Never an Ever After

Pale white skin. Velvet hair.

SONG FOR THIS CHAPTER:

COULD I LOVE YOU ANY MORE-RENEE DOMINIQUE FEAT. JASON MRAZ

CHAPTER TEN

ELLORA

That morning, Ronan is still at the hospital. I know because I didn’t sleep last night. I am just looking at his bedroom window, and the light didn’t light up. It remains dark.

What happened to him?

Who can do such things to a young boy?

Is he hurt?

Did they let him go or he escaped?

If he did escape, how?

There’s so many questions surfacing not just to me, but I know everyone else has the same questions repeating all over their heads.

I wanted to asked him, but there’s something in him now that made me so scared.

Of him.

I know, I shouldn’t be. He’s still Ronan after all.

But there’s something different about him now that I can’t explain. Am I the only one who can see that?

At school he’s the only topic of the other students that I can hear all over the halls, classroom and even in the cafeteria.

Just like I said, everyone has so many questions to ask and don’t know where to start.

"Have you seen Ronan yet?" Demi asks that I forgot that she’s eating with me today in the cafeteria, I didn't realize that I am spacing out, Ronan invades my mind fully.

Or should I say the bloodied, dark eyes Ronan.

Demi didn’t live in the same neighborhood as mine.

She’s in the village part of the town. So, I know she didn’t see the way how Ronan comes home last night. I know James and Rob saw him that night too.

I shook my head no “No, I am sleeping heavily last night.”

"There are gossips spreading that what happened to Ronan was serious. He was said to be bloody and just spacing out when he came home to them last night." Demi whispered.

Who could’ve spread those rumors, but it isn’t a rumor. It’s the truth. But I am not going to tell Demi that nor correct her.

“Who said that?”

“Allana, her sister is dating James’ older brother.” She said.

There’s no way James would tell that to others, off course it’s Rob.

“I don’t know, I didn’t still see him.” I shrug and continues to eat.

“Are you okay? You seem a bit off since this morning.” She asked worriedly.

I nod “I am, just not enough sleep.”

She nods “Okay.”

How I wished that this is just because of the lack of sleep. Because it isn’t.

******************************************************************

RONAN

Cold. Dark. Pain.

That’s the three words that has been on my mind for the past days that I couldn’t even remember how many days I have gone missing.

It’s just a barn.

But a barn out of nowhere.

An abandoned barn in the middle of the neglected paddy fields.

It’s just me, the darkness and the lady with the red shoes.

I didn’t see her much, only in the night. In the dark.

She doesn't come to me when the surroundings are still bright. She will come to me in the middle of the night. Carrying food and water, but not some normal food. Leftover food that I don’t even know where it came from. At first, I didn’t want to eat that, but I have to in order to survive starve. Once in a long while, I don’t eat when she doesn’t come to me that night. And the next night she was coming to me crying her eyes out keep telling me how sorry she is because she forgot about me.

She’s wearing the same exact dress and coat, and what I remembered every night is her red high heels shoes that so shine and clean despite that we are in the middle of the paddy fields.

I managed to escape that even my legs so soft and my eyes blurry, I ran as fast as I could.

That’s when the couple driving in the road saw me barely living in the middle of the road.

I am so many miles away from Nashville from what I heard.

How did I managed to escape?

Maybe that’s another story for another time.

But the thing is, I escaped. But I left my soul in that place with her.

All I can managed to save is what’s left in me.

The doctor let me come home as I am sitting on my bed, all I can see is Ellora’s bedroom window, but she isn’t there.

The way I’m scared last night when I see her pale white skin and her velvet long hair. She has that same features just like the lady in red shoes.

“Your son had developed a sleep disorder named sleep apnea.” The doctor sighed behind me as he was explaining something to Mom and Dad. “It is a serious disorder that happens when the breathing while you start to slumber in sleep. It has three types: The obstructive when the throat muscles began to relax while sleeping, Central: Which occurs when the brain doesn’t sends proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. And last, is the complex: It combines the two more types.” He sighed again sadly this time “Unfortunately, your son has the complex.”

I heard Mom said “Oh God.” And tried to contain her cries.

“What’s the cause of it?” Dad asked so weak.

“All I can see in his test done in the hospital, the main reason that he developed this disorder is because of the heavy tranquilizers that is running to his bloodstreams.”

Yeah, so it’s a tranquilizer that she’s been using to me every time I tried to escape.

“He’s—He’s been drugged?” Mom said, her voice breaking.

“Unfortunately, yes. Mrs. Hawthorne. A very huge number of drugs is in his systems. Too huge for his aged.”

This time Mom breakdown. She cried so painfully. I wanted to cry too, but there’s no tears falling or should I say, I can’t feel any sort of emotion right now since I escaped the barn.

“What can we do help him?” It’s Dad, I know he will do everything to help me, I know I should tell them this odd feeling I have right now, but I can’t afford for them to have another breakdown just because of my stubbornness. If I didn’t get out that day in the church, none of this will happen to me.

“Right now, he will rely to this oxygen pump and tank apparatus until we find a cure to his disorder.” The doctor said.

I heard some shuffling inside my room, they are in my room but they feel so far away.

I stood up to my window and saw Ellora entered her bedroom, I didn’t remove my gaze at her, despite that I am shaking in fear because she reminds me so much of the lady in red shoes. I challenged myself as she looks my way too.

I feel her trembled too, when she saw me at my window. I know it’s odd that I can feel her even if she’s far. But I am. And I don’t know how.

She smiled at me sadly and waved her hands at me, that’s when my heart starts to pond so loud. I am so scared. I closed my eyes momentarily and all I can see is the lady in red shoe. She looks at me on worried face as I closed my window blinds.

“Can—Can i—“ I starts.

“What is it, son?” Dad asked as Mom looks at me fragilely.

“Can I have my window tinted?” I asked them.

Mom and Dad nods “Off course, son. Right away.”

Thank you.” As I look at the apparatus that will soon become my lifeline.

My breathing starts to grow fast as Mom and Dad runs to me trying to calmed me down.

“I—I can’t breath, Dad.”

The doctor tends at me right away.

The last thing I see is the worried face of my parents looking back at me before it turns dark once again.