Chapter 2

A week ago, it seemed like a brilliant plan. Now, sitting on board the 757…I'm terrified. Flying Alyson to Florida to stay with Avi and Chloe and get away from Delos was something we both felt was needed and wanted…but the past few days have been giving me mixed signals.

I rub my hands on my knees before asking, "You excited about seeing Avi and Chloe, Aly?"

"Why don't you ask yourself?" Alyson mutters, turning away from me. "You seem to know how I'd feel about things anyway."

I hang my head. "I thought we were on the same page, Aly," I say softly. "You seemed to like the idea when we first talked to them that day." My eyes glance down at her arm, the scars from the day I found her on the floor clearly visible.

"Of course I did," Alyson answers back. "When you basically give me the option of going to Florida with my cousins or going to an asylum, I'm obviously going to pick Florida." She turns to face me, "It's not the first time you've pushed my anxiety thinking you knew what's best." I squeeze my eyes shut and turn away, remembering that night out at the dock. Is that where all this started? I ask myself. "Do you really want to ask that question?" Alyson responds with our Voice.

"Aly," I say, my voice cracking, "where is this coming from? I just want to help you get out of this dark place you're in."

"Yeah, by sending me to the literal opposite end of the country," Alyson growls. "And then proceed to literally fly down with me just to make sure I'm handed off to Avi and Chloe like I'm some child who's going to wonder off if I don't have an 'adult' with me. You have a real funny way of showing you want to help someone." My heart aches as I turn to face the window. The clouds begin to blur as I blink back tears. Does she really mean all of this? I think to myself, careful not to use our Voice. Is this the depression talking? Am I really pushing her away? Does she really resent me? I look back over my shoulder and Alyson still has her body turned away from me. I let out a painful sigh as I rest my head on the side of the plane. My eyelids droop and I let them fall for just a moment.

The jolt of the plane touching down is enough to wake me from slumber. "We're here, sleepyhead," Alyson says with a small smile, but her eyes and the chuckle that follows seem numb. I rub my eyes and look out the window to see the bustling Florida airport.

"Did I really sleep the rest of the flight?" I ask, my mind still groggy.

Alyson nods, "Plus the snoring for part of it." My eyes widen in embarrassment and she smiles, "No judgement though. Getting up at the butt crack of dawn and flying for fifteen plus hours is exhausting. I slept a bit too." The seatbelt light turns off and she unclicks her seatbelt, "And to think you're going to turn around and do this all over again."

"I might have to sleep the next two days," I grumble. "Make Michael wait on me."

"Good luck with that," Alyson says numbly. It's not long before the plane finishes taxiing to the gate and we're allowed off. I groan as I stand and stretch before grabbing Alyson's carry-on and following her off the plane.

As we make our way back from the baggage claim area, I hear a shrill, "Tyler! Alyson!" I look up and see Avi and Chloe practically running up to us. Avi hugs Alyson first as she says, "It's so good to see you!" Alyson simply nods and Avi's face falls. She makes eye contact with me, her eyes showing her concern. Avi releases Alyson and walks over to me. "What's going on?" Avi whispers as she hugs me.

"I don't know," I whisper as I squeeze Avi tight. "It's like I don't even recognize her anymore. I'm scared, Avi."

"We're going to take care of her," Avi whispers. "We'll do everything we can to help her." I nod, squeezing my eyes shut before releasing her.

"Hey there, stranger!" Chloe calls out. She reaches her hand up and I high five her. "Long flight? Cause you look like crap."

"Gee, thanks cuz," I say rolling my eyes. "And I get to turn around and do it all over again."

"I offered to let you stay a couple days to recoup," Avi says with a shrug.

"I know," I sigh, "but I wasn't even supposed to get the days off that I did to fly Aly down. So, I have to head back."

"What time is your flight?" Chloe asks.

I look at my watch, "In a couple of hours." Their eyes widen as I chuckle nervously, "Yeah…I definitely cut it a bit close. I think check-ins have already started."

"Well, I guess you better get going then," Alyson grumbles. My face softens as she makes eye contact with me. I can't get a read on her face. "What are you feeling right now?" I ask her in our Voice. I get no response in return.

"Well have a safe flight!" Avi says. "Text us when you're safely back home."

"Will do," I say. I look at Alyson and walk over to hug her. She wraps her arms around me loosely as I say, "I'll see you soon, okay? Call me every time you get the chance. I love you."

Alyson pauses before saying, "Love you too." She releases me as she walks over to Avi and Chloe. They wave to me as they grab her bag and begin walking toward the exit. As I watch them walk off, all I can feel is a sense of emptiness. Please…do what you can to bring my sister back.

How do I feel about all this? Completely numb. But my thoughts are all over the place. I've rationalized every single aspect of this trip and how I think I should feel about it; excited to see my cousins, anxious to be so far away from home, sad to be away from my brother…or possibly even happy to. But nothing can penetrate the suffocating numbness I feel…and I can't escape the turmoil inside my head.

"So how are things going, Al?" Chloe asks me to snap me back into reality as we walk into the parking lot. "Tyler told us you were thinking of remodeling your house. Have you started yet?"

"Oh yeah," I say, grateful for a concrete concept to talk about. "I haven't done a whole lot. I've gone through some stuff to get rid of and I've started to plan out some things but I haven't started any actual work yet."

"Hey, that's progress!" Avi says with a smile. I feel her eyes on me as if she's studying me before she says, "We've got plenty of HGTV to watch if you need more ideas! Just don't say anything to my mom or she'll pin you down to talk about it for hours."

"She's not wrong," Chloe says laughing. "One time, Avi's friend, Amber, made the mistake of saying she and her fiancé were trying to buy a house and Avi's mom had their budget and found them a house in less than 24 hours!"

"Hey, I might need it though," I say with a small chuckle. "Force me to focus and get everything planned out."

"Alright, but do it at your own risk!" Avi says with a wink. She grabs her key fob and pops the trunk. Chloe hoists my bag into the trunk and slams it shut.

"Want to call shotgun?" Chloe asks as Avi hops in the driver's side to start the car. "You are the oldest! I think Avi insisted on driving just so we couldn't kick her in the backseat."

I muster a small smile. "I'll ride in the back," I mutter. "It's not a big deal."

"You sure?" Chloe says, her eyebrows raised. I feel her eyes almost scan me the same way Avi did. I nod. Honestly, I could do without eyes on me, I think to myself. Chloe shrugs as she opens the passenger side door and I open the door behind her, sliding in behind Chloe's seat.

"So how was the flight?" Avi asks as she pulls onto the main road.

"Way too long," I grumble. "Tyler slept most of the way and I took a short nap but I didn't sleep much." I stare out the car window at the dimming horizon as night starts to fall.

"Well at least it's over and you're here safe!" Avi says. I nod in response. "We should be home in a little over an hour and you can get settled in and get some rest. Summer officially started for me yesterday so we're free to do whatever you want!"

"Wish I could say the same," Chloe says with a groan. "I get to start on Monday cleaning classrooms so we can strip and wax the floors before summer school."

"Are you teaching summer school this year?" I ask, looking up at Avi for a moment.

She shakes her head, "Nope! They're moving me to a new classroom and grade level this year so I don't have the time. I told them I might consider teaching summer school if they would leave me in a classroom longer than a year!" She chuckles before letting out a sigh, "I do have to go set up my classroom once it's been stripped and waxed. Maybe that's something you could help me with? Chloe's going to be busy in other parts of the school so I could use someone tall to help me…and someone creative so I can figure out what the heck I'm doing!" Avi chuckles.

"Yeah, I could do that," I say, giving a small smile. "I could use a creative project that doesn't involve my money being thrown at it."

"Thank God," Chloe says, breathing a sigh of relief, "because otherwise I'd be staying late after working ten hours to help her put up what she needs. You're a life saver." Avi gives Chloe a small shove and I chuckle softly. Maybe this is exactly what I need, I think to myself, maybe things will get better. A sinking feeling in my gut warns me otherwise.

It's dark by the time we get to Avi's apartment and the complex almost seems barren. Chloe sneaks in to let the dogs out while Avi leads me to their bedroom where an air mattress is already set up for me. She sets my bag in her closet as she says, "Well, make yourself at home. The bathroom is right across the hall and towels are in the linen closet beside it. Just let me know if there is anything you need."

I nod, "Sounds good to me. Honestly, I think I just want to go to bed."

"That's fine with me," Chloe says with a chuckle as she walks back in with the dogs. She grabs her pajamas and heads for the bathroom while I grab mine and change in the closet as Avi changes in the bedroom. Once we're all changed, Avi and Chloe lay down on the bed and I lay down on the air mattress. My body aches with exhaustion as I pull the comforter over my legs. As the soft snores echo from the bed, I try to close my eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you!"

"You think I would trust the biggest backstabber of them all?"

"Alyson? This isn't…what…"

"The murderer that you are, Alyson? You deserve everything you'll get."

My eyes shoot open and I clutch the blanket closer. I slow my breathing so no one can hear me as a tear trickles down my face as I stare down another sleepless night.