As had been routine for Seth since the accident, he went to the hospital to visit Echo. Every day, he had hoped there would be some change, and she'd finally wake up, but he'd been met with the same stillness and the usual sounds of the machines working. He struggled over the previous school week, and although thankful for the weekend, he didn't look forward to it. Things weren't normal, and everyone could see he wasn't himself. Serenity certainly hadn't helped with her breakdowns, especially the last one when she'd ripped the decorations on Echo's locker off and destroyed them in a fit of rage.
"Leave me alone, Roman," sighed Seth, noticing Roman had followed him to the hospital again. "I've got nothing to say to you," he added, suspecting Roman would again take the opportunity to try and put things right between them. Seth, as to be expected, had rejected every attempt so far, as had Dean and the Darklings. Both Seth and Dean had the same line of thought: Roman attempts at fixing things were far too late; after everything he'd done, they weren't about to forgive him, even if others apart of their family were.
Seth stopped and froze when he opened the door to Echo's room. Something was different this time; he could sense it. The familiar and often harrowing sound of the ventilator doing its job was missing. As were a few other tubes that had once adorned Echo's arms and battered body. Upon stepping into the room further, Seth instantly knew Echo's parents had visited at some point. The cards were now on a small pinboard across from her bed, and a bag was now sitting on the chair Seth usually occupied. The TV was also on, although the volume was low, as if not to disturb the room's peaceful atmosphere.
"She's woken up," came the calm but smokey voice of Hunter, Echo's twin brother. His shoulder-length hair was loose as usual, and his typical red and black bandana was in its normal place. "Aleister didn't tell you?" he asked upon seeing the surprise and confusion written across Seth's features. "Mom sent us a message just after lunch," he explained, suspecting Aleister had intended for it to be a surprise. After all, Seth had been a moping mess on auto-pilot the entire week; it wouldn't have registered if he was told. Hunter soon grinned softly before walking over to his twin sister and kissing her temple softly; she was resting now, but still, she fidgeted as if to escape his display of brotherly affection. "Her memory is a little dodgy, but the doc has hope she'll be released at some point next week," spoke Hunter before patting Seth on the shoulder and leaving. Now, he was sure someone would be with his sister.
"Echo," gently called Seth. He wasn't sure when he'd moved to her bedside, but he wasn't about to complain. He was where he wanted to be, where he was meant to be. A smile crept across his lips softly upon looking over her. Cuddled under her favorite black blanket from home, the small black teddy bear with a studded collar wrapped in her arms. She slept comfortably on her side, seemingly unbothered by the wires threatening to tangle together. She was peaceful, and she'd regained her color now.
Slowly, Echo woke once again, rousing from her peaceful nap. She cuddled the teddy bear a little closer before a yawn escaped her. Her eyes found Roman when she opened them for a moment, and then she turned them to the person who'd woken her. With little thought, Seth carefully leaned down to hug her, silently welcoming her back while whispering he'd missed her. He didn't bother to stop the grin that spread across his lips. His dread had vanished, like with Punk the day before; it had been replaced with hopefulness.
"You got my bracelet," Echo said as if only realizing the thin black band around her wrist wasn't her usual studded bracelet. However, she didn't appear surprised by it, as if suspecting he'd somehow end up with the small piece of jewelry that had been a mainstay in her daily choices. "What did I miss?" she asked as if she hadn't been in a coma for a week; her sapphire eyes flicked between Seth and Roman as if she could sense the tension between them.
"H recently found your replacement on the wrestling team; you'd be proud of who he chose," started Seth, recalling when Triple H had announced Nikki Cross would be Echo's replacement, thrust ensuring the element of surprise and darkness would still reign, even if a little different than expected. Finn and Aleister would still have someone in their corner, too. "Cross," added the brunette teen, finally sitting in the chair he'd occupied so much over the previous week, gently holding Echo's hand.
"Cross and Dean together, there's gonna be so much chaos our poor opponents aren't going to know what hit them," chuckled Echo, a small smile coming to her lips, as if she could imagine the pandemonium the two wild cards could and likely would cause together. Dean was difficult to predict as it was; throwing Cross into the mix would only make things more interesting. "He made a good choice."
"Summer returned to school yesterday; she's been the taskmaster for the Lame Game all of us have been playing. She clobbered Drew today for making off with her crutches," laughed Seth, recalling it was Bray who returned the crutches, having appeared from the shadows after retrieving them. "AJ woke up yesterday, Punk proposed to her, and she's set to be released Monday," he added, recalling the happy news as of late; summer returning to school had been the start of it, AJ waking up and she and Punk's engagement had been the rest. With Echo awake and seemingly ordinary, the weekend was shaping up to be better than he thought.
"What about the neverending drama with Miss-I'm-so-popular and Trouble Attractor over there?" asked Echo, her voice dripping with foreign innocence even when she did stand by the nicknames given to the pair. Serenity, especially considering how she'd been a constant rollercoaster of drama and pain since starting at All Star Academy. Roman hadn't been much better, abandoning family, breaking Summer's heart, and ripping trust apart as if it was all a part of some game for him.
"We're over," Roman replied confidently, hoping that by doing so, he could finally convince Seth that all the changes he'd been making were legitimate this time. "Co-parenting only, but I'm gonna fight to get sole custody," he added, reaffirming his earlier stance. Serenity was his past; he intended to keep her there despite her attempts to become part of his future again and the present if she got it her way. "I had a wake up call, everything just hit me like a tone of bricks. I've worked to improve, got my act together, told my parents everything, was truthful during the interview with the officers, tried to make it up to everyone, taken responsibility for my actions, and even made a little group to tutor younger students in between study periods," he explained, listing some of the things he'd done but not admitting Sett, Dean, and the rest of the Darklings had thrust far been his most significant challenges. Neither of them accepted him back, not that he could blame them.
"Officers?" questioned Echo, clearly displaying she was just as in the dark about the ongoing investigation as AJ and Summer had been before returning to the school. "My memory's a bit messed up, but I can't recall things that bad before," she commented, at least displaying her belief the accident that landed her in the hospital in the first place was just that, an accident. She indicated that she had no idea it was done intentionally to cause harm.
"What do you remember about the shopping trip?" asked Roman, curious to know how much Echo remembered and if her story would match the others or would go in Serenity's favor. He ignored Seth's warning glare, but still, he had to ask to finally settle the doubt and erase any shred of hope Serenity had been wrongly accused. "About the time with Serenity?" he asked again, feeling the lump of dread beginning to build up. He'd asked all the girls there that day what happened, even AJ and Summer. They all had the same story, contradicting what Serenity told him and her version of events about what happened.
"It started normal enough, Serenity complaining, the rest of us ribbing each other about what we'd wear; there was a lecture from Serenity about not taking prom seriously, which kinda killed the fun a little bit. Once we got to the mall, Bex informed her we knew her pity play was an act and she was still dating you. Another lecture about how the trip was gonna go, her attempts at manipulation being called out," began Echo, her sapphire eyes darting around the room as if looking for someone or something, never staying in one place too long. "We went to Indulgence first, then split up; some headed to Delavega's, we Darklings went to Enchantments, and the Bella took Serenity to Glam'R'Us. We had plans to meet in the court afterward, at Pumpkin Spice. Serenity tried to take over everything; she said she wanted to go to Glam'r'us, get something to eat, go baby shopping, and then to the cinema," added the midnight-haired teen, recalling everything as if she had pressed rewind on her memory.
"The Bellas couldn't work out what was yours from Rhea's," voiced Seth, recalling he'd yet to know anything about the dress outside the color. He only knew that because Aleister had spent the first few hours on Monday after the accident following him around, repeating that the dress was black until it finally sunk in. "Your parents took your things home once Rhea had separated everything," he added, at least giving her peace of mind; her prom things were safe. Outside the girls, only her brothers, Aleister included, and parents had seen what she'd brought that day.
"Why did you ask what I remembered?" asked Echo, looking to Roman in particular, although her grip on Seth's hand tightened just a little, suggesting she was uncomfortable. "The driver of the other car ran the red light, didn't they?" she worded, at least sharing her belief in what happened and displaying some memory of her car being run off the road, although how much remained the question.
"They don't think it was an accident, Echo," began Seth, his voice quiet and filled with regret. He didn't want to tell her anything so soon but could see he had little choice. "The school is working with the local police department to investigate what happened. Roman's accusation against Serenity may have some truth to it. They think she knows more about what happened than she's letting on, even more so because her version of events doesn't line up with yours or anyone else's there," he added, seeing as realization slowly dawned on Echo. Her cousin was suspected of being involved in what happened, and the accident was committed with purposeful intentions. "The school board thinks it's connected to all the drama between our family, Roman, and Serenity, through the school year."
The way Seth made the difference between the little family each was a part of and Roman didn't go unnoticed by Echo as she once again looked between them. Roman, too, must have noticed, as hurt once again shone in his pale eyes, although he didn't say anything. Instead, he took it in his stride, as if believing the words were some challenge being placed before him. In Roman's mind, he still had time to fix what he'd broken and burnt to the ground. He still had time to convince Seth and Dean he was changing for the better and to convince them to give their brotherhood another chance, him another chance.
"What did Aleister mean when he said my prom campaign?" asked Echo, choosing to change the subject rather than dwell on the pain that waited, the betrayal of the family she didn't want to acknowledge, let alone process. "He's been texting me throughout the afternoon," she admitted, although she didn't say she had no idea what he was on about. She certainly would not have remembered it now if she had learned something about a prom campaign before the accident.
"Before the accident, I was quietly campaigning," admitted Seth, his voice shaky and full of hesitation as if he dreaded her response. "I got thinking after our talk; I realized what I wanted was you; all I ever wanted was you, and this last week only reaffirmed it. We changed everything together and gave people hope that things could be better. I figured I could use it to campaign, hoping it would be a surprise," he added. However, he would confess that the vote demon prom queen campaign over the last week wasn't him. He didn't know who that was, but he was thankful for it. Even more with the little things he'd spotted popping up now and again. "I don't know who's been doing it over this last week."
"Vote Demon Prom Queen, wasn't you?" questioned Roman, displaying he had been under the belief Seth had been behind all the little things, including decorating Echo's locker in her signature colors of black and silver with tints of purple. Seth only shook his head to the question while taking note of Roman's surprise and his display of not paying as much attention as he acted; although he wasn't surprised by it, the Samoan teen had a busy week one way or another. "Then who was it?"
"The Darklings," laughed Echo, suspecting the other Darklings had something to do with it, even more so with the ability to teleport at random. "I'm guessing Aleister was helping you with your original campaign. The odds are he took over to distract himself," she explained, knowing the Devil all too well, plus the tagline likely would be something Aleister would think of. Let The Darkness Reign.
"Not just us, Demon dearest," spoke Rhea upon entering the room, her smile bright upon seeing Echo awake and acting normally; besides the fact she was in the hospital and the visible injuries, one wouldn't have guessed she was involved in an accident. Quickly and quietly, Roman left the room, especially after Finn entered with Summer, the blonde beauty smiling widely now; her crutches had been decorated, too. "We had a little help from our counterparts," she added, chuckling when confusion flooded from Seth.
"We recruit the Wyatt's to our course," spoke Finn once he returned his attention to the group. "When Aleister here told us what you were doing before, we decided to help, even more so when she's the only Darkling up for prom queen," he explained, chuckling upon remembering Cross setting Dexter loose with the posters and a stable gun, he'd gone around the school like a mad man. Still, he had taken care when putting the posters up, ensuring they were in a place where passing students and staff would notice.
"How's the other campaigns coming?" asked Echo, recalling Maryse, Carmella, and AJ all working on their campaigns. AJ, in particular, had spent several hours designing posters and writing a speech for the prom rally. "AJ, Maryse, and Carmella?" she added, at least hoping they hadn't forgotten to continue with theirs and someone was helping AJ with hers while she was stuck in the hospital.
"Maryse and Miz held a happy hour in the canteen this past Wednesday," replied Damian, recalling seeing the advertisements the pair had made for it. "Bex has been helping Punk continue with AJ's. The Bellas, Renee, and Dean too," he added, revealing the group had come together to help AJ with her campaign, ensuring she wasn't forgotten amongst the chaos. "As for Mella and Corey, they've been everywhere, and I'm pretty sure they had a megaphone the other day."
"Corey did," called Summer in response. "On the art floor, Stephanie got to him before he hijacked the intercom system," she laughed, recalling he'd been given detention for the attempted hijacking. "Punk's been drawing little comic strips to go with the campaign and his and AJ's joint love of comics," added the leggy blonde, recalling commenting how sweet the idea was.
"Speaking of prom, Doofus here still hasn't asked Brie," spoke Cross, throwing Damian under the metaphorical bus. "Come to think of it, Seth."
"I'll get there," responded Seth just as quickly, "Let me just be happy my demon is awake," he added in defense of himself. "What's Damo's excuse for not asking Brie," asked the Architect, turning the attention back to the taller teen, much to Damian's chagrin,
"You know how hard it is to ask someone to prom?" asked Damian in response.
"No excuse, I asked Bex's, and the only thing we have in common outside of you lot and wrestling is being Irish," called JD, quicker than he intended. But still, it was the truth; they weren't close as friends, more like friends of friends, yet still, he had asked in the hopes of just having fun together. He'd faced the fear and expectation of being rejected and come out the other end victorious.
"Not to mention I pestered Jey," added Rhea with a sweet grin.
"And Finn asked me even when we're opposites," voiced Summer.
"Hey, hey, hey, let's remember you three had a little easier time," began Aleister, coming to Damian's defense, even if a little. "Bex dated Finn before, so she is used to being around us Darklings; Jey has been crushing on you for god knows how long, and Finn's head over heels for you," added the Devil, pointing out what made the different situations easier for those, who spoke up. "As far as we know, Damian isn't harboring anything for Brie. She's spent more time with the larger family than us, darker ones, and she comes from a different world. Give our Archer some credit and time to work it out."
"What about Architect asking Demon?" asked Rhea.
"Both still here," voiced Seth in response.
"And laughing," commented Echo, at least relieved nothing serious had changed in her week of being out of it. Still, the Darklings were a family that bantered between themselves and made jokes at their own expense. Still, the large, mismatched family was working together to achieve their goals and bring a light of uniqueness to every day.
"I'll be surprised if you could scoot anywhere that quick, Demon," replied JD. "Especially with all us blocking the path to ze door," he added, a bright smile appearing now. Echo's laughter rang out again as the sense of normality missing over the previous week returned. None of them had skipped a beat.
"Seth could have carried her," suggested Aleister, a light chuckle rumbling from his lips shortly thereafter.
"Before or after untangling her from the wires and blanket?" asked Summer with a delightful laugh, as if she could imagine the scene unfolding of Seth trying to make off with Echo, only to be pulled back by the bundle of wires and tubes and her blanket.
"After, although the blanket is definitely coming," replied Seth just as quickly, as a round of laughter escaped those in the room, as the familiar sense of family and belonging once again took over. To each of them, everything was normal again, or at least as close to normal as they could get.