she sobbed.

"Poor darling," Briar fussed. Cerise helped Raven to the couch downstairs. Maddie and Briar stayed to clean up.

"Why do terrible things always have to happen to us?" Raven murmured, turning her head to the ground. "It's like bad luck is following us everywhere." She sighed a long breathy sigh, and drank some nausea-curing tea that Madeline had brewed before.

"I agree," Cerise nodded. "Where's Ashlynn?"

"She went off to buy something from the chemist's," Raven responded. "I think she has a fever. She's also vomiting a lot. I hope I haven't spread anything nasty to her."

"The stomach flu is going around these months," Briar said, entering the room. "I'd be surprised if the rest of us didn't get sick either."

"I know," Maddie said, sounding deflated.

Ashlynn walked in through the door with a plastic bag. "Good morning, everyone," she greeted. "Raven, are you alright?"

Raven nodded. "What have you got there?"

"Some aspirin for all our headaches we've been getting…a new organic shampoo and some nausea-relieving pills, among other things," replied the strawberry blonde. "How is everyone feeling?"

"I feel like nothing in this world can make me happy, even Reece," Cerise groaned, sinking down on the couch. "It's like there's a big weight on me, that I can't lift off. I feel so sad all the time, and I'm not even sure why." She rubbed her temples and leant back on Raven, who stroked her hair.

"I suppose I'm okay," Briar said. "I think I've been through enough heartbreak. And, Raven, it's great of you to let us stay at your house for I don't know how long…"

Raven waved it off. "I need company. Without…" she paused. "Without…him, I feel so lonely all the time."

Maddie nodded. "I feel terrible and depressed. I feel like all the happiness is distributed to you from me, because I am so happy all the time. But now I'm not, so who will distribute the happiness now?" she sighed. "Sometimes I wish…I wish that when I went bunjee jumping with Humphrey, the rope could have snapped."

"Please don't say that, Maddie," Ashlynn begged. "Three deaths are bad enough. We can't lose you. You're our little ray of sunshine."

"Am I now?" Madeline asked. She paused, thinking this through. "No, I think I'd still like to be Humphrey's tea leaves."

"Maddie's right," Ash said. "If all else fails, we still have our men." She gasped, realising how insensitive she sounded to Raven's plight. "Oh, I-I'm sorry…"

"It's alright," the widow answered tiredly. "I think I'll go take a nap…I didn't sleep well last night." She trudged up to her bedroom. The others watched mournfully.

"Everything's changed now," Cerise said. "It's as if a big sad cloud of sadness decided to come rain on our picnic."

"Like we're in a wallowing deep pit that we can never climb out of," Ashlynn added, shaking her head slowly.

"What can ever help us?" Maddie muttered. "Look at all our problems. Dexter, your two daughters - or the closest you can get - [she gestured to Ashlynn] are all gone. Reece has been hospitalised, Raven and Ashlynn are sick, and everyone else has a terrible migraine." She sniffled. "Oh, dear. I think I am going to leak."

Everyone leaked then. Indeed, they did. Their eyes and hearts leaked out sorrow and despair and helplessness. They felt so very helpless.

"Whatever will we do?" Ashlynn sighed. "I'm pretty sure everyone here is nauseous and sick and terrible. I feel that not even money and love can help us now." She wiped away her tears and sat down beside Briar.

"What we need is hope," Briar said. She had not spoken until now, which was unusual. "Hope and peace. We need a sword to conquer all our inner demons. We need peace. Especially Raven."

They sat there in silence, each feeling their own pity and terror and maybe, just a little flutter of hope.

—

"Xavier?" Blondie asked, putting a hand on her twin's arm. "You've been quiet all morning."

Xavier turned to Blondie, eyes wet. "Do you think I'm dumb?"

"Why would I think that?"

"Because I'm autistic."

"That's ridiculous," she huffed, putting her arms around her brother. "Where did you get such an idea?"

He didn't answer. "Blondie…tomorrow…do you think I could visit the police station and ask to see a prisoner?"

"Xavier?" Blondie said, heart beating frantically. "Why? Who? Where? When? How?"

"I know a person…who I thought I knew…and…they are in prison now."

"Prison? What have they done?"

"That's what I would like to know."

They sat there in silence. "Blondie…do you think evil people exist?"

"Evil? There's no such thing as evil. Every terrible action has a reason behind it. Perhaps fueled by cruelty, but a reason nonetheless."

Xavier nodded. Blondie worried.

They sat there each thinking their own thoughts.

—

Cupid felt tears flood her eyes. Seeing her father, looking hurt, terrible, tired, messy, and disappointed on the other side of the glass made her heart ache. She picked up the reciever. "D-Dad?" she managed.

"Chariclo Arganthone Cupid…" Eros said, frowning. "What have you done to land yourself here? Didn't I always teach you that love should conquer anger and vengeance and hate? Eighteen years of bringing you up going to waste! Really, Chariclo Arganthone!"

"I-I'm sorry…" Cupid stammered, tears dripping down. "I was being foolish and stupid. I love you dad, I really do."

Eros softened. "I love you too, but…this is just unacceptable! What happened—wait, no, I don't want to hear it." He paused. "I need to go now. I'm late for a meeting." Cupid shook her head wildly. "Goodbye, my daughter."

"Dad!" Cupid screamed, watching him leave. "Dad! Please, Dad!" She banged on the glass until her knuckles bled. She sobbed again. "DAD!"

But no one was there to hear her.

She had never felt more helpless.

—

Reece woke up to see an angel staring down at him surrounded by white walls and white sheets. "Oh, man," he mumbled. "I'm dead."

"No you're not," sighed the angel, who was wearing a waitress's outfit and had a very messy ponytail. The angel was Cerise. Obviously.

"Cerise! Hi!" he greeted.

"Are you okay?" Cerise asked softly. Reece 'mm-hmm'-ed a yes and tried to turn his body, but thanks to the various tubes and wires and whatnot connected to him, he could not.

"How long do you have?" she asked, looking miserable and worried.

"Good question," said Reece.

"You can't leave me now, baby," said Marcia from the other side of the bed. "You're the only family I have left."

"Please don't get emotional, Cia. I'm going to be fine," Reece reassured, looking a little uncertain. He winced, feeling a sudden sharp pain in his chest.

"Reece, are you okay?" Cerise flurried.

"Yes," he half-lied.

Marcia wiped away a tear. "Oh, this is beautiful. The waitress and her leukamia-diagnosed employer's brother. A classic romance. Unless he dies. Then of course, that's more Shakespearian."

"Way to get my hopes up," said Reece.

"I'll leave you two to your coupley talk," Marcia grinned. "Don't get up to anything to nasty. As much as I would love a little niece or nephew…"

"Thank you! Bye!" Reece interrupted.

They were left alone.

"So," Cerise started.

They looked at one another.

"I…will you be able to live long enough?" she managed. At his blank face, she continued, "everyone is a broken shell of themselves, Reece. Everyone I know. I just want you to stay with me, because I don't have anyone else." She paused. "I feel like we've lost everyone. The happy Maddie is gone, the carefree Briar is gone, the loving Raven is gone. It's just…you know."

"Everyone will change, won't they?" Reece responded.

"Please don't," Cerise muttered.

Twenty minutes later, when Doctor Jordan walked back in, she saw Cerise curled up against Reece, both sound asleep. Yet she did not care to wake them. Maybe they could stay inside their beautiful dream world a bit longer, away from the harsh light of reality.

—

Daring, dressed in a clean black tuxedo and holding an armful of white liles, kneeled in front of his brother's gravestone.

"Dex?" he asked, crying quietly. He lay the flowers down and bowed his head.

"Dexter, I've disappointed you so much. I can't believe you even wanted to be related to me after what I've done. I've been a bastard, a brute, to Cerise and Briar and all the others. I'm just an idiot. I'm a pig." He sighed, brushing his hands across Dexter's gravestone.

"It's just…listen," he paused. "You're smart, witty, caring and generous. Everything I'm not. And I thought I could cover that up with my handsomeness. Let me tell you something. When I talked to Cerise, she told me that only thing beautiful about our relationship was my face. And she's right. You know Dex, it hurt. It really hurt to be compared to you all the time when we were younger. And I-I just thought that hurting other people would distract me from my hurt. There's nothing special about me, Dexter. Nothing at all."

He wiped his face with his handkerchief. "Before you…passed…we had an argument. Dex, I didn't mean anything I said in that argument. I didn't. I was jealous of your perfect world and perfect job and perfect life. Everything you achieved, you achieved fairly through patience and hard work. Me? I'm just…a moron. I was so jealous I said all those dumb and hurtful things. I just want to take back all those things I said about you. I didn't intend to hurt you, Dexter. I…" he gave a loud sob, interrupting his own words.

"I didn't get to tell you before you left, Dex, but…I love you. More than I can say. Even though it doesn't seem like it. I know it's hard to believe, but I really adore you. You're my younger brother. You're my best friend." He choked back another sob. "I didn't have the chance to say that. I should have swallowed my pride and just told you straight. I'm so sorry you had to pass away without knowing if your older brother loved you or not."

He shook his head. "You know what? I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for fucking life up. I'm sorry for hurting Cerise. I'm sorry for disappointing you and Mother and Father and Darling. I'm sorry I was so selfish. I wish I had taken that poison instead of you. I deserve to die, not you. You were too good for life to bear, Dex. Too good. Maybe so good Life couldn't handle you."

His heart ached. It ached because he had lost his best friend.

And it ached because he would never hear Dexter saying, 'I forgive you'.