GREETINGS FROM W

Eleven

I was speechless.

No words could leave my mouth after Jay left the living room. I couldn't even look at my friends— especially Shadow. I've been away for three years, and I knew they were disappointed at me, but I had no idea that I hurt them that much. 

I closed my eyes, and inhaled, and exhaled as I tried to calm myself down. I used to think that I was a good person and that I was always there for people— my parents and friends above all. But I was wrong. I was selfish, and I gave up on my best friends for years. They needed me, and I wasn't by their side. I wasn't there for Wolfe. 

“Skylar?” Kaela called, and I was too ashamed to turn around. “Don't mind what he said. Wolfe would never think about you that way.”

“He's right,” I mumbled weakly, “I broke the promise I've made you guys. I should have visited, or at least, I should have called.”

Kaela approached and hugged me from behind, and she rested her head on my shoulder, “I'm sure you had a good reason, Skylar. We've known you for years. You would never give up on us.”

“Exactly,” Aleyn joined and faced me, “It's not like you're a stranger to us.” he smiled. 

“I have something more to tell you guys,” I bit my lip nervously and turned around to find them all looking at me with a concerned face.

“What is it?” Aleyn raised an eyebrow.

“When I was leaving the building, I met Kye Wright,” I started, and everyone looked at me with wide eyes.

“Oh,” Thomas rubbed his neck, “Did he say something?”

“He doesn't know her, so he has nothing to say.” Kaela furrowed a brow. 

“Well, Kye did recognise me from the funeral.” I said, “So, he asked me what I was doing in Glass, and I said I brought invitations for the Sixth Sense members.”

“Okay, that's good.” Thomas nodded, “And?”

I gulped, “He asked me if he's not invited,” I looked down for a moment as I didn't know how to share the news, and I was scared of their reaction. I cleared my throat nervously and said, “I handed Kye an invitation as I didn't want him to think we're suspecting him.” 

They stayed silent for a moment, and Kaela and Aleyn took a seat. 

“I'm sorry, I couldn't think of anything to tell him,” I pressed my lips and joined my hands behind my back. “He was intimidating.”

“That's Kye Wright for you,” Thomas sighed, “But I think you did well.”

“I agree,” Aleyn smiled, “That was smart, Skylar,” 

“Kye shouldn't be in the memorial service out of respect for Wolfe. But it was inevitable.” Kaela said, “It's alright, as long as it doesn't ruin our plans.” 

“Anyways, guys. I have a football match at the club in 2 hours, so I have to go train with the team.” Tyler stood up. “I'll see you at the memorial service.”

“We have to leave too,” Thomas got up from the couch and fixed his necktie, and Rex did the same. “The company is in chaos lately, and there's a lot of work to do.”

They started leaving one by one, each finding an excuse like work or some appointment. In the end, I was left alone with Shadow, who didn't leave the corner of the couch. He didn't say a word since Jay left. 

I cleared my throat nervously, and I looked at the door, begging it to pull me and throw me outside as fast as it could. But when my feet guided me to the entrance, Shadow called my name. 

“Come sit here, Sky,” 

It relieved me to hear Sky instead of Skylar. Like that, I knew he wasn't going to scold me. 

I walked toward him and took a seat on the couch. I rested my hands on my knees and looked down as I waited for him to speak. 

“What Jay said...” he started and paused for a moment as he hesitates. “There's a little truth in it.” 

I gulped and turned my head slightly, without looking at him directly.

“I can't say I wasn't mad when you didn't call,” he sighed, “We all waited for you. We thought maybe you were only having a hard time adapting to a new country. We said you were probably busy with your studies. But it lasted three years,” Shadow turned his head and lifted my chin for me to look at his dark blue eyes. 

“Three years, Sky,” he added with a weaker voice— he sounded disappointed and devastated. 

I nodded slowly, “I know,” I whispered as I felt tears burning my eyes. “I know I should have called, and I wanted to, but...” I pressed my lips and looked away for a moment, “I just couldn't do it.”

“Why not?” Shadow raised an eyebrow, “We were friends for many years. What would stop you from contacting us.”

“My pride,” I looked down, nodding. “Do you remember what I told you before I left?” I asked, then I looked at him again, “I said that I will come back as a successful writer and a great person.” 

“Yes, you did say that.”

“Well, I'm still not a successful writer,” I chuckled as a pointed at myself. “And I'm not a great person either.” I shook my head. “I wasted three years of my life accomplishing nothing,” I added, wiping the tears from my cheeks. “I couldn't call you because I was ashamed of myself,”

Shadow frowned and looked at me with confusion as if he wasn't expecting that answer. 

“I wanted to surprise you guys,” I continued, “I wanted to come back and tell you all the experiences I had while on my road to success. But I had nothing to say, no story to tell.” I pressed my lips and forced a smile, “I wasn't doing fine Shadow.”

“All the more reason to call us, Sky,” Shadow furrowed a brow. “What are friends for if they don't help each other?” he asked, “Why didn't you call me? Or Kaela? Or... or Wolfe,” he added as a tear fell from his eye. 

I couldn't take it anymore. It was enough to hear his name for me to lose control. I started crying, and I hid my face with my hands. “That was selfish of me,” I sobbed, “Wolfe was having a more difficult time. My hardships were only a joke comparing to his.”

Shadow put his arm around my waist, and I rested my head on his shoulder. “We couldn't have known, Sky,” he sighed, “Even I didn't know. Me, his brother who saw him almost every day.”

“Jay was right,” I whispered, “I disappointed Wolfe, as well as all of you.” I closed my eyes tight to stop my tears, but some of them fell anyway. “I should have been there for him.”

I felt someone sitting by my side, and I opened my eyes to see Jay. His eyes were red and puffy, and he reeked of alcohol. 

He rested his head on my shoulder and put his arm around us both.

“Sorry, Sky,” Jay whispered. “I shouldn't have talked to you that way,”

“It's okay,” I patted his head, “I'm the one who's sorry for giving up on you guys.” I said, “But now, I'm not intending to leave. Not when I have the last chance to prove myself.”

Later in the evening, I left Shadow's villa and drove back home. My dad was watching a football match, and I joined him as I loved watching games with him. Football was one of the things that got me closer to my dad, as well as Shadow, Jay, and of course, Tyler.

We used to gather in my parents' apartment when there was an important match. And even though we could be supporting opposite teams, we had great fun together. And what I loved about them was that they never asked me why I loved football when I was a girl— most people did.

Football is to be watched and enjoyed, and I couldn’t understand why people would put genders to a sport.

During the first half of the match, I went to help my mum in the kitchen. She was making chicken skewers with vegetables, so I decided to make a Caprese Salad. 

As I was cutting the mozzarella cheese into large slices, I thought about the good times I spent with Aleyn in our kitchen. If he loved something more than programming or singing, it would be cooking. 

Sometimes when he felt down after hearing of Wolfe's new girlfriends, he would knock at my door and ask me to make something for lunch or for dinner. We used to make feasts out of nothing.

I had the best moments thanks to my friends, and now I felt silly and selfish for distancing myself from them when they were the reason for my smile. 

After dinner, and watching the football match, I wished my parents good night and headed to my room. I put on a cosy and warm pyjama as it was getting colder lately. I lied on my bed and looked at my laptop, which was begging me to open it and open my novel document. 

There were times when I knew what to write but couldn't. Even though I might have the entire chapter in my mind, my hands wouldn't tap any word on the keyboard.

We, writers, are also human beings, not machines. We write to express ourselves and to make people express themselves. We write to feel and make the readers feel. But when we don't know how we're feeling, we can't write.

It was my current state now. My mind was full of many pieces of information, and it didn't help me concentrate. I couldn't write when I knew I hurt my friends. I couldn't write when I failed a simple mission today. 

Oh, I couldn't write when I knew someone might have killed Wolfe.

I rested my head against the wall and let out a deep sigh as I thought of him and his beautiful smile that healed all my scars. 

Then I remembered the letter he wrote to me, and I opened my eyes to look for it in the drawer. 

It has been a long time, but I have always felt like you were with me.

Wolfe was missing me, and I ignored it.

I have never met someone as passionate and creative as you.

Wolfe was the only one who fed the burning flame inside my heart, the one which marked empty pages with endless words like a branding iron. 

I whimpered as I read his words one more time. Wolfe was struggling, and yet he remembered the book I was working on— an unfinished novel that meant the world to me, but difficult it was to write.

I never forgot the days when you would talk to me every day about the book on the royalties who sacrificed everything to save their friend from the curse of the enemy. 

The characters of that book were mainly inspired by our group of friends. They were seven just like us, and they had an enemy to fight. Each character matched personalities with one of us, and Wolfe enjoyed reading it.

I sighed deeply, and I put the letter back in the envelope, but when I was about to leave it in the drawer again, something hit me. 

... the royalties who sacrificed everything to save their friend...

It couldn't be that Wolfe only wanted to mention my book. He was on the verge of dying, and it wasn't a good time to talk about my works. 

What if his words meant more than they sounded like?

My heart threatened to burst as my eyes read the letter again. I repeated what Wolfe said about my book plenty of times, and it made more sense every time. 

Wolfe knew he and my friends inspired the characters. 

What if we were the royalties who sacrificed everything? What if he was the friend we needed to save? And what if the enemy was the one we were looking for?

Wolfe's letter was not a goodbye, but a call for help.

~

A/N: The story mentioned is a real story (one of my ongoing works). You don't have to read it as I will explain it a little further in this book, but feel free to read SEVEN CROWNS | BLACK STONE if you want a more detailed view.

Here is the link. https://www.webnovel.com/book/seven-crowns-%7C-black-stone_17909142706642305