“Xavier.”Alex’s voice was frail and quiet, almost near a whisper. His body shook vigorously, his head pounding violently. There was a slight ring in his ear from bashing his head so hard that he could barely make out what Xavier said.Relief still washed over him; he couldn’t help but cry into Xavier’s shirt. Xavier picked him off the ground and into his arms, Alex still shaking like a wet puppy. Starting at a gradual pace, Xavier began running, slowly the pace picking up till the surroundings were all but a blur.Suddenly Xavier leaped into the air, landing onto a sturdy branch of the treetops. Clenching his eyes shut, Alex refused to acknowledge the fact that they were feet above the ground and that his supposed savior leaped into the air like he was about to set off for flight.Alex held on tight as they moved from tree to tree, the ride not a very comfortable one, especially with his leg feeling like someone

Walking down the bustling hallways, Josh looked down at his phone for the third time since leaving class that ended just minutes ago. His eyes glossed over the many unread messages he’d sent to Alex. A week had gone by and no word from Alex. He knew his friend well enough to know he’d never skip school, ever. He’d go on and on about how he hated it but never once skipped even when he was sick. So, to see Alex not skip just one day but an entire week of school, on top of ignoring his messages, worried him. Josh continued out of the school and into his car.Parking his car in front of Alex’s house, Josh jumped out of the car trying to call for Alex. Like the many times he tried before, he didn’t answer. Josh walked up to the door, knocking a few times but there was no answer. He knocked a few more times but yet again, nothing, this time the door slowly opening.Stepping inside, Josh was met with a literal dump. Thin

At that moment, Alex felt his world crash down before him. His heart was thundering like a warhorse, his body frozen in place. The taste of bile was enough to make him gag at that very moment.There in Alaster’s arms was his best and only friend, drenched in blood, his neck still oozing, reduced to nothing but a still corpse. His hand dangled lifelessly, each finger bright red.Alaster took long strides to the couch to lay Josh down yet Alex had barely even moved. His eyes kept to the empty space before him, his mind refusing to process the information suddenly forced fed to him.Slowly he turned to look over his shoulder where Amber was healing Josh, the pit in his stomach sinking further. Why was Josh hurt? What had happened for his friend to be reduced to such a state?“Is he ok?” Alex managed in a low whisper, his breathing slowly picking up, feet stumbling to his best friend’s side. Amer still had her hands on his neck that wa

“Don’t you recognize your own sister’s voice!” Josh yelled, thankfully taking his hand off the door handle but Alex yet had to let go of his arm.“Josh, you need to trust me,” Alex said, looking Josh straight in the eye. His expression had twisted into one of utter fear, his eyes shrunk back and lips suddenly dry. If not for the grip on Josh’s arm, his hand would be shaking.Josh pressed his lips, his brows sinking. He took a step away from the door but held a conflicted look.Alex knew that the voice echoing through the other side of the door was not his sister. Not only did the gut-wrenching feeling tell him that but the one fact that Jamie had never called him by his name. He didn’t know why and never bothered to question it. So, to hear her voice desperately calling out to him couldn’t be more foreign than if a stranger had been crying out to him.Having let go of Josh’s arm, Alex also took a

Josh sat at the edge of the bed, his bloodshot eyes watching a speck of dust gracefully dance in the air. A stream of morning sunlight bathed the room in a warm glow, a gust of cold air blowing in through the shattered window.Goosebumps erupted across Josh’s exposed left arm; his right nestled in bandages supporting it up. He barely made any movement, his mouth slightly agape.Alex was dead.His best friend. His almost brother. Gone. Swallowing the fact proved harder than actually dealing with the loss. He’d shed enough tears to leave his vision blurred and his eyes burning yet he still failed to believe it. He was with Alex just yesterday, shouting their lungs out whilst playing video games yet now he sat alone in the very room he was trapped in.His eyes looked down at his hand lifelessly sitting atop his lap. They moved over his knuckles that were colored a pinkish red, a majority bruised. Each time he shut his eyes he could see himself po